Portland Timbers vs. NYCFC: Time, streaming, lineups, betting odds for 2021 MLS Cup final
An MLS Cup final has never been held in Portland. New York City FC has never participated in one of these tournaments. All of that will change on Saturday, Dec. 11 in MLS Cup 2021, which will showcase an unprecedented clash for the league's 26th championship.
Although both clubs were No. 4 seeds in their respective conferences, Portland will host the championship game because it had a better regular-season record (55 points vs. 51 points). The Timbers made it through the Western Conference playoffs by defeating Minnesota United, knocking off No. 1 seed Colorado on the road, and then defeating No. 7 seed Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference Championship.
In the Eastern Conference, NYCFC defeated Atlanta United, No. 1-seed New England Patriots in a penalty-kick shootout, and a No. 2-seeded Philadelphia Union squad that was decimated by the COVID-19 outbreak. The Cityzens overcome a history of playoff failure to reach their first championship game in any tournament after scoring a late goal to defeat Philly.
The Timbers adapt to their opponents and available personnel, whereas NYCFC excels by imposing its style on the opposition, controlling possession, gaining the ball back quickly, and pouring numbers into the attack. Portland has proven that it can win with a lethal transition game, an aggressive high-energy attack, or even a defensive battle.
How to watch the MLS Cup final: Portland Timbers vs. New York City FC
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 11
- Time: 3 p.m. ET
- TV channel: ABC
- Spanish-language TV: UniMas, TUDN
- Streaming: fuboTV
The 2021 MLS Cup final will be a one-game championship showdown between the Portland Timbers and New York City FC. The match will be held at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon, and will be hosted by the Timbers. Portland is hosting the league final for the first time.
The match will be broadcast on ABC (English), Unimas (Spanish), and TUDN (Spanish), with all three channels available on fuboTV. FuboTV offers a free seven-day trial to new users. If the 90 minutes of regulation time ends in a tie, the game will be extended for 30 minutes, followed by a penalty-kick shootout if necessary.
The Timbers would win their second MLS Cup trophy, following their road victory over the Columbus Crew in 2015. Portland's lone other appearance in the final, at Atlanta in 2018, ended in defeat. New York City FC is playing in its first major final. For a team that has just been around since 2015, winning a trophy would be unprecedented. In 2011, the Timbers joined Major League Soccer.
Lineups for Portland Timbers vs. New York City FC
The Timbers have winger Dairon Asprilla returning from suspension, but it's unknown if Sebastian Blanco, who was benched in the Western Conference final due to a hamstring injury, will be fully recovered. Even if Blanco is unavailable, the Timbers have other game-changers on the bench, including club veteran Diego Valeri, who may be playing his farewell game.
Portland Timbers projected starting lineup (4-2-3-1, left to right): 12-Steve Clark-GK (captain) — 5-Claudio Bravo, 13-Dario Zuparic, 33-Larrys Mabiala, 22-Josecarlos van Rankin — 22-Cristhian Paredes, 21-Diego Chara (captain) — 30-Santiago Moreno, 23-Yimmi Chara, 27-Dairon Asprilla — 9-Felipe Mora
Portland Timbers projected subs (10): 31-Aljaz Ivacic (GK), 28-Pablo Bonilla (RB), 85-Zac McGraw (CB), 25-Bill Tuiloma (CB), 20-George Fochive (CDM), 8-Diego Valeri (CAM), 10-Sebastian Blanco (LW/CAM), 98-Blake Bodily (LW), 44-Marvin Loria (RW), 11-Jaroslaw Niezgoda (FW)
A starter from the New York City FC will also return after serving a ban. Taty Castellanos, the MLS Golden Boot winner, will return to the starting lineup among the other ten regular players. NYCFC has a slew of attacking alternatives in reserve in case it needs a boost.
NYCFC projected starting lineup (4-2-3-1, left to right): 1-Sean Johnson-GK (captain) — 2-Malte Amundsen, 6-Alexander Callens, 4-Maxime Chanot, 24-Tayvon Gray — 7-Alfredo Morales, 16-James Sands — 42-Santiago Rodriguez, 10-Maxi Moralez, 19-Jesus Medina — 11-Valentin "Taty" Castellanos
NYCFC projected subs (10): 13-Luis Barraza (GK), 20-Gudmundur Thorarinsson (LB), 15-Tony Rocha (CDM), 26-Nicolas Acevedo (CDM), 23-Gedion Zelalem (CM), 8-Thiago Andrade (LW), 43-Talles Magno (LW), 21-Andre Jasson (LW), 17-Ismael Tajouri-Shradi (RW/LW/CF), 9-Heber (CF)
MLS Cup betting odds & prediction
There hasn't been a recent enough meeting to use as a benchmark for predicting how this game will play out. The last time these two teams played in an official match was in a summer tournament in 2020, which marked the league's return to activity following the COVID-induced hiatus. Portland beat NYCFC 3-1 in the quarterfinals, but manager Ronny Deila had only been in charge for a little over ten games at the time, and his team today is drastically different.
Both of these teams have a lot of skill, are well-coached, and are on a run. There won't be much separating them. So it's interesting that, in an evenly matched game, the home team — especially one with home-field advantage like Portland's (11W-4L-2D home record in 2021) — isn't the odds-on favorite as of publishing time. Another plus for Portland is Giovanni Savarese, the city's manager.
In his four seasons as a coach, the former MLS goal-scorer has a great track record in tournament play, leading the Timbers to two MLS Cup finals (2018, 2021), an MLS is Back tournament victory (2020), and four playoff spots. He has a good sense of the game and his players, as well as a talent for devising the best tactical game plan to exploit the opposition. He also has the team's support. In the biggest game of his managing career, the silverware is up for grabs.
Pick: Asian Handicap +100 for Portland Timbers (draw is a push)
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