The World Cup fever may finally be over but you don’t have to look elsewhere for your soccer fix. Major League Soccer is about to enter its crucial stages with teams battling it out for spots in the playoff round.
Only one game is on the cards on Friday night as the Portland Timbers host the Colorado Rapids in a vital Western Conference showdown. Read on for analysis for this important matchup and check out our breakdown of the all-Canadian Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Toronto FC match on Wednesday.
[sc:Soccer ]Colorado Rapids vs. Portland Timbers, Major League Soccer, Betting Preview and Prediction – July 18, 2014
Where: Providence Park, Portland, Oregon
When: July 18, 11:00 PM ET
Line: Colorado Rapids (+225) at Portland Timbers (EVEN), tie (+230); total: 2.5 – view all MLS lines
Betting on the Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are coming off a morale-boosting 3-3 draw with the Philadelphia Union last Saturday wherein they scored two goals in the last 11 minutes to nullify Philadelphia’s 3-1 advantage.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Dillon Powers and Deshorn Brown scored the vital goals as they earned a valuable point on the road that extended their league total to 27 points, three clear of sixth-placed Los Angeles Galaxy.
Brown leads the Rapids attack and is tied for the team lead of six goals with Vicente Sanchez. Their form has helped the Rapids to their current three-game unbeaten run.
Crucial to the Rapids’ rise to the top this season has been their stingy defense. They are third in the Western Conference when it comes to goals allowed letting in only 22 goals at the back.
Their road form though has not been so good this season. They have not won in their last five away matches with their last win coming against Toronto FC last April 12. They have a good chance of ending that streak with the Timbers currently languishing in the eighth spot in the Western Conference.
Betting on the Portland Timbers
The Timbers lost the Cascadia Cup derby match against the Seattle Sounders 2-0 as they fell victim to returning American World Cup star Clint Dempsey’s strike in the 74th minute.
That defeat extended the Timbers’ winless run to four games as they ended their two-game road trip with only a point to show for it.
Their last two games at Providence Park have not provided them with the desired results as they dropped their last game against Sporting Kansas City in a close 1-0 affair and were held 2-2 by FC Dallas.
Their recent poor form have left them second from the bottom in the West, four points behind the Vancouver Whitecaps who are in the fifth and final playoff spot with 25 points.
The one bright spot for the Timbers this season is the emergence of their young striker Maximiliano Urruti. The 23-year-old Argentinian has led the Rapids attack scoring a team-best six goals and has formed a valuable partnership with fellow Argentine Gaston Fernandez who has also scored six goals for the club this season.
Their recent home form however has been far from adequate, with the Timbers failing to bag all three points in their last five home games with their last win coming last May 3 in a 3-2 win against D.C. United.
Writer’s Prediction
The Timbers will resurrect their MLS campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over the Rapids. Create a betting account now and see if you can predict who will win this MLS matchup.
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