The Portland Timbers look to stay hot this week as they travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on Columbus Crew SC. The match Saturday will be a replay of the 2015 MLS Cup Final. The Timbers defeated Crew SC for the MLS Cup by a score of 2-1.
Columbus Crew SC vs. Portland Timbers Preview
Portland Timbers Battle From Behind
In the previous week, the Timbers went up against the Houston Dynamo. The Green and Gold had to fight from behind. They eventually won by a score of 4-2. Goals from Diego Valeri (11′, 58′), David Guzman (66′), and Fanendo Adi (88′) gave the home side the full three points. Portland tries to continue their red-hot start this weekend.
Columbus Earn First Win Of Season
Columbus is riding high coming into the match. They earned their first win of the season, posting a 2-0 victory over D.C. United. Maestro Federico Higuain and striker Ola Kamara converted from the penalty spot to seal the win in the Nation’s Capital. The Black and Gold look to take that urge and put it to use to defeat the Timbers.
Portland Timbers Predicted Lineup
The Portland Timbers are led by head coach Caleb Porter. The main formation Porter uses is a 4-2-3-1.
Gleeson
Farfan–Miller–Olum–Powell
Zemanski–Chara
Blanco–Valeri–Asprilla
Adi
A few changes from the Houston game. Dairon Asprilla and Ben Zemanski are likely to replace David Guzman and Darlington Nagbe as they are on International Duty with their respective countries. Marco Farfan also returns at right back after he missed the Dynamo game with the flu.
Columbus Crew SC Predicted Lineup
Columbus Crew SC are led by head coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter.
Steffan;
Naess–Mensah–Williams
Jimenez–Trapp–Abu–Afful
Finlay–Higuain
Kamara
Normal starter Jukka Raitala will miss the matchup, also due to international duty. You’ll also notice that Justin Meram have been left out. This is due to a report saying that Meram will join the Iraqi National Team. Previously, Meram stated that he wouldn’t due to the travel ban set in place.
Prediction
The mighty Timbers are on a high roll right now. Crew SC earned their first win of the season. It’s tough to tell who is going to be a winner of this match. Valeri is still a powerhouse, but Kamara is finding form. We’ll go with the latter and go with a 1-1 draw.
Columbus Crew SC 1-1 Portland Timbers FC