The San Jose Earthquakes and Portland Timbers were expected to be on relatively level terms coming into the 2015 season.
San Jose badly underachieved and failed to make the playoffs, while the Timbers came out of nowhere to win their first MLS Cup. Now, the two collide for the first time this season at Aviva Stadium.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
San Jose Earthquakes +120
Portland Timbers +210
Draw +250
Over/Under 2.5
ODDS ANALYSIS
Home field advantage is a huge thing in the MLS, so it shouldn't be all that surprising that the Earthquakes are the comfortable +120 moneyline favorites even though they probably aren't the stronger of the two teams this season.
The Timbers might be the defending MLS Cup champs, and they might've locked things up by winning at Columbus and were fantastic on the road in the playoffs, but here in the regular season, things are a lot different, and road trips almost always seem to be insanely difficult.
That said, four road teams did win on opening day, while two others managed draws, so we could be seeing a bit of a shift in the dynamic of the MLS as well.
KEY INJURIES
The Timbers only have some relatively minor knocks to deal with coming into this match. Liam Ridgewell, Dairon Asprilla and Chris Klute are all dealing with menial injuries. All three are officially questionable for this match heading into this week, and even if they don't play, they're sure to avoid being long-term casualties.
The Quakes meanwhile, have far more concerns. Marc Pelosi is out for at least the next two months or so with a knee problem, and he isn't the only concern. Fatai Alashe has a sports hernia, while Cordell Cato is trying to rehab a hamstring problem. Jordan Stewart, who could be a key cog in the back this year, has a Achilles injury he has yet to get over.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"I thought we had moments where we obviously weren't up to par, but I think it's most important to get the win. At times we looked really good, and at times we looked a little bit disjointed." – San Jose goalie David Bingham on his team's 1-0 win over Colorado in its opening game of the season
RECENT FORM
Winning starts were in store for both of these teams at home on Kickoff Sunday. The Earthquakes got a 46th minute goal from arguably their best player in team history, Chris Wondolowski to beat Colorado, while Portland scored in the 79th minute thanks to Fanendo Adi to topple the Crew in a rematch of the MLS Cup Final from a season ago. Neither team looked particularly sharp for their efforts, but three points are always vital.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
This Portland team really looks the part of one which could make a nice run this year. The Timbers arguably arrived a year early, as they've got a lot of young talent just learning to really play at such a high level. Diego Valeri looked great in the midfield in the opener against Columbus, while Adi and Lucas Melano worked some magic up from as well.
San Jose looked a little more sluggish to us, and it did so against severely lesser competition. The Rapids are still awful, and though the Quakes are said to be much improved this year, we didn't see it in their first 90.
This price of over 2 to 1 is just too good to pass on. Portland is going to be incredibly public by MLS standards, but we still think it's the right play.
Portland 2, San Jose 0
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Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet. Click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The fixture between the San Jose Earthquakes and the Portland Timbers is scheduled for Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Aviva Stadium. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1.
