Portland Timbers scoreless draw with Colorado Rapids feels more like a loss (Photo gallery)

Portland Timbers conceded critical points at home again in a scoreless draw with direct-play competitors, the Colorado Rapids. The Timbers remain five points from the ninth and final playoff spot with four games to go and 12 points in dispute, while Colorado takes a big step toward a direct postseason berth.

Portland has struggled in defense this season, but Saturday’s only second clean sheet for starting keeper James Pantemis couldn’t shake the feeling of a missed opportunity. Mixed feelings showed on coach Martí Cifuentes’ face as they all exited the pitch in the traditional post-game log ceremonies. The team was able to finally earn a shutout, the first one of the Cifuentes era; the other was back in May, still in Phil Neville’s tenure, but seemed to have lost their confidence in the final yards completely.

Colorado didn’t exactly bite, footbolistically speaking; with plenty of chances to hurt the locals, they lacked clarity in the definition. Portland has more clinical finishers on their squad than Colorado, and they didn’t lack chances either: 11 shots on goal, four on target, one of them by Vincent Janssen, denied the woodwork.

The game was physical and fiercely contested, as the balance of the season makes every game feel like a final now until decision day. Several altercations occurred during and after the match, and referee Elijio Arreguin did what he could in a game where players did not cooperate. Surprisingly, only 4 yellow cards were shown: 1 for the locals and 3 for the visitors.

Colorado showed more midfield control, while the Timbers’ more vertical play was able to break through the intense pressing. Both teams did enough to shift the balance in their favor, but it was the locals who felt it as a missed opportunity. At the end of regulation, the race for the playoffs is starting to look very uphill.