At some point this year, the Portland Timbers are going to figure out how to win a match on the road. They've been beaten in four of their six away games and have drawn twice.
Fortunately for the Timbers though, they've got a match at Providence Park on Sunday night, and another sellout crowd is expected to be on hand for the visit from New York City FC, a team which shockingly might have a chance to move to the top of the table in the Eastern Conference with an upset.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Portland Timbers -140
New York City FC +325
Draw +315
Over/Under 3 (under -115)
ODDS ANALYSIS
The oddsmakers are lining this match as if New York City FC is still an expansion team and Portland is still the defending MLS Cup champ. It might be fair to do so at this point since it's still early in the year, but after watching these two teams play this year, it's hard to say there's much separating the two.
You wouldn't know that based on this line, though. The Timbers have been set at -140 on the moneyline and are favored by a full ball on the Asian Handicap.
This is expected to be a wide open affair for sure. The total of a flat 3 doesn't come up often in the MLS, but you'll see it here for the last game of the weekend with only a minor -115 vig on the under.
KEY INJURIES
Portland's big problems right now are at the back. The team is playing without Andy Thoma and Alvas Powell, and those two absentees just haven't had their spots filled in admirably by any combination of players for the Timbers.
New York City FC may or may not have Frank Lampard in its midfield this week as he continues his bout with stomach problems. R.J. Allen is out for the Sky Blues, and Federico Bravo will be forced to sit this one out via suspension.
LIVE BETTING
The Timbers still haven't had a single match this year in which they haven't scored, and they haven't had a match in which they haven't conceded either. For a team which is 11 matches into its campaign, to not have one clean sheet or one game without scoring a goal is remarkable. The home team has won three straight Portland games by a 2-1 margin. Unfortunately for the Timbers, their last two have both been played on the road against Vancouver and FC Dallas.
City has picked up three points from each of its last two matches. Last week, Patrick Vieira's side mustered a 2-0 win at D.C. United, a massive victory away from home for a club which struggled mightily outside of Yankee Stadium last season.
QUICK PICK
This match really could be a show of display at the front of the park. David Villa has seven goals for City, including three in his last two matches, while Fanendo Adi has arguably been the MLS' most valuable player early on in the year. If not for Adi's efforts with his seven goals, we're really not sure where in the heck the Timbers would be, especially since Darlington Naege has been in such terrible form.
We alluded to it earlier, but for our money, New York City FC is the better of these two teams. We're getting a full ball on the Asian Handicap against a team which hasn't posted a single clean sheet all season long. The Sky Blues have been awfully good in recent games, and Villa has looked unstoppable. Sure, all of this will come to an end at some point, but we're going to ride the wave of momentum on Sunday night at Providence Park in hopes of NYCFC getting at least a point.
MLS Odds: Portland 1, New York City FC 1
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