Atlanta United will make its first visit to Portland to play the Timbers on Sunday. The game is at 4 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN.
Jamie Goldberg is the lead soccer reporter at The Oregonian and she agreed to answer five questions to preview the game. She has been covering the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns since 2013. Her articles can be found on OregonLive.com/Timbers. She is on Twitter: @jamiebgoldberg.
1. What has been the biggest difference for Portland this season compared to last season
A: The Timbers made two key additions in the offseason by acquiring David Guzman and Sebastian Blanco and both players have been crucial to Portland’s success this year. Guzman fills a critical void at defensive midfield, which allows the Timbers to play Diego Chara and Darlington Nagbe in their preferred positions. Blanco has been a major upgrade on the right wing, which has been important to the success of the attack. By keeping their core intact and making a few key additions, the Timbers have been able to become one of the best teams in MLS in the attack this season. Portland also worked to improve its depth in the offseason, which has been important to the club’s improvement this year.
2. On a team full of quality players, who is the MVP so far and why?
A: This is a difficult choice between Diego Valeri and Fanendo Adi. Both have been critical to Portland’s success in the attack this season. That said, I would have to go with Valeri. Valeri has five goals and four assists in just eight starts this season. As Portland’s playmaker, Valeri has proven to be the Timbers’ most indispensable player.
3. Which player needs to improve most?
A: I don’t know if I would single out any one player, but the back line has had some struggles as a whole this year. While the Timbers have scored a league-leading 20 goals this season, they’ve also conceded 15 goals in 10 games. The Timbers entered the year with questions at center back and have also had to make changes to the backline throughout the season due to injuries. That inconsistency hasn’t helped and the Timbers have made some key mistakes on the back line that have led to goals this season.
4. What is the matchup to watch this week?
A: I’m interested to see the matchup between Fanendo Adi and Michael Parkhurst. Adi has been one of the best strikers in MLS this season and his hold-up play has been key to Portland’s attack, but Parkhurst is an experienced MLS center back that has gone up against Adi before. It will be interesting to see if Parkhurst and the Atlanta backline can shut Adi down or whether Adi will be able to add to his goal total Sunday.
5. For any Atlanta United fans coming to the game, what are some of the places in Portland they should make sure to see?
A: For sight seeing, I would definitely recommend checking out the Rose Garden and Forest Park. For book lovers, you can’t visit Portland without stopping by Powell’s Books. For Portland breweries, Deshutes and 10 Barrel are two great options not far from Providence Park. For restaurants, it’s hard to go wrong, but Pok Pok is definitely a favorite.
