Portland coach Gavin Wilkinson ripped his team following a 0-0 tie with Rochester Thursday night in a USL First Division soccer match.
 The Timbers, who won their first three games with stirring play, were shut down by the defense-minded Rhinos, but Wilkinson didn’t bother with the play of the opponent, he just focused on his players.
 “We were sluggish, especially in the first half,” Wilkinson said. “That’s not what I expect from my players. I thought we played a lot better in the second half, played with a lot more energy, but that first half really disappointed me.
 “I told the players that and they all know how things work here, that you’re either going to perform or you’re going to get replaced.”
 With the team’s major rival, Seattle, on the schedule for Saturday, Wilkinson’s venting caught the attention of the team’s players.
 “Gavin’s a good motivator,” defender Scot Thompson said. “He’s responsible for how we play and we all know we’re out to entertain and put on a good show for our fans. When that doesn’t happen he lets us know.”
 Portland scored one point in the overall standings and sits at 3-0-1, 10 points, in the First Division. Rochester scored its first point of the season and is 0-2-1, one point.
 The Timbers drubbed Seattle 2-0, April 26, at PGE Park and Saturday’s game will be the final meeting between the teams in USL as the Seattle welcomes a franchise in Major League Soccer.