ATLANTA — Timbers defender Liam Ridgewell said that Saturday night’s MLS Cup final is “something to look forward to, not to fear,” and though he was referring to the game more generally, the same could be said of Portland’s challenge in shutting down Atlanta’s vaunted attack.
United most notably boasts single-season MLS goal-scoring record holder Josef Martinez and English Premier League target Miguel Almiron. But Ridgewell said the team is used to facing high-powered offenses and will be ready as they look to win their second league championship in four years at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“We’re excited to meet the challenge,” Ridgewell said. “It’s something to look forward to, not to fear. [It’s] the same thing we’ve been doing all season against pretty big attacks in every single team, whether it’s [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic or [David] Villa or anybody you come up against.
“I think we play against a quality striker every single week. We have to keep him quiet, nullify everything they’ve got going forward and try to get it going our way. The best thing we can do to defend is to hurt them and make them worried about what we do.”
Portland’s defense has not been given as much credit as midfielders Diego Valeri and Sebastian Blanco for its run through the Western Conference. And it’s true that they haven’t been flawless, surrendering four goals in the conference semifinal series against Seattle alone. But the back line has done enough to get them this far, and it seems undaunted by the task on Saturday night.
“I think Martinez’s record speaks for itself in terms of his goal-scoring prowess,” outside-back Zarek Valentin said. “Kudos to him — he doesn’t need many chances. You give him one or two, and he usually puts one in the back of the net. With Almiron and Darlington [Nagbe] and a few of these other guys, with [Julian] Gressel serving the ball, they’re difficult and can hit you from a lot of different angles and in a lot of different ways.
“They’re well-rounded, and we have to be ready for all facets. I think if we control our game, and play the way that we want to play, we’re going to make it difficult.”