One week after Portland forward Fanendo Adi was left out of the Starting XI in Seattle in the Timbers' 3-1 loss to the Sounders, he is expected to return this Sunday (2 p.m. PT; ESPN)
Timbers head coach Caleb Porter scratched Adi late last week for undisclosed reasons and he was not on the team flight to Seattle. Adi, who leads Portland with 12 goals this season, came on as a second-half substitute and scored the Timbers' lone tally.
"We didn't expect to have one change in the last game, but ultimately that was something that was forced and we had to make the right decision there," Porter told The Oregonian. "I'm confident there will be no issues with that moving forward and that we'll move on from it. There's not going to be any lingering effects from that as well."
The Timbers will need Adi down the stretch as they look to earn a playoff berth. They currently sit in the sixth and final Western Conference playoff spot, just one point ahead of the San Jose Earthquakes and two ahead of the Sounders. Seattle can jump Portland with a win this Sunday.
