A fourteen match unbeaten streak does not happen by chance or luck alone, though both certainly play a part when eight of nine wins on that streak are by a single goal. In his first season as the Portland Timbers’ head coach, former New York Cosmos’ man Giovanni Savarese has his team playing an intense, dedicated, and organized style that the rest of the league has struggled to break down. Portland likes to shapeshift, giving up space and adding an additional man to the back line against the firepower of Atlanta, while pushing fullbacks high and leaving only the central defenders deep against Seattle’s somewhat less prolific attack.
TACTICAL PREVIEW: Union and Portland meet for first and only time in 2018 season
