Week 6 Prediction Thread - Timbers v. Philadelphia Union

Welcome to the week 6 prediction thread for the Portland Timbers, and this week's opponent is the Philadelphia Union. With the Timbers making the coast to coast trip for a Saturday afternoon match, they face the team that is at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with just 2 points in 4 matches played. Averaging just 1 goal per match with C.J. Sapong having 3 of the 4 goals scored, the offense has been an issue, but at least their defense has done reasonably well in conceding just 6 goals. There are rumors circulating that Union Coach Jim Curtin's future is up in the air, especially since the Union has been in such disarray. After the lads from the Rose City Soccer Show recapped the draw with the New England Revolution, they add some thoughts about this weekend's match. We now turn our attention to the regular prediction crew, and Spot was rather pleased at being the only prognosticator that picked the right result although she predicted no goals. What does the crew think about this match with the Union - per usual, the humans speak in their own words while the cats respond to questions from us.

Mr. Curwen predicts a draw this week.

Rick - Timbers 2, Union 2

 

The Union sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with just two pints from their first four outings, averaging one goal per game. Listening to the excellent Morrisonic podcast, I heard that their defense lacks pace and could be vulnerable to the speed of the Timbers' offense. It could be argued that the Timbers have only managed one clean sheet in the current campaign. Useless stats: Philadelphia have only won one of their last twelve games (W1 D4 L7) and the timbers have only won on the road once since December 2015, (W1 D 6 L12). They have never won or scored at Talen Energy Stadium.

 

How the Timbers will feel after their terrible loss.

Jennifer - Timbers 0, Union 1.

This weekend in Philadelphia, the downward spiral continues. This match will be very similar to the one versus the Revolution, but the Timbers will not get a goal first. It will be a sloppy, scoreless affair; well, until the 91' when someone from the Union trips over their own feet and accidentally scores a goal. The Union are reasonably terrible right now so the Timbers are required to lose to them in an infuriatingly ridiculous manner.

I could get used to doing this for away matches.

Kip - Timbers 3, Union 1.

This match has trap written all over it. Portland has played in Philly 3 times and they have 2 scoreless draws and a disheartening 3 to 0 loss from 2015 in their visits, so they've never scored a goal or earned a point there. With Portland having a tough result versus New England - while they played conservatively and held up well, the late goal concession cost them 2 points - I expect them to come out and try to push the pace. The offense has been struggling, and it would be great to see Fanendo Adi and Darlington Nagbe get on the score sheet this week.

I can work now for more food?

GB - Scoreless Draw.

Taking a page out of Spot's playbook, GB didn't seem very interested in picking either side for a win when asked. When Jennifer asked about whether it would be a scoreless draw, GB licked his paw and went back to sleep, probably dreaming about the Greenies snacks he will get getting later before bedtime. Hey, the plan worked well for Spot last week, didn't it?

There is a present under the tree, but it might be tough to unwrap.

Tortie - Timbers 2, Union 0.

Tortie went with the simple blinking technique and she blinked when asked if the Timbers would win. It took a bit to get her to add a score, but eventually she blinked twice when we asked about the number of goals scored. Then, she walked over to the table to see if the Christmas tree was still there or not.

A princess on her perch.

Spot - Scoreless draw.

Spot spent much of the week prancing about due to her successful pick from last week, so it wasn't surprising that she was playing coy at making another pick for this week. The more she was asked, the more silent she got about doing or saying anything. Maybe it was close to bed time, maybe she was distracted by the television, or she just wanted to keep the streak going, it was another scoreless draw for her.