Portland Timbers vs DC United Prediction: only one team will walk out of this game with pride

Round 1 of the new season was filled with lots of drama and it will be exciting to see the outcome of round 2. Portland Timbers and DC United both secured the win in the round 1 and in dramatic styles.

Portland Timbers trashed Colorado Rapids 4-1 at home in the first match. And DC United beat New England Revolution 3-1, also at home. Whether this new form will last is still unknown but the fans of both clubs are loving it and the team will be eager to keep paying them for their unending support with yet another win.

At the moment, Portland Timbers hold the vital advantage of playing at home and it would be a huge test for DC United.

Portland Timbers

Portland Timbers silenced the critics with such a fantastic performance in the opening game of the season. After losing the final games of the preseason, it was unclear what strategy the team would apply in the new season. But they came out on top with a top performance and a huge result.

Eryke Williamson and Antony Alves both shared the opening 3 goals and then Sam Vines scored an own goal to give Portland Timbers the fourth goal. However, according to the tacrics, they weren't at their very best. They had just 41% possession in the game, 3 shots on target and 4 corner kicks. 

Phil Neville deserves the credit for the teams’ resurgence in the opening game. He played a 4-2-3-1 formation and there was more attention on the attacking aspect of the game. Antony Alves and Eryk Williamson were the standout players in the game. They had a good game in the middle of the park and they also scored goals.

Phil Neville is not expected to change the setup of the team for the upcoming game. Although he might want the team to control the upcoming game better than they did in the first.

DC United

A few weeks ago DC United were not regarded as a serious club ahead of the new season but their performance in the opening game has earned them some attention. DC United were able to utilize the advantage of the extra man after New England Revolution lost Giacomo Vrioni to a red card in the 25th minute. Christian Benteke scored the opening goal to put DC United ahead and he later scored 2 more goals in the second half to complete a hat trick. And as expected, DC United dominated most aspects of the game, all thanks to the extra man. They had 54% possession, 5 shots on target and 7 corner kicks. They also created 7 big chances and hit the woodwork once during the game. 

The DC United manager will be pleased to see his team play such an attacking style in the game against New England. He set up the team to play a 4-2-3-1 formation in the game and the team was able to dominate proceedings.

There shouldn't be much changes to the setup ahead of the trip to Portland Timbers. Christian Benteke has started off the season with a bang and he will be eager to add more goals to his tally once again.

Head to Head

There's been 10 games played between Portland Timbers and DC United in the past. And according to the h2h, both clubs have won 4 matches each and they played a draw in 2 matches.

Analysis and Predictions

The toughest game is always the next and both of these teams will have to face the reality of maintaining a winning start. Both teams will be eager to continue their fine form but there's a certainty that only one team will walk out of this game with a win. 

According to the h2h, Portland Timbers scored the opening goal in 5 of their last 7 meetings and there's been less than 4.5 cards in 9 of the last 10 meetings.

• Portland Timbers to Score First at 1.64 Odds
• More than 2.5 Goals at 1.65 Odds
• Portland Timbers to Win FT at 1.90 Odds