Impact-Timbers preview

The Montreal Impact made a move to shore up their defense as they prepare to visit the Portland Timbers on Wednesday at Providence Park in Portland, Ore.

Montreal (6-4-7) is third in Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference with 25 points. Portland (6-6-7) is tied for sixth in the Western Conference with 25 points.

Montreal is 2-0-3 in its last five MLS matches, scoring nine goals during that stretch but allowing seven. The Impact are seventh in MLS with 28 goals this season and tied for fifth with 25 goals allowed.

Montreal announced Tuesday that it acquired Amadou Dia, a 23-year-old fullback, from Sporting Kansas City in exchange for forward Cameron Porter. Dia has played 32 career regular-season games, including 22 starts, since being selected by Sporting KC with the 20th pick in the first round of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft.

"We took this decision in order to improve our depth at the fullback position," Montreal technical director Adam Braz said. "Amadou is a young player that has already gained a good amount of experience in the last year and a half and will provide us with some depth for the second half of the season."

Portland has played well in recent weeks. The Timbers are 3-0-4 in their last seven matches, the second-longest active undefeated streak in MLS, but they will be short-handed against the Impact.

Darren Mattocks left Sunday's match against the New York Red Bulls with a hamstring injury, Diego Valeri will be out with an ankle injury and Diego Chara will be suspended because of yellow card accumulation.

Portland has been much better defensively since the return of Liam Ridgewell, who missed several weeks with an injury. The Timbers have posted three clean sheets in their last five matches.

"Our overall track record defensively has been outstanding, and he's been a big part of that," Portland head coach Caleb Porter said, attributing the improvement to "his ability to lead the line, communicate, and just his quality in general."