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Week 24 Preview: Greens Head West as Playoff Race Heats Up

By Tyler Vaughn, 08/15/19, 2:00PM CDT

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USL Championship – Match 25
Energy FC @ Portland Timbers 2
Friday, August 16 – 9:30 p.m. CDT
Providence Park – Portland, Ore.

Where to Watch

Official Watch Party at Guyutes
ESPN+
@EnergyFC on Twitter

Week 23 Recap

Energy FC are back on the road after falling at home to Fresno FC. Kyle Hyland’s second goal of the season put the Greens ahead before the Foxes scored two unanswered to take the points at Taft Stadium. The result drops OKC outside of the playoff spots, but the standings are incredibly tight with only seven points separating fourth through 14th place.

Week 24 Preview

The Greens head to Cascadia for a fixture that could prove crucial in the race for the Western Conference Playoffs. With a 3-2 win over New Mexico United last week, Friday’s opponents, Portland Timbers 2, moved ahead of Energy FC and into the 7th spot. The Greens, now in 11th, are level on points with 10th place San Antonio FC. Remember, 10 teams make the playoffs this year.

The win for Portland was their first in nine matches, as T2 have had a difficult run since defeating OKC 3-2 on April 6 at Taft Stadium when they were competing for the top spot in the conference. Leading goalscorer Dairon Asprilla has seven goals in seven appearances but has spent time with the first team recently, so his inclusion in the squad to face OKC is questionable.

The Portland Timbers 2 will be without their assist leader, Eryk Williamson, after the midfielder picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against New Mexico.

There will likely be a new face on the team sheet Friday night, as Energy FC and El Paso Locomotive just announced a trade involving midfielder Alexy Bosetti moving to El Paso in exchange for forward Derek Gebhard. Gebhard should be eligible for Friday’s match.

Don’t expect a draw Friday night at Providence Park. All time, the teams have met on eight occasions with OKC winning five and Portland winning three. They have never split the points.

Friday’s match kicks off from Providence Park at 9:30 p.m. CDT and will be streamed live on espn+. The official, all-ages watch party location is Guyutes on Uptown 23rd. As always, there will be food and drink specials as well as plenty of giveaways.