With clouds of disappointment and disillusionment thickening once again over the Rose City, the Portland Timbers hit the road for the first of three matches away from Providence Park. This Saturday afternoon it's the Montreal Impact at Stade Saputo, as the CONCACAF Champions League runners-up make their return to MLS play after a three-week break from the domestic league.
Portland is in bad need of a win against the weakest opponent they'll face in the foreseeable future. Along with that win, they'd like goals—the Timbers have been shut out in over half their games this season. After losing in Seattle and dropping two more points at home against Vancouver, a Timbers response is more than called for.
The History
This is the Timbers' fourth-ever MLS meeting with the Impact, but the two clubs have a rivalry that dates back into the USL days. For the second straight year, this match comes at a landmark moment—last year, it was Futty Danso making his first start for Montreal against his former club. This year, it's the Impact's return to normalcy after their thrilling run to the Champions League final.
The Timbers won this game 3-2 at Stade Saputo last year, ironically behind goals from Will Johnson and Diego Valeri. The Argentine playmaker could be back in the starting lineup this weekend for the first time since last season, while the Canadian captain continues to work his way back from injury and won't be available.
Montreal hasn't visited Portland since 2013, when Troy Perkins and Donovan Ricketts were at the center of the drama. The Impact won on that day, and since then, things have changed. Ricketts and Perkins are both gone, to Seattle and Orlando respectively, and at the time of that game, Caleb Porter had yet to register his first MLS win. Now, he's badly in need of his 29th career MLS victory.
The Tactics
Diego Valeri's probable return to the starting lineup means we've seen the end of Ishmael Yartey for the foreseeable future. Don't be surprised if Yartey isn't even on the trip. If Porter decides to play it safe and bring Valeri off the bench again, it figures to be Dairon Asprilla who returns to the starting lineup. With Jack Jewsbury continuing to be rock-solid in central midfield, there's no need to rush Will Johnson back. The former captain will start again alongside Diego Chara.
It's the striker where the real question mark is, and a typically and disappointingly combative and patronizing Caleb Porter didn't seem to want to answer the question midweek when quizzed by The Oregonian's Jamie Goldberg. The best guess is that Fanendo Adi will get another shot to start after a particularly subversive outing from Maxi Urruti last weekend against the Whitecaps. The good news is that Portland is set to play an unchanged back-line for the 10th straight game to open the season. The biggest threat to that streak is Alvas Powell, who is one yellow card away from being suspended.
The Lineup
12 - Kwarasey
2 - Powell
24 - Ridgewell (C)
7 - Borchers
19 - Villafaña
13 - Jewsbury
21 - Chara
22 - Wallace
6 - Nagbe
8 - Valeri
9 - Adi
The Pick
The Timbers are rarely down for too long. With the Impact still hungover from their continental exploits and in trouble from not being very good, Adi will score and Portland will get a morale-boosting 2-0 win.
