(8) Portland Timbers (1-1-0, 3 points) vs (2) St. Louis (2-0-0, 6 points)
Saturday, March 11, 2023 KO 7:30 PM PST/ 10:30 PM EST
Providence Park, Portland, Oregon
Portland Timbers Briefly
Its Déjà vu for the Portland Timbers once again, especially when they play on the road and once again LAFC exposed many of their weaknesses with a first half rout and they were exposed in all fronts.
However, if I must state the way the Timbers are a second half team and he game is played in two halves, playing with all your best in just one half doesn’t cut the mustard!
To play this game, the team needs to focus in both halves of great football and not let themselves be erased completely out of the field as the Black and Gold exposed a lot of their limitations.
The Timbers have some players giving out their best such as Juan Mosquera and Evander getting in the scoring mood with his first goal as a Portland Timber as well Cristhian Paredes trying to send a message to Giovanni Savarese.
Remember in that MLS Cup final against NYCFC, he scored in the penalty shootout and the man game has matured a lot and he can bring a lot to the field, get him a starting spot, the man is hungry and we need hunger in the field.
No news of the team being sidelined half of its roster due to injuries, but in the field we have a group of determined players ready to deliver and defensively the backfield is doing its job. So far, Rasmussen and Mosquera are delivering.
Offensively, the team needs to get its thing together and Niezgoda needs to get more aggressive in his quest of looking for a goal. Diego Gutierrez needs more minutes in the field.
Overall, this team did it before and will stand out with or without its core of top players now sidelined as the man in the helm can make great things happen, but in the end, he can turn it around.
Coming to town, we have an expansion side playing like they’ve been in the league for quite some time and not being intimidated by no one so far. Ask that to Austin and Charlotte FC with their back-to-back wins as their referential.
Will the Portland Timbers let newcomers City SC get their third win at Providence Park?
Photo Credit St. Louis City SC.
Saint Louis City SC Briefly
Finally, the day came when the man from Johannesburg got his opportunity to lead a team after his time in Harrison, New Jersey, with the New York Red Bulls and the Bradley Carnell is already turning some heads in his debut.
As a debutante manager, he never imagined how his team would do after being the new kid on the block and so far, his side is silencing many of its non-believers and skeptics with back-to-back wins in this nascent season.
When we speak about Missouri and specially St. Louis, this region has a rich history in the game of soccer ever since 1882 when the first game was played between the Hurley’s defeating the Hornet’s in front of 2,000 fans in attendance.
In the defunct NASL with the St. Louis Stars, they just had all American players in its roster.
Welcome to Major League Soccer STL. City SC, and the best of successes in your debut season, coming to Rose City with a lot of momentum and playing like an all-oiled machine the Timbers with no doubt will have their hands full!
Meetings
First meeting between these two sides
Forecast
A fairy tale of a season for newcomers City SC, will they continue their winning ways in Rose City!
Portland Timbers
St. Louis City SC
