St. Louis CITY SC vs Portland Timbers prediction: St. Louis CITY SC to win 2-1 as model gives 54.3% chance
MLS sees St. Louis CITY SC face Portland Timbers at Energizer Park. The model makes St. Louis CITY SC the favourite, assigning a slight 54.3% probability of victory. For reference, the full split is St. Louis CITY SC 54.3%, draw 26.5%, Portland Timbers 19.2%.
St. Louis CITY SC have generated 2.14 goals per game (1.32x the league average) and are a miserly defence at 1.39 conceded per game. Portland Timbers average 1.60 scored (0.99x average) and are a steady defence at 1.81 conceded per game. Feeding those attack and defence strengths through a Poisson model, expected goals come out at 2.7 for St. Louis CITY SC and 1.2 for Portland Timbers.
On the goals markets, the numbers point to an open, higher-scoring game (Over 2.5 at 74.8%), and both teams are likely to score (66.9%). The most probable exact scoreline is 2-1, with 2-1, 3-1, 1-1 the leading candidates.
Verdict: St. Louis CITY SC to come out on top is the model's recommended pick at 54.3% confidence. A 2-1 scoreline is our single most likely result. As always, these are statistical estimates, not certainties.
Team news
- St. Louis GK Bürki stretchered off after collision in Open Cup final — St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Bürki was taken to the hospital after taking a knock to the head during the U.S. Open Cup final against the Columbus Crew. (ESPN, 2026-10-22)
- St. Louis City beats Columbus in Open Cup final for club's first trophy — St. Louis City won the first trophy in the club's history on Wednesday after defeating Columbus Crew on penalties to lift the U.S. Open Cup. (ESPN, 2026-10-22)
- MLS Power Rankings: Messi's Inter Miami moving up, Nashville still No.1 — Nashville are very much still the team to beat, but Inter Miami, St. Louis City SC and Philly are hot on their heels in our latest edition of ESPN's MLS Power Rankings. (ESPN, 2026-10-19)
- St. Louis City unbeaten run reaches record 21 after draw with Whitecaps — St. Louis City set a new record for consecutive games without a loss after a 0-0 draw with the Vancouver on Wednesday earned them a 21st unbeaten game in a row. (ESPN, 2026-10-15)
- St. Louis unbeaten run up to 20 games, tying Red Bulls' MLS record — Carlo Holse's hat trick helped St. Louis City SC beat the LA Galaxy 6-2 on Sunday night to extend their unbeaten streak across all competitions to 20 games. (ESPN, 2026-10-12)
- MLS Power Rankings: Miami back to winning ways, as Nashville chase history — Inter Miami end their winless drought, while Nashville still lead the way in our latest edition of ESPN's MLS Power Rankings. (ESPN, 2026-10-12)