Portland Timbers vs Colorado Rapids Picks and Predictions May 28th 2025

Rapids Face Punchless Timbers Looking to Win 3rd Straight

The Colorado Rapids are on the verge of a major early-season milestone as they chase their third consecutive win — a feat they haven’t achieved yet in 2025. Standing in their way are the Portland Timbers, who are stuck in a rut offensively and desperate to regain their footing at home.

Colorado (6-5-4, 22 points) is riding high after back-to-back 1-0 victories over Real Salt Lake and St. Louis City. The win over St. Louis came under stormy skies — literally — with a weather delay pushing kickoff back by over 90 minutes. But once play resumed, Darren Yapi capitalized with his third goal of the season, giving the Rapids a late first-half edge they never relinquished.

What’s most impressive is how Colorado has flipped its defensive script. After a five-match stretch where lapses cost them points, they’ve now recorded five clean sheets, including two with reserve goalkeeper Nico Hansen filling in for the injured Zack Steffen.

“We knew that tonight, and even against Salt Lake, that organization and structure is key for us,” said Rapids manager Chris Armas. “When we have the ball, we have to have certain structures.”

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Timbers Searching for Firepower

On the other side, Portland (6-4-5, 23 points) is now winless in its last five matches across all competitions, and the goals have dried up. The Timbers have scored just twice over that span and are currently enduring a 234-minute goalless drought since Santiago Moreno’s goal against Seattle on May 17.

Manager Phil Neville is growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of finishing touch — and the apparent hesitation among his attacking corps to be more direct when it matters most. Portland hasn’t scored multiple goals in an MLS match since April 27, when they topped the LA Galaxy 4-2.

“I’m afraid at this moment in time, we’ve got to grow up a little bit quicker than what we’re doing,” Neville said. “We’ve got to have a little bit more ruthlessness to us, particularly the front four or five players.”

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Felipe Mora still leads the team with five goals, but even he hasn’t found the net since a 4-1 loss at San Jose in early May. With the Rapids’ back line playing as cohesively as it has all year, the Timbers will need to shake off their offensive woes quickly to avoid falling behind in the Western Conference standings.

For bettors looking to stay ahead of MLS betting trends, the Rapids’ current defensive form and Portland’s scoring slump could shape valuable MLS Picks and Forecasts heading into the weekend.

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As Colorado looks to keep its hot streak alive and Portland searches for answers, this Western Conference clash offers high stakes for both sides — and a litmus test for who’s truly playoff-ready.