A wacky and wild season in the MLS is set to come to a close on Sunday. The Portland Timbers have never graced the pitch of an MLS Cup before, and there are just 90 minutes separating them from their first ever championship.
The Columbus Crew have been here once before, but they're looking to end their seven-year title drought with what would be their biggest win ever in front of their hometown crowd at MAPFRE Stadium.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Columbus Crew +117
Portland Timbers +250
Draw +240
Over/Under 2.5 (under -115)
ODDS ANALYSIS
The oddsmakers are essentially suggesting that Columbus has about a 40 to 45 percent chance of winning the MLS Cup in 90 minutes. The Crew are set at +117 on the moneyline.
Portland, a solid 2 to 1 underdog to hoist the trophy on the road, is +250 to win the match in 90 minutes. However, the Timbers are -137 to at least force this match to extra time or win it in regulation time.
The total is fairly standard for the MLS at 2.5 and -115 vig on the under.
KEY INJURIES
There are two new injuries which beg to be discussed, one for each of these teams.
Romain Gall is a replaceable piece for the Crew, but it sure would be nice if he was available for selection. He's fighting a hip strain and legitimately could end up missing the biggest match of his career.
Portland, a team which has been decimated with injuries all season long, has largely gotten healthy at the right time. That said, Liam Ridgewell has a calf strain, and it sounds like one of the Timbers' best defenders won't be able to start on Sunday.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"With any transition, it does take a while to become familiar. He's fully embraced his role in the team and what it means to play for the Columbus Crew, and he's very happy in this city. And with the style of play, he's found his role in it." – Crew manager Gregg Berhalter on Federico Higuain, who was recently voted the team's MVP of this season
HOW THEY GOT HERE
What needs to be remembered is that both of these teams were in bad shape somewhere along the way in these playoffs.
Columbus, the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, fell behind the Montreal Impact in the first leg of the home-and-home semifinal. The Crew needed to storm back to level the second match in the last quarter of an hour, and then they needed an overtime winner by Kei Kamara to reach the Eastern Conference Finals.
Columbus then disposed of the New York Red Bulls after a dominant showing in the opening match here at home.
Portland had to play an additional match against Sporting Kansas City in the knockout round, a match which went to a wild 11-round shootout. The Timbers then failed in their first match against Vancouver, drawing 0-0.
However, since that point, Portland has been on a scoring binge, putting at least two in the back of the net in three straight matches to advance to its first MLS Cup.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
There's just too much offense here for Columbus to be beaten as we see it. The Timbers might be scoring well right now, but we don't see the strike force getting the job done
We suspect Kamara and Higuain are going to make a big difference in this match, as Columbus will take down the MLS Cup with an authoritative final statement to the 2015 campaign.
Columbus 3, Portland 1
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The fixture between the Columbus Crew and the Portland Timbers will take place at 4:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 6, 2015 at MAPFRE Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
