It was Aug. 21, and the Portland Timbers had just been defeated 3-1 during a visit to Austin. They had the worst goal differential in the MLS — their opponents scored a lot more than they did — and things were looking bleak.

Since then, the club has won 13 games and only lost three times. Now, they stand on the precipice of history + will host the MLS Cup for the first time on Sat., Dec. 11 at 12 p.m. As a memorable season nears its (hopefully) jubilant conclusion (knocks on wood), we’re taking a look at how the Timbers got here.

The ‘21 season

🌊 The season opener was weird, even by Portland’s standards. It was a 1-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps, who were playing at Real Salt Lake’s Rio Tinto Stadium due to COVID-19 travel restrictions at the Canadian border.

🎩 Timbers advanced to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, before losing to Club América in the Estadio Azteca. On a happier note, Yimmi Chara did record the team’s first hat trick in the competition, during the round of 16 against Marathon.

💯 Captain + club legend Diego Valeri recorded his 100th goal for the Timbers, in a win over LAFC.

Valeri has played in 262 games for the Timbers. | Photo via GIPHY

🏔️ It was a mixed bag in the Cascadia Cup, with two wins + two losses against PNW rivals. That 6-2 Sounders drubbing still stings, SEAtoday.

⚽Still, the Timbers won a team-record 17 regular season games. And throughout the playoffs, they have outscored their opponents 6-1.

If you managed to get tickets for this Saturday (lucky), the weather is going to be, well, typical. There are lots of bars around town that will be showing the game too.

MLS Cup matchup

New York City FC comes to Providence Park as the 4th seed out of the Eastern Conference. On their path to the final, they upset the Community Shield winners New England Revolution in penalty kicks.
The Timbers are also the 4th seed in the Western Conference, so the rule that normally gives the home field advantage to the higher-ranked team went in the woodchipper.
A tie-breaker determined by point totals from the regular season had Portland edging The Boys in Blue by a meager four points.

Adding to the legacy

Portland is playing in their third MLS Cup. In 2015, they won their only title against Columbus Crew + in 2018, they lost to Atlanta United FC.
Check out the cool features of the trophy itself.
This will be Coach Savarese’s second final since he joined the team in 2017.
Over the club’s 52 past playoff games, they carry an all-time record of 22-22-8.
In 1975, the Timbers did reach the final of the North American Soccer League — but lost to the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

From die-hard Timbers fans to people who simply like parades, there’s plenty at stake this weekend in Soccer City USA.