Portland Timbers vs Real Salt Lake — AI prediction

Kick-off: 2026-07-26

Real Salt Lake edge Portland Timbers despite home venue. RSL ranks 4th in the West with superior form (3 wins in last 5, 10 goals in that run vs Portland's volatile DWLLD), better defence (4 goals conceded in last 5 vs Timbers' 8), and a winning h2h record (4 wins vs 3). Portland rank 11th, miss key attackers (Fernandez, Guerra, Mosquera out), and start only 1 clean sheet all season. RSL's injury depth (Eneli, Glad, Piol, Hezarkhani) is material, but form and positioning favour the visitors. Low-scoring contest likely given RSL's defensive solidity.

Key factors

• RSL 4th in West, Portland 11th; form gap is 58% vs 42% (API model)
• Portland missing O. Fernandez, G. Guerra, J. Mosquera; RSL missing E. Eneli, J. Glad, A. Piol, A. Hezarkhani
• Last 5: RSL 3W1D1L (10 goals for, 4 against); Portland 2D2L1W (8 for, 8 against)
• H2H favours RSL: 4 wins vs Portland's 3, with 2-0 RSL win on 2026-05-02
• K. Kelsy (Portland, 7 goals, 15 apps) is sole key player identified; RSL's attacking depth not specified
• Portland at Providence Park but form collapse and defensive fragility undermine home edge
• API prediction: RSL 45% (co-equal with 45% draw), warns of tight contest and combo play

Win probability

• Portland Timbers: 31%
• Draw: 29%
• Real Salt Lake: 40%

Goals & scoring

• Over 2.5 goals: 50%
• Both teams to score: 53%

Recent form

Portland Timbers: DWLLD · Real Salt Lake: LWDWW

Standings

• Portland Timbers: 11th in Western Conference, 17 pts
• Real Salt Lake: 4th in Western Conference, 26 pts

Head-to-head

Portland Timbers 3 · Real Salt Lake 4 · 3 draws

• 2026-05-02: Real Salt Lake 2-0 Portland Timbers
• 2025-10-23: Portland Timbers 3-1 Real Salt Lake
• 2025-07-17: Portland Timbers 0-1 Real Salt Lake
• 2025-05-15: Real Salt Lake 0-0 Portland Timbers
• 2024-09-22: Real Salt Lake 3-3 Portland Timbers