D.C. United vs. Portland Timbers: Black and Red look to sew up playoff position

Riding a three-game winning streak and climbing up the Eastern Conference standings, D.C. United take on the Portland Timbers with a very real chance of building on their recent success. The Timbers rank second-to-last in SB Nation's most recent MLS Power Rankings, and United are in a hunt for the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

United are just four games from the conclusion of the regular season, and despite the season-ending injury to Dwayne De Rosario, they have kept it together under head coach Ben Olsen. From SB Nation's own Black and Red United:

A win against the Portland Timbers on the road, while not essential, would go a long way to moving that 90 [percent playoff probability] towards 100%. Ben Olsen has been the most impressive coach in the league over the past weeks, using alchemy to get nine points out of the stone that everyone thought D.C. United was after Dwayne De Rosario got hurt. What combination of elements will Olsen use this week to make gold from lead in Portland?

The game begins at 10:30 p.m. ET and will air locally on Comcast Sportsnet.