Crystal Palace Baltimore head west to play the Portland Timbers in PGE Park this Sunday in the first fixture of a two game away trip.

Baltimore will look to repeat the successes they have enjoyed against the Timbers, having taken six points from them already this season.

The Eagles are currently ten points adrift of Portland but have beaten the Timbers, currently fourth, in both of their previous meetings. In their first outing at PGE Park, Baltimore took all three points when a Yaikel Perez goal and a late Randi Patterson strike gave them a 2-1 win at UMBC.

With Palace Baltimore facing some of the league's best teams in their remaining schedule, their hope of a post-season appearance is contingent on them tapping into their unerring ability to take points away from big named teams in away venues. Fourteen of Palace's 24 points have come in front of large crowds in away venues.

"We play better in packed stadiums away from home," said Palace Baltimore goalkeeper, Evan Bush. "It's something about the environment. We can still make the playoffs. It'll be tough, but we're not out of this yet."

Despite Baltimore's record against the Timbers, Portland will be a tough team to get the much-needed points off. The Timbers are unbeaten in their previous three games, winning their last two on the road. They have also shored up their defence by signing defender Kevin Goldthwaite from the New York Red Bulls.

The fact that Baltimore is out of the Paul Angelo Russo Stadium for the next two weeks might be a blessing in disguise. In the two games Palace has played in the Towson stadium this year, they have given up eight goals, losing 3-1 to the Minnesota Stars and 5-0 to the Montreal Impact.