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Minnesota United FC will host the Portland Timbers at Allianz Field on Wednesday in the US Open Cup semi-finals.
The semifinal match (8 p.m. ET start time) won’t be on regular TV in the US, but you can watch it right here via ESPN+, the digital streaming service from ESPN that has exclusive coverage of the US Open Cup and other live sports, all the 30-for-30 documentaries and additional original content all for $4.99 per month.
You can sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then watch Minnesota United vs the Portland Timbers live on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the ESPN app.
Minnesota vs Portland US Open Cup Preview
These sides met in MLS play on Sunday, when Minnesota downed the Timbers 1-0 on a stoppage-time penalty kick from Ethan Finlay.
“I thought it was a pretty even game,” Portland head coach Giovanni Savarese said, according to The Oregonian. “I think they had their chances and their moments, but we had our chances and our moments. I think the game was up and down for both teams. I thought the heat was definitely an important part of the game.”
In the 87th minute, a headed attempt on net from Minnesota’s Ike Opara appeared to hit Portland defender Larrys Mabiala in the arm. Referee Chris Penso didn’t award a penalty at first, but changed his call after a video review, leading to Finlay’s winner. Savarese didn’t think there was enough video evidence to overturn the call.
“What we saw was definitely a question mark, and I have to enter into this matter because I think it’s important,” Savarese said, per The Oregonian. “When it’s not clear and obvious, it’s supposed to be that the call stands. It’s not clear and obvious with the clip that we saw, but in the end these situations happen.”
Loons head coach Adrian Heath said he’d probably feel similarly had the shoe been on the other foot.
“I thought we’d get a dubious last-minute penalty,” Heath joked, according to Pro Soccer USA. “It was like a training session at the end: attack against defense; who was going to get the break? And we got it, today. I feel for them a little bit because I know if we’d been on the receiving end of the penalty, we’d have been probably a little disappointed. But you know, we always think that these even themselves out, and as they do, we actually probably deserved that. Maybe not today, but over the last few weeks we’ve deserved better than we’ve got out of games.”
The Loons are riding a streak of 10 matches without a loss, including US Open Cup play. They now sit in second in the Western Conference with 38 points through 23 matches, holding a goal-differential advantage over the San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders FC.
The Timbers opened their MLS campaign with a draw followed by five consecutive losses, but their Sunday loss was just their fourth defeat in 19 matches since then, a run that includes a trio of US Open Cup victories.
They’re eighth in the West with 31 points through 22 league games, two points behind seventh-place FC Dallas — who’ve played 24 matches — for the conference’s last playoff spot.