Wednesday was a cruel night for both the Portland Timbers (8-4-6, 28 Points) and the San Jose Earthquakes (7-4-5, 25 Points), as they were knocked out of the US Open Cup in the Round of 16. Now, the two will have a quick turnaround on Sunday to take each other on in a crucial Western Conference tilt.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Timbers have just been crippling teams at home this year, which is why they are favored by the relatively large margin of -1 on the Asian Handicap and -180 on the moneyline. There are actually only two other odds-on favorites in the MLS this week, and the next closest favorite in terms of size is Los Angeles at home against Toronto at -150.
The total though, is fairly standard for the MLS at a flat 2.5 at -110 vig on each side.
KEY INJURIES
Sanna Nyassi is going to be forced to sit this one out for the Quakes thanks to yellow card accumulation. Aside from that though, these two teams have very few problems to deal with on the injury and suspension front.
Portland will be without Ben Zemanski, a long-term absentee anyway, along with Dairon Asprilla, who has been battling an ankle sprain.
The front line for San Jose is doing just fine with Chris Wondolowski up top, but he would be in a lot better shape if he had either Innocent or Steven Lenhart there with him, both of which are out with knee injuries.
Of course, part of the reason that the Quakes are such big dogs in this game is because he is going to be out on international duty for the Gold Cup and won't be around for this fixture.
Will Johnson for Portland will also be called out for the Gold Cup to play for Canada.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"I think these guys want to win, first and foremost. They want to win. A lot of players say that, but they also want to be in the lineup and they want the personal accolades. These guys truly want to win. That's it. And they're all bought into that. And they know they'll get their games. They may not play every game, but they know we're going to put them in, in some of the games. And they know they're contributing to us winning. So I think what you have is a true team in every sense of the word." – Portland manager Caleb Porter on his striker platoon
RECENT FORM
The Timbers have been nothing short of interesting of late. They were whipped in their last away match 5-0 by LA, but they turned around and smacked Seattle 4-1 here at Providence Park just four nights later in somewhat stunning fashion. That's now four straight wins at home for Portland, the last three of which have all come by multiple goals.
The Earthquakes have been impressive of late, winning 3-1 against LA and 2-0 against Seattle in their last two fixtures. They've now gone three straight matches
TALKING TOTALS
It's an obvious statement that Portland's last two matches have each gone over the total, but this hasn't always been an over team. The Timbers had played four of their previous five duels under the total before going on this binge of games with a total of five goals scored in them.
After playing 10-of-11 matches under the total, San Jose is finally back in over form after that 3-1 win over LA. The Quakes are one of the best under teams in the MLS, which is both an indictment of their offense and a tip of the cap to their defense, the latter of which has conceded just 16 goals all season long, tops in the MLS.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Earthquakes are in a lot of trouble in this match without Wondo and with the rest of the injuries they have up top.
Portland is at least going to have its pick of the litter, per se in terms of strikers, and in-form Fanendo Adi, who is coming off of his brace against Seattle, could end up being the difference-maker in this one.
The road team has only won one game in this series, and San Jose has just three points to show for six matches played all-time here at Providence Park. One has to think that that mark isn't getting any better on Sunday.
Portland 2, San Jose 0
BookMaker has live MLS odds for every clash of the season. You can find a moneyline price on the Portland Timbers of -180 and a total of 2.5 right now! BookMaker is also going to have multiple betting options available for this nationally-televised match. Live wagering during commercials offers an adjusted moneyline, total and spread. Log in and start gambling during the soccer game now!
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 Portland Timbers and the San Jose Earthquakes will take place at 5:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 5, 2015 at Providence Park in Portland, OR. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
