Week 5 in MLS concludes Sunday with a clash between two expected Western Conference contenders, when the LA Galaxy travel to the Portland Timbers' Providence Park (4:30 pm ET | FS1, FOX Deportes).
The clubs enter amid similar circumstances, with each taking six points through four games, not yet finding their top form with consistency. LA shot out of the gate, winning each of their first two matches, before dropping a narrow 3-2 road result at Seattle Sounders FC followed by a disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Orlando City SC before the March international break.
"Outside of [individual mistakes], I thought we really controlled the games and we put ourselves in a position where the majority of the games, [you win]," Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said on Thursday. "If we have 28 chances and the opposition has two, you like your chances in games like that. Now it's about execution in the final action. It's about not having situations where we don't compound the first mistake with multiple mistakes.
"Those are things that hopefully as we get sharper and guys continue to work out our timing and our kinks that we're going to execute better and better. But I feel like we've been definitely the team has had the best opportunity to win each of these games, so that's a good sign for us."
Being the road team is never an easy proposition in Portland, where the Timbers are unbeaten through three home matches this season, albeit with two draws.
"I'm expecting a veteran team; they're going to be home in front of their fans that are going to give them that extra push of energy, so they're obviously going to want to get a result," midfielder Mark Delgado said. "That's definitely what I'm expecting. We've got to be ready to match it, if not even more, be able to handle every play that comes our way. We just have to be ready. That's what we've been doing this whole week, pushing ourselves to be ready for a tough environment."
Facing a Portland side that perennially boasts one of the most lethal counterattacks in MLS will also provide another data point for Vanney in assessing where things stand on that side of the ball.
"They're never going to change too much," Vanney said of Portland. "If they see the opportunity to try to initiate some pressure high, they'll do it. But if they don't, they're very comfortable getting into their mid-block or their lower block, condensing the spaces, making it really difficult for the opposition to create chances.
"Their center backs are fantastic at protecting the front of the goal and they can kill you in transition, especially when those guys are out on the field, \[Sebastian\] Blanco, Yimmi Chara and the likes, they have a lot of quality and a lot of speed that can really hurt you in those transition moments."
