Three Points Needed For The Portland Timbers This Sunday

Sunday evening cannot come any sooner for anxious Portland Timbers fans around the Pacific Northwest, or the world for that matter. The Timbers’ perseverance will be tested at home as they play hosts to top dogs Red Bulls New York. In the east, the Red bulls share the number one spot with rivals D.C United. However, the goal difference advantage rule in favor of the Red bulls, 16-1.

Here are three points to consider heading into Sunday’s game:

• This will be a clash of the league’s best defenses against one of the best attacks. The Portland Timbers have been doing a tremendous job of containing teams and seeing games through without conceding, to a certain extent. So far, Timbers goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey leads the MLS with 12 shutouts and most of this can be attributed to how compact the team has been playing. The Timbers defense starts with the front four of Darlington Nagbe, Diego Valeri, Fanendo Adi and Lucas Melano, all behind the ball and working hard to retain possession. On the other hand, the Red bulls have been doing something that the Timbers hasn’t and this is, to no surprise, scoring goals. The Timbers have only scored 29 goals in their last 28 games, as for the Red Bulls, they have 46 goals in their last 26 outings. Nevertheless, ladies and gentlemen, the numbers never lie and because of this, there might be a chance of the Timbers coming away with three points from this game. They have been taking the shots, but just can’t seem to hit the target at the moment. The Timbers are second overall in MLS for most shots taken by any team with 397 (Columbus Crew is first with 399). However, the Timbers have something working in their advantage that the Red Bulls doesn’t have. This advantage is the fact that the Timbers are a better team at home and the Red Bulls have a terrible scoring/conceding record away, which is good news for the Timbers. Let’s look at the numbers shall we? Over their past 12 or so games on the road, the Red Bulls have managed to give up 20 goals and scored only 21. As for the Timbers, at home they have scored 19, but have only given up nine all season! This goes to show that this Red Bulls team is prone to giving up goals on the road, and if the Timbers keep shooting, they might just exploit that advantage.
• The Timbers have their full squad heading into this matchup. Over the past few games, head coach Caleb Porter has been faced with the challenge of filling in for key players who were either on suspension or received international call-ups. Captain Will Johnson, right-back Alvas Powell and defensive-midfielder Diego Chara were all absent for the Timbers’ 0-0 tie against Kansas City last Wednesday. Nonetheless, all three are now available for selection, as Chara’s two-game suspension is over. Powel and Johnson both came back from international duties with wins for the Reggae Boyz (Jamaica) and Canada, respectively.
• Key player Diego Valeri is nearing top-form. The last couple of games showed a different Valeri – one who is more aggressive and distributes well, similar to his 2013 MLS MVP runner-up season. Thus far, he has been the heart of the Timbers attack, racking up two goals and six assists in 17 of the Timbers’ 28 games (of which he only started in 15). Yes, his statistics sound a little below average, but his on-the-field performance has been phenomenal. Valeri was injured coming into the 2015 season, but has steadily been getting back to full strength and fitness, as he tries to anchor this Timbers ship and send them sailing into the playoffs.

With only six games left in the regular season, the Timbers could do with a little luck going their way. They have been playing with nothing short of confidence at the moment, but as a team they need to figure things out before it’s too late. Sitting in sixth position, two points above seventh place San Jose Earthquakes, is risky business. Last year we saw the Timbers fall one point short of making the playoffs, and I believe that this Sunday will definitely remind them of that opportunity if they fall anything short of a win. It will not be an easy game for sure, but we all know what this Portland team is capable of when it come out with all guns are blazing.