FRISCO, Texas - FC Dallas will be looking to give the Portland Timbers a taste of their own medicine when the team travels to Providence Park on Sunday, Nov. 22 for the first round of the 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Just over two years ago, FC Dallas was upset by the Timbers in the single-game knockout round at Toyota Stadium, ending Óscar Pareja's hopes of a final MLS Cup run at the helm of FCD. It was a cold, wet and overall disappointing Halloween night in Frisco that saw Dallas fall 2-1 to the Timbers in an ill-tempered game, despite outshooting the visitors 22 to six. The nature and earliness of their exit means that defeat still rankles for Dallas' longer-serving players.
"They're a good team and they've knocked us out of the playoffs at our house so I think we're excited to get the opportunity to go there and kick them out of the playoffs like they've done to us before," said defender Matt Hedgesafter the matchup was set on Decision Day.
“A few years ago they eliminated us on our home field and now we have the opportunity to show them what we are made of and what we are capable of," midfielder Michael Barrios added.
Although he was still FC Dallas' Academy director at the time, the sense of occasion isn't lost on second-year head coach Luchi Gonzalez.
"We were talking about this to the group, they (Portland) obviously ended our season two years ago here in our own stadium," Luchi said. "It’s an opportunity to now go play them in theirs...But it is something we care about. I wasn’t coaching this team (in 2018), but I have a very good connection with that staff—with Óscar (Pareja) and those players at that time—and we still have a lot of players that were on that team in 2018 who had that experience. So that’ll be for them to process how they want."
At the end of the day, advancing to the second round of playoffs will rightly be front and center next Sunday in Portland. Still, that's not to say Dallas' veterans won't have revenge at the back of their minds when they take the field at Providence Park.
"They knocked us out here (at home) and we want to return the favor," Hedges said.
