Portland made it look easy against Vancouver Whitecaps while Dallas had to suffer all the way until the last penalty kick to get to the Western Conference Final. Now the two teams come into this series with a lot of similarities but only one will get the ticket to the MLS Cup Final.
The Timbers will host the first 90 minutes of this series hoping to make the most out of it and head to Dallas with a good advantage. The last time the two teams met in Portland, they were able to win 3-1 but the last time they met in Dallas it was the Toros who won 4-1.
While all that is history, it is important for coaches to know what went right and what went wrong in those games. Portland's roster combines a heavier side of experience than youth, contrary to what FC Dallas has in their locker room. In their games against Seattle, the team averaged a squad of under 25 years old.
It was actually Jesse Gonzalez, a 20-year-old Mexican goalkeeper who rose to the ocassion of the penalty kicks and stopped two, so that his team would access this round for the firt time under the management of Oscar Pareja who is only in his second season with the team as its head coach.
It is the youth in this Dallas team that makes them really hungry to succeed. After being one of the worst teams two seasons ago, they finished the regular season in second place out of the entire league and as the best in the Western Conference.
The team from the Dallas Fort-Worth area has a record of 19 wins, six draws and 11 losses up until this point. Fabian Castillo is the leading scorer of this team with ten out of the 55 goals scored by FC Dallas. Mauro Diaz and Tesho Akindele follow him with nine and seven respectively.
One of FC Dallas finest arguments was its solid defense. Playing at home they conceded less than a goal per game (0.9), but on the road that stat went up to 1.4. In 35 games playes so far, they have received 42 goals, while Portland has 41 against them.
The man to watch in a Portland uniform right now is Darlington Nagbe. He just made his USMNT debut on Friday and that could give him a boost of energy and confidence late in the season. This team played in the wild card to get into the playoffs but could be well rested after the international break.
Fanendo Adi has been Portland's most fierce striker this season with 17 goals, followed by Nagbe with six and Maximilliano Urruiti with the same amount. Portland has won four of their last six games, having the other two ending in a draw. Dallas lost the first leg against Seattle and was able to recover in the second leg.
This game is very important for both sides, after a two week break, they will see where they stand. It will also be an emotional game for FC Dallas' head coach Oscar Pareja, whose mother died this past Thursday. You can expect the team to rally behind Pareja and hope to win it for his mom.
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