Everyone in Providence Park on Saturday night knew the outcome well before ninety minutes. Heck, they probably knew it just minutes into the second half. The most pessimistic thought they knew it in the first half – and those misgivings were proven correct.
Whenever and however it hit you, the reality hit like a ton of bricks: the Portland Timbers had fallen into the Wild Card Play-in game once again. By virtue of a savage 4-0 defeat at the hands of San Diego FC coupled with an improbable (but not unearned) FC Dallas victory in Vancouver Portland finished in the bottom two playoff spots. With their destiny and a chance to go into the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs outright all in their hands, they massively fumbled and are right back where last year ended.
It's not even a solace that they get to host the Wild Card game again (this time without any motorcycle-fueled intervention). The Timbers are careening into the playoffs with vibes as low as they have been all season, and it's no wonder that not even the most optimistic of fans (read: me) has high hopes for Wednesday night when they host Real Salt Lake.
To make matters worse, Portland finding themselves in the Wild Card for the second straight year is perhaps the worst outcome they could have found themselves in. It doesn't matter whether they advance or are eliminated: Portland faces almost no path forward to call this season any kind of success.
They are in a Catch-22, where either they lose again and end their late-season death spiral with an exclamation point, or win and face... one of the most successful MLS expansion sides of all time, who most recently put their faces in the turf on Decision Day.
Timbers Lose: They are who we thought they were (bad)
Look, let's all just admit that this is the most likely outcome. Portland is bereft of any kind of confidence at the moment, haven't scored in over 180 straight minutes of soccer, and just got wedgie'd at home by the new kids on the block. They do not look like a team that can pull out victory in a do-or-die game, even if it is at home.
So what happens if they lose? What kind of narrative will be spun? The same narrative that has been haunting this team since the Leagues Cup: the Timbers are not a very good soccer team right now.