Portland Timbers vs. Philadelphia Union | 2018 MLS Match Preview

Dylan Butler

Portland Timbers vs. Philadelphia Union
2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 23
Providence Park — Portland
August 4 - 11 pm ET
WATCH: ESPN+, MLS LIVE on DAZN (Canada)

The Portland Timbers will try to extend an undefeated streak to 15 games when they host the Philadelphia Union at Providence Park Saturday night.

The Timbers are coming off a 2-1 win over the Houston Dynamo, and can move up to second place in the Western Conference with a win, while the Union are seeking a third consecutive road win after defeating the Dynamo, 3-1, on July 25.

The Timbers are 4W-1L-3D against the Union in MLS play, the lone loss coming in Philadelphia in 2015. Portland have conceded multiple goals just once against them, per Opta.

Portland Timbers

Portland (9-3-7) scored early and late to defeat the Dynamo at home last Saturday with Sebastian Blanco striking in the 7th minute and, after Romell Quioto leveled for the visitors five minutes later, Fanendo Adi came off the bench to score the dramatic and emotional winner in the 80th minute.

It was Adi’s last game at Providence Park and last in a Timbers uniform before being shipped off to FC Cincinnati.

“As I’ve said all along, the mentality is strong, the guys work very hard and the most important part is that in the matches they try to find ways we are in the game and that we can get points,” Giovanni Savarese said. “At home, we always try the most that we can to get the three points and the guys I thought performed very, very well, especially in the second half.”

Suspended: M - Sebastian Blanco
Suspended after next caution: None
International duty: None
Injury Report: QUESTIONABLE: F- Samuel Armenteros (back injury)

Projected Starting XI
(5-3-2, right to left)
GK: Jeff Attinella — Alvas Powell, Larrys Mabiala, Lawrence Olum, Julio Cascante, Zarek Valentin — Andy Polo, Diego Chara, Andres Flores — Diego Valeri, Dairon Asprilla

Notes: Diego Valeri has just one goal in five appearances against the Union, his fewest against any team he has played at least four times . . . Portland’s unbeaten run in MLS is now 14 games long (9W-5D), one short of their longest stretch since setting a franchise record by going 15 straight without a loss in 2013. They’re allowing 0.9 goals per game during this run.

Philadelphia Union

The Union (8-10-3) earned their second straight road win — and matched their total of the previous 12 months of MLS play — when they rallied to beat the Dynamo on July 25.

Mauro Manotas put the hosts in front after 10 minutes, but Alejandro Bedoya leveled in the 34th minute before Cory Burke put the Union in front in the 70th minute and Fafa Picault added a stoppage-time insurance tally.

“When you think of Gio, he's very passionate,” Union head coach Jim Curtin said of the Timbers coach. “His teams are very organized and disciplined, tough to play against, so that's what you see right now. Defensively, from their forwards all the way to their back line [they] are competing for everything all over the field. It's not a coincidence now, I believe in their last nine wins they're all one goal games. And that's the sign of a good team. They're a team that can attack you in a lot of different ways.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: None
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: M - Ilsinho (right quad strain)

Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Andre Blake — Keegan Rosenberry, Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty, Raymon Gaddis — Haris Medunjanin, Alejandro Bedoya — David Accam, Borek Dockal, Fafa Picault — Cory Burke

Notes: Burke is averaging a goal every 109.2 minutes of MLS play. Entering this season, no Union player has had a rate better than a goal every 124.4 minutes (min. 500 played) . . . The Union are looking for their first three-game road winning streak in team history. The seven goals they have scored in their last two away games equals their total from their previous 13 away matches.

All-Time Series

Overall: Portland Timbers 4 wins, 10 goals … Philadelphia Union 1 win, 7 goals … 3 draws
At Portland: Timbers 3 wins, 7 goals … Union 0 wins, 3 goals … 1 draw
Last meeting at Portland: Portland Timbers 2, Philadelphia Union 1 (Sept. 17, 2016)