Phil Neville has urged the Portland Timbers to be more ruthless in closing out games, with the Colorado Rapids next up in MLS.
The Timbers have endured a rough start to the 2025 season, winning just one of their four games so far, leaving them 12th in the Western Conference.
They gave up a lead in their 1-1 draw with struggling LA Galaxy last weekend, and Neville acknowledged there are still elements of Portland's game that need to be fine-tuned.
"We're a team that's still learning," he said. "We're a team that needs to be a little more ruthless and show more courage on the ball.
"Our defending is outstanding compared to last year. Everyone's working for each other, but we give up too much ground and space."
Colorado, meanwhile, are fourth in the table and have made an unbeaten start to MLS this season, with two wins and two draws so far.
They have won their last two matches, both on the road, but had to fight back for a 3-3 draw against FC Dallas in their previous home outing.
Head coach Chris Armas is looking forward to being back on home soil and expects the Timbers to give them a tough challenge, despite their rocky start.
"We're excited to get home and play in front of our fans," Armas said. "Quite honestly, we're excited for the match-up against Portland.
"They put us in a tough game every time. They're not only well coached, with Phil, but they have weapons up the pitch and are dangerous in transition, but they're also organized and hard to break down.
"It'll be a good challenge for us. We're looking forward to it."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Colorado Rapids – Adam Beaudry
Zack Steffen earned plaudits last weekend as he only allowed one goal against the San Jose Earthquakes despite Colorado conceding 21 shots inside the box.
He is away on international duty this week, leaving Adam Beaudry to step up to the mark in goal against the Timbers in what would be his first MLS appearance of the season.
Portland Timbers – Santiago Moreno
Santiago Moreno recorded his 35th career regular-season assist for the Timbers on Sunday, surpassing Diego Chara (34) for third-most in the club's MLS history, behind only Diego Valeri (91) and Sebastian Blanco (51).
MATCH PREDICTION: COLORADO RAPIDS WIN
The Rapids ended a five-match winless run against Portland in all competitions (D1 L4) with a 2-1 victory in September. Colorado have not won consecutive games against the Timbers since winning the first three all-time meetings in 2011-12.
With eight points (W2 D2 L0), Colorado are off to their best start to a season since 2012 (nine points). The Rapids have never collected more than 10 points from their first five matches of a season before (10 in 2010, 2014 and 2021).
The Timbers, meanwhile, have won only two of their last 18 away matches in all competitions (D6 L10) dating back to mid-March 2024, including going winless in eight straight on the road (D3 L5). Portland have not gone more than eight straight away games without a win in all competitions since a 16-match run in 2016.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Colorado Rapids – 43.2%
Draw – 26.7%
Portland Timbers – 30.1%