Portland Timbers vs. Houston Dynamo Preseason Match Preview

The Portland Timbers continue their slate of preseason matches today as they take on the Houston Dynamo in Tucson, AZ. There will likely be some changes to the Timbers line-up as Caleb Porter looks to fit together all of his new pieces.

Let's take a look at the teams:

Portland Timbers

This game will see the Timbers run out two full eleven-man line-ups, much as they did against Sporting Kansas City in the team's preseason opener on Saturday. This time the Timbers will almost certainly shake things up, making some changes at the team's most contested positions.

Michael Harrington, fresh off a spell on the bench with the USMNT, will likely reclaim his starting spot at left back after joining the team for the first time. The Timbers could also switch things up at centerback, with Futty Danso a good possibility to step in alongside Pa Modou Kah in the place of Norberto Paparatto.

The Timbers will also likely make several changes to their midfield formation. The team could see Diego Chara make a return to the midfield after an unspecified injury kept him out on Saturday. Other potential changes include moving Kalif Alhassan inside to a more central role or giving Schillo Tshuma a chance out wide on the left.

Finally, Frederic Piquionne or Gaston Fernandez could be given a chance up top as the Timbers' lone forward after a strong showing from Maximiliano Urruti over the weekend.

Houston Dynamo

The Dynamo have only just arrived in Tucson, but the perennial playoff contenders already have two preseason scrimmages under their belt, a 4-0 win over their own academy team and a 3-2 loss to the Colorado Rapids on Sunday.

As seems to happen to Houston every year, the Dynamo lost several important players over the off-season. Bobby Boswell, a rock in the center of the defense for Houston, was the biggest loss from the 2013 season, leaving a hole in the center of the Dynamo defense. To bolster the defense in his absence the Dynamo bought in a veteran player familiar to any Timbers fan, David Horst, who was picked up in a trade just before the re-entry draft. Houston also brought in Generation Adidas signing A.J. Cochran as a more long-term defensive prospect.

Other than their changes at the back, the Dynamo have made remarkably few signings this winter. With only 26 players currently on the roster and no draft picks in camp, the Dynamo have several trialists with the team, including Austin Aztex midfielder Sito Seoane, who played in the team's first two matches.

General Information

Watch it on: Streaming on Timbers.com

Kick off: 4:00 pm at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, AZ