Portland Timbers
vs
Atlanta United FC
Major League Soccer prediction
Our model says: Portland Timbers 2–1 Atlanta United FC
The model makes it 41% Portland Timbers, 28% draw, 31% Atlanta United FC — fair odds of 2.44, 3.57 and 3.23. Fair odds are simply 100 ÷ the probability; they are the model's own number, not a bookmaker's price.
Most likely scoreline: 2-1.
Expected goals: Portland Timbers 1.62, Atlanta United FC 1.25.
Both teams to score: 58%. Over 2.5 goals: 55%, under 2.5: 45%.
Model confidence: Medium.
Published · updated
Live win probability
From kick-offThese update every few seconds once the match kicks off, as the model re-reads the score, the clock and any red cards. The second figure is fair odds — 100 ÷ probability, the price with no margin in it.
Model insights: Portland Timbers vs Atlanta United FC
Every scoreline the model considered
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 3 | ||
| 2 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | ||
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |||
| 5 |
Each cell is one exact result, shaded against the likeliest one; figures below 1% are left blank rather than rounded to zero. Blue cells are Portland Timbers wins, grey are draws, red are Atlanta United FC wins — the three shaded areas ARE the 1/X/2 split above, which is the sum of the cells in each. The most likely scoreline is simply the darkest cell inside whichever area the model favours.
Has the model earned this number?
It puts Portland Timbers at 41% here. Across 2437 settled matches, 1092 forecasts have landed in the 40–50% band; those outcomes actually happened 44.3% of the time, against an average forecast of 43.8%. In this range the two line up, so the figure above can be read literally.
Every settled prediction on this site is scored against an uninformed baseline, band by band, and published whether or not it flatters the model — see the full record.
Form going into Portland Timbers vs Atlanta United FC
Portland Timbers
- L1-2away to FC Dallas13 September 2026
- D2-2St. Louis City10 September 2026
- W5-4Minnesota United FC6 September 2026
- L1-2Austin30 August 2026
- D1-1away to Los Angeles FC23 August 2026
Atlanta United FC
- D0-0away to DC United12 September 2026
- L2-3Orlando City SC9 September 2026
- D2-2away to Inter Miami5 September 2026
- L0-2Charlotte29 August 2026
- W2-1Sporting Kansas City23 August 2026
Up to 5 matches before kick-off, most recent first. The model works from each side's rolling expected-goals ratings rather than from these results directly, so read them as context — how the ratings are built.
Two sides the ratings cannot separate
Portland Timbers carry a model rating of 6.49 against 6.51 for Atlanta United FC. The scale is anchored so that an average side in one of Europe's big five leagues sits at 6.85, and it is adjusted for the strength of each team's league, so the two numbers are comparable even across borders.
A gap that small is inside the noise of the rating itself — treat the two as level.
What the model expects
Under the hood the model expects 1.62 goals for Portland Timbers and 1.25 for Atlanta United FC. Those two numbers, not the scoreline, are what the model actually estimates; everything else is derived from them.
Portland Timbers rate 0.76 in attack and 1.57 in defence, where 1 is league average and a lower defensive number is better; Atlanta United FC rate 0.66 and 1.31.
How this was produced
Publicly tracked record so far: 1151 correct results out of 2437 settled predictions (47%), with 230 exact scorelines (9%). That log is updated automatically after every match and is never edited.
Full method: how the model works.
From the first whistle this page keeps going: the win probabilities at the top are recalculated as the match plays out, reading the score, the clock and any sendings-off. The same model, asked how many goals are left rather than how many there will be.
Team comparison
Bars show each side's share of the two-team total, based on the model's attack/defence ratings and expected goals for this fixture.
Why the model favours this side
The model gives Portland Timbers the highest probability at 41%, based on each side's rolling attack and defence ratings estimated from recent match data. The model projects 1.62 expected goals for Portland Timbers against 1.25 for Atlanta United FC. Portland Timbers's attack/defence rating is 0.76/1.57 versus the league average (1.00 = average), compared with 0.66/1.31 for Atlanta United FC.