Rose City Forecast 20: Portland Timbers vs Philadelphia Union

Somehow it’s August, and we’re well into the second half of the MLS Season. Welcome to the 20th Rose City Forecast!

Last match against the Houston Dynamo featured quite the story. Ahead of game time, the Portland Timbers front office let everyone know that the match against Houston would be Fanendo Adi’s last match as a Timber. And accordingly, he saw the field for the first time in several weeks, and delivered a game winning Sunshine goal. Who could’ve scripted it any better? In addition, Sebastian Blanco got his first goal in a few games to take an early lead, though the Timbers held it for only five minutes before letting the Dynamo equalize. That 1-1 score would hold until Adi’s winner. Adi bomaye!

Congrats to lefthanded49 for the best prediction of the week after guessing the 2-1 scoreline, a goal, an assist, and that cards would be over! MofoOG gets the fun/wild prediction points for suggesting that the Timbers would put an opponent away in the final 20 minutes. While I don’t think the game played out quite the way they meant, the Timbers did get a goal in the last 20 minutes to take the game!

A perfect prediction for 19 points:

2-1

Blanco (Powell OR Valeri); Adi (unassisted)

Quioto (Elis)

First yellow to Powell

Over on cards

For the third game (of four) in a row, the Timbers are home this Saturday to face the Philadelphia Union. The side from the City of Brotherly Love has been largely forgettable this year, as they’re just one more middle-of-the-pack team. In the East, they sit in seventh place, just below the playoff line. In the West, they would be in a tie for ninth. Though in both cases, their points per game would lift them a spot higher. So, they are a quite solidly mediocre team. In other words, the Timbers should be the better side. With the benefit of Providence Park, there is little reason not to expect three points. And unlike Montreal a couple of weeks ago, Philly hasn’t been on a recent run of form. So, can the Timbers take care of business? Maybe even win a game by more than one goal? Let me know with your predictions!

Total Cards O/U: 3.5

The Scoring Format:

• Correct score: 5 points
• Correct result (draw/win/loss): 3 points
• Each clean sheet: 2 points
• Each goal-scorer: 1 point
• Each FK/PK/assist/lack of assist: 1 point
• Goal/assist bonus: 1 point
• Player with the first yellow card of the match: 1 point
• Each player with a red card: 1 point (Cannot earn points for predicting 0 red cards, but you may predict up to 3 players with a red.)
• Over/under on total cards: 1 point
• Most outrageous(ly accurate) prediction: 2 points

Some ground rules and explanations/clarifications (the fine print):

You may amend your prediction at any point up to kick off to account for game day 18 announcements. I recommend at least getting an initial prediction sooner, just in case you forget to come back in that hour or two before the game.

Keep your scoreline predictions realistic. Basically, if you’re predicting lots of goals all the time to just earn points on goals and assists and ignoring the score, I feel that goes against the spirit of this thread. This hasn’t been at all a problem in the last two years, so let’s keep it that way!

The goal/assist bonus is an additional point if you correctly get the correct scorer and assistant on the same goal. (e.g., if Nagbe scores, assisted by Valeri, and you predicted that exact combination you get a total of three points - 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 bonus. However, if you predicted Nagbe scores assisted by Adi and Adi scores assisted by Valeri, you would get two points from the Nagbe/Valeri prediction - 1 goal, 1 assist)

Please be clear whether you think a goal will be unassisted, assisted, or from a PK/FK. Unassisted = no assist, run of play; Assisted = player who got the assist; PK/FK = directly from a free kick. For the purposes of this thread, a PK counts as a FK, and a FK as a PK. If you just leave the assist section blank, I will assume you’re declining to make an assist prediction.

Even though a player can be awarded a secondary assist by OPTA, I will award a maximum of one assist point per goal. But that point can come from either the primary or secondary assist in the box score. However, please keep your predictions to one assist per goal.

For the over/under on cards, a second yellow leading to a red counts as two cards, not three.

You may predict more than one red card if you’re expecting a chippy match, but only up to three total.

For the most outrageous(ly accurate) prediction, I will be trying to toe a line between completely absurd and mundane in my choices. As I see it, the goal here is to add even more fun without going too over-the-top ridiculous. So, in my mind, the best predictions will be something that could conceivably happen, but don’t happen often, like amusing coaching spats or goals that bounce off the crossbar, then off the keeper’s back, and then in. Things like that.

If you’re looking for where I set the over/under on total cards, check the end of the preview paragraph after the standings.

Format:

In the comment title, post your predicted score with the winners, eg: 4-2 Timbers

In the body of your comment, start with the goals and assists, like so:

Nagbe (Valeri)

Valeri (Free kick)

Adi (PK)

Blanco (Unassisted)

Beckham (Free kick)

Donovan (Beckham)

Next, choose your first yellow card, and that means picking only one person.

First yellow to Nigel De Jong

Then reds, if any. (NOTE: no points awarded for correctly calling a red-card-free match, so take a guess.)

Nigel De Jong gets a red card for stomping Blanco.

Clearly note whether you’re predicting over or under on total cards. Don’t leave me to try and figure it out!

And lastly, make your fun prediction.

Nigel de Jong tries to stomp Nagbe’s ankle again, but this time, Nagbe avoids the tackle. Being angry Nagbe for the first time in three years, he kicks the ball straight into NDJ’s groin. Camera pans to a trademark Chara smile.