Minnesota United at Portland Timbers 3/1/20 - MLS Picks & Predictions

Two teams that made the playoffs in the Western Conference last season will clash against one another on Sunday, when Portland will host Minnesota in the first match-day of the season. Both teams were eliminated in the first round though, and they will be looking to return to the post-season.

Minnesota United finished at the 4th spot of the Western Conference with 53 points and a 15-11-8 record last season. They also had the 4th best away record in the West (5-10-2), and it would have been even better if they hadn’t finished the season with just one win in their last eight away matches. Minnesota went on to be eliminated by the LA Galaxy in the first round of the playoffs. Their inability to take the lead on the road (just twice last season) made it sort of hard for them to have a better record.

Portland made a nice push at the end of last season and eventually settled for the 6th spot with 49 points and entered the playoffs. However, they were not very lucky there, going down by 1-2 on the road against Real Salt Lake. The Timbers could have been better at home (8-5-4), where they conceded 20 goals last season.