Head coach Phil Neville picks up his first win with Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers downed the Colorado Rapids with a decisive 4-1 victory in their 2024 MLS season opener at Providence Park on Saturday night. Eryk Williamson scored Portland’s first goal of the season to open the match, and Antony followed up with a brace to extend the lead. The Timbers received a fourth goal before the half from an own goal to seal the win.
Year 14
The Timbers kicked off their 14th season in MLS tonight. Portland is 5-4-5 in season openers, and 8-2-4 all time in home openers at Providence Park. In his first match at the helm for the Timbers, newly appointed Head Coach Phil Neville earned his first win with the club. Notably, he is the first head coach in club history to win his first match with the team. Portland scored the most goals of any team in MLS this week. Scoring four goals in the match, it marked the second-most goals scored by the Timbers in a season opener. Portland scored five against Minnesota United in 2017. It also marks just the second MLS match in which the Timbers have scored four first half goals in. August 28, 2016, vs. Seattle Sounders was the first and only other time they've done so.
Setting the Standard
Eryk Williamson scored Portland’s first goal of the season. It marked Williamson’s fifth career MLS goal and first since May 1, 2021. Notably, tonight’s appearance was Williamson’s first since returning from an ACL injury in the 2023 season. Antony tallied his first career brace in the match. It marked the 56th brace in club history. Juan Mosquera, Cristhian Paredes and Williamson tallied an assist each. With a goal and an assist in tonight’s match, Williamson logged the third multi-goal contribution performance of his career. It marked Paredes’ 15th career regular season assist for the Timbers, and the seventh of Mosquera’s.
MATCHCENTER
Goal-Scoring Plays
POR – Eryk Williamson (Juan Mosquera), 9th minute: Playing a give-and-go with Santiago Moreno on the right wing, Juan Mosquera sent a one-touch cross back across the middle of the box. Eryk Williamson found the open space and fired a left-footed strike into the top left corner of the goal.
POR – Antony (Cristhian Paredes), 14th minute: Cristhian Paredes received the ball near the corner of the 18-yard box, took a touch and served a cross into the penalty spot. Antony finished the play with a diving header into the back of the net.
POR – Antony (Eryk Williamson), 31st minute: From behind the half-field line, Eryk Williamson slotted a through ball past the Colorado line of defense. Antony ran onto it and dribble inside of the 18-yard box before curling a right-footed shot inside of the upper right goal frame.
POR – Sam Vines (own goal), 45+5 minute: Dribbling down the left side of the field, Antony delivered a cross into the middle of the box, which deflected off of Colorado defender Sam Vines and into the goal.
COL – Calvin Harris (Connor Ronan), 54th minute: Connor Ronan sent an in-swinging corner kick to the back post, where Calvin Harris headed it out of the air and over the goal line.
Notes
- The Timbers kicked off their 14th MLS season tonight.
- In his first match at the helm for the Timbers, Head Coach Phil Neville earned his first win with the club.
- Neville is the first head coach in club history to win his first match with the team.
- Portland is 8-2-4 all time in Providence Park openers.
- The Timbers scored the most goals of any team in MLS this week.
- Four goals is the second most the Timbers have ever scored in a season-opening match. Portland scored five against Minnesota United in 2017.
- Tonight marks just the second MLS match the Timbers have scored four first half goals in. August 28, 2016, vs. Seattle Sounders was the first and only other time they've done so.
- Eryk Williamson scored Portland’s first goal of the season.
- It marked Williamson’s fifth career MLS goal and first since May 1, 2021.
- Notably, tonight’s appearance was Williamson’s first since returning from an ACL injury in the 2023 season.
- Antony tallied his first career brace in the match.
- It marked the 56th brace in club history.
- Juan Mosquera, Cristhian Paredes and Williamson tallied an assist each.
- With a goal and an assist in tonight’s match, Williamson logged the third multi-goal contribution performance of his career.
- It marked Paredes’ 15th career regular season assist for the Timbers, and the seventh of Mosquera’s.
- Kamal Miller and James Pantemis made their MLS debuts in Green and Gold.
- With his 362nd start in MLS regular season play tonight, Diego Chara has earned the third most starts of any active field player in the league, trailing only Darlington Nagbe and Dax McCarty.
Next Game
Up next, the Timbers will host D.C. United on Saturday, March 2 at Providence Park. Kickoff is set for 7:30pm PT and will stream on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app in English and Spanish as well as local radio broadcasts, 750 The Game (English) and La GranD 1150AM/93.5 FM (Spanish).
Portland Timbers (1-0-0, 3pts) vs. Colorado Rapids (0-1-0, 0pts)
February 24, 2023 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Scoring Summary:
POR: Williamson (Mosquera), 9
POR: Antony (Paredes), 14
POR: Antony (Williamson), 29
POR: Own goal (Vines), 45+5
COL: Harris (Ronan), 54
Misconduct Summary:
POR: Paredes (caution), 45
COL: Bombito (caution), 45+4
POR: K. Miller (caution), 49
COL: Maxso (caution), 59
COL: Mihailovic (caution), 75
Lineups:
POR: GK Pantemis, D Mosquera, D McGraw, D K. Miller, D E. Miller, M Chara ©, M Williamson (Fogaça, 75), M Paredes (Zuparic, 90), F Antony (Ayala, 85), F Asprilla, F Moreno
Substitutes Not Used: GK Muse, D Araujo, F Ikoba
TOTAL SHOTS: 7 (Antony, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Antony, 2); FOULS: 11 (three players tied, 3); OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 4, SAVES: 2
COL: GK Steffen, D Rosenberry ©, D Vines (Travis, 63), D Maxso, D Bombito, M Larraz (Lewis, 63), M Ronan, M Bassett, F Navarro (Yapi, 77), F Mihailovic, F Harris (Fernandez, 63)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Beaudry, D Abubakar, D Anderson, M Loffelsend, F Cabral
TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Bassett, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (six players tied, 2); FOULS: 16 (Bassett, 3); OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 0
Referee: Aleksandar Zhelyazkov
Assistant Referees: Clarence Clark, Cephas Quartson
Fourth Official: Turan Ozdemir
VAR: Mark Geiger
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 49 degrees
Attendance: 21,411
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.
