Sporting KC at Portland Timbers 11/25/18 - MLS Picks & Predictions

By: Paul |

Last Updated: 08/08/2019 at 1:18 PM ET

In the Western Conference finals it is the Portland Timbers who will now host Sporting KC in the first leg on Sunday. Both teams have done a great job to reach so far in the competition but there is room for just one of those teams in the MLS Final. Sporting KC were one of the steadiest teams in the MLS in the season and know exactly what to do here.

Portland fought really hard in the first round of the playoffs when they met with FC Dallas on the road. They managed to win that match by 2-1 on the road and moved to the Conference semi-finals where they were up against Cascadia rivals Seattle Sounders. They came back from one goal to beat them by 1-2 in the first leg at home but their opponents matched the score in the second leg. But Portland did great in the penalty shoot-out and secured their ticket to the Conference finals. Portland had the best home record in the Conference (12-2-4), where they scored 32 and conceded 14 goals. They remained undefeated in their last six home matches (5-0-1), also keeping four clean sheets in the process.
Sporting KC recorded a nice 1-2 win over LAFC in the final match-day of the regular season to top the Conference, and were great in the playoffs too. They did play for a tough 1-1 draw on the road against Real Salt Lake in the first leg but were great in their effort. They completed their triumph with a great 2-4 win at home in the second leg and are now through to the Conference finals. Sporting KC had the best away record in the Conference (8-6-4), scoring 32 goals while conceding 24 in the process. They have also been great on the road lately, losing just one of their last five (3-1-1). They scored in four matches in that span but only kept a single clean sheet.

Portland did great to reach the Conference finals but they will have a really tough job against one of the steadiest teams in the MLS. The visitors will most likely take a really careful approach in the first leg. They would like to keep the score at a minimum and wait for the second leg at home, so I will take the Under 2.5 Goals here.

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