Those last-minute goals were a soul-wrenching, playoff killer By Cliff Pfenning, oregonsports.com The Portland Timbers had a pretty good run in 2020, for the crazy year it was.  But, the MLS Cup playoffs ended in dramatically crummy style - a shootout loss. It was just a minute away from a win, or even a couple inches in terms of how a ball rebounds of a post. They worked out in favor of a scrappy FC Dallas team on a chilly, damp Sunday night. Portland still ended up having won the mid-year MLS Challenge Cup and finished third in the Western Conference, good enough for a spot in the Nort ..read more

What do sports fans mention first? Soccer or basketball? By Cliff Pfenning, oregonsports.com When drivers for Uber or Lyft pick passengers up at the airport and describe Portland on the way to a downtown hotel, the many nicknames for the city easily glide off the pallet - Rose City, Bridgetown, Bridge City, Stumptown among the top ones. And, Portland has two very distinct monikers for sports: Rip City and Soccer City. Or is it Soccer City and Rip City? That's the Sports Jury question for this week, which you can vote for on the front page of oregonsports.com. Portland has an equally fanatic f ..read more

Potland will host Dallas in two weekends, Nov. 22 Staff Report With one trophy already in hand, the Portland Timbers will begin their search for a second Nov. 22, with a home match in the first round of the MLS Western Conference playoffs. Portland will play host to FC Dallas at 7 p.m., at Providence Park. The team has not announced any plans to allow spectators within the stadium. The two teams did not meet during the abbreviated regular season nor the MLS is Back Cup that played out in July and August in Orlando, Fla. Portland won the summer tournament, and will be looking to return to the C ..read more

Late goal pulls PDX 1-1 with LAFC, playoff next By Cliff Pfenning, oregonsports.com Jorge Villafana celebrates a goal in the arms of Diego Valeri Sunday. AP photo And, now finally, the MLS Cup is on the line. After the tournament-in-a-bubble, and collapsed regular season, the Portland Timbers can finally focus on the annual battle for the league championship, and they'll be part of it as the third seed in the Western Conference. Portland closed out is regular season with a 1-1 draw in Los Angeles, netting the tying goal in the 90th minute to finish with an 11-6-6 record and 39 points. The poi ..read more

After 1-0 loss to Colorado, LAFC might be first-round opponent By Cliff Pfenning, oregonsports.com AP Image After a 1-0 loss at home to Colorado Wednesday, the Portland Timbers had little to gain from looking back at an uninspired effort at Providence Park, but everything to look forward to with Sunday's match at LAFC as it might very well be the opponent in the quarterfinals of the Major League Soccer playoffs. P ortland dropped to second behind Sporting Kansas City in the Western Conference standing with the loss, and are just a whisper ahead of Seattle, with each having one match remaining ..read more

Portland tops Vancouver 1-0 entering final week By Cliff Pfenning, oregonsports.com Yimmi Chara's second-half goal ended up the lone score of the game Sunday. AP photo PORTLAND - Yimmi Chara followed a historic game of passing off goals to scoring one Sunday, leading the Portland Timbers to a 1-0 victory over Vancouver and to the top spot in the Western Conference with just two matches remaining in the regular season. Chara, who tied an MLS record with four assists in a 5-2 win Wednesday over the LA Galaxy, smashed home a cross from Jorge Villafana in the 61st minute and the Timbers survived ..read more

Portland overwhelms LA Galaxy 5-2 to end skid Staff Report The Portland Timbers washed away two weeks of struggles in just 30 minutes Wednesday night, scoring three times on the way to a 5-2 win over the LA Galaxy at Providence Park that secured a playoff spot. Jaroslaw Niezgoda scored in the sixth and 19th minute and Diego Valeri sent home a penalty kick in the 30th minute for a 3-0 lead that helped the cause of erasing the memory of two consecutive late-game goals that turned wins into draws tucked behind a 2-1 loss at Real Salt Lake. Portland improved to 10-5-5 for 35 points in the Western ..read more

Portland gives up extra-time goal, settles for 1-1 draw with Seattle Staff Report Andres Flores works against the Seattle defense Thursday. AP photo It happened again. For the third time this season, and second in five days, the Portland Timbers gave up a goal in extra-time and settled for a 1-1 draw, this time with rival Seattle at CenturyLink Field Thursday. The Timbers got a goal in the 10th minute from Andres Flores, and it held up for more than 80 minutes before Will Bruin scored in the 93rd minute to cause the draw between the teams atop the Western Conference standings. Bruin's shot wa ..read more

Portland overcomes weather and San Jose at Providence Park Staff Report Portland celebrates a goal by Jaroslaw Niezgoda Sunday. AP photo The season just keeps getting brighter for the Portland Timbers, whether the weather cooperates or not. Behind a brace from Jaroslaw Niezgoda and a stellar performance from its defense, the Timbers beat visiting San Jose 3-0 Sunday for their fifth-straight win in MLS play. Portland stayed even with Seattle atop the Western Conference standings through 16 matches, and produced a shutout for the third time in four matches. Following a 1-1 draw with the Earthqu ..read more

Saturday's match with Colorado gets postponed due to Rapids outbreak Staff Report AP photo The MLS game between the Colorado Rapids and the Portland Timbers has been postponed after the Rapids confirmed two more players and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. "Major League Soccer today announced that the match between the Colorado Rapids and Portland Timbers, scheduled for Saturday at Providence Park, has been postponed after two additional Colorado Rapids players and one additional staff member have confirmed cases of COVID-19," a league statement sai ..read more