Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson got an early glimpse of what his team could be in for this weekend.
Robinson travelled to Portland for Thursday's knockout round game between the Timbers and Sporting Kansas City, a match the hosts won in a dramatic 11-round shootout at a delirious Providence Park to set up a date with the Whitecaps in Major League Soccer's Western Conference semifinal.
"Brilliant game for the neutral," Robinson said prior to Friday's practice in Vancouver. "The place was rocking -- goosebumps on the back of my neck and I wasn't even involved."
The Timbers and Whitecaps will tangle in the first leg of their two-game, aggregate series that includes the away-goals rule on Sunday in Portland before the return fixture goes Nov. 8 at B.C. Place Stadium.
Knowing that a Kansas City victory would have set up a date with the Seattle Sounders after they won their knockout game in normal time on Wednesday, Whitecaps defender Tim Parker found himself cheering for the Timbers the longer Thursday's struggle dragged on.
"Seeing them play 120 minutes means it's a quick turnaround for them," he said. "But at the same time we've seen it before this season where we've been able to play back-to-back and have good performances. We're expecting that out of the them."
A case in point came just last week when the Whitecaps had to play a meaningless CONCACAF Champions League game in Honduras before returning home for their regular-season finale three days later.
"Obviously (the Timbers) used a lot of energy getting that win, but let me be the first to warn everybody that it isn't going to be easy," said Vancouver goalkeeper David Ousted. "I don't see a Portland team just lying down and saying they're tired. We're going into a playoff game, we're going into their stadium, so they're going to be up for the challenge. We hopefully have a little more in our tank."
The Whitecaps, who were bounced in the knockout round in 2012 and again last year in their only other playoff appearances, have a win and two ties against the Timbers this season, with both draws coming at Providence Park.
"We're comfortable there. It's a place where we normally play well, but it's still their home turf," said Ousted. "It's going to be tough, but I think we have the confidence to go in there and try and get a good result."
The Whitecaps found themselves at or near the top of the standings for most of the second half of the season, but went just 2-5-2 down the stretch thanks in part to a number of injuries, including one to captain Pedro Morales.
They needed last weekend's victory over the Houston Dynamo coupled with some help on the out-of-town scoreboard to clinch the No. 2 seed in the West, just ahead of Portland, and know the road is only going to get more difficult.
"You're going to have to beat the best teams if you want to go all the way and get to where you want to get to," said Robinson. "You have to play against good teams. We've got no fear about anyone."
Notes: Morales trained this week and could be available for the first leg. ... The winner of Vancouver-Portland will meet either FC Dallas or Seattle in the conference final. ... The Whitecaps announced that additional seats will be opened up for the Nov. 8 game. The club doesn't use the upper deck at B.C. Place and also tarps off large sections of the lower bowl during the regular season, capping attendance at 21,000.
