Gameday preview: Loons vs. Portland
August 4, 2019 at 12:07AM
Four days, two matches
Preview: The two teams play two games in four days in the same stadium, starting with Sunday's MLS regular-season game that has playoff implications and followed by Wednesday's U.S. Open Cup semifinal. United is fifth in the West, four points ahead of the seventh-place Timbers. They played their first 12 games on the road this season while workers renovated Providence Park — the former baseball stadium for the Twins' Class AAA affiliate in the 1980s and '90s. After Sunday, the Timbers play 10 consecutive games and 11 of their final 12 at home. United star Darwin Quintero is suspended because of yellow-card accumulation reached in last week's 1-1 draw with Vancouver. Newly signed midfielder Robin Lod will make his MLS debut; United coach Adrian Heath on Saturday said he wasn't yet certain if Lod would start and play about 60 minutes or come on as a substitution.
Injuries: Loons MF Kevin Molino is expected back from a hamstring injury.
JERRY ZGODA
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Minnesota started only two strikers against Seattle, leaving Sang Bin Jeong and Joseph Rosales to provide the width behind Teemu Pukki and Kelvin Yeboah.
