FCD brings winless streak to Jeld-Wen

Portland, OR – FC Dallas faces a tough test in its quest to snap a long-standing winless run as the club heads to Jeld-Wen Field to take on the Portland Timbers on Saturday.

Dallas was held to a 3-3 draw by the Los Angeles Galaxy last weekend, bringing its winless run to 10 games.

The club did manage to end a five-match goalless drought, something that head coach Schellas Hyndman hopes his side is able to rally behind.

"I think the glass is definitely half full," said Hyndman after the match. "We're going in the right direction. Up until tonight, we were going in the wrong direction and (now) I think we're going in the right direction."

Dallas has not claimed a league victory since May 25, and one of its four losses since came against Portland.

The Timbers ran out to a 1-0 defeat of FC Dallas at Jeld-Wen on June 15 thanks to a second-half strike from Darlington Nagbe.

Since then, Portland has gone 2-2-3 to slip further away from the top of the Western Conference table.

In its most recent outing, the Rose City club was held to a 1-1 draw by Vancouver Whitecaps FC, the second-place side in the Western Conference.

"We're obviously disappointed in the draw," said Timbers head coach Caleb Porter. "For me, the fact that we are so disappointed says everything about how far we've come as a club, and the culture we've created and the standards that we have, that literally we take the field with this group of guys and we expect to win every game we play. If we don't win, we're not happy, we're not pleased."

The draw put an end to Portland's four-game winning run on home soil, but Will Johnson shed some light on what the Timbers need to focus on in order to continue to make Jeld-Wen a fortress.

"Both ends of the field, we've got to start taking a little more responsibility," Johnson said. "I think attacking-wise we're not hungry enough. I think there's decent service in the run of play as well as on set pieces. Box defending, box attacking, if we execute that well we'll make the playoffs. If we don't, we won't."