Fresh off defeats in their respective cup outings, Orlando City and Portland Timbers meet at Inter&Co Stadium in this weekend’s cross-conference contest in Major League Soccer.
The Lions were dumped out of the US Open Cup in the round of 16 following a 3-2 loss to Nashville SC, while the visitors also saw their journey in the tournament brought to an end after a narrow 1-0 extra-time defeat away at San Jose Earthquakes.
Match preview
© Imago
Orlando now shift focus to the league, where they will look to pick up from an encouraging run that has seen them go 12 matches without a loss, a streak where Oscar Pareja‘s side have adapted to various ways of grinding out results.
Having opened the campaign with two defeats from their first three games, the Lions have since shown a level of grit and tactical flexibility that has sparked a turnaround in their league fortunes.
Following their last league loss, they responded with two wins and a draw despite conceding in each of those fixtures, with their sharpness in the final third proving key, scoring eight times during that three-match stretch.
Orlando then transitioned into a more defensively robust outfit, registering six successive clean sheets – four of which ended goalless – while claiming two commanding victories that yielded another eight goals in total.
The last three league matches have seen the Lions find the net three times in each, though defensive lapses have crept back in, with four goals conceded across that spell, though they won 3-0 away at Inter Miami last time out.
With 24 points to their name, Orlando sit fourth in the Eastern Conference and sixth overall, while their 27 goals scored is the joint second-best tally across the entire division this season.
The Lions have also taken maximum points from both previous home games against the Timbers – winning 4-1 and 3-2, respectively – and although they are currently on a three-match winless run in this fixture, those results all came on the road.
At Inter&Co Stadium, Pareja’s men have collected 14 points from a possible 21 this season and have not tasted defeat in their last six league games at the ground – a streak that dates back to their draw against Toronto on March 2.
© Imago
Like their hosts, Portland also head into the weekend hoping to extend an unbeaten league run, having gone three games without losing, comprising a win followed by back-to-back draws.
Their most recent MLS outing ended 1-1 with Seattle Sounders in an encounter where Santiago Moreno levelled matters in the first half just six minutes after the Timbers had fallen behind.
Portland, too, had a shaky start to the season, losing two of their opening three matches, but they have since developed a steely edge, suffering only one defeat – a 4-1 loss at San Jose – across their last 11 MLS games.
That run has included five victories and as many draws, with their early success in that sequence driven by a dynamic attack that produced 19 goals and conceded 13 across the first seven matches, including that heavy defeat.
However, their current three-game unbeaten streak has leaned more on defensive solidity than attacking flair, with Phil Neville‘s side only finding the net twice but keeping clean sheets in two of those outings.
As a result, the Timbers sit fourth in the Western Conference and ninth in the Supporters’ Shield standings, with 23 points collected so far this term.
On their travels, they have proven difficult to beat, winning three, drawing two and losing just once in six MLS fixtures away from home, a form that should give the Timbers reason to be confident as they prepare for this weekend’s test in Florida.
- D
- W
- D
- D
- W
- W
- D
- W
- D
- W
- W
- L
- D
- W
- L
- W
- D
- D
- L
- W
- W
- D
- D
- L
Team News
© Imago
Orlando will once again look to Martin Ojeda for inspiration, with the Argentine midfielder leading the club’s scoring charts with eight goals – a tally that also sees him tied for third in the 2025 league rankings.
In terms of absentees, Eduard Atuesta remains out of contention due to a neck complaint, while Nico Rodriguez continues his spell on the sidelines with a thigh issue.
Meanwhile, Portland are expected to make the trip without several key figures, including Kevin Kelsy and Diego Chara, who are both managing lower body injuries, along with Zac McGraw (back) and James Pantemis (leg).
In the final third, the visitors have found attacking sparks through Moreno, Felipe Mora and Kelsy, with the trio contributing five, four and four goals, respectively, to their side’s tally.
Orlando City possible starting lineup:
Gallese; Freeman, Schlegel, Jansson, Brekalo, Santos; Smith, Araujo, Thorhallsson, Ojeda; Muriel
Portland Timbers possible starting lineup:
Crepeau; Zuparic, Bravo, Miller, Mosquera; Paredes, Ortiz; Moreno, Da Costa; Antony, Guerra
We say: Orlando City 3-1 Portland Timbers
With Orlando City in confident attacking form on home soil and Portland struggling to truly click in front of goal of late, the Lions should have enough firepower to pull away and claim all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
