The Portland Timbers came out of nowhere last season to walk away with the MLS Cup for the first time in their history. It's only fitting that they get to open up their regular season at home in front of their rabid fan base against the team they beat to claim glory, the Columbus Crew.
We'll have all of the great MLS odds at BookMaker.eu for the weekend posted before kickoff.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Timbers were big underdogs playing at MAPFRE Stadium for the MLS Cup Final, but they were able to overcome the odds as they did in the entire postseason to capture their first ever title. Here at home though, they're going to be expected to win and win handily, even against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
Portland opens up this season as the third favorite to win the MLS Cup, just a tick in front of Columbus, and though these two teams might be on relatively level terms for the season, the West is a meat grinder, and the Timbers will be perceived to be the better of these clubs by a comfortable margin.
PORTLAND TIMBERS SEASON PREVIEW
The Timbers made more moves than your average championship team in the offseason. Though none of the superstars are gone, there are definitely some notable absentees now in Maximiliano Urruti and Will Johnson.
However, it's not like this team is void of talent. Darlington Nagbe, who finally stepped onto the national stage last season with his massive postseason, is back once again with Diego Valeri and Nat Borchers. The two notable additions for the purposes of this fixture? Jack McInerney and Chris Klute came over from Columbus in the offseason via trade and will surely want to get a piece of their old mates.
COLUMBUS CREW SEASON PREVIEW
The Crew really only tinkered with their roster just a bit from their MLS Cup run last year. Losing Klute and McInerney will be less of a blow to Columbus than it will be a gain to Portland.
Columbus' game is all about its front line. Kei Kamara was the star of the postseason last year. He scored huge goal after huge goal to get the Crew to where they were at, though he was visibly dejected when he left the pitch after the final, and many wondered if he had played his last game wearing yellow and black. Instead, Kamara has come back, albeit without a new contract, and it'll be interesting to see whether he can once again lead the charge with Federico Higuain.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Crew were the better of the two teams heading into the MLS Cup as we saw it, and they rightfully had home field advantage in the encounter. However, in 90 minutes, weird things can happen, and we saw it right off the bat when the Timbers were up 1-0 in the first minute and 2-0 in the seventh.
We think Portland could struggle out of the gates in 2016 now that it has a target on its back. Providence Park is a great venue, but the Timbers' history isn't as good here as that of some of the other teams in the MLS. Columbus wasn't a great away team last year, nor was it in the postseason, but we think it'll get a point out of this one to give both clubs a relatively suitable start to the campaign.
Portland 1, Columbus 1
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go.
Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The fixture between the Portland Timbers and the Columbus Crew is scheduled for Sunday, March 6, 2016, at 4:30 p.m. ET at Providence Park. The match will be televised live on ESPN.
