Portland Timbers vs. Houston Dynamo | 2018 MLS Match Preview

Portland Timbers vs. Houston Dynamo
2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 22
Providence Park — Portland
July 28 - 11 pm ET
WATCH: ESPN+, MLS LIVE on DAZN (Canada)

The Portland Timbers will look to extend their unbeaten streak to 14 games, while the Houston Dynamo attempt to snap a three-match winless stretch when the Western Conference foes face off Saturday night at Providence Park.

The Timbers, who can move up to third place in the West with a win, are coming off a 2-2 home draw against the Montreal Impact, while the Dynamo dropped a 3-1 decision to the Philadelphia Union at BBVA Compass Stadium Wednesday night.

Portland Timbers

After bowing out of the U.S. Open Cup with a quarterfinal loss at LAFC, Portland (8-3-7) battled back from a pair of deficits to tie the Montreal Impact, 2-2, at Providence Park Saturday night to extend an unbeaten streak to 13 league games.

After Saphir Taider put the visitors in front in the 23rd minute, Samuel Armenteros leveled in the 39th minute with his seventh goal of the season. Matteo Mancosu put the Impact in front two minutes later, but Diego Valeri scored the equalizer in the 65th minute.

“They fought all the way until the end, and that’s what we want,” Giovanni Savarese said. “We want a team that never gives up and we did that. They believed all the way until the end and the games we have played usually we have been the team that scores first half. Today was a good response.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: D - Larrys Mabiala, M - Sebastian Blanco
International duty: None
Injury Report: QUESTIONABLE: Samuel Armenteros (back)

Projected Starting XI
(4-3-2-1, right to left)
GK: Jeff Attinella — Alvas Powell, Larrys Mabiala, Julio Cascante, Zarek Valentin — Lawrence Olum, Diego Chara, Andy Polo — Diego Valeri, Sebastian Blanco — Samuel Armenteros

Houston Dynamo

Mauro Manotas continued his torrid scoring pace of late, netting his 11th league goal of the season to put Houston (7-7-6) in front early, but the Union scored three unanswered goals to come away with the road victory.

Alejandro Bedoya leveled in the 34th minute and then the game changed when Tomas Martinez was sent off following Video Review for a stomp on Auston Trusty’s ankle. Cory Burke scored the go-ahead goal in the 70th minute and Fafa Picault added an insurance goal from the penalty spot to clinch the Union’s victory and send Dynamo coach Wilmer Cabrera into a post-game rant about the officiating.

“If you tell me that it was something on the field, the the players from the other team, or my players or any of you know why the red card happened on Tomas, please tell me because I don’t know,” he said.

Suspended: M - Darwin Ceren, D - Alejandro Fuenmayor
Suspended after next caution: None
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: D - A.J. DeLaGarza (torn left ACL), M - Juan David Cabezas (left quad injury), D - Philippe Senderos (right quadriceps injury), F - Mac Steeves (left hip injury)

Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3–1, right to left)
GK: Joe Willis — Adolfo Machado, Jared Watts, Andrew Wenger, DaMarcus Beasley — Eric Alexander, Oscar Boniek Garcia— Alberth Elis, Tomas Martinez, Romell Quito — Mauro Manotas

All-Time Series

Overall: Portland Timbers 4 wins, 19 goals … Houston Dynamo 4 wins, 19 goals … 4 draws
At Portland: Timbers 4 wins, 13 goals … Dynamo 1 win, 8 goals … 1 draw
Last meeting at Portland: Portland Timbers 4, Houston Dynamo 2 (March 18, 2017)