With the MLS All Star game in the books, the Portland Timbers set out this weekend for Minnesota and two important games against the Loons — the first of which, in league play, will take place on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m., TV on ESPN).

The Opponent

In their third year in MLS, it feels like Minnesota United has finally launched for real.

This spring, the Loons moved into the beautiful new Allianz Field in Saint Paul, which has been packed all summer as Adrian Heath's team has climbed firmly above the playoff red line in search of their first ever postseason appearance.

The Loons have been strong going forward, powered by Darwin Quintero and a raft of above-average wingers and forwards, but they're biggest area of improvement has come in defense, where they've conceded the third-fewest goals in the Western Conference.

Compared to the previous two seasons, in which they all-time records for MLS defensive futility, it's a sea change. Two players plenty familiar to the Timbers, Osvaldo Alonso and Ike Opara, as well as All Star right back Romain Métanire and former Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone have been chiefly responsible for the improvement.

The Tactics

The Loons this year have primarily played a 4-2-3-1, a system that more or less mirrors Portland's, with Alonso and Jan Gregus partnering in central midfield and Quintero lined up as the playmaker behind central striker Angelo Rodriguez.

Quintero, however, is suspended for this weekend's game on yellow card accumulation. Robin Lod, the Finnish attacker who recently arrived from Sporting Gijón in the Spanish second division, may be called on make his debut in his place.

In any case, the most important question facing Heath and his team is the extent to which they will try to push players forward and dictate the terms of the game. Teams that have played aggressively against the Timbers of late, whether at home or on the road, have been punished severely.

The Timbers are 6-2-1 over their last nine league road games for a reason. If Minnesota does bring their central midfielders and fullbacks up the field, Portland will do exactly what they did against the LA Galaxy last weekend and Seattle the weekend before: crush them on the break.

The one other important note is that these teams will meet again, in the same venue, on Wednesday night in the semifinal round of the U.S. Open Cup. Neither side can easily afford to hold anything back for Sunday's game, but

The Lineup

12 - Clark
4 - Villafaña
33 - Mabiala
18 - Cascante
2 - Moreira
21 - Chara
22 - Paredes
10 - Blanco
8 - Valeri (C)
17 - Ebobisse
7 - Fernandez

— Given the short turnaround before the cup game, it wouldn't be a shock to see Giovani Savarese rotate a handful of players out of this lineup.

— Diego Chará started and played the first half of the All Star game on Wednesday night in Orlando before meeting the team in Minnesota. He is one candidate to, potentially, come off the bench.

— Andy Polo played 70 minutes for T2 last weekend and, while fit, appears to have been passed on the wing depth chart by both Jeremy Ebobisse and Marvin Loría.

— With Jeff Attinella out for the season, it will be Kendall McIntosh and Aljaž Ivačič behind Steve Clark the rest of the way.

The Memory

Thus far in MLS, this series has been dominated by the home team. The Timbers have won both the games played in Portland, while the Loons have won both the games, including last year's, in Minnesota.

The Pick

This should be another relatively even matchup and entertaining game. It will finish 2-2.