The Portland Timbers will host Club Atletico Monarcas Morelia tonight for an international friendly at Jeld-Wen Field. Dubbed the “Copa Verde,” the competition between the Timbers and the first-division club from Mexico raises awareness of Portland’s Somos Timbers initiative, an outreach program focused on Hispanic youth development, education and health. A portion of the proceeds from the game will go to the Mexican Consulate of Portland’s IME Becas scholarship program. The winning team will take home the Copa Verde Cup, a symbol of sustainability hand-crafted by local artisan Alain Bally using salvaged Douglas fir beams from a demolished Southeast Portland warehouse.
Monarcas will come to Jeld-Wen Field led by two of the preeminent scorers in Liga MX: two-time Golden Boot-winner Hector Mancilla and Jefferson Montero, a headliner for Ecuador’s national team. Also making the trip is team captain Federico “El Jefe” Vilar, who at 36 is still one of Liga MX’s finest goalkeepers.
The Timbers have run the same formation for the last two matches, a 4-3-3 construction, with Rodney Wallace, Frederic Piquionne and Darlington Nagbe featured on the frontline. Piquionne, a 34-year-old MLS rookie, has been on fire since restarting his career with the Timbers, scoring five goals in U.S. Open Cup play and notching his first MLS goal against the Colorado Rapids on June 23. Wallace is also in the midst of a breakout year for Portland, with four goals this season and a place among the MLS leaders in assists. Portland also has plenty of help in the net, as goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts is currently the league leader in shutouts.
The Timbers have been full of surprises this year, starting the season slowly and stubbornly climbing to the top spot in the Western Conference, but the Monarcas club will have the majority of their best players on hand when they arrive in Portland. In order for the Timbers to pull off a win, they’ll need to play with both urgency and control—winning the possession game, maintaining a passing percentage above 75 percent and relying on their injury-depleted backline to step up against the decorated frontline of Monarcas. The Timbers will have their hands full, but as they’ve shown all season it’s not an insurmountable task. Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m.