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First thoughts
With Montreal currently on a three game losing streak and in the midst of a heavy schedule, the Impact return home on Sunday to take on a Portland Timbers side coming off a big road win over the Colorado Rapids.
After a difficult start to the 2014 MLS campaign, the Timbers have worked themselves back into the playoff picture in the Western Conference. Timbers Head Coach Caleb Porter and his squad will be looking at a match against an Impact team sitting dead last in the overall league standings as a prime opportunity to keep their momentum going as they look to continue their upward climb in an increasingly tight Western Conference table.
Keep thinking
While Portland are coming off a confidence building win against the Rapids, Montreal are coming off another disappointing loss in which the team played quite well for a stretch but ended up earning a league-worst 11th loss of the season after going down to ten men when Issey Nakajima-Farran was sent off in the 65th minute for a dangerous challenge on Real Salt Lake defender Chris Schuler.
The Impact will likely be suffering some fatigue from travel and a tough match against one of the best sides in the league in Real Salt Lake. The Montreal back line will certainly be tested by a dynamic Timbers offense lead by Argentine midfielder Diego Valeri, who has scored four goals and who leads Portland with eight assists. Fellow Argentinian teammates Gastón Fernández and Maximiliano Urruti lead the Timbers strike force and sit first and second in team goalscoring with six and seven goals respectively. Both MLS newcomers have adjusted well in their first full MLS campaigns and have quickly developed good chemistry with Valeri.
Interestingly, Portland and Montreal have only met twice previously in MLS play, with the Timbers losing both matches. That said, the Impact will be hard pressed to keep that winning streak going on Sunday even with the match being played at Stade Saputo. The Timbers have been a strong road team this year and have scored goal 11 goals while playing away from their home pitch. Montreal, on the other hand, have struggled to score overall and have scored only 12 goals in total at home.
With only Jack McInerney scoring relatively consistently for the Impact and fellow striker Marco Di Vaio well off the torrid goalscoring pace he set last year, Montreal will likely find it hard to score multiple goals against one of the hottest goalkeepers in the league in former Impact shot stopper Donovan Ricketts. The Jamaican International is currently tied with New York Red Bulls keeper Luis Robles for the league lead in saves and has been one of Portland’s top performers this season.
Troy Perkins, the player that Montreal received when they traded Ricketts in the summer of 2012, has not played in Montreal’s recent matches, with backup keeper Evan Bush starting in his place. With the Impact facing off against Portland, it will be interesting to see whether Montreal Head Coach Frank Klopas reverts back to Perkins between the sticks.
In the end
There is really no way to sugarcoat it, Montreal has had a miserable season to date and you have to wonder if the players are approaching the mindset of simply playing out the string in the league and focusing on making a possible splash in the CONCACAF Champions League. Portland, on the other hand, look like a side fully motivated to return to the MLS postseason. While the Impact will have the home field advantage, the Timbers have all the momentum going into this game.
Prediction
Montreal Impact 0 – 2 Portland Timbers
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