The Portland Timbers enter their home clash against Los Angeles FC on Saturday night on a five-match unbeaten run.
Even so, Portland manager Phil Neville said he believes it may take something extra to earn a result against the Western Conference’s best side over the last few seasons.
Yes, the Timbers (4-2-2, 14 points) head into the weekend tied for third place in the Western Conference, two points ahead of LAFC. But that’s based on only roughly a quarter of the season played, and during a time when LAFC’s attentions have been split between MLS and CONCACAF Champions Cup competition.
It’s LAFC (4-4-0, 12 points) that has finished first in the West two of the past three years and that has stars such as 2023 MLS top scorer Denis Bouanga and the French national team’s all-time scoring leader, Olivier Giroud.
So Neville is treating Saturday’s match with an all-hands-on-deck mentality and asking the same of his team’s fans.
“We’re going to need the supporters with us,” he said. “We’re going to need to make it intimidating. We’re going to need to make it one of those special Providence Park nights, I feel.”
All that said, Portland has earned its higher place in the table, winning three times during its five-match run (3-0-2) and scoring 11 goals.
In last weekend’s 4-2 win at Sporting Kansas City, Kevin Kelsy became the latest Timbers attacker to shine with two goals and a cross that contributed to a third goal.
Meanwhile, Bouanga merely scored his first goal of the season in LAFC’s 2-1 home win over San Jose last Saturday. Giroud still hasn’t scored in league play, though he looked far more threatening in last week’s win than in previous outings.
“Judging by the last couple weeks, we haven’t been as prolific as we’d like to be,” LAFC manager Steve Cherundolo said. “We don’t feel like we do not have the players or the game model to start scoring again. So we feel that’s just a matter of time.”
Cherundolo also announced Friday that he plans to step down from his position at the end of the season to move his family back to Germany, where he spent his entire professional playing career. LAFC have won an MLS Cup, a Supporters’ Shield and a U.S. Open Cup under Cherundolo.
The Timbers acquired midfielder Omir Fernandez from the Colorado Rapids on Friday in exchange for $200,000 in general allocation money and another $50,000 in conditional 2026 GAM. Fernandez, 26, has 17 goals and 13 assists since entering MLS in 2019 with the New York Red Bulls.
–Field Level Media
