Portland's busy schedule hasn't hindered its recent success despite coach Caleb Porter lamenting about not having much time to prepare for the Timbers' next opponent.
The Philadelphia Union seem more than happy their long layoff is coming to an end.
Portland seeks a seventh victory in eight MLS matches Saturday as it visits a Philadelphia club to which it has never lost since joining the league.
The Timbers (9-6-4) played six games - including two U.S. Open Cup contests - in a span of 20 days after Sunday's 1-0 win over San Jose on Jack Jewsbury's goal in second-half stoppage time.
Portland has four shutouts during its 6-1-0 run and leads the league with eight, but it will be without defender Alvas Powell as he competes for Jamaica in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Porter welcomed the five-day break to help players recover while also enjoying some light practices that weren't possible during the condensed stretch. The Timbers are tied with Los Angeles for third place in the Western Conference, one point behind Seattle and Vancouver.
"We're building an aura of winning games," Porter said. "At this stage of the season, it's about continuing to get points. We're playing a team that needs to win as well, so it's going to be a tough game and they'll be motivated."
The Union (5-10-4) haven't played an MLS match since Maurice Edu's goal in the 76th minute gave them a 2-all draw with Montreal on June 27, improving to 3-1-1 in league home matches since May 17.
Philadelphia hasn't played since beating D.C. in U.S. Open Cup play on June 30. Coach Jim Curtin said his club looked fresh during training as it prepared to face one of the hottest teams in MLS, and they're ready to play competitively rather than register more practice time.
The time off benefited a few players, though, as forward Conor Casey, defender Steven Vitoria and midfielder Sebastien Le Toux all will return from injury. Casey has missed the last six with a quad injury, Vitoria hasn't played since April 25 because of an injured hamstring and Le Toux is coming back from a sprained MCL.
It's unclear how Curtin will factor the returnees into his lineup. Backup goalkeeper Andre Blake won't be available as he competes with Powell for Jamaica.
Philadelphia has never beaten Portland, going 0-2-3 - including two draws at home - since the Timbers entered MLS in 2011. The clubs played to a 1-all draw in Portland in the last meeting March 8, 2014.
"We should be confident going into a Portland game that we know will be difficult," Curtin said. "They're a team that is in good form right now. We do have the advantage of them having to come cross country and play in our stadium, so we'll look to get three points."
The Union, who sit in eighth in the 10-team East, are just 1-2-1 in MLS play since June 6, but they've shut out three of their last five opponents at PPL Park.
