FC Dallas returns to action this weekend as they wrap up another three-game home stand against the Portland Timbers.
The Timbers have been dealing with the Leagues Cup over the last week or so, and are coming off a 1-0 win over LAFC in league play.
Let’s dive into Portland to see what they bring to the field on Saturday and how FC Dallas can get some points at home.
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Key Player: David de Costa
With some of their other key attacking players like Antony or Jonathan Rodriguez out at the moment, the Portuguese midfielder is going to be the one to lead this group. He currently has four goals and eight assists on the season.
Key Matchup: Antony vs Osaze Urhoghide
Antony leads the Timbers in scoring this season but has been in and out with injuries as of late. He did appear off the bench in the Timber's League Cup match on Wednesday night, which could mean he'll be back for Saturday's match. Dallas will want to keep him at bay in and around the goal.
Availability Report1:
Suspended: none
Out: Jonathan RodrÃguez (lower leg), Santiago Moreno
Questionable: David da Costa (lower body), Dario Zuparic (hip)
On Loan: none
International duty: none
Quick Notes:
History at FC Dallas: The Timbers only have one win in 14 all-time meetings in Frisco, a 2-0 win back in 2014. They’ve gone 0-4-1 in their last five trips to North Texas.
Recent form: In league play, the Timbers are 2-2-1 in their last five games. The most recent league match was a 1-0 win over LAFC.
Road form: The Timbers have been able to pick up some wins away from home this season, as they currently own a 4-5-2 away record.
Leagues Cup action: Portland opened up its Leagues Cup run with an impressive 4-0 win over Atlético de San Luis. The followed that up with a 1-0 win over Querétaro. The wrapped up Phase One in Austin against Club America, where they lost on penalties. Portland can still advance to the knockout stage should a few results go their way Thursday night.
Comparing the two clubs: Neither team is really that consistent when it comes to defending.
Potential Lineup:
The Timbers will likely need to rotate a little bit due to the minutes logged. So their lineup is probably anyone's guess right now.
Crepeau, Smith, Zuparic, McGraw, Mosquera, Miller; De Costa, Chara, Ortiz, Mora; Antony
Keys To Three Points over Portland
- Take advantage of the fresh legs: While FC Dallas has been off for a bit, Portland has been dealing with injuries and three games in the Leagues Cup against some of the top Liga MX sides like Club America. With the heat expected to be in the mid-90s again on Saturday, this is the perfect game to wear out an already tired opponent.
- Limit midfield turnovers: In recent weeks, the Timbers attack has taken a hit on injuries. This has forced their defense to step up and carry the load. Given their schedule congestion as of late, they could probably sit back more in this one and try to defend for counter attacks. FC Dallas cannot give up cheap mistakes in the midfield and allow the Timbers to counter with numbers.
- Finish your chances: We’ve seen in recent matches that the Dallas attack is starting to click. This could be another game with plenty of goals, which means guys like Petar Musa, Logan Farrington and Anderson Julio (if he gets minutes here) need to make sure to put away what they are creating inside the penalty area.
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1 Note: MLS has a injury report deadline that doesn’t hit until the day before each game. Our scouting reports will include last week's report and will be fully updated the day before with our injury report for FC Dallas.
