The Portland Timbers might have walked out of the Lone Star State with a scoreless draw in the first leg of the Western Conference Semifinals, but there has to be a huge concern coming back home against the Houston Dynamo on Sunday with a slew of injury questions.
At 5 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN for live television coverage of this MLS match on Sunday, November 5, 2017, at Providence Park.
Odds Analysis
The oddsmakers are going to have a lot of thinking to do about this betting line on Sunday. The Timbers were already playing without David Guzman for sure in the first leg on Monday, but Sebastian Blanco was a late scratch thanks to a bad burn. Larrys Mabiala and Diego Chara were both taken off in the first half, while superstar Darlington Nagbe was taken off after 59 minutes injured as well.
With this squad absolutely ravaged by injuries, it's a wonder whether the Portland side Caleb Porter will trot on the pitch at Providence Park will look anything like the team that ultimately won the West in the regular season this year.
If not, you could argue that Houston should be the betting favorite in this match. It won't be, but this could suddenly become the most interesting return leg in the four semifinals.
The First Leg
It's hard to taken much from the scoreless draw between the Dynamo and Timbers. That's now two straight playoff games Houston has played without a goal being scored in regulation, and that lack of offense should be a major concern. The Dynamo weren't exactly the best offensive team in the MLS this year, and they've certainly had far too many moments where they have looked out of sorts and rather disinterested about coming forward.
There was a total of just four shots on target for the entire match. Much of that was due to a lack of flow that came from the two clubs completing a total of just 78 percent of their passes, a pathetically low number, particularly for a playoff game that was supposed to be competed at the highest level.
Houston does play three men up top, but by all accounts, this is more of a 4-6-0 formation at times than a 4-3-3. Alberth Elis and Romell Quioto were virtually silent over the course of this first match, and that can't be the case in the second leg.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
A scoreless draw in the first leg often feels like a victory for the away side, but often times, it's a good result for the hosts as well. The Dynamo have played close to the vest this entire postseason just to wait for their chances. When Houston needed a goal against Sporting Kansas City, it got it in extra time thanks to Elis.
If Houston can get that one moment of brilliance in this match, we're just not all that sure Portland is going to be able to score twice to overcome the away goal.
For as negative as the Dynamo were in that first leg, Portland wasn't any better. Darren Mattocks often felt alone at the front of the attack, and when long balls didn't get played into him properly, there wasn't much else to build off of. Mattocks was offsides four times in the first leg in a truly fantastic defensive performance by the Houston back line.
Though we do think we're going to see someone score in this match, we think Houston is going to be the first to draw blood. Portland might get one back, but a 1-1 draw would see it knocked out of the playoffs.
MLS Odds: Portland 1, Houston 1
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