Prediction Thread - Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders FC 5/13/18

This never gets old

I know what was posted in my last update after the epic win over New York City FC - the prediction thread that used be housed at my old site and brought over here was returning for May 5 for the San Jose match. But a funny thing happened on the way to actually sending out the emails to my crack staff of soccer analysts and cats - nobody responded. Whether it was a lack of respect for the opponent, not wanting to jinx the result or paying attention to so many other things, the prediction thread just never got started. With a busy day at the house, I was only able to pop in and out to watch the highlights of the match and apparently it was a total slog fest. The Timbers were having issues staying upright on the "pitch", but in the end, it was Diego Valeri who won the match off one of the most incredible free kick goals that I've seen. The win is Portland's third in a row since the disheartening loss in Orlando City to end their early season road trip, and has given the season some early life.

And this couldn't come at a better time with the next match on the fixture list - a date with the Seattle Sounders at home on Mother's Day. Rivalry matches always have a ton of spice to them regardless of records or current team form, but this match also represents the 100th meeting between the two side over various leagues. With both teams being founded in the 1970's, there have been several memorable moments between them over the years - my first ever Timbers match was in 2001 when the Portland Timbers were resurrected in the A-League and they hosted the Sounders at the renovated PGE Park. My first road trip in the Timbers Army was the 2004 playoff match in Seattle, I've made the trip up north more times that I can count, and it never really changes in many respects - winning never gets old and losing always is frustrating. But that's the difference between other matches and rivalry matches - the stakes are automatically heightened because of the opponent. I can still remember the 2010 Sounders Community Shield match at Century Link when the Timbers were invited to participate in the new competition, and Portland shocked the hosts by winning the cup in a tense 1 to 0 battle. I've never enjoyed a bus ride home more.

Of course this would be the first match upon the return, and it's taken a bit of time to get back into the form and structure. My original goal was to have a full panel of writers and cats for this, but for this week, it's a skeleton crew of three panelists this week. We'll do our best to add to the collective as the weeks go on:

Kenny the cat

Rick & Kenny: Timber 2, Sounders FC 0.

My readings of (King) Kenny's litter box last suggested that he was leaning towards a 6 to 4 Timbers victory. That was before he found out about the Sounders unexpected 2 to 1 win in Toronto, fielding a weakened team. Upon re-examination, it appears he was suggesting that we'll go with a 4-4-2 formation. The number of toy mice at my feet and a total lack of any interest in a fish supper I prepared indicates a 2 to 0 victory.

All hail the queen of the blanket

Tortie: Timbers 9, Sounders FC 3.

Tortie was the only cat that wanted to chat about the match when I asked, and she eeped 9 times for the home side versus 3 for the visitors. When I asked her why, she said, "eep blergh meow eep purr bloot". I can't argue with that reasoning one bit.

Me in my natural state waiting for a bus. 

Kip: Timbers 3, Sounders FC 1.

Portland is on a roll and I feel it will continue at home. The Sounders have collectively struggled in 2018 on all aspects, but shocked many by beating another struggling team in Toronto FC midweek. This has all the makings of a trap game, but I don't think the Timbers will look past their opponents. I expect them to press early and often to send the home fans home happy.

















After the interview, it appears that many of the other cats got more interested so I would expect to see them in the coming weeks. As far as Jennifer's prediction, she said that the Timbers will lose in an incredibly spectacular way, and the player's tears will cool off the pitch as they come face to face with the impacts of the crushing loss.

Prediction Thread Week 31 - Portland Timbers vs. San Jose Earthquakes

It's always a party in Portland. How does anyone get any sleep?

I love staycation week, and it's become a tradition at our house. Many times when I get a week off from my IT job, it involves traveling to far off places and time zones. A few years ago, my wife and I started a tradition of doing a staycation - where we spend the week in town going to places that we might not otherwise because of busy schedules. Having this coincide with my recent transition to a full time gluten free diet, we spent the week testing out various food options - many new to me, but since Jennifer has been a celiac for many years, she's been eating gluten free since there wasn't quite the options there are now. The break has given me a chance to recharge the batteries and gain some appreciation for the good things and events happening in my life. As much as I love writing, I've actually enjoyed the time digging up tree roots and walking around our neighborhood. A lot. Seriously, my pedometer has been on overdrive despite the fact the rains are hitting this weekend.

The Portland Timbers match versus Orlando City fell very early in the weekly events, and honestly, the match was a great relief for me for a few reasons. The team played really well and put on one of their most dominant efforts of the 2017 season, but I was also able to avoid many of my food trappings at the park. I can look back now and see the amount of soda and cookies I powered through while covering the team, and upon careful reflection and calorie tracking, I can realize that I really was making some bad choices with my diet. Realizing now that I have to eliminate all gluten means being forever diligent and not making any mistakes when it comes to eating. I will be interested in seeing how this affects me, but considering that my psoriasis had been getting worse each passing week, it was time to do something. Maybe it's part of finally starting to grow up now that I'm 50 years old, but that doesn't mean getting rid of the fun or goofiness either. The cats were actually pretty excited about this week's predictions, and I still plan on writing more about recent changes in the Timbers' attack that have impressed me as we move towards the playoffs, but for now, it's time to turn the attention to this week's opponent, the San Jose Earthquakes.

Hopefully, we see a lot of David Guzman versus the Earthquakes

As of this point, San Jose is on the outside looking into the postseason sitting in eight place out of 11 in the West. The history between the Timbers and Earthquakes over the years has been slightly beneficial to the Timbers with 8 wins over 18 matches, but there have been 7 draws and a few very dramatic wins by San Jose over the years. One of those in particular was earlier this year when the Earthquakes dismantled the Timbers on May 6, 2017 by a 3 to 0 scoreline that wasn't even as close as the final tally indicated. Portland failed to get much right on this night, and while some of the issues centered around injuries and uneven play, San Jose took advantage of several Timber miscues and were never threatened. Portland had the advantage in shots and tactical play, but 21 fouls and other issues were enough to doom the Timbers on this night, but the Timbers enacted some revenge when the teams met again on June 2 at Providence Park. A Diego Valeri brace was the deciding factor, but Valeri's second goal was scored late in stoppage as Fanendo Adi had a rather difficult night in terms of misses and rushed shots.

Since then, Portland has found their footing behind Valeri's torrid scoring numbers - the Maestro is now sitting at 20 goals on the year with a goal in 9 consecutive matches so far - but he's been far from alone in jumpstarting the Timbers attack. Sebastian Blanco, Darren Mattocks, Darlington Nagbe and Jeremy Ebobisse have all made solid contributions to the offense, while David Guzman, Lawrence Olum, Diego Chara, Dairon Asprilla and Jack Barmby have been effective in the middle supporting the offense and defense as needed. With Liam Ridgewell finally back from injury, the defense has also been improved by only conceding 4 goals in their last 6 matches since Toronto FC smacked the Timbers dramatically back in mid-August. An injury to Jake Gleeson has also put Jeff Attinella into goal for the last several matches, and he's responded with solid efforts in goal despite a few hiccups against his old side, Real Salt Lake. Portland will need all of its weapons at full capacity in their last 3 matches, but Portland will have a break after the Earthquakes match as they don't play again until October 15 in hosting D.C. United. The Timbers will host Vancouver on October 22nd, and this match will likely have plenty of stakes involved for the postseason and the Cascadia Cup status. With all this going on, what do our expert predictors think about this week versus the Earthquakes?

Am I supposed to be looking at the camera?

Lucy: Timbers 3, Earthquakes 5

Lucy isn't normally big upon lots of goals in Timbers matches like some of the other cats about, but she was very animated about this match for some reason. Maybe it was the extra ham she got yesterday or extra time with the brush, but she was very chatty during this week's interview. Unfortunately, she picked more goals for the Earthquakes than she did for the Timbers for this week.

Mark and his match day compatriots.

Mark: Timbers 1, Earthquakes 1

Ok so this week we have our fast rising Timbers against a desperate San Jose Earthquake team. The Timbers are actually listed as a slight road favorite and this is a rarity in a parity driven league, The Quakes will be playing on short rest and their result on Wednesday will have much to say about their mindset for Saturday’s match. Well it seems like the Earthquakes wasted little energy while laying an egg at home. San Jose has always been a scattershot opponent for The Timbers and what you immediately expect never ever happens so I step into this prediction with trepidation. San Jose should be a desperate, angry team and they will look to come out with energy and hopefully an early goal. The first 15 minutes to this match will be key. I expect the Timbers to come out with the strategy of holding the Quakes at bay for the opening 15 minutes. I also expect Ridgewell and Larrys to up to the task. This will not be a pretty game and it usually turns ugly when these teams collide. I do not expect The Maestro to continue his string from the run of play. A penalty kick is quite possible however.

Somebody asked me how many points we would amass in the last 4 games and my answer was 7. We already have three. I am going to raise that 7 to 10. I still do not see us winning this match. I am predicting a one-one draw with Blanco slotting one home. I expect the Quakes to score out side the run of play. I will go out on a limb and call PK goal by Wondo. It is what we call a regression back toward the mean. I know that is mean. Sporting KC will beat Vancouver, and Seattle will draw with Philly I picked Vancouver to win the cup at the beginning of the year. However these days I find my self, checking the price of flights to Atlanta in early December.

"Hey! Why are you watching this with your eyes closed?"

Rick: Timbers 2, Earthquakes 2

The Earthquakes (Home record, W6 D5 L2 F23 A18) need to win this match to keep their slender playoff hopes alive. A win for the Timbers (W4 D4 L8 F21 A30 on the road) would strengthen their chances of a top-2 finish and put them in a good position to finish top of the Western Conference with their remaining games being at home to DC United, bottom of the Eastern Conference and Vancouver.

Honors are even so far this season, a 0-3 loss on the Timbers last visit and a 2-0 win at home. Diego Valeri to make it 10 on the trot.

My eyes have been bugging me due to allergies, but I'm feeling better now

Pilot: Timbers 2, Earthquakes 4

It's been a tough week for our tuxedo boy as he's been struggling with an eye infection or allergies. We have had to put eye drops in daily with various cleaning exercises, so there are points of the day where Pilot hides in the house. He's doing a lot better now but he wasn't thinking very good for the Timbers in terms of goals down in San Jose. His emphasis on the 2 goals for Portland was fairly emphatic, but he felt the home side was going to get more goals on the evening.

Hey, I was sleeping on the purple towel. Why did you wake me?

Moya: Timbers 3, Earthquakes 0

The black cat of the collective has been on a big streak picking against the Timbers, so it was interesting to hear her pick for the lads in green this week. Maybe it was going against her brother, Pilot, as she tends to do the opposite of whatever he does. But she was very emphatic with her meows in support of the Timbers, so I am reporting it like I heard it from her. Hopefully for the Timbers Army she's right.

I like the Portland Timbers panda toy. Not sure I like the Timbers this week

Spot: Timbers 0, Earthquakes 3

The queen of the scoreless draw once again is picking for goals this weekend, but she isn't picking any for the visiting side. Spot took a minute before calling for the number of goals for San Jose, but once she got started, it was three straight meows for goals. Sitting silent for the Timbers again this week, Spot was very clear that the Timbers would be sent home without any points this weekend.

I am happy to be picking for the good guys this week.

GB: Timbers 2, Earthquakes 0

GB has earned another nickname this week in Grey Bro, and it's been a rather chatty week for him. During certain instances when we tell him he can't do something, he has learned to imitate the word No. He didn't use that when making his Timbers pick though, as he gave two hearty Meow-ows for Portland yet went silent for the Earthquakes. I know this is a very confident selection since it was done way before meal time, as we've learned not to ask GB about anything around dinner time.

All I want is goals. And dinner.

Tortie: Timbers 19, Earthquakes 11

Tortie is always a great interview about the Portland Timbers, and again the tortoise shelled ninja is predicting a ton of goals on the evening. I mean, no defenses at all as we watch the opposing goalkeepers get shelled. Literally. It would be awesome to see this happen and the Timbers get a full 3 points, but I think both sides have a good enough defense that we shouldn't see this happen. Until it does.

Kip: Timbers 2, Earthquakes 1

We always win 2 to 1, right? It seemed like this happened a lot back in the day, and I think it's another score like that for Portland. The defense still has some moments of struggle, but behind Diego Valeri and the offense, I think they will have just enough to secure the full 3 points and solidify their hold on second place while keeping pressure on the Whitecaps. At this time, points are at a premium and I think the Timbers get the full load.

Prediction Thread Week 30 - Portland Timbers v Orlando City SC

It's been a while since the Portland Timbers have been at Providence Park - officially 28 days since defeating the Colorado Rapids - but they haven't exactly been lying about either. While the Portland Thorns have secured a playoff berth in NWSL play and Timbers 2 have found some recent good form, the Timbers followed up their successful 2 match home stand with 4 points in 3 road matches - drawing in Seattle, winning in New York while losing to Real Salt Lake. The situation now is that with 4 matches left in the 2017 regular season, Portland sits tied in 2nd place in the West with Sporting Kansas City and the Flounders. The Timbers currently have the tiebreaker with overall wins at 12 with hosting Orlando, D.C. United and Vancouver while traveling to San Jose left on the schedule. Of the teams Portland faces, Orlando City and D.C. United are out of the playoffs in the East - Orlando is in ninth 7 points behind the line while D.C. United is in last place in the East. The Whitecaps are currently on top of the West by a point while San Jose is in fifth place one point ahead of a trio in sixth at 38 points - RSL, Houston and FC Dallas.

Portland has been a very good home side with 8 wins and 4 draws in 14 matches played, so having 3 of the last matches in the Rose City does give some confidence to them. While Orlando City is on the outside of the postseason hunt, they do have the satisfaction of having never lost to the Timbers in their only 2 meetings in MLS history - OCSC defeated the Timbers 2 to 0 back in April 2015 at Providence Park while they dismantled the Timbers 4 to 1 back in April 2016. Cyle Larin continues to be the focal point of the offense while Kaka, Carlos Rivas and Giles Barnes man the midfield, but many MLS observers were shocked by the midseason move that brought Dom Dwyer to OCSC from Sporting KC during the summer transfer window. Dwyer has started the last 4 matches for Orlando City, so their offensive potential could be seen as dangerous. Much like the Timbers, however, the OCSC defense led by Jonathan Spector, Scott Sutter and former MLS Timbers goalkeeper Joe Bendik has been erratic. Bendik's numbers haven't been terrible, but much like his counterparts Jake Gleeson and Jeff Attinella, Bendik has seen a ton of shots come his way. While their postseason dreams would likely require them to win out and get some help for qualification, Orlando City would love nothing more than to dent the Timbers' postseason aspirations.

The Timbers have been buoyed by the news that Fanendo Adi is finally healthy and could see minutes in this match, but they've watched their other playmaker, Diego Valeri, enter the 2017 MLS Most Valuable Player discussion. Valeri now sits just 1 goal behind NYCFC forward David Villa in goals scored with 18 goals and is now the sole owner of another record as he has scored a goal in 8 consecutive matches for Portland. We have witnessed the Maestro elevate his play to unseen levels in his MLS career, and the Timbers are benefiting from pulling together at just the right time. It hasn't been solely due to him, however, as the defense has rebounded from the debacle in Toronto to only concede 4 goals in their last 5 matches as Attinella has settled into the starting goalkeeper's job. Whether we see Gleeson return at some point, Portland is ecstatic to have Diego Chara back from his suspension for accumulation to join David Guzman in the midfield. Liam Ridgewell also returned from injury to start versus RSL, meaning the Timbers have been as healthy now as they have been all year. Only Marco Farfan's lingering ankle and Gbenga Arokoyo's season ending injury remain as concerns, but with the recent play of Zarek Valentin, Vytas and Roy Miller, the Timbers have been more consistent defensively recently and it couldn't come at a better time.

With a nation wide audience joining via Fox Sports 1 and the first match at home in a while for them, what do our crack staff of soccer experts think will happen this Sunday? Let's find out, shall we?

It's pure chaos here, I think. Or it could be a kitty staredown.

Mark: Timbers 3, Orlando City 0

The soccer gods at 538 have the Timbers at 60 percent probability to win this game, 20 percent for a tie and 20 percent chance that Orlando parades into Providence Park and marches away with 3 points.

Well, I am going to put away the in-depth analysis, their defense is porous, but there are too many crappy things happening. For this reason, it is time for a feel good night in Portland. The Timbers may roll in like the eye of a hurricane and bunker down and wreak havoc.

They are too nice to do that. I feel a taking care of business 3 - nil win. Asprilla with a header, and Nagbe with something spectacular. Adi comes in late and trickles one in while Blanco will get a yellow.

Oh, hi, everybody! I'm Lucy and I like to scream meow!

Lucy: Portland 2, Orlando City 2

Lucy is very demonstrative when she predicts soccer matches, but honestly, she's loud when doing anything. The screams about goals came ringing from the cat room as Lucy pondered the thoughts for the weekend, but she gave two loud meows for both sides. This indicates that both sides will get something for their troubles, but the home side won't be too happy about the result. Lucy is really sorry about this predictions, but she saw the writing in the kibble.

Kenny predicts a ninth consecutive MLS goal for Diego Valeri

Rick: Timbers 2, Orlando City 1

On current form the Timbers should just be strong enough to get their first win against Orlando. The lost 2-0 at home in 2015 and got thumped 4-1 on the road last year. 

The good news is that Fanendo Adi is likely to see minutes off the bench after a 3 month layoff through injury. The bad news is Sebastian Blanco is on yellow card away from a one game suspension. 

My name is Pilot. I like boxes and cat treats.

Pilot: Timbers 3, Orlando City 1

Pilot hasn't been much of himself as he was battling an eye infection followed up by dry eye, but he was very willing to provide his thoughts on this match. For Portland, it was 3 very loud mews while Orlando only received one before he ran off to use the litter box. Perhaps he knows something.

I can fit in most overhead storage bins when traveling.

GB: Timbers 0, Orlando City 3

GB is still very much a Portland kitty as he's lived here his whole life, but when asked about goals for the Timbers this weekend, he clammed up and said nothing. He did mew 3 times for the visitors, however, so he's thinking the purple guys are going to win. Once he gave his thoughts, he proceeded to take a nap, so apparently he's confident in this prediction.

I always vote for the guys in green because they score goals.

Tortie: Timbers 15, Orlando City 9

The interview for Tortie's thoughts turned out to be another crazy torrent of meows and eeps. I lost track of her noises when asking about the Timbers because she was so excited about there being lots of goals, but she definitely eeped more for the home team in terms of goals. One of these days, the crazy predictions just might turn out right.

There will be a goal, but it won't for the home team

Spot: Timbers 0, Orlando City 1

Okay, she didn't pick a scoreless draw this week, but much like GB, Spot didn't think much about the Timbers or their chances against Orlando City. She went silent when asked about the Timbers and Diego Valeri continuing his streak of goal scoring, but when asked about the opponent, she uttered one single mew. I was shocked that she actually picked a score for once, so let's run with it.

It's getting close to when black cats rule and all others drool

Moya: Timbers 7, Orlando City 4

Considering that both offenses can score goals and the defenses can be rather random, Moya's thoughts about this match don't actually sound that off. She didn't give any indication about who will score for Portland, but just meowed out 7 times for the home side. She also meowed some for the visitors, but since she did more for the Timbers, we'll give her some slack for this one.

MMMMMM. Heavily caffeinated beverage. Drool.

Kip: Timbers 3, Orlando City 2

As good as the Timbers have been over the last few weeks - the result in Salt Lake as a small exception - they have yet to beat Orlando City. In both meetings, the Timbers have been beaten rather handily. With Orlando City having several offensive weapons available, it's a surprise that they've struggled so bad until you look at their defense. Since neither team's defense will light the world on fire, I'm picking the Timbers simply because they've been in better recent form. And yes, Diego continues the streak for another week.

Prediction Thread Week 25 - Timbers v Sounders Final Chapter 2017

I wished he was playing. Not that guy, the other guy who drives them crazy

It's been a really strange few weeks in the land of Timbers predictions. After Lucy spent most of August dominating after she joined the collective, it was Kip that somehow came up with a correct result and exact score in the match versus the Red Bulls. With the compressed timelines between matches and life getting in the way, the editors chose to skip the Rapids match for predictions and instead turn the attention to this weekend's Cascadia Cup clash in the Emerald City. With the Timbers holding on for the win over Colorado and the Flounders drawing with the Vancouver Whitecaps at B.C. Place, the stakes for this weekend's fixture are huge. It's so big that the Rose City Soccer Show, the podcast I participate in when the planets are all in alignment, was able to record our first new episode in quite some time with the full crew present. I'm just glad that I didn't break the profanity clause during the taping, but I came awfully close a few times. While I normally hate the massive hype machine that goes into overdrive for these matches, it can't be overlooked the importance of a result for either side. While rivalry matches have pressure and stress built in normally, this one will have plenty of influence on several key races.

If you look simply at the current MLS Western Conference standings, it's first place versus second place. The Sounders, current owners of a 10 match unbeaten streak since losing to the San Jose Earthquakes back on June 28, have vaulted up due to improved defense combined with finding their scoring touch at the right time. While Jordan Morris has been contributing all season, it's been the steady play of Cristian Roldan and Nicolas Loderio combined with the experience of Will Bruin and the resurgence of Clint Dempsey that has the Sounders thinking MLS Cup defense. Portland has been up and down through most of 2017 with defensive struggles, but the Timbers offense continues to surge behind the exploits of Diego Valeri, Fanendo Adi, Sebastian Blanco and Darlington Nagbe. The Timbers are tied for second in all of MLS in goals scored in 2017 at 47, but their defensive issues have kept the team from joining the discussion of elite teams in the league. Nothing emphasized that issue more than watching Toronto FC, arguably the best side all year, dismantle the Timbers a few weeks ago behind a second half avalanche of goals. In the race for Cascadia Cup 2017, the Timbers currently lead the standings with 7 points on 2 wins (both over Vancouver) and 1 draw (Flounders at home), and they could strengthen their position greatly with a win on Sunday. While Vancouver could theoretically catch the Timbers because they have 2 matches remaining to play after the Timbers - Sounders match, Portland currently leads in the first tiebreaker of goal differential.

Everyone on the buses this weekend, travel safe & sane.

But I think there is a bit more to this than most folks realize, and I think Timbers Coach Caleb Porter and his team know the terms. The Timbers aren't happy one bit that the Sounders stole a point at the death when someone forgot to cover Dempsey on a set piece during the June 25 match (ironically rescheduled from an afternoon kick to evening kick due to extreme heat in the Portland area) and the Sounders were able to celebrate in front of the Timbers Army. I also think the last match in 2016 versus Vancouver factors somewhat into the approach, too; the Timbers had a chance for the playoffs and Cascadia Cup in their final visit to Vancouver but they needed the right result. Unfortunately, the Caps buried the Timbers in a sea of second half goals and Portland left Canada empty handed despite the Timbers having schedule advantages in hosting both Cascadia sides twice. The Cascadia Cup might not be on the radar for some players, but being embarrassed on the road under any circumstance is something nobody likes. While the Timbers have exercised some demons with their July win in Canada, they'd love nothing more to return the favor to their other rival.

We all know the Timbers history at Century Link during the regular season hasn't been good, especially in the MLS era where the Timbers have yet to post a victory. However, one of the Timbers biggest franchise wins took place on this very pitch back in 2013, and the Timbers earned a little hardware here back in 2010 that ranked high upon my own personal happy moments traveling to Flounder Land over the years. I know players change from season to season, but they get hyped up for rivalry matches just like the rest of us. Portland will have several questions to deal with in determining their lineup with David Guzman unavailable for accumulation suspension, plus the health of Adi, Liam Ridgewell, Jake Gleeson and Marco Farfan. Meanwhile, the Sounders will be missing the services of defender Joevin Jones, currently the team leader in assists for 2017, and a huge cog of their back line and attack. Replacing him will be tough for Sounders Coach Brian Schmetzer, while I could see 1 of 2 options for Porter to replace Guzman - straight swap with Ben Zemanski or put Nagbe next to Diego Chara and give either Dairon Asprilla or Victor Arboleda the start on the wings. But Porter will have learned and forgotten more about soccer that I might ever acquire, so I'm sure he has a plan at the ready. With that, what do our fearless predictors have to say about this weekend? Let's find out!!

Another Timbers &%^#ing suspended for a Sounders match?

Rick: Timbers 1, Sounders 1

Portland are W0, D2, L7 with a Goals For of 5 and Goals Allowed of 15 in Seattle. I'm thinking a draw would be a good results considering that Guzman (yellow card suspension) is out and Adi, Gleeson, Ridgewell (various injuries) and Asprilla (flu) are questionable starters.

I promise not to get in front of the TV much, but no promises on swearing

Kip: Timbers 2, Sounders 1

I completely understand the history at that venue for the Timbers, but history is not always doomed to repeat itself. While the Sounders are on a good run of form, we've seen the Timbers scrap at times on the road. I think this is one of those instances considering the stakes and the results the last time these sides met.

I like fish, but not those guys up North. They smell funny.

Tortie: Timbers 15, Sounders 9

I appreciate the optimism of the tortoise shelled ninja cat, who again put on a cacophony of noise during her prediction interview. Since it wasn't at meal time, I can only assume she's just excited about goals and the Timbers will get more. Now if the players could only oblige her.

Yes, I did research this week. Now tell me, what the heck is a soccer ball?

GB: Timbers 0, Sounders 2

GB is decidedly pro-Portland as he's lived here all his life. However, he was impressed with the 10 match unbeaten streak and that was enough to sway him in this case. He does wish that they wouldn't wear that unfortunate shade of green anymore. It's just not right.

I'm excited about Sunday because the match is after dinner & I can nap!

Lucy: Timbers 3, Sounders 2

Lucy has become one of the more vocal cats of our collective, as her meows alternate between shrieks and yells. She was very excited about this match, and meowed for each side. The Timbers got 3 shrieks while the Sounders got 2 yells, so we know which side she's rooting for.

Contemplative cat is contemplating

Spot: Timbers 0, Sounders 1

Well, she didn't call for a scoreless draw, but the cat princess is thinking the Timbers' fan will be unhappy during their ride home from the match. Spot doesn't like changes in routine, and knowing the history of Timbers matches up North, she's betting on things staying the same.

I'm not just a cat, I'm a very good goalkeeper

Moya: Timbers 0, Sounders 3

I'm disappointed in what the black cat said during her discussion, but she's a very good cat goalkeeper, so I trust her soccer skills. Without Fanendo Adi, Moya thinks the Timbers will have issues scoring. Sounds pretty reasonable to me.

Pilot smash! Doors bad.

Pilot: Timbers 3, Sounders 0

Pilot is a very good cat, but he has recently resumed a habit he had when he was a kitten: running full speed into a door and trying to open it with his head. It worked a few times, so apparently he thinks it will work again. As far as soccer, he's going against his sister and pro Portland & Timbers. Anyone know where I can find a helmet for a cat?

Prediction Thread Week 24 - Portland Timbers v. New York Red Bulls

Not the real New York, but it's somewhat similar, right?

It's been a really strange week for the Portland Timbers, and for once, the oddities haven't been confined just to the pitch. After holding Toronto FC scoreless for nearly 60 minutes and playing reasonably well, the roof caved in as Toronto FC hung up 4 goals over the remainder of the match for a 4 to 1 win. What made the match seem worse was the fact that after TFC put up their first, Portland actually was able to keep up with TFC until the 72nd minute when goal 2 happened and 4 minutes later, it got worse. The only highlight of the contest was Diego Valeri's goal in the 89th minute off a drop pass from Jeremy Ebobisse, which ended up being his 50th goal as a Timber. The fact is, Valeri has joined rather elite company in terms of production, as he is the only Timbers player with 50 goals and 50 assists in his career - Fanendo Adi has scored 50 during his time with Portland, while NASL Timbers legends John Bain and Willie Anderson notched 50 assists - but nobody had achieved both until now. Valeri is also one of 18 MLS players to have this mark, and based upon goals & assists per games played, Diego has the third highest average with .72 Goals and/or Assist per game played in just 139 regular season MLS matches.

The historic mark was impressive, but Timbers Coach Caleb Porter was less than pleased with how some of the Timbers reacted after going down a goal. As he put it, there was still points to be had being down by 1, but some of the players hung their heads in frustration and TFC made Portland pay dearly for their lackadaisical effort. Porter was already dealing with Adi and Liam Ridgewell being unavailable for injury - Adi suffered a hamstring injury while Ridgy aggravated a quad injury late in the 3 to 1 victory over Los Angeles - but the Timbers took another hit when goalkeeper Jake Gleeson injured his hamstring scooping up a header from center back Larrys Mabiala, so Jeff Attinella was brought on to finish the match. With Marco Farfan dealing with a lingering ankle injury, Portland will be short handed for their home match facing the New York Red Bulls on August 18. The match was originally scheduled for August 20 for a national broadcast on Fox Sports 1, but MLS moved the match upon request from both teams due to fixture compression. Portland hosts Colorado on August 23 before traveling to Seattle to play the Flounders on August 27, which would have put 3 matches in 1 week for them, but the Red Bulls were dealing with a similar situation. The Red Bulls defeated Orlando City on the road on August 12 before traveling to Cincinnati to play USL side FC Cincinnati in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup semi-finals on August 15.
Cincinnati scored 2 goals to take an early lead, but New York stormed back to level the match until Bradley Wright-Phillips scored the game winner in the 101st minute to propel the Red Bulls to the final.

The Red Bulls have essentially relied upon the scoring of Wright-Phillps and the creativity of Sacha Kljestan to propel them along, but New York has seen Daniel Royer provide another scoring option for them while Luis Robles continues to be strong in goal for them. The Red Bulls under Coach Jesse Marsch have relied upon scrappy, positional play and tactical scoring to put them in fourth in the Eastern Conference, but essentially, the club only goes as far as the scoring of BWP and Royer can take them. There will be several familiar names to Timbers fans visiting tomorrow, as former MLS Timbers Sal Zizzo and Aaron Long will return back to the Rose City (Zizzo played in Portland during the 2011 and 2012 MLS seasons while Long was a draft pick of the Timbers in 2014 who mostly played in Reserve matches) while another blast from the USL past also makes a triumphant return to a place that he knows very well. There has been a lot of other big news relating to the Timbers in terms of media coverage, but we'll cover that in an upcoming entry. At this point, we are here to talk about predictions and see what our crack crew thinks might happen.

Another week, another heron. Hopefully it's a good luck charm.

Rick: Timbers 2, Red Bulls 2.

 

The Red Bulls come here after a 3-2 U.S. Open Cup victory in extra time on Tuesday night. 

Bradley Wright-Phillips, their leading MLS scorer (14) nabbed two and played the full 120 minutes; their second leading scorer, Daniel Roger (10), is apparently out with a knee injury. Seven regular started took part in Tuesday's game so it will be interesting to see how many see substantial playing time on Friday. I'm predicting most of them. 

 

For the Timbers, Roy Miller is back from suspension, but Liam Ridgewell (quad), Fanendo Adi (hamstring), and Jake Gleason (hamstring), are questionable. I'd like to see Jeremy Ebobisse get another start after providing the assist for Diego Valeri's goal during his 15 minutes appearance against Toronto. The Timbers (W0 D2 L1 F6 A8) have never beaten the Red Bulls at Providence Park.The Timbers have been caught out a couple of times in recent memory by teams coming here on a cross country flight after playing midweek. Let's hope that isn't the case on Friday.

Mark is back and thinking about a win.

Mark: Timbers 1, Red Bulls 0. 

Friday night soccer at Providence Park is one of my favorites. The New York Red Bulls hobble into town fresh off 120 minutes against FC Cincinnati in the U.S. Open Cup. This was 3 days ago. You will vaguely remember this tournament as the Timbers were eliminated a long time back. So in my humble opinion, New York will be plenty happy with a draw in this match. For the Timbers that will not be enough. The Timbers need to take maximum points for this game as well as the next home game against the Rapids. Friday's match is basically a put up or shut up match that will define the rest of the season. To add to the mix, Liam Ridgewell, Fanendo Adi and Jake Gleeson are likely out to Red Bulls game. That is not a good thing. Quue up the cliche' background thunder as there are storm clouds on the horizon. And now a thunderbold of lightning, per Jamie Goldberg "On Toronto, Porter said individuals, not full team, hung heads late. Made it sound like there could be lineup changes to correct that."

So if I were a betting man, which I am not, I would bet on a draw in this match. However, the Timbers defy logic most of the time. I see the Timbers coming out and putting an emphasis on defense and relying on a smart counter attack. I am predicting a crisp 1 nil victory with Blanco netting the game winner. If this scenario holds true, I predict the earth will go dark for a few minutes before the next match. Nothing I can do, a total eclipse of the heart.

I love Portland, people. I really do. I just don't think they will win.

GB: Timbers 3, Red Bulls 3.

The grey boy hasn't called for a Timbers win in some time, and the trend continues as the forever hungry one called for another draw. Unlike some other weeks where he's said there will be no goals or a loss, GB was very confident about goals as he meowed three times for Portland. Unfortunately for this week, he also meowed three times for the visitors. He was so confident of his thoughts that he promptly went to sleep after providing his thoughts. Well, I've done that too so guess like caregiver, like cat.

Yes, I know it's soccer. I just like goals.

Tortie: Timbers 17, Red Bulls 13.

The diminutive tortoise shell cat was very chatty during her interview, perhaps a bit more than usual. While it was post brushing and after dinner, Tortie was exceptionally chatty and meowed several times about goals. I honestly am not sure I got all of the meows, but I believe we got the right number. However, there were official confirmation of more for the home side than the visitors. When she was asked about if this was a football score versus soccer score, she rolled over and played coy, then got up to drink some water. One of these days, she'll get the high score she's looking for.

Do I have to do this again? Seriously?

Spot: Timbers 0, Red Bulls 2. 

Stop the presses! Spot actually picked a score in her usual way of rubbing snot on the interviewer. While I do appreciate her weeks of scoreless draws a lot to avoid massive grossness, it wasn't the case this week as Spot seemed very disinterested in the Timbers at all. When asked about the Red Bulls, it was 2 rubs and plenty of drool and other icky stuff. Thank god for hand sanitizer and soap, but it's what we do to get predictions.

Okay, I missed one week. It's not like anybody else has been on fire recently.

Lucy: Timbers 2, Red Bulls 1.

Lucy was pretty upset to not have her streak extended to three matches, and actually hid for a while before she finally relented to providing thoughts. It was 2 emphatic meows for Portland, then a long dramatic pause and 1 for New York. Considering she got 2 right, including a very improbable win for Portland over Los Angeles and her meows were pretty loud, she's confident in her decision here, which should send the Timbers fans home happy.

Everyday is International Black Cat Day as far as I'm concerned.

Moya: Timbers will win.

After watching her brother come away with the closest result last time, Moya decided she wanted to play this week and distracted Pilot with some catnip. Unfortunately, she didn't provide an actual score for the match, but when asked if Portland will win, she responded with a "meoowalarghabaaahmeowrgh". I have no idea what that means, but she said nothing when asked about the Red Bulls, so I can only assume she means that Portland will win on this week. Maybe some time, we can get a score out of here.

My vantage point for Timbers matches. Everyone looks like ants.

Kip: Timbers 2, Red Bulls 0.

I've tried statistical analysis, I've tried gut feelings, although I haven't broken out the magic 8 Ball toy, but I honestly can't figure out this Timbers side one bit. Going from unbeatable to dumpster fire week after week, it's hard to know what group will show up, but we can surmise a few things: Portland has been good at home, they can score goals and New York does have a defense that can concede goals. While Portland hasn't beaten the Red Bulls here, they have been prone to surprising things all year and I'm calling for another one this week.

Prediction Thread Week 23 - Portland Timbers vs. Toronto FC

The Timbers schedule gets tricky over the next few weeks, starting with TFC

The Portland Timbers showed something truly amazing in their win over the Los Angeles Galaxy back on August 6 in the friendly confines of Providence Park. After meandering for months trying to figure out the strengths and weaknesses of the team, fans got to see Timbers Coach Caleb Porter's version of a first choice lineup - and everyone noticed the results. Granted, there are plenty of areas of concern - Liam Ridgewell has to leave the match with a head injury after he just returned to the lineup, Roy Miller's play at left back is still a work in progress, and Jake Gleeson makes too many unforced errors - but Portland was able to hold it together and post a feel good result.

The offense seems to have found their legs with Sebastian Blanco, Fanendo Adi, Darlington Nagbe and Diego Valeri all providing quality support for themselves and each other, but in some irony, it was the defense that provided 2 of the Timbers' 3 goals on the afternoon. Adi ended up leaving the Galaxy match with a hamstring injury to be replaced by Darren Mattocks, but the Timbers offense didn't lose that much as Mattocks made life miserable for the Galaxy backline on several runs. Portland's challenges now get a bit interesting over the next few weeks courtesy of their schedule, and so the status of Adi and Ridgewell will be really important to determine as quickly as possible.
Portland travels to Toronto FC for a match on August 12, then Portland gets a compressed 2 match homestand with the Red Bulls on August 18 followed by Colorado on August 23. Portland then makes 3 road trips over 3 different weekends - August 27 to Flounder land, September 9 to Yankee Stadium and NYC FC, and September 16 to Real Salt Lake - before getting 3 of their last 4 matches of 2017 at home before the postseason. The travel will be interesting to see how Porter rotates the side - especially next week with 3 matches in roughly 11 days - but Portland will get 13 days of break before heading to the Big Apple.

Diego Valeri is in his own world. We're just lucky to be a small part of it.

While the miles and fixture schedule provide some challenges, the Timbers also have some ability to help their postseason chances. Of the remaining 10 matches on the docket, 5 of them are against Eastern Conference sides - meaning that any points gained here are essentially bonus points. When Portland plays a Western Conference side, points for them (or points dropped) directly impact the other teams they are chasing for 1 of the 6 postseason berths. However, in playing so many dates with the East, the Timbers could have a difficult result which won't have as much affect on their standings in the West. This is a key point to remember, especially since the Timbers still play 3 of the current 6 East playoff sides (TFC, Red Bulls, NYC FC) and 1 other, Orlando City, is sitting in 7th. While D.C. United is sitting on the bottom of the East, we have seen plenty of situations in Major League Soccer where anybody can beat anyone. It's important for the Timbers to get as many points as they can especially considering the 5 matches remaining against the West are sides that Portland are competing with for the playoffs: Colorado (currently 11th), Seattle (tied with PDX in 2nd), Real Salt Lake (currently 8th), San Jose (currently 6th) and Vancouver (sitting in 7th). The Rapids have been feisty at points and Salt Lake & San Jose have proven to be tough places to get points (Portland travels to both), so there is no match for the Timbers to really overlook if they have playoff aspirations.

The challenge starts with Toronto FC, one of 4 MLS sides that still are undefeated in their home matches (8 wins and 3 draws in 11 home dates). While their offense has been rather impressive with Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco scoring goals, they are far from alone in their influence on the offense, as Toronto has 20 players on their first team roster with at least 1 goal or assist. Victor Vazquez, Justin Morrow, Jonathan Osorio and Michael Bradley have been solid in the midfield with contributions to feed their main scorers, but honestly, Toronto FC has simply been balanced all the way around. Combined with that is a defense that has been better than expected in front of goalkeepers Alex Bono or Clint Irwin, and TFC Coach Greg Vanney has plenty of available defenders to use. Conceding just 23 goals in 23 games played puts TFC on the top of the East in that category, and if you expand it to the full league, only Sporting Kansas City has been better in terms of goals scored against. Portland has certainly done well in difficult venues, having already drawn at Sporting KC and Houston (2 of the other undefeated MLS sides at home). So with what appears to be a crazy good offense and unsung defense, what do the prognositicators think about this match?

Kenny the cat reacts to the news of Liam Ridgewell's injury

Rick: Toronto FC 2, Portland Timbers 1 

I am sure the Timbers will welcome temperatures in the mid 70s when the take on Toronto FC at BMO Field on Saturday. Sebastian Giovinco (11), and Jozy Altidore (9) lead the scoring for Toronto, Diego Valeri (12), and Fanendo Adi (10) for the Timbers. After a 6-game winning streak earlier in the season, Toronto's form has faded a little but they've still collected 9 points from their last 6 games, coincidentally, the same number as the Timbers. The Timbers (W0 D1 L3 F4 A8) have never won on the road in Toronto; the task of recording their first win being made more difficult by the accumulated card suspension of Roy Miller and the questionable availability of Liam Ridgewell (quad) and Fanendo Adi (tweaked hamstring).

This game is really easy. I mean, I have predicted right 2 matches in a row

 

Lucy: Timbers 3, Toronto FC 3

Lucy can certainly be the one crowing in the prediction realm after correctly predicting the results for Timbers - Dynamo and Timbers - Galaxy, and her thoughts were again provided in her very confident and direct manner. After asking her about a winner, she didn't say anything. When asked about goals, she meowed 3 times for each side indicating the draw for this week. Honestly, this would be a pretty good result, but will the Timbers give Lucy the trifecta?

We need some Atomic Ant killer. I'm looking at you, Ridgy.

Mark: Timbers 2, Toronto FC 2

Picking games in MLS is difficult, however, generally, the home team wins half the time. So there is a pattern: a draw 25 percent of the time and the road team wins the other 25 percent. This is how 538 lists the odds. So this time, the odds statistically are tilted a little more in Toronto's favor: Portland 18%; Toronto FC 61%, Draw 21%. The pattern of this year has been highly unpredictable. So the pattern of the season has been highly unpredictable. That is up until last week. And now roll north of the boarder to face arguably the best side in MLS who sport many legitimate superstars in Sebastian Giovinco, Altidore and the Bald One.  Timbers have a daunting task indeed. The odds above look fair. It will take a herculean effort to get the three points. I am calling this a draw against my better judgement and that will be courtesy of an Adi brace.  And I will add this haiku.

Modern Thievery

Steal a point while out played

Toronto away

I'm sticking with my usual thought that nobody will score anything.

Spot: scoreless draw

The queen of the scoreless draws strikes again this week, as her interview was pretty typical Spot. Not one sound, not one noise, not one meow, not a peep whatsoever. And I can confirm that she was totally awake because she was purring and her eyes were open. Spot just feels that nobody is going to figure out how to put a ball into the net, and honestly, she could actually be right this time.

I'm a good boy, but I don't like the Timbers' chances in Canada this weekend.

GB: Toronto FC 2, Timbers 0

The grey boy was thinking very Canadian this weekend in his short discussion about the match in Toronto. While he was excited about goals, GB has determined that it's the home side that will get all the goals in the match. He's very much in love with Portland cause that is where he lives, but this weekend, he's voting for TFC and their offense.

I like goals. I love naps, but goals are pretty awesome.

Tortie: Timbers 11, Toronto FC 8

The littlest predictor of the kitties was her usual jovial self, yakking up a storm in terms of goals. When we got done tallying all of her meows and eeps, it was 19 goals on the night and 11 for the Timbers. You know, I'm just hoping that one of these weekends, it ends up right simply because I'm not sure what Tortie would do if there was that many goals scored in one match.

Why not? I think good things could happen north of the border

Kip: Timbers 2, Toronto FC 1

I know this pick goes against convention, but Portland has managed to play well against 2 teams with undefeated records at home, so I think they break through and get the result. Portland's offense has been very good, but I believe the defense is actually due for a good result as well. Granted, this is a bit of the belief beyond reason here, but honestly, why not?

Purple is my color. Just call me purple Pilot.

Pilot: Timbers 0, Toronto FC 3

Moya decided she didn't want to play predictions this week, so her brother decided to step in for her. Pilot loves the color purple and has the nickname of pelota, but he's going very anti Portland with his selection. Then again, Moya ran away when asked about Portland's chances in Houston, so maybe he's just following her example.