With the majority of top leagues across Europe coming to an end, it’s time for Major League Soccer to step up. There are plenty of reasons why this campaign has the potential to be incredibly exciting but beyond that, it’s just been nice to see the continued growth and development of the game in North America. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the upcoming clash between Portland Timbers and Sporting Kansas City.
Portland Form GuidePortland, historically speaking, have had some great moments across their time in the MLS - and last season, they were somewhat unlucky to miss out on the playoffs as they wound up just one point outside of the wild card spots. Still, despite being so close, it’s worth noting that they have some big improvements to make, especially when you look at their defensive record.
On the face of it, three wins in 14 games should be a cause for worry if you’re a Portland fan. At the same time, though, they certainly know how to score with 26 goals thus far, and if they can get themselves sorted defensively, the sky is the limit.
Kansas City Form GuideSporting Kansas City tend to fit into the ‘there or thereabouts’ stereotype as a football club. They’re good enough to mix it up in the playoffs, but there are always a handful of teams ready to push past them once we get to the business end. With that being said, they went on a really impressive run in the post-season last year, and that should give them plenty of confidence.
The fact of the matter is this: Kansas City are just a bit all over the place right now. They’ve lost that spark from last year’s playoffs and they’re really just treading water at this point. With just two wins in their first 13 games, they need to go back to the drawing board.
Match PredictionBoth of these teams are struggling to make an impact right out of the gate and as we get further into the campaign, they run the risk of falling away in the push for the playoffs. In our view, though, they’re going to combine for an entertaining game here, which is why we’re predicting over 2.5 goals scored.
