With Houston on the horizon, can the Portland Timbers continue their streak

 Timbers (5,7,4, 19 points) vs (8) Houston Dynamo (6,6,3, 21 points)

Saturday June 1, 2024 KO 7:30 PM PST/ 10:30 PM EST

Providence Park, Portland, Oregon

Portland Timbers Briefly

Suddenly, manager Phil Neville has found a winning formula as well a starting eleven that’s solid in defense; and with Araujo, Mosquera, Miller and Zuparic–these latter ones as the center back– we have the long-awaited solution for this team defensive woes.

With Evander leading the offensive game alongside Felipe Mora, Antony, and newly acquired Rodriguez, this team is starting to lift it up a notch in excitement and delivering it with back-to-back wins and one recently on the road.

This is something this team is not accustomed to having a  strong point when they play on the road and all of a sudden they delivered loudly with a win over a renewed Austin FC at Q2 Stadium where the Verde and Black is tough to beat.

However, we are seeing a turnaround for this team that recently had its share of losses and is now looking forward to staying put in the postseason spots at the end of this season.

Now that this team is emerging as a contender and its players are starting to play a decent game of football, we may be looking for an exciting rest of this 2024 season.

Now that this team is starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel, I believe great things can happen and looking forward an exciting close of the season with a number of positive results.

As injuries can happen and maybe some player or two getting some attention abroad, such as Santiago Moreno with Brazil’s Fluminense, rumors are circulating of this team interest for the Colombian youth.

Still, the season is young and with a lot to go as the summertime is around the corner and the Timbers really need to watch and play every game like it is a final in order to make it to the playoffs.

Houston Dynamo Briefly

Ever since the arrival of manager Ben Olsen to Shell Energy Stadium, the man suddenly delivered a turnaround for this team making it into an all-around contender as well delivering a trophy in the US Open Cup.

Olsen led the team from a sorry state into last season’s conference finals losing 2-0 to LAFC, ending their sensational season with disappointment but looking forward to 2024.

A team that since 2018 didn’t make it into the postseason until 2022, suddenly took a turn for the better with manager Olsen leading them again to the playoffs before taking a heavy loss against the Black and Gold.

So far, the team is situated in eighth place, but still  delivered in midweek a stunning loss to the renovated Colorado Rapids and lhoping to replicate their expansion debut back in 2006 when they won back-to-back league championships.

Meetings

03/16/2024 Houston Dynamo 1-0 Portland Timbers

10/21/2023 Portland Timbers 1-3 Houston Dynamo

08/20/2023 Houston Dynamo 5-0 Portland Timbers

Forecast

The Portland Timbers can break the Dynamo dominance with a win at home