Portland Timbers vs Dallas

A high-stakes Major League Soccer (MLS) contest pits Portland Timbers and Dallas at the Providence Park.

Portland’s pursuit of a playoff spot in the Western Conference has stuttered lately as a four-game winless MLS run (D2, L2) since a 3-1 home triumph over Vancouver Whitecaps in mid-May left them languishing three points below 9th-placed Minnesota United. While Portland’s dismal win ratio of only 25% across their opening 16 league fixtures (W4, D5, L7) gives manager Giovanni Savarese no reason for optimism, the fact three of those victories came at home may settle some nerves. But the ‘Timbers’ have won none of their last three MLS meetings with Dallas (D2, L1), while their most recent home outing yielded a 1-0 loss to Minnesota, suggesting the skepticism in the home camp is well justified. That said, Savarese’s men have won two of their last three home encounters against Dallas during the regular MLS season (D1).

On the other hand, Dallas’ bid to land a top spot in the Western Conference was back on track last time out as a 2-0 home victory over conference leaders St. Louis City saw them arrest an underwhelming four-game winless streak (D2, L2). But while only two points separate them from St. Louis, it’s worth noting they’ve played two games more. Nico Estevez’s men have found winning on the road to be an arduous task this season, having managed just two triumphs on their eight MLS travels to date (D3, L3), winning just once in their last five away league matches (D2, L2). Moreover, the ‘Toros’ have been an idle attacking threat on hostile turf this term, frustratingly netting under 1.5 goals in all eight MLS fixtures away from home.