ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s a credit to the quick reputation Los Angeles FC has earned that, so early in the franchise’s history, the team was considered a huge favorite over the Portland Timbers on Thursday. The odds printed across the scoreboard on Major League Soccer’s official website said as much. But as anybody who has watched these two teams compete over the previous two seasons knows, Timbers matches against LAFC are always competitive. Thursday was just the latest example.
The Timbers knocked the Supporters’ Shield holders out of the U.S. Open Cup last year after narrowly losing to LAFC at the same point in the competition the year before.