In a sparking Northwest soccer showdown, the matchup between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers has traditionally been a climactic one, and I fear today's battle will be no different.
The Vancouver Whitecaps earned their first win of the season with a 5-0 sweep of CF Montreal in their last league match, and they will no doubt be the favorites in this match. Despite playing with ten men for most of the match, the Vancouver Whitecaps offense has been revitalized under the leadership of Vinny Sartaini, and I believe they are slowly getting out of their early season slump, after all, they only managed 3 draws and 2 defeats in their last 5 matches in the league. Simon Bicha has been particularly impressive in the Whitecaps lineup.
score twice in a row
. However, it was Zulien Kiesu who impressed me, and his goals, unique passing and set piece handling will be key to the Vancouver Whitecaps' success this season.
Portland Lumberjacks drew 1-1 with FC Dallas in the last round of the league, which means that they haven't won a single game since they beat Sporting Kansas in the opener. Unfortunately for the team, not only did they lose points, but they were also riddled with injuries. In terms of performance, I think the Portland Timbers are the better team, but unfortunately, they have a lot of injuries in this game and the result may not be optimistic. Also, goalkeeper Iwasi has openly expressed his displeasure with leader Shah Wallis, which could have a negative effect on the other players before the game.
I have a feeling that the Portland Timbers will come out firing on all cylinders in this one, but in the end, the Vancouver Whitecaps are expected to win a close one at home.
