Another must-win greets Timbers, fans

Kris Boyd leads Portland with five goals.

File photo.

Don't call it a comeback, unless there is a comeback - which is where the Portland Timbers seem to be again with their season.

Following a disastrous, 3-0 loss at Colorado, Portland returns to the friendly confines of Jeld-Wen Field to face San Jose Tuesday night, with San Jose entering the stadium as the top team in Major League Soccer.

Portland is 4-7-4, 16 points, and has scored 14 goals this season. San Jose is 11-3-3, 36 points, has scored 35 goals, and is coming off a 4-3 win over the LA Galaxy that's being touted as one of the league's best-ever matches.

Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Portland has faced a must-win scenario before, and performed beautifully. On April 21, the Timbers played host to Kansas City, then ranked No. 1 in the league, just a week after a disastrous 3-1 loss at Los Angeles and won 1-0 - only their second win of the season at the time.

Then, on June 24, Portland hammered Seattle 2-1, a week after an uninspiring 1-0 loss at Los Angeles.

At 16 points, the Timbers are eighth in the Western Conference, ahead of just FC Dallas. But, they're just three points behind Chivas USA and six points behind fifth-place Colorado, and have a game in hand over every team in the West.

And, Portland is 4-2-2 at home and enters the game at 2-1-2 in its last five contests. San Jose is 4-1-0 over the same span.