Houston Dynamo vs. Portland Timbers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 6/23/21
The Houston Dynamo welcome the Portland Timbers to BBVA Stadium in Houston on Wednesday night in a battle between Western Conference Opponents. Portland has had a nice start to the season, sitting in fifth place in the conference with 12 points in eight games, but still have a negative goal differential. The Dynamo on the other hand also have 12 points but have played one more game. The two teams already met once back on April 24th, with Portland pulling out the 2-1 win at home, making it their second straight win against the Dynamo and third straight game against the Dynamo without a loss. The first meeting between the two teams saw the timbers score early and late to take the full three points and they’ll be looking to do the same on the road on Wednesday night.
Dynamo Eyeing Revenge
Houston is happy to be back at home after not playing a game at BBVA since a month ago against Vancouver. The weekend was a good result for the Dynamo though, taking all three points on the road against LAFC, who even though they’re down this year, has historically had Houston’s number. What Houston really has their eyes set on is getting revenge for their April defeat at the hands of Portland and see if they can turn the table in the return leg. In that match, Houston controlled the possession game 53-47 but were outshot 23-10 overall and 5-3 in terms of shots on goal. Houston’s only goal came from an own goal from Portland and if nothing else they’ll want the chance to score their first goal of the season against Portland on their own. One advantage Houston has is that they don’t have anyone out with injury and don’t have anyone out on international duty, which means they’ll have their full complement of players at home.
One player who will be ready for Wednesday’s match is Maximiliano Uruti, the former Portland Timbers forward who bagged 15 goals in 65 appearances during his few seasons in the Pacific Northwest. He leads the team this year with five goals in nine games and has an assist to boot, while five others have found themselves on the score sheet, with Memo Rodriguez second on the team with two goals. Houston is dying to get Joe Corona and Christian Ramirez going in the attack, as the two former U.S. National Team contributors have combined for only one goal on the season so far. The Dynamo have an experienced squad this year and will be looking to make sure the international break wasn’t a waste and that they used it to put together a stronger stretch of games.
Defensively, Houston has one of the best center backs in MLS in Tim Parker. At 6-2, 194 pounds, the experienced defender will be able to work to win balls swung into the box and can help the Dynamo play out of the back as well and aim to control possession. Goalkeeper is a shaky possession and it won’t be a surprise to see Houston allow a goal, or goals, but the key is for their offense to find the back of the net at home. Houston has allowed a goal in all but one game this season but has also scored in every game too. The key on Wednesday will be how well can their defense hold up to the task at hand.
Timbers Eyeing Season Sweep
Season sweeps of opponents are hard to come by in Major League Soccer given the small margin for error and home and home aspect of the schedules, but that’s the opportunity that the Timbers have when they take on Houston on the road on Wednesday. Portland is coming off a 2-1 win at home over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday and while the travel halfway across the country isn’t ideal, they should still have plenty of rest. The break came at a perfect time for the Timbers as they dropped their last game 3-0 and the three weeks off gave them plenty of time to think about that defeat and itch to get back onto the field. A major issue for Portland though is their roster availability. Not only is Yimmi Chara still on international duty, but five players remain out and five others come into the game questionable.
Expect Wednesday to be a perfect opportunity for the youngsters in Eryk Williamson and Jeremy Ebobisse to get minutes and try to use their athleticism to stretch out Houston’s backline and change the game. The Timbers have three players with two goals each, Marvin Loria, Dairon Asprilla, and Felipe Mora, and in total have eight players who have found the back of the net so far this year. Williamson leads the team with two assists and five total players have added assists this year. The Timbers dominated offensively in the first meeting with Houston at the start of the season and will have plenty of confidence, even with the injuries and players out, that they can replicate that performance on the road on Wednesday night.
If Diego Chara can’t play on Wednesday, his ball-winning ability will definitely be missed in the midfield. Houston has quite a bit of quality in their attack and Chara was crucial in the first meeting in disrupting play in the midfield. Claudio Bravo has been a nice addition from Argentina in the back and will need to be on top of his game to make up for Chara’s potential absence. Goalkeeper is another position in flux for the team right now but Steve Clark got the start on Saturday against a strong Sporting KC attack, and will likely draw another start on Wednesday night.
Pick: Houston (+105)
Portland dominated the first game between the two teams back in April, but much has changed since then and the big thing that’ll shape the narrative of this game is the availability on both sides. This is one of the few short weeks that MLS teams have and for Houston, it’s an advantage to be coming back home, while Portland has to fly halfway across the country and is due for a letdown after a strong win against Sporting KC. Portland is out at least a few starts and could have over half of their normal position players out before Wednesday’s kickoff. Houston on the other hand has their full squad available and it’s a perfect opportunity for their stars of international caliber to make themselves known on the score sheet. Portland will be relying on a lot of youth on the road and expect Houston to get revenge and avenge their April loss.
Pick: Under
Players are still dealing with a return from the international break and finding their legs again and with some of the injuries by Portland, finding the back of the net on short rest might be problematic. Even with the injuries, still expect the game to be played significantly in Houston’s half of the field but Tim Parker will be able to hold things done and keep the score down. Houston has scored and allowed a goal in every game, but this won’t be one with multiple goals from either team. Until Houston finds an elite answer to complement Urruti, it’ll continue to be a struggle for them to find wins. In the last four games between the two teams, more than three goals have only been scored once and that trend will continue into Wednesday night.
