Portland Timbers & Real Salt Lake look to start Cinderella run | OneFootball

By Ari Liljenwall

With the sting of a 4-0 home defeat to San Diego FC on Decision Day still fresh, the Portland Timbers get a chance at redemption.

That's the mindset head coach Phil Neville is preaching ahead of Portland hosting the Western Conference Wild Card match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night (10:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV).

"We’re in a position where the game on Wednesday night, I think we’ve got to use as a positive," Neville told reporters earlier this week.

"A positive is, it’s a game where we can play a home game, a playoff situation where we can try and build some momentum. We’ve obviously not got momentum at this moment in time, but… I’ve got incredible confidence in this group of players."

House money?

In RSL, Portland welcome a No. 9 seed that clinched their Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs spot at the last possible moment, thanks to a 2-2 Decision Day draw at St. Louis CITY SC.

By that measure, it leaves head coach Pablo Mastroeni's squad in an underdog role.

"The way I explained it to the group is we're playing with house money, man," Mastroeni said on Tuesday. "We snuck into this position during a really tough campaign, and now we've got to be brave in these moments.

"As they say, 'Fortune always favors the brave,' so that's what we kind of want to bring up."

Real Salt Lake vs. Portland Timbers: Who emerges in Wild Card matchup?

Time to shine

Whoever wins will meet No. 1 seed San Diego in a Round One Best-of-3 Series, starting Sunday on the road (9:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV).

"I think we owe our supporters a performance, and I think we need the result," Neville said. "These are the moments you get out of bed for. I think about the teams that have not made the playoffs this year. Imagine what they’re going to feel on a Monday morning."

As the visitors, Mastroeni said his side must be ready for all that comes their way at Providence Park.

"I think the first 5-10 minutes are going to be critical," Mastroeni said. "I think the way we impose ourselves on the game, I think they're a team where home teams really sniff out fear. And if you're going to a place and not fully believing that you can win the game, I think they'll get on top of you early.

"So the onus is on us to really impose ourselves on the game in the first 10-15 minutes and then settle into the game."

Eyes on the prize, ALL for the Cup