Your Loons just can’t get enough of the West Coast, it seems, as they’re headed to the Pacific Northwest for a rematch with Martí Cifuentes’ Portland Timbers. The Black and Blue shut out Portland 2-0 at home back in April, and now they look to double down with a road win in the City of Roses. Grab a coffee and get ready to stay up for this 9:30 kick, folks, because it’s shaping up to be quite the game.

Run of Form

Minnesota United FC
Run of Form: D-W-L-D-W (All Competitions)

The Black and Blue made waves this weekend with a 3-3 draw against Antoine Griezmann and Orlando City, showcasing unprecedented attacking prowess with three goals in a mere five minutes. Even with Tyrese Spicer’s stoppage-time leveler for the visitors, the performance was an impressive one for the Black and Blue, who also routed San Jose 1-5 the weekend prior. After struggling through a regular-season winless stretch, the squad has effectively rallied the goal-scoring troops and come back with a vengeance. A win this weekend could earn them a much more comfortable position in the playoff picture. 

Portland Timbers
Run of Form: L-D-W-L-W (All Competitions)

Portland’s form looks spotty on paper, but in reality, only their most recent loss is a real cause for concern. Falling to a struggling Austin FC at home is a hit to the ego, but holding star-studded LAFC to a draw and beating San Diego and Liga MX’s Tijuana are not small feats. The Timbers are sitting at 11th in the Western Conference, separated from the ninth-place Loons by a single point. Proving that the weekend’s performance was a fluke will be crucial to set the tone moving forward, especially in light of the events of the transfer window — but more on that later.

Keys to the Match:

Momentum is Real

It’s always been true of strikers: Once you score, you’ll just keep going. Kelvin Yeboah broke his goal-scoring drought with a stellar brace in San Jose, and followed the performance up with an insane bicycle kick goal against Orlando City. The Black and Blue’s top scorer is in his element, earning back-to-back Team of the Matchday honors and upping his tally to 11. Similarly, Marcus Caldeira scored his first goal as a Loon in San Jose, then did it again over the weekend to initiate Minnesota’s five-minute scoring extravaganza. Prior to the San Jose match, the Loons hadn’t booked a multiple-goal game in the regular season since May. Now that the dam is broken, the influx of goals shows no sign of stopping. One’s an anomaly, two’s a coincidence, and three’s a pattern — this weekend’s result should be telling for the Loons’ scoring momentum.

Tightening Up

The Loons’ attack is undoubtedly the best it’s been all season, but their last few matches have been checkered with defensive lapses. Overall, Minnesota’s five-man back line is a force to be reckoned with, but a handful of critical mistakes have cost them a number of results since returning from the break. Anthony Markanich and Kyle Duncan have been contributing to attacking efforts with great success, but sometimes at the cost of not getting back in transition, as in the case of Orlando’s third goal. Wil Trapp and Owen Gene’s on-the-ball strength and fancy footwork are working wonders in tandem with the attacking trio, but hanging back just a bit to help out Duggan, Boxy, and Diaz might just take the defensive discipline to the next level.

Forward Motion

Here’s the heart of all Timbers-related headlines: Kevin Kelsy is out. 

Portland’s top scorer is headed to Scottish Premiership club Rangers FC for a club-record transfer fee of $13 million. With the exception of a single game in July due to injury, Kelsy has played in every single match the Timbers have won this year across all competitions, scoring in six of them. With Kelsy gone and Felipe Mora having moved to Liga MX side Atlético de San Luis at the end of July, the Timbers have lost two thirds of their leading scorers. Forward Kristoffer Velde is the only other player on the Timbers roster to have scored more than three goals on the year. Kelsy’s departure is a huge hit for the attack, and with the window about to close with no apparent replacement for the U22 striker, Portland desperately needs the likes of Gage Guerra and Ariel Lassiter to step up their scoring game.

Between Kelsy’s absence and Minnesota’s high-scoring form, this match is looking to be a critical moment for both clubs. Don’t miss out this Saturday at 9:30 p.m. CT. It’ll be worth staying up for.