Portland Timbers at Atlanta United 12/8/18 - MLS Picks & Predictions

The match that soccer fans in USA have all been waiting for is finally upon us, as the MLS final will take place this Saturday in Atlanta. Atlanta United have had a tremendous season so far and they will surely fight for their first title. But they will play host to a hungry Portland Timbers side who have also fought really hard in order to reach the final.

Atlanta United lost the Supporters’ Shield literally in the final match-day of the regular season, and were keen on taking revenge. It was the Red Bulls who stole the Supporters’ Shield that day, but fate had it that way that the two teams met in the Eastern Conference finals. Atlanta United did a massive job in the first leg at home, winning by 0-3. They had a very easy task in the second leg as they had to protect a three-goal lead. They did concede at the stoppage time but it was not enough to break their dreams. Atlanta United will now fight for the title at home, where they were excellent during the regular season (11-2-4). They also beat NYCFC and the Red Bulls in the playoffs. Moreover, they are undefeated in their last 11 home matches for the MLS but kept just three clean sheets in that span. They also won each of their last six at home, and have scored at least twice in each of their last eight. The Portland Timbers had their struggles in the regular season but managed to finish 5th with a 15-10-9 record. They had to play a really hard match against FC Dallas in the knock-out round, but won by 2-1 and moved to the next round. After that they met with the Seattle Sounders, where the two teams exchanged 1-2 home wins to send the match to the penalties in Seattle, where the Timbers won. Having already exceeded expectations, the Timbers met with a very solid Sporting Kansas City side and played for a goal-less draw at home. They conceded first in the second leg on the road but went on to win that match by 3-2 and forced their way to the final. Portland were not very good on the road in the regular season (4-8-5), but lost just once in their last five (3-1-1).