The Portland Timbers and FC Dallas played out a dramatic draw at the beginning of April, and this week, the two teams are set for another sparkling matchup. This battle is destined to be a scrappy, battle-tested affair between the two sides.
Although Portland drew with the Seattle Sounders in the last round, they have not won a single game in the last four rounds and have slipped to the bottom of the league. Nevertheless, they still have a chance to make the playoffs. However, I'm worried about the slackness in the back line, and the frequent goals conceded seem to be too much to resist the opponents' attack.
Even with the experienced Dario Zubriz, Mabiala and Alejandro Mina in the lineup, I think FC Dallas still has a chance to cause trouble on them. It looks like the challenge for the rivals won't end there.
FC Dallas, on the other hand, has been boosted by a morale boosting 2-0 win over West Coast table-toppers St. Louis City SC in their last round of matches, cutting the gap to the top to two points. In this victory, Jetsis Felana scored a goal and I'm impressed with his performance. In his last seven league matches, he scored five goals and now leads the league's top scorer list with ten goals.
Colombian wing Chada O'Byrne has also been in great form, scoring four goals in his last six league matches, but the absence of two in-form players in Nisabinen and Emaduhumas due to injuries is definitely a big loss for the team.
