The Montreal Impact face off against the Portland Timbers tonight at 10:30 p.m EST. The game will be shown on TVA sports locally.
Coming off of an impressive defensive showcase the Impact are looking to match last season's road win total tonight against a formidable foe in the Portland Timbers. The Timbers nearly stole a victory from their season opener against the New York Red Bulls last week, in a game where it seemed two different teams showed up for the Timbers side.
After playing sub par in the first 45' the Timbers were lucky to have a 3-1 deficit heading into the break. The second half however showcased an offensive onslaught sparked by Argentinean DP DiegoValeri. Whatever first year coach said to his Timbers side at the break made them come back- with a vengeance.
The Timbers attack, should it show up at all against the Impact, will be a strength versus strength scenario when pitted against the stout defense of the Impact. In this scenario the Impact would be relegated to tactical counters in order to accumulate scoring chances. Should this occur, overlapping runs are a must in order to pounce on what Impact fans remember most from Donovan Ricketts- rebounds.
Should Arnaud, Bernier, and Felipe be able to win the battle in the midfield (an thus cause the lesser of the two Timbers sides to arrive) the Impact should easily double their road wins tonight.
Final Prediction
2-1 – Impact win
