With their unbeaten streak sitting at nine games, the Portland Timbers travel to Seattle on Saturday afternoon to face a Sounders team in desperate need of points as the MLS ramps up for its all-important summer months (1:30 p.m., TV on FOX).
The Opponent
When these two teams met a month-and-a-half ago in Portland, and the Sounders were missing more than half of their starting lineup, compensated by putting ten players behind the ball, and held on at 0-0 for 86 minutes, and were ultimately beaten by a late goal from Sebastian Blanco.
Things have improved for Seattle since then, but just barely. Brian Schmetzer's team has won just one of the five games they've played since their trip to Portland, not including a U.S. Open Cup defeat to Sacramento. They're currently in tenth place in the Western Conference, averaging less a point per game.
Seattle is certainly accustomed to slow starts, but their margin for error is rapidly shrinking. They've gotten a few key players back, including Nicolas Lodeiro, who narrowly missed out on a place in Uruguay's World Cup squad, and Peruvian marksman Raúl RuidÃaz will be arriving imminently.
RuidÃaz is going to be important, because Seattle's attack has been woeful all year. They've scored multiple goals at home just twice, and have scored just eleven total on the season. Portland, for comparison, has netted 21; three Western Conference team have scored 31.
This is a big game for the Sounders from a competitive standpoint — they really can't afford to drop points at home at this stage — and an opportunity to get their fans back onside after their abysmal spring.
The Tactics
Giovani Savarese opted to play a back five against Atlanta, and it worked quite well: the Timbers were difficult to play through defensively, and still generated plenty going forward through Sebastian Blanco and Diego Valeri.
It's a setup that plays to the Timbers' strengths, especially Andy Polo missing, and deploying it led to Alvas Powell's best performance of the season last weekend. A reprisal isn't out of the question here.
It seems more likely, though, that Savarese will return to the 4-3-2-1 that he's used for the majority of the season. The Sounders' attack doesn't demand nearly the attention or play at the pace that Atlanta's does, and Portland could use an extra player in midfield against a team that is likes to keep the ball.
What will they be up against? Schmetzer has deployed Lodeiro as a deep-lying midfielder since his return to the lineup three weeks ago against DC United, and he's been excellent in that spot — connecting Seattle's defense and attack and upping their pace of play.
Should he line up there again on Saturday, as he is expected to, limiting his influence on the game will be crucial. If he isn't allowed to play vertically, the Sounders will struggle in transition. In any case, that's the phase of the game the Timbers should be most dangerous in. They're the faster, younger team.
The Lineup
1 - Attinella
16 - Valentin
18 - Cascante
33 - Mabiala
2 - Powell
21 - Chara
22 - Paredes
14 - Flores
10 - Blanco
8 - Valeri (C)
99 - Armenteros
— Polo's Peru and David Guzman's Costa Rica are both out of the World Cup, but neither player is expected to feature in the game on Saturday.
— The status of Fanendo Adi, who picked up a knock in training last weekend and missed the trip to Atlanta, is up in the air.
— Lawrence Olum is in a good run of form, and the conservative play would be to start him — either in defense or midfield — ahead of Flores.
— Liam Ridgewell is fit, but don't hold your breath waiting for his return to the lineup. The Timbers' center backs are playing well, and Savarese isn't exactly the former captain's champion.
The Memory
The Timbers got their first point in Seattle since 2013 on their last visit, in August 2017, thanks to this penalty conversion from Valeri.
The Pick
Seattle have more players available than they did when they lost in Portland at the end of May, though they're still not at full strength, and this should be a relatively even game. It'll finish 1-1.
