Enemy Scouting Report - Portland Timbers
(image via Portland Timbers)
The Houston Dynamo have been eliminated from the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup and must quickly shift their focus to Major League Soccer. Ben Olsen’s team has yet to win a league match, going into their third straight home game at Shell Energy Stadium. Houston drew against Kansas City and lost to the New York Red Bulls. On Saturday, the Portland Timbers will be the visiting team that the Dynamo will hope to beat.
Portland will look a lot different from years past. The team is currently moving into a new era, under recently appointed head coach Phil Neville. His hiring was questioned by the Timbers fan base that was not happy with his arrival. However, Neville currently has Portland top of the Western Conference with 2 wins and 1 draw in their first 3 matches.
The Timbers lost key players in Sebastian Blanco and Yimmi Chara during the offseason and added a couple of Canadian internationals to bolster their defense. Defender Kamal Miller and goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau are players who Phil Neville knows well and have slid right into the starting lineup. The most impressive part is that the Timbers attacking players have begun the season as well-oiled machines. Young Brazilian forward Antony has 3 goals to his name this season after signing with the team last summer. Club legend Dairon Asprilla has also scored 3 goals of his own and continues to be a menace up top for Portland. Another player to watch is Evander. The team’s number 10 missed the first 2 games of the season but came back in Week 3 and scored a banger against New York City FC to win the match in stoppage time. Houston will have to play a perfect game against this feisty Portland Timbers team tomorrow night.
Portland Timbers Record: 2W-1D-0L
Results in the last 30 days:
February 24 - Portland 4-1 Chicago
March 2 – Portland 2-2 D.C. United
March 9 - New York City 1-2 Portland
Past Match Staring XI (from fotmob.com)
There will likely be some variation but look to see many of the players in the graphic starting.
2024 Active Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Trey Muse, Aljaz Ivacic, James Pantemis
Defenders: Miguel Araujo, Kamal Miller, Claudio Bravo, Dario Zuparic, Eric Miller, Zac McGraw, Juan David Mosquera, Larrys Mabiala
Midfielders: Eryk Williamson, Evander, Diego Chara, Cristhian Paredes, David Ayala, Santiago Moreno, Marvin Loria
Forwards: Felipe Mora, Antony, Tega Ikoba, Dairon Asprilla, Nathan Fogaca
Will Houston get their first regular season win against the Portland Timbers?
