Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers - 8/29/21

Seattle vs. Portland 8-27

Bragging rights in the Great Northwest are up for grabs with the Seattle Sounders play host to the Portland Timbers.

The Sounders are coming off a thrilling win in their last match and are riding a four-match winning streak. Seattle is unbeaten in their last five matches and they sit in first place in the Western Conference with a three-point lead over second-place Kansas City. The balanced Sounders’ squad is tied with New England for the biggest goal differential (+18) and they have conceded the fewest goals in MLS.

Portland is winless in their last three matches and that steak began being thrashed at home by the Sounders. They are in the eighth spot in the West and they are just out of the playoff picture and need a strong finish. The Timbers main issue has been a defense that has given up 39 goals, which is the second-most in MLS.

Better Late than Never

Seattle was on the road in their last match in a rematch of the last season’s MLS Cup finals and they shocked the Columbus Crew winning 2-1 on two late goals. It looked as if Seattle win streak would come to an end but Xavier Arreaga knotted the match at 1-1 scoring in the 87th minute and Will Bruin netted the game-winner only two minutes later. The Sounders on the time of possession battle (56% to 44%), had more shots (17-11), and had more shots on target (5-2). The Seattle defense has only allowed one goal in their last two matches.

Raúl Ruidíaz leads MLS with 14 goals and while he did not score in the last match, he scored five goals in his previous three matches including netting two in the recent win over Portland. João Paulo ranks second in MLS with eight assists and had two of them in the win over Portland on August 16th. Seattle will have a relatively full squad for this rivalry match, and DF Nouhou Tolo is listed as questionable.

Looking for Some Revenge

Portland looks for some revenge after getting throttled losing 6-2 to Seattle in mid-August and that match was at home no less. In that match the Timbers had more shots and more shots on target but were down 2-0 before the 30th minute and after tying the match early in the second half gave up four unanswered goals. In the Timbers last match, they lost to 3-1 to an Austin team that is near the basement of the West and has scored the fewest goals in MLS. In that match Portland was down 3-0 before the 30th minute and Dairon Asprilla scored the lone goal in the losing effort. The Timbers have given up 12 goals in their last four matches.

Felipe Mora leads the Timbers with seven goals and has three over his last five matches. Dairon Asprilla ranks second on the club with five goals and no Portland player has more than two assists. MF Eryk Williamson, DF Jose Van Rankin, and MF Marvin Loría are all listed as questionable for the Seattle match.

Seattle -150

The Sounders are in solid form winners of three in a row. The same cannot be said for the Timbers, who have two losses and a draw in their last three matches. Portland has given up the second-most goals in the league and they are coming off a match where they gave up three goals against an Austin club that has scored the fewest goals in MLS. Seattle embarrassed Portland on their pitch winning 6-2 in mid-August. I do not think the Timbers will be embarrassed again but they will not play well. Seattle is a better squad all around the pitch, especially on defense. The Sounders will score multiple goals and their D will play well, yet again. Seattle will get the home win in this rivalry match and stay atop the Western Conference.

Total: Over

I have to lean towards the Over in this match, which is not a surprise since these teams combined for eight goals when they met in Portland a couple of weeks back. The Timbers have given up 12 goals in their last four matches and in their last one gave up three to an Austin team that is the lowest scoring one in the league. Seattle will take advantage of the suspect Portland defense and score multiple goals. The Sounders did give up two goals to Portland in the recent match but have only conceded one goal in their last match. While they may not keep a clean sheet, they will not give up more than one goal. Look for the Sounders to get it done on the attack, which is the main reason the Over is the pick for this Western Conference encounter.