Real Salt Lake writer Stockton Mair and Portland Timbers writer Joe Wielgus sat down to ask each other questions pertaining to their team and the game on Friday. The two writers also gave their scoreline predictions, and starting Line-up predictions. Let us get straight to it.

Here are the questions Joe asked Stockton, and Stockton’s answers.

Q: The post-Kreis era is off to a great start with RSL making the playoffs yet again, but not without some bumps in the road. What has been the toughest part on RSL returning to the playoffs this year?

A: The toughest part has been finishing out games for sure. RSL has done well starting games, but have let in quite a few last second goals. RSL of course has been better the last couple of weeks, but it has been a huge struggle for the team. Scoring has been a problem as well. Real Salt Lake went through a long goalless streak in the middle of the season, and for the first couple of games after that streak, they could only score off of set pieces. They will no longer have that problem with Alvaro Saborio back from injury and new striker Sebastian Jaime doing well in the system.

Q: Two of RSL's best players, Javier Morales and Joao Plata, could be off the team soon. Morales due to age, and Plata due to European suitors. Which player would be harder to replace for the 2015 season?

A: Plata by far. Don't get me wrong, Javier Morales is a fantastic player, but Luis Gil and Sebastian Velasquez are ready to take his place. Plata however, is something special. I don't think anyone on the team can replace him. The rest of the forwards have talent, but he's very special.

Q: After knocking Portland out of the 2013 playoffs, RSL went on to lose the MLS Cup Final to Kansas City on penalty kicks. Assuming RSL returns to the final, which Eastern Conference team would pose the biggest threat to an RSL championship?

A: I think SKC would pose the biggest threat once again. The two teams tied in their only meeting this year, and SKC won both times they met last year. I can't think of any reason why any other team would be the bigger threat. SKC has the talent.

Stockton's predicted lineup and score:

Lineup: Rimando, Beltran, Borchers, Salcedo, Wingert, Beckerman, Morales, Mulholland, Grabavoy, Findley, Jaime.

Score: RSL 3-1 PTFC.

Here are Stockton's questions to Joe, and Joe's answers.

Q: You have recently lost Will Johnson to injury. How important is he to the team, and how does this injury effect the team?

A: I'm in the minority, but I'm not a big Will Johnson fan, and I don't think his loss is as big of a deal as its being made to be. Yes, it hurts the team, but Will Johnson is an average MLS midfielder. The biggest loss from this injury is the addition of Ben Zemanski into the starting lineup. If Will Johnson is average, Ben Zemanski is bad. Caleb Porter has better options in front of him, such as playing with a single defensive midfielder, in Chara, and inserting either Maxi Urruti or Gaston Fernandez into the lineup. Porter has an Akron bias that we all must live with.

Q: What player should RSL look out for the most during their match up? Why?

A: RSL needs to look out for Diego Valeri. Who else? He's having an MVP caliber season once again and has beat his previous MLS bests in goals and assists. I think Kyle Beckerman will be all over Valeri and won't give him an inch. Teams have done this before to Valeri, but somehow he always seems to find a way to impact the game. Diego has a gravitational effect on opposing teams. This means not only Kyle Beckerman, but most other RSL players around Valeri will be cheating towards him, much like a defensive shift in baseball.

Q: What Player should PTFC look out for on the RSL squad not on International duty? Why?

A: I think Luke Mulholland has the chance to do some damage to the Timbers. Portland's defense is nothing to write home about, and they give up soft goals to poaching strikers. Luke Mulholland is one of those guys that always seems to be in the right place at the right time, and has the smarts to exploit the space that Portland's back line is certain to leave.

Joe's lineup and score prediction:

Lineup: Ricketts; Powell, Paparatto, Ridgewell, Villafana; Chara, Zemanski, Nagbe, Valeri, Wallace; Adi

Score: PTFC 2-1 RSL.