Portland will travel to San Jose on Saturday to face an Earthquakes squad that is hovering near the bottom of the Western Conference table.
The Earthquakes come back to PayPal Park after falling to Columbus Crew 2-1 on the road. San Jose is at the top of the conference in goals scored with 20, but also near the top of the conference in goals against.
The Timbers have scored the same number of goals and given up fewer than San Jose (15). Portland will come into PayPal Park after defeating reigning MLS champs, LA Galaxy, 2-4 on the road. Looking at the current standings, this may seem like a lopsided contest in the Timbers favor.
However, it's still early in the season and three points either way could change a team's trajectory heading to the dog days of summer. Here's a preview of San Jose vs Portland.
San Jose Earthquakes vs Portland Timbers: Preview, Predictions, and Lineups
What time does San Jose vs Portland kick off?
San Jose vs Portland kicks off on Saturday, May 3rd, at 9:30pm. The match will be played at PayPal Park in San Jose, California. You can watch the match live on Apple TV.
San Jose team news
Josef Martinez scored his 6th goal of the season against Columbus just before half-time, tying the match at one apiece. Columbus added their second goal in the 62nd minute and would hold onto that lead for a 2-1 victory.
Although the Earthquake do not lack goal opportunities, their defense seems to negate the team's successes on the offensive end. This was the third match in a row where San Jose conceded a goal in the first 30 minutes of play. Still, their offense seems to be clicking so far.
Portland Timbers team news
The Portland Timbers are unbeaten in seven straight matches. Their "bend, don't break" defense keeps them in matches while the offense continues to score goals and goals are coming from several players. Forwards Felipe Mora, Antony Alves Santos, and Kevin Kelsey each have four goals this season. So far, five players in total have scored multiple times this season.
Portland Timbers predicted lineup vs San Jose: Pantemis; Santos, Miller, Surman, Mosquera, Fory; Da Costa, Ortiz, Avala, Moreno; Kelsy.
San Jose vs Portland Prediction
The Timbers are on a role scoring goals, but San Jose can also put the ball in the back of the net with a proven goal scorer on their side in Josef Martinez. However, San Jose leaves their backline exposed more often that most in the conference, which leads to forwards getting into spaces to create shots. However, San Jose is 3-2-1 at PayPal Park. I expect both sides to score goals, but San Jose will struggle to contain Portland's forwards. I think Portland will continue their win streak with a 2-3 victory.