Minnesota United vs. Portland Timbers
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Allianz Field
Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+
Radio: KSTP-AM, 1500
Weather: 75 degrees, partly cloudy, 4 mph north wind
Betting line: MNUFC minus-145; draw plus-310; Portland plus-333
Form: Second-place Loons (14-6-8, 50 points) have won two straight, including a 3-1 win over Salt Lake on Saturday. Sixth-place Portland (10-0-8, 38 points) is winless in three but battled to a scoreless draw with San Diego last weekend.
Recent matchup: The Loons gave up a 92nd minute goal in a 1-1 draw in July at a charged Providence Park, which was holding a 50th anniversary reunion. Anthony Markanich gave Minnesota a lead in the 77th minute, but United couldn’t hold on.
Look-ahead: There are several ways MNUFC can clinch a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs on Saturday, the simplest being with a win. But a draw will work, too, if combined with: a Colorado loss or draw at Kansas City; a San Jose loss at Austin; a Colorado loss at Kansas City and a Houston loss or draw at St. Louis; or a San Jose draw at Austin.
Check-in: Only one of the four new players MNUFC signed in the summer transfer window will be available to play Saturday, forward Mamadou Dieng. The other three — Nectarios Triantis, Dominik Fitz and Alexis Farina — are still waiting on work visas. Their targeted first games will be after the international break, at first-place San Diego on Sept. 13.
Scouting report: Portland signed two Designated Players, winger Kristoffer Velde from Olympiacos and midfielder Felipe Carballo from Gremio.
“They’ve added real quality to a team that has quality,” Loons head coach Eric Ramsay said. “First and foremost, we have to make sure we deal with those top individual players.”
Prediction: Minnesota has one of the stingiest defenses in the West. Portland has not been prolific in front of goal, and is still working in its new attackers. Loons win 1-0.
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