Three days after beating San Diego 3-1 at Providence Park, the Portland Timbers travel to BMO Stadium looking to pull off a road result.secutive road results and close a six-point gap on Los Angeles FC in the Western Conference standings. LAFC, sitting third with 34 points, have dropped their last two MLS fixtures, including a 1-0 loss at Colorado Rapids, and Marc Dos Santos will want a response on home turf. With nine Western Conference clubs qualifying for the playoffs, both sides have a reason to push, though the gap between their current positions makes this a bigger game for Portland than for their hosts.
What’s at stake
LAFC sit third in the Western Conference on 34 points, three behind second-placed Vancouver Whitecaps and four off Houston Dynamo at the summit. San Jose Earthquakes and FC Dallas are right behind them on 33 points each, so a third consecutive MLS defeat would see LAFC drop from the top three and potentially lose their 1/8-final playoff seeding in favor of a 1/16-final entry. Portland are ninth on 27 points, seven adrift of LAFC. A win at BMO Stadium would cut that gap to four and put pressure on the cluster of teams between fifth and eighth.
For LAFC, a home win steadies the ship and creates breathing room above the chasing pack. A loss, however, and Dos Santos faces real questions heading into the latter half of the regular season, with two teams on 33 points directly beneath them. For Portland, a positive result away in Los Angeles would be a statement of intent: Martí Cifuentes’ side are already in playoff territory as ninth, but they remain one point from the teams occupying 1/16-final slots and two from the top seven.
How they got here
LAFC’s recent MLS form is a concern. They lost at Colorado Rapids three days ago and fell at home to San Diego before that, sandwiched around a pair of Leagues Cup draws and a win over Toluca. Their last five MLS results read as back-to-back defeats, and that will sting a squad that still has Son Heung-Min, Denis Bouanga, and Cristian Arango-caliber attacking options available. Portland, by contrast, have won their last MLS outing convincingly and their five-match stretch includes a 5-2 Leagues Cup win over Puebla and a 3-1 result over Club Tijuana. They did lose at Chicago Fire in between, and their overall league record of eight wins and nine losses reflects the inconsistency Cifuentes has been working to iron out.
In the Western Conference, LAFC are third with 34 points from 21 games played. Portland are ninth with 27 points from 20. The Timbers have a game in hand, but they need results to climb past Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids, both of whom are between them and the top eight.
Key battle to watch
Portland’s attack, which scored three times against San Diego and put five past Puebla in the Leagues Cup, will test an LAFC backline that has conceded 21 goals in 21 Western Conference games. Antony and Victor Janssen will look to exploit space behind LAFC’s fullbacks, and whether Sergi Palencia and Ryan Hollingshead can contain the width and transition pace of the Portland attack will go a long way toward deciding the result. LAFC tend to press high with Tillman and Bouanga supporting the striker, so the midfield pivot of Diego Chará and David Pereira da Costa will need to be sharp in protecting Portland’s defense against counter-exposure.
Key Stats
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Our Prediction
LAFC have enough quality at home to end their losing run in MLS, and BMO Stadium has been a reasonable fortress this season. That said, Portland arrive with confidence from their San Diego result and they have shown they can score against most opponents in the West. Expect a competitive match where LAFC find a way to take the points, but Portland’s attack makes a clean sheet unlikely for either side.