The Portland Timbers have opted to stick with what's got them this far, avoiding any tinkering with their lineup for the first leg of the Western Conference final, while Real Salt Lake have been forced into some moves due to injuries. Alvaro Saborio and Ned Grabavoy are hurt, though Grabavoy was fit enough to make the 18-man squad. RSL's shape should look like a 4-4-2 diamond, while Portland line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Real Salt Lake vs. Portland Timbers: Lineups
Devon Sandoval and Sebastian Velazquez are in for RSL, while Portland decides not to mess with the program.
Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
#RSL XI :: Rimando; Beltran, Schuler, Borchers, Wingert; KB5, Gil, Velasquez, Morales; Findley, Big Dev http://t.co/EVhRv5qWG2
— Real Salt Lake (@RealSaltLake) November 11, 2013
Timbers XI vs. RSL: Ricketts, Jewsbury, Danso, Kah, Harrington, Chara, Valeri, W. Johnson ©, Nagbe, R. Johnson, Wallace #RCTID #MLSPlayoffs
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) November 11, 2013
"Big Dev" is rookie forward Devon Sandoval, the closest thing to a like-for-like replacement that RSL have for Saborio. He doesn't have the same technique, but he matches the Costa Rican in size and physicality. KB5 is USMNT midfielder Kyle Beckerman.
Kickoff is at 9 pm ET from Rio Tinto Stadium in Utah. You can catch it on ESPN in the United States.
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