When the struggling Chicago Fire come to Providence Park on Wednesday, the Portland Timbers will be attempting to extend their unbeaten streak to four games.
The hosts' most recent match ended in a scoreless tie with the San Jose Earthquakes, while the visitors lost 2-1 to the Columbus Crew.
▶ Watch every MLS match, including the playoffs, here
▶ Buy MLS tickets from Ticketmaster, here
As of Wednesday's match, Portland has a record of five wins, six ties, and seven defeats, making it fair to say that their season has been wildly uneven this far.
On the other hand, the Timbers have just recorded a three-game unbeaten streak thanks to a 1-0 win against FC Dallas and a scoreless draw with the Seattle Sounders and San Jose Earthquakes.
The team led by Giovanni Savarese has kept three straight shutouts since they were trounced 4-1 by Sporting Kansas City in late May.
Even better, Portland has won three games and drawn four others in their previous nine MLS matches, losing only twice in that span. The Oregon team is undoubtedly headed in the right direction.
Chicago enters the matchup on Wednesday on a six-game league winless streak following last week's loss to the Columbus Crew, having earned three draws and three losses since their last triumph.
In the grand scheme of things, the Fire has only been successful in winning one of their previous 11 MLS matches, posting five draws and five losses to be second from last in the Eastern Conference - two points ahead of Inter Miami.
Frank Klopas took over as temporary manager after Ezra Hendrickson left the team on May 8 after managing two victories, five ties, and three losses to open the season.
The Fire's US Open Cup run came to an end in the quarterfinals after a 4-1 hammering by Houston Dynamo, but the new manager has so far failed to turn things around, earning six points out of a possible 21 since his appointment.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Portland Timbers vs Chicago Fire kick-off time
| Date: | Jun 21, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 10:30 pm ET / 7:30 pm PT |
| Venue: | Providence Park |
Portland Timbers and Chicago Fire face off on Jun 21 at Providence Park. Kickoff is set for 10:30 pm Eastern Time (ET), or 7:30 pm Pacific Time (PT).
How to watch Portland Timbers vs Chicago Fire online - TV channels & live streams
 | Apple TV | Watch here |
The game will not be broadcasted live on TV but will be available to stream live online through Apple TV MLS Season Pass.
Team news & squads
Portland team news
Midfielder David Ayala suffered an ACL injury last month and is the latest addition to the team's list of long-term absentees. He will join Tega Ikoba, Eryk Williamson and Felipe Mora in the treatment room at the club and will play no part in the upcoming fixtures.
Portland Timbers possible XI: Ivacic; Mosquera, McGraw, Mabiala, Bravo; D Chara, Paredes; Niezgoda, Evander, Loria; Boli
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Ivacic, Bingham |
| Defenders: | Bravo, Mosquera, Bonila, Zuparic, McGraw, Mabiala, Miller, Rasmussen |
| Midfielders: | Moreno, Asparilla, Blanco, D. Chara, Fogaca |
| Forwards: | Niezgoda |
Chicago team news
Jairo Torres, Victor Bezerra and Federico Navarro will once again be unavailable for selection this weekend due to injuries. Kei Kamara is expected to start up front with Brian Gutierrez on the left wing in place of Chris Mueller.
Chicago Fire possible XI: Brady; Souquet, Teran, Pineda, M Navarro; F Navarro, Gimenez; Herbers, Shaqiri, Gutierrez; Kamara
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Gal, Brady |
| Defenders | Souquet, Czichos, M. Navarro, Ornsberg, Teran, Dean, Burks, Reynolds |
| Midfielders | Haile-Selassie, Gutierrez, Herbers, Gimenez, Oregel, Casas, Pineda, A. Rodriguez, Torres |
| Forwards | Kamara, M. Rodriguez, Mueller |
Head-to-Head Record
Over the course of their last five, Portland Timbers and Chicago Fire have recorded two wins each and one draw.