After a spectacular opening home stand the Portland Timbers (2-1-2, 7 points, 4th in the Western Conference) travel to California to take on the star studded L.A. Galaxy (3-1-3, 12 points, 2nd in the Western Conference). The Timbers will be looking to continue their recent run of form which included victories against the Chicago Fire and FC Dallas.
They will face a rested Galaxy squad that will see the return of David Beckham and Landon Donovan to the starting 11. The Timbers will be again without midfielder, Peter Lowry, who is still out from right MCL sprain and defender David Horst with a right ankle sprain. The good news is that starting goalkeeper Troy Perkins has been upgraded to probable after he went a full 90 minutes earlier this week in a friendly against the U.S. U-18 Men’s National Team which also saw midfielder Bright Dike see some action in a 4-1 victory.
The Timbers head into the match where they must maintain the possession. This has been the hallmark of a very dangerous team that in the last week been able to score nearly at will. When they are without the ball it will be imperative that the team, including Kenny Cooper and Jorge Perlaza, continue to show the same work rate to recover the ball. This task may prove difficult as the teams will be battling on a pitch that has some additional width not found at Jeld-Wen Field.
Defense has been a question throughout the early season, as the defensive unit has yet to lead the team to a clean sheet. Their closest effort came against FC Dallas, before they conceded two goals in the last ten minutes. With Horst still out the team has called upon Gambian international, Mamadou “Futty” Danso, to again pair with center back Eric Brunner. While the pair have been solid, the outside backs will be a source of attack for the Galaxy and Beckham’s wicked crosses.
Perlaza needs to remain on fire as it will be important for the team to take advantage of the opportunities they receive. Perlaza will have to be on form as Kenny Cooper will have his hands full dealing with a physically imposing back line lead by defender Omar Gonzales. Finally, according to Opta Sports, the Timbers lead the league on scoring from set pieces with five goals this season. It will be in the team’s best interest to continue to exploit that point of attack as they face a stacked Galaxy squad, but with momentum on their side it is not outside of their reach to leave Carson with a deserved result.
(image courtesy of Craig Mitchelldyer)
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