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First thoughts
After a disappointing loss to FC Dallas last weekend, the Vancouver Whitecaps play their second straight match on the road as they head to Providence Park in Portland to take on the Timbers for an afternoon fixture on Saturday.
While this match-up between Cascadia rivals is always a dramatic, high energy affair, this match will have the added tension that comes with two teams both battling down the stretch for a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs. The Whitecaps will enter Saturday’s match in 5th in the Western Conference standings with a slim one point advantage over the Timbers for the 5th and final playoff spot. Thus, Saturday’s game represents a massive “six-pointer” in which both teams will looking to achieve a big advantage over the other with regard to their postseason aspirations.
Keep Thinking
The scoring struggles of the Whitecaps have been well documented in recent weeks, as the goals have essentially dried up just as the team has been trying to seal a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Looking back at the loss to Dallas a week later, the Whitecaps had plenty of scoring opportunities but they were unable to put them away. That said, Vancouver should be able to take some confidence from the fine goal they scored on the counter-attack when Mauro Rosales set up Erik Hurtado for his 5th goal of the season.
As for the Timbers, they had a chance to leapfrog over Vancouver in the standings last weekend but they were unable to defeat the Colorado Rapids in a match that ultimately ended in a 2-2 draw. Portland has now drawn two straight and there will be considerable pressure on them to engineer all three points at home against an opponent they vanquished 3-0 back on August 30th.
Interestingly, while Portland soundly defeated the Whitecaps three weeks ago, the Timbers could actually present a good opportunity for Vancouver to once again deliver a multi-goal performance, as the Portland-based side’s main Achilles heel this season has been the number of goals they have conceded. The Timbers will enter play on Saturday with only Chivas USA having conceded more goals in the Western Conference.
All of that said, Portland have also scored plenty of goals this season. With that in mind, the key for Vancouver will likely be to find a way to slow down South American playmaker Diego Valeri, who is tied for second in MLS with 13 assists. The Timbers offense revolves around Valeri, so Whitecaps Head Coach Carl Robinson will likely be looking for a big performance from Vancouver holding midfielder Matias Laba. On the other side of that equation, Timbers gaffer Caleb Porter will be looking to his own holding midfielder Diego Chara to slow down Whitecaps playmakers Pedro Morales and Mauro Rosales.
Final Thoughts
This one should be a remarkable chess match between Carl Robinson and Caleb Porter, as both coaches will look to implement the tactics necessary to give their sides a leg up in the midfield battle and free their deadly playmakers to create chances for their forward lines. Ultimately, this one will probably come down to which of Matias Laba and Diego Chara are able to win the battle in the middle and prevent the South American stars on each side from having their usual influence.
Prediction
Vancouver Whitecaps 2-2 Portland Timbers
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