Minnesota United FC vs. Portland Timbers | 2018 MLS Match Preview

Dylan Butler

Minnesota United FC vs. Portland Timbers
2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 30
TCF Bank Stadium — Minneapolis
Sept. 22 — 8 pm ET
WATCH: ESPN+, MLS LIVE on DAZN (Canada)

After a big midweek home win over Columbus Crew SC, the Portland Timbers will try and move up in the Western Conference standings against a Minnesota United squad that will try to snap a seven-match winless streak.

The Timbers are in fourth place in the West, tied on points with third-place LAFC, while the Loons are in 10th place, 14 points below the playoff line.

This is the second matchup this season, with the Timbers claiming a 3-2 win at Providence Park on April 14. Alvas Powell and Diego Valeri scored two minutes apart early to give the Timbers a 2-0 lead.

Darwin Quintero pulled the Loons back a goal in the 64th minute, but 10 minutes later Fanendo Adi extended the hosts lead. A Bill Tuiloma own goal made things interesting late, but the Timbers held on for their first win of the season.

Portland has won two of their three games against Minnesota (1L), averaging 3.3 goals per game.

Minnesota United FC

After a sluggish start, Minnesota (9-16-3) roared to equalize after halftime and were unlucky not to take away all three points in a 1-1 draw with Real Salt Lake.

Miguel Ibarra scored the late equalizer for the Loons after Damir Kreilach gave the hosts the lead on 11 minutes.

“So disappointed in our first half performance, which to say it was passive would be an understatement," Adrian Heath said. "[In the second half] we were everything we weren’t in the first half. We played on the front foot, played good football, tried to stretch the pitch and tried to play in behind. Towards the end I was disappointed we didn’t actually win the game because I thought we looked the most likely.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: M - Miguel Ibarra, M - Maximiliano
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: M - Sam Cronin (cervicogenic dysfunction), M - Kevin Molino (torn left ACL), M - Ethan Finlay (torn ACL); QUESTIONABLE: D - Eric Miller (undisclosed injury)

Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Bobby Shuttleworth — Michael Boxall, Wyatt Omsberg, Brent Kallman, Francisco Calvo — Fernando Bob, Collen Warner — Miguel Ibarra, Darwin Quintero, Romario Ibarra — Angelo Rodriguez

Notes: Quintero is one of five players this season to tally 10+ goals and 10+ assists. … The Loons have not played a home game since August 4 – a 2-1 loss against Seattle, which snapped a four-game home winning streak.

Portland Timbers

Portland (13-8-8) bounced back from a loss to the Houston Dynamo to defeat Columbus Crew SC, 3-2, at Providence Park Wednesday night.

After Niko Hansen put Crew SC in front on seven minutes, David Guzman leveled in the 18h minute and Andy Polo gave the Timbers a 2-1 lead in the 37th minute. An own goal by Lalas Abubakar gave the Timbers a two-goal cushion before Hansen struck for his second in stoppage time.

“We responded very well under the adversity, for them finding the goal early and for us to react right away an raise the level,” Giovanni Savarese said. “It was fantastic. It was something we spoke during the two days we were practicing and from the guys the attitude was perfect. Right after the goal there was a belief we were going to get right back into it and the guys performed very well.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: M - Sebastian Blanco
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: D - Roy Miller (right thigh injury), GK - Jake Gleeson (bilateral tibial stress fracture); QUESTIONABLE: GK - Jeff Attinella (hamstring injury)

Projected Starting XI
(4-3-2-1, right to left)
GK: Steve Clark — Alvas Powell, Larrys Mabiala, Julio Cascante, Jorge Villafaña — Diego Chara, David Guzman, Andy Polo — Diego Valeri, Sebastian Blanco — Samuel Armenteros

Notes: Diego Valeri is one of three players since 2010 to record multiple seasons with 90+ chances created in MLS play. … The Timbers are winless in their last five road games (3L-2D). In their two draws they have conceded a total of one goal while in their three losses they have conceded 11 goals.

All-Time Series

Overall: Minnesota United FC 1 win, 6 goals … Portland Timbers 2 wins, 10 goals … 0 draws
At Minnesota: Minnesota United FC 1 win, 3 goals … Timbers 0 wins, 2 goals … 0 draws
Last meeting at Minnesota: Minnesota United FC 3, Portland Timbers 2 (June 21, 2017)