A little more than halfway through the season, the defending champion Portland Timbers are on the outside looking in at the postseason. Now, the LA Galaxy are coming to town and Portland needs a win in order to help its chances to make the playoffs.
MLS Odds at BookMaker.eu
Portland Timbers +130
LA Galaxy +188
Draw +220
Over/Under 2.5 (Over -125)
ODDS ANALYSIS
Portland has been one of the best teams at home this season. The Timbers boast one of the most raucous crowds in the MLS and that’s a big reason why they are 7-2-2 at home. The Galaxy have had a particularly hard time winning in Providence Park, only defeating the Timbers one time on their home turf in their history.
KEY PLAYERS
Fanendo Adi leads Portland in scoring with 10 goals and has played a large role in Portland’s resurgence. His size and strength give him the ability to challenge for any ball and he is a favorite target for crosses into the box. Adi’s attributes make him a tough person to defend and opposing teams sometimes overplay him since he is such a threat.
The Timbers have another great goal scorer that can find the back of the net in Diego Valeri. He recently came back from an injury and made the most of his first game back, notching a brace against rival Seattle. Valeri is different from Adi in that he peppers the goal with shots and will shoot from anywhere on the pitch. If Galaxy defenders don’t pick him up when he’s making a run, he will tee off all game long.
Steven Gerrard has been one of the better set-up men in the league since coming to America a year and a half ago. It’s hit and miss what you get with renowned players finishing up their playing careers in the MLS, but Gerrard has been a solid table setter. He is currently tied for fourth in the MLS with seven assists this season.
One of the Galaxy’s other big names playing out his career in America has been a factor in Los Angeles’ recent success too. Robbie Keane recently returned from Euro 2016 and has been solid since Ireland exited the competition. Keane has tallied two goals in his three games since returning and has showed the scoring touch that has led to tallying 15 goals in every season since 2012.
LIVE BETTING
Something has to give in this match. Both Portland and LA have been playing extremely well as of late. The Galaxy have gone five straight matches without suffering a defeat, while the Timbers’ unbeaten streak now sits at nine.
QUICK PICK
Any match with Portland in it tends to be a high scoring affair. The average Timbers match has three goals in it and it’s not hard to see why with Portland’s offensive prowess. Valeri and Adi are two of the best scorers in the MLS, while Darlington Nagbe is getting better at creating as an attacking midfielder.
The Galaxy have the best goal differential of any team in the MLS, +14, and the defending is a big reason why. LA is allowing less than a goal a game and Brian Rowe has stood tall. He has gone three games without allowing a goal now and continues to look really sharp in net.
There will be some tensions in this match after what happened between these two sides earlier in the year. Nigel de Jong injured Nagbe with a dirty tackle and missed three games as a result. The Dutch international has a reputation as a dirty player and will be just coming back from another suspension before this match.
Portland is very difficult to beat at home and will be able to pull out a win here and run its unbeaten streak to 10. LA is playing good soccer right now, but the Timbers have been playing even better and are showing the form that made them MLS champions last season.
MLS Odds: Portland Timbers 2, LA Galaxy 1
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