Starting Lineup:
GK Tim Howard’s 17th appearance of 2017 will equal last season’s total matches played after he joined the Rapids in the summer window from Everton. Howard’s first-ever appearance for Colorado came on July 4, 2016 – a 0-0 home draw against the Timbers.
DEF Mike da Fonte returns to the Starting XI after serving a one-game suspension due to yellow card accumulation. Da Fonte is just 10 minutes shy of reaching the 1,000 mark in just his first season in MLS. Prior to the suspension, da Fonte had started the previous 10 matches, going the distance in all but one.
DEF Eric Miller will reach 6,000 MLS minutes in the third minute of tonight’s contest. He will also feature at centerback for the first time since the 3-1 loss against Seattle Sounders FC on July 4. This will be Miller’s 21st appearance, and start, of 2017.
DEF Kortne Ford will be making his first start in just over a month. The 2017 Homegrown Game MVP was an unused substitution in three of the last four matches, only appearing in the second half of the 0-0 draw at FC Dallas. In his rookie season, Ford has logged 827 minutes in 11 contests, with 10 of those coming from the start.
DEF Mekeil Williams last featured for the club on July 4, playing the first 45 minutes of the 3-1 loss against Seattle Sounders FC. Last season, Williams appeared in all three meetings against the Timbers, going the full distance in two of the three regular season contests.
MID Micheal Azira is currently on pace to hit career-highs in games, games started, and minutes in a season. This will be Azira’s 50th regular season start for the Rapids since joining the club via the Waiver Draft on December 9, 2015. Azira, who turned 30 yesterday, is 95 minutes away from back-to-back 2,000-minute campaigns. He will serve a second suspension for yellow card accumulation if he collects a booking tonight.
MID Luis Gil played the final 26 minutes of the 1-0 loss against D.C. United – his first official minutes as a Rapid. Gil’s first start for Colorado will also be his 96th overall in Major League Soccer (89 with RSL, 6 with ORL).
MID Mohammed Saeid was replaced mid-way through the second half of the 1-0 loss against D.C. United after playing all 90 minutes of the previous six contests. Saeid will be facing the Cascadia side for the third time in 2017 after appearing in the 2-1 win on June 17 for the Rapids, as well as the 5-1 defeat in the MLS season opener for Minnesota United FC.
FWD Dillon Serna will be making his first appearance in the month of August after being an unused sub in the previous three matches. Serna played the final 38 minutes of the 2-1 win over the Timbers on June 17. Serna played under Timbers head coach Caleb Porter at Akron.
FWD Joshua Gatt came off the bench for the sixth time in 2017, replacing Shkëlzen Gashi in the 69th minute of the 1-0 loss against D.C. United. Gatt’s second of four starts for the Rapids came during the 2-1 win over the Timbers. It marked the first of three consecutive starts for the 25-year-old winger.
FWD Kevin Doyle’s first-ever start at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park came during a 2-1 loss against the Timbers on May 30, 2015. Doyle registered his second of four assists after setting up Dominique Badji for the game-tying goal in the come-from-behind victory over Portland earlier this season.
On the bench:
GK John Berner remains on the bench, backing up Tim Howard in net. Berner has not made a regular season appearance since a 2-2 home draw against the Timbers on September 13, 2014. Berner’s only win in MLS came in the second regular season game of the same year, a 2-0 victory over Portland on March 22.
DEF Axel Sjöberg will be on the bench for the first time since the 3-0 loss at Chicago Fire on May 17. Sjöberg returned to the 18 after missing seven matches due to a hamstring injury suffered in just the second match of the season.
DEF Jared Watts hit the 5,000-minute mark in his career during the 1-0 loss against D.C. United. For the second time this year, the Rapids dropped a 1-0 contest due to an own goal. Defender Eric Miller’s poor clearance gave the New York Red Bulls all three points on March 12 at Red Bull Arena.
D/M Marlon Hairston will look to come off the bench for just the fourth time this season. All other appearances in 2017 have come from the start. Hairston still remains the only player on the Rapids roster to appear in every single regular season contest.
MID Nana Boateng returns to the bench after playing the first 64 minutes of the 1-0 loss at D.C. United, in what was his fifth start of 2017. Boateng did not see action during the first meeting with the Timbers as he was still recovering from a back injury suffered in the 2-1 loss against Real Salt Lake on April 15.
FWD Dominique Badji will not be in the starting lineup for just the second time in 12 matches. Badji did not make the gameday roster for the 1-0 loss at Atlanta United FC on June 24. The team’s leading scorer tallied his fourth goal of the campaign during the 2-1 victory over the Timbers on June 17.
FWD Alan Gordon will look to make his 10th appearance against the Timbers dating back to Portland’s inaugural season in MLS in 2011. Gordon has faced the Cascadia Cup holders with all four of his MLS clubs – Toronto FC (1), San Jose Earthquakes (4), LA Galaxy (3) and Rapids (1). Earlier this season, Gordon scored the game-winning goal in the 89th minute of the 2-1 win over the Timbers.
