The Columbus Crew takes the long trip to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Portland Timbers. Columbus has not traveled to Portland since Sept. 19, 2018, when the Black & Gold lost 3-2. The Crew has actually never won a match in Portland with a 0-3-2 all-time record.

Columbus will be without forward Cucho Hernandez and head coach Wilfred Nancy for this match due to red cards. Defender Will Sands remains sidelined while recovering from his ACL surgery. The Black & Gold will have reinforcements in the form of midfielder Aidan Morris and forward Jacen Russell-Rowe, who have both returned from international duty and will be available for this match.

Even with the significant absences of Hernandez and Nancy, the Crew should be able to put together a strong lineup in an attempt to claim the team’s first victory in the Rose City. Let’s look at how we believe the Black & Gold will line up from the start for this game.

Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte is the clear No. 1 starter, something that was made abundantly clear after the Crew and goalkeeper Eloy Room are set to agree to a mutual termination of the player’s contract. This leaves the Black & Gold with Schulte and Evan Bush as the first-team options, with Brady Scott only seeing time with Crew 2.

This match will host a number of homecomings, one of which will be Phil Quinton’s return to the starting lineup. The defender played his youth soccer for FC Portland and for the Timbers’ Under-23 team. Quinton will start as the left center back along with Milos Degenek and Steven Moreira along the backline.

Winger Yaw Yeboah will continue to start as the left wing back while wing back Mohamed Farsi has little competition for the starting right wing back role. Winger Luis Diaz made an impact in limited minutes off the bench against New York City FC, but his role is still only as a substitute as his blistering pace is amplified against a tired backline.

Another homecoming comes in the form of Crew captain Darlington Nagbe, who last traveled to Portland as a member of Atlanta United in August 2019. Nagbe was drafted by the Timbers and won an MLS Cup in Portland in 2015 against the Black & Gold, Nagbe also won an MLS Cup with Atlanta against Portland in 2018. Joining Nagbe in the midfield will be Morris, making his first appearance for Columbus since mid-June.

The attacking players will be forced to change after Hernandez’s red card. The change will see midfielder Alexandru Matan push up farther into the attack alongside playmaker Lucas Zelarayan and forward Christian Ramirez. Matan only has one goal but has contributed eight assists this season.