Phil Neville hopes the Portland Timbers can lean on their reminiscences of beating the LA Galaxy final season after they welcome the Western Convention strugglers to Windfall Park on Sunday.
The Timbers ended a seven-match winless run towards the Galaxy (three attracts, 4 defeats) with a 4-2 victory within the final assembly between the edges in Portland final September.
The Timbers have received six of their final 9 house matches towards the Galaxy (one draw, two defeats), although they misplaced 3-2 in final 12 months’s reverse fixture in Los Angeles.
This marketing campaign, the Timbers sit twelfth within the Western Convention with simply three factors from three matches, having misplaced 2-0 at Nashville SC final week.
The Galaxy, in the meantime, are nonetheless ready for his or her first level as defending MLS Cup champions, after being crushed 3-0 by St. Louis Metropolis of their final league sport.
“We’re wanting ahead to a sport towards the Galaxy, a superb group with a extremely good supervisor,” Neville stated. “I like the best way his groups play.
“Trying again on the video games final 12 months that we performed towards them, these had been a number of the greatest video games when it comes to a spectacle, 3-2 away, 4-2 at house.
“That was two groups that performed actually good soccer that went for it, that had actually gifted gamers on the sphere. We hope Sunday will likely be one other of these video games.
“I believe this fixture has at all times acquired targets, it’s groups with comparable philosophies, each lacking gamers, however there’s nonetheless sufficient high quality to have an excellent sport of soccer.”
The Galaxy did no less than shake off their home troubles with a 4-1 win over Herediano to advance within the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Wednesday, and Greg Vanney hopes they’ll construct on that triumph.
“With every one in all these video games that comes and goes, the stress mounts somewhat bit,” Vanney stated of their poor begin to 2025.
“Regardless that St. Louis was a step ahead when it comes to efficiency, that sport acquired away from us. This was one other step ahead for the group.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Portland Timbers – Felipe Mora
Mora has scored a career-high seven of his 39 regular-season MLS targets towards the Galaxy.
Two of Mora’s three multi-goal video games in MLS have additionally come towards LA, scoring twice towards them in 2020 and 2021.
LA Galaxy – Gabriel Pec
Pec has scored in 5 straight regular-season away matches courting again to final 12 months, together with at Windfall Park in that 4-2 loss final September.
He’s the primary Galaxy participant to attain in 5 right away video games, whereas the final participant with an extended streak in MLS was Josef Martinez, who netted in seven in a row in 2019.
MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW
The LA Galaxy are the primary reigning champions in MLS historical past to lose every of their first three matches of a season.
Solely 5 reigning champions in MLS historical past have misplaced 4 straight matches throughout the common season of their title defence, most just lately the Columbus Crew (six straight) in 2021.
Portland, in the meantime, have misplaced two of their first three matches of a season for the fifth time within the final eight seasons courting again to 2018.
The Timbers went on to make the playoffs on three of the earlier 4 cases the place they opened with two losses in three video games.
With two well-established however out-of-form groups doing battle, it might be no shock to see the factors shared.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Portland Timbers – 37.8%
LA Galaxy – 35.8%
Draw – 26.4%
