The Houston Dynamo face the Portland Timbers in the MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference semis. Here’s what to expect from the tie.
The Houston Dynamo bested third-seed Sporting KC at home on Thursday with an Alberth Elis goal in extra-time. It was an ugly, boring game — pretty predictable considering how those teams play. The Portland Timbers, who beat Vancouver on Decision Day to take first in the Western Conference, will face the Dynamo in a two-leg conference semifinals matchup.
The rundown
Portland are what they are: a team with a bunch of talented attackers, a feisty central midfield and an at-best questionable defense. They scored 60 goals in the regular season, easily the best in the conference, and survived giving up 50 goals en route to a first-place finish. That’s the way they’ve been since they missed the playoffs in 2016; just this time, Diego Valeri is carrying them to greater heights.
Valeri will win MVP after scoring 21 goals and adding 11 assists, including a stretch of nine straight games with a goal in the second half of the season. It was his domination late in year that elevated the Timbers above their struggling conference counterparts. While Sporting KC were forgetting how to score and FC Dallas were faceplanting off a cliff, Portland were staving off the absence of No. 9 Fanendo Adi and letting Valeri singlehandedly pick up important points.
It was during this decisive stretch — they went 8-2-3 (W-D-L) after July 19, and 4-0-2 from the beginning of September — that they discovered how best use Valeri. The Argentine has transitioned from a pure, through-the-lines No. 10 into a second striker that thrives playing behind a channel-pushing forward.
He has found more goalscoring opportunities as a result, and has been freed to go wherever he pleases in the attacking third to integrate combo-play partner Sebastian Blanco and efficiency-king Darlington Nagbe. To game-plan for Portland, you have to focus on Valeri. Give credit to Diego Chara and David Guzman, though, for consistently bossing the central midfield.
Houston have their own identity, albeit a very different, less superstar-centric one. They will be content to sit deep and concede possession with the intent to get their wingers running into space. Alberth Elis and Romell Quioto can be deadly in transition, and if Wilmer Cabrera decides to play Alex in midfield (unlikely, but possible), the Dynamo will be able to rely on long-ball switches the way they did early in the season.
The wild-card is 37-year-old Vicente Sanchez, who came on as a super-sub against SKC and created the winning goal. Hiding on the bench for the majority of the season, the former Uruguayan national teamer became Cabrera’s secret weapon late in the year. He made 21 appearances (18 of those off the bench) and picked up three goals and two assists in 517 minutes. All of those stats came after August. Look out, Portland.
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Matchup to watch
Tomas Martinez vs. Diego Chara in midfield
Since the arrival of Argentine No. 10 Tomas Martinez, the Dynamo have gotten better at stringing together possession in the final third and creating chances in varied ways. Chara has been great for Portland in defensive midfield, so when Houston are attacking with their block of four, it will be interesting to see if Martinez can have an influence with Chara on his tail.
Three important questions
How will Portland’s backline and goalkeeper hold up?
Center-back Larrys Mabiala has been mostly fine since he arrived in June, and veteran starter Liam Ridgewell returned from a long-term injury last week, but Portland have struggled to avoid mistakes at the back this season. Jeff Attinella, RSL’s backup since 2013, will start in goal after stealing Jake Gleason’s job in August, and while he’s a capable No. 2, he’s not a difference-maker.
Can Houston overcome injuries to the defense?
Two recent injuries to important Dynamo backline contributors have hit their defense hard, and significantly weakened a back four that had been playing better than ever. Right-back AJ DeLaGarza, the best example of a “real pro’s pro” that you’ll find, tore his ACL on Sunday, and center-back Leonardo went off early against Sporting KC and has been ruled out for the first leg on Monday. Those developments will likely move Jalil Anibaba and Philippe Senderos into the starting XI. They’ll have to get it together fast.
Will Houston pin Portland’s full-backs deep?
Quioto and Elis, assuming they start, will stay very close to the touchlines and try to take advantage of space on the flanks. Portland outside backs Vytas and Alvas Powell like to move forward on the overlap. This is a conflict. One side has to give.
Prediction: Portland, 2-1 on aggregate. Valeri scores both.