The final game in September for FC Dallas is coming up this weekend, as the club travels west to battle the Portland Timbers.
The two sides squared off in Frisco a few weeks ago, with FC Dallas coming out on top with a 2-0 victory.
Both squads are looking for more points as the playoff push continues. Letâs dive into Portland and how FC Dallas can extend its unbeaten run.
In this crowded Dallas sports market, FC Dallas gets little love â thatâs where Big D Soccer comes in. Paid subscribers not only fuel local soccer coverage, they also unlock deeper analysis and features you wonât see anywhere else. If you believe Dallas soccer matters, join in and support it.
Key Player: David de Costa
While Antony is going to get a lot of the praise for his seven goals and seven assists on the season, I think it is de Costa who is the real threat for Portland in this game. He currently leads the team in assists with eight, and has added in four goals of his own.
Key Matchup: Antony vs Osaze Urhoghide
We've seen the Dallas center back do well against some of the league's best strikers in recent weeks. Last week against Colorado, he was a thorn in Rafael Navarro's side and he'll need to do the same against a guy like Antony.
Availability Report1:
Suspended: none
Out: Felipe Carballo (lower body), Maxime Crépeau (head), Jonathan Rodriguez (lower body)
Questionable: Jimer Fory (hip), Juan Mosquera (lower body)
On Loan: none
International duty: none
Quick Notes:
All time vs Dallas: The Timbers hold a strong 8-1-5 record at home in all-time regular season meetings. Dallas hasnât won in Portland since the 2016 season.
Recent form: After Wednesdayâs draw, the Timbers are 1-1-3 in their last five games.
Where they're at in the standings: The Timbers currently sit in 7th place, just six points above FC Dallas right now.
Comparing the two clubs: At this stage in the season, both teams have rounded into form pretty nicely. Portland will likely dominate the possession battle in this game (similar to what we saw a few weeks ago in Frisco), but Dallas does hold the edge in a few defensive areas right now.
Potential Lineup:
Could the Timbers rotate a bit this weekend at home? We should see a bit from Phil Neville.
Pantemis, Smith, Surman, Zuparic, Miller; De Costa, Ayala, Paredes; Lassiter, Mora, Antony
Keys To Three Points over Portland
- Play for the counter: We know the Timbers are likely going to take on a majority of the possession in this one, especially at home. Dallas has done well in recent road games to absorb that pressure and find pockets in the match where they can get forward off a turnover in the midfield. We saw against the Timbers last time that if Dallas is able to get out on the counter attack, they can catch a leaky Timbers defense.
- Keep moving forward: The progressive passing has been better in recent weeks for Dallas, as they've stopped going backward in their build up play and have been a bit more direct with guys like Patrickson Delgado and Chris Cappis leading the way in the middle of the park. Those guys will need a big night in Portland on Saturday in order to keep the pressure off the defense and find ways to open up the attack with Logan Farrington and Petar Musa.
- Limit the defensive turnovers: As we saw Wednesday in Vancouver, the Timbers can force turnovers in their attacking end and score off it (though I donât think weâll see another goal from Kamal Miller like we saw there). Dallas will be under pressure in this one and will have to find ways to limit the number of turnovers in their defensive end.
This story is available for free to everyone, no subscription required. If youâd like to support us but donât want to commit to a full subscription, you can leave us a tip of any amount (this helps keep our coffee/beer mugs full).
1 Note: MLS has a injury report deadline that doesnât 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.
