Full time: Galaxy 1, Timbers 2. Not enough on the night and the Galaxy lose. Here’s the full recap, thanks for following along.

88th minute: GOOOOOL Galaxy! Chicharito gets his first. Is there time for another?

66th minute: Goal Portland. Sebastian Blanco adds a goal to his assist by beating Emiliano Insua and Giancarlo Gonzalez way too easily, making it 2-0. Time for the Galaxy to dig deep here.

59th minute: Goal Portland. Jeremy Ebobisse beats out Rolf Feltscher to put the Timbers ahead.

Halftime: It’s 0-0. After the saved PK, it was a lot of frantic action and nothing really to show for it. Here’s hoping the second half is more productive for the Galaxy.

12th minute: Chicharito missed the penalty! He shot it right at Steve Clark, who is in the right spot to save it. Wow.

Lineups:

Homegrown signing Cameron Dunbar gets his MLS debut for LA. Otherwise, the group you’d expect.

Portland are rolling with their top lineup, essentially.

It’s been four long months, but while we haven’t yet vanquished coronavirus (please, please stay safe and healthy, everyone!) MLS is in action nonetheless, as the LA Galaxy and Portland Timbers will square off in their respective group stage openers Monday evening in the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando.

In addition to going four months between games, the Galaxy cut ties with Aleksandar Katai and Jonathan dos Santos is out for the whole tournament due to hernia surgery. Otherwise, this is the group Guillermo Barros Schelotto had at his disposal to start the season, when LA picked up a point in two games.

The Timbers are in something of a similar situation, losing their opening game and winning their second, both at home. Under Giovanni Savarese, the Timbers have gotten off to slow starts early in the season before finding a rhythm. With the layoff and this being a tournament where teams get only three group-stage games to qualify for a knockout phase, will they be too rusty to be competitive? Or is the playing field level for the teams given the circumstances?

Needless to say, it’s nearly impossible to gauge what’s going to happen. Let’s just roll the ball out and see what happens in the Galaxy’s much-anticipated return.

Odds:

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, as of Saturday evening, LA are (+143) while Portland are (+160). The odds of a draw are (+270), so the bookmakers don’t have a clear favorite for this game, probably not surprising considering the four-month break and the unprecedented competition being played under unique circumstances.

How to Watch:

Monday’s match between LA and the Timbers will be televised nationally on FS1, FOX Deportes and TUDN in the United States. You can watch these channels via Fubo TV. The broadcast is scheduled to start at 7:30 pm PT with kickoff to follow.

Come chat about the game with us in the comment section below!

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