The Portland Timbers came out on top against LA Galaxy in their first match of the 2023 Coachella Valley Invitational preseason tournament on Saturday afternoon. Making his debut in the Green and Gold, Evander netted the first goal of the match, putting Portland ahead in the first half. With second-half goals from Cristhian Paredes, Juan Mosquera and Jaroslaw Niezgoda, the Timbers closed out the game with a 4-1 scoreline.
The Timbers will play their second match of the preseason tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 15 against Toronto FC; kickoff is set for 2 p.m. (Pacific).
Portland’s Preseason
Today’s match marked Portland’s first of the 2023 Coachella Valley Invitational preseason tournament at the Empire Polo Club fields. Up next, the Timbers will take on Toronto FC on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. (Pacific), and will close out the tournament against New York City FC on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 12 p.m. (Pacific). The team will then return to Portland to host its regular season opener against Sporting Kansas City on February 25 at Providence Park; kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (Pacific) on the Apple TV app.
Notes and Numbers
Twenty-two players took the field for the Timbers in their first preseason match of 2023, including three debutants. Noel Caliskan, Evander and Adrian Pelayo each made their first appearances in a competitive match for Portland. Four players notched goals (Evander, Paredes, Mosquera, Niezgoda) to help the Timbers cinch their first win of the year, while Eryk Williamson registered two assists and Niezgoda tallied one. Making his third career appearance in net for Portland, goalkeeper David Bingham earned his first win.
Goal-Scoring Plays
POR – Evander (Niezgoda), 28th minute: Following a failed Galaxy clearance, Jaroslaw Niezgoda pounced on a loose ball in the box and laid it off to Evander, who’s shot from the edge of the 18-yard box was curled into the top left corner.
POR – Paredes, 47th minute: Cristhian Paredes dribbled through traffic to break into the 18-yard box and sailed a shot past two defenders into the upper-left corner of the goal.
LA – Boyd (Rodríguez), 56th minute: Memo Rodríguez delivered a pass into the center of the penalty area finding Tyler Boyd, who chipped a shot into the back of the net.
POR – Mosquera (Williamson), 60th minute: Eryk Williamson carried the ball up the center of the field and threaded it in behind the Galaxy backline, allowing Juan Mosquera to dribble into the box and slot a shot into the far corner of the goal.
POR – Niezgoda (Williamson), 68th minute: From the right side of the box, Williamson slipped the ball near the penalty spot. Jaroslaw Niezgoda latched onto the pass, taking one touch and scooping the ball over goalkeeper Jonathan Bond and into the back of the net.
2023 Coachella Valley Invitational
Portland Timbers vs. LA Galaxy
Feb. 12, 2023 – Empire Polo Club (Indio, Calif.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Portland Timbers 1 3 4
LA Galaxy 0 1 1
Scoring Summary
POR: Evander (Niezgoda), 28
POR: Paredes, 46
LA: Boyd (Rodriguez), 56
POR: Mosquera (Williamson), 60
POR: Niezgoda (Williamson), 68
Misconduct Summary
POR: Williamson (caution), 39
POR: Evander (caution), 41
POR: Mosquera (caution), 52
POR: Zuparic (caution), 74
Lineup
POR: GK Bingham (Sulte, 77), D Rasmussen (Bonilla, 61), D Tuiloma (McGraw, 77), D Zuparic (Mabiala, 77), D Mosquera (J. Bravo, 77), M D. Chara © (Caliskan, 77), M Williamson (Pelayo, 77), M Loria (McCartney, 77), M Evander (Paredes, 45), M Y. Chara (Gutierrez, 77), F Niezgoda (Fogaça, 71)
LAG: GK Bond, D Leerdam (Álvarez, 46), D Cáceres (Zavaleta, 84), D Mavinga (Neal, 46), D Edwards (Gasper, 62), M Delgado (Coulibaly, 84), M Brugman (Saldaña, 84), M Puig (Vivi, 84), M Rodríguez (Gonzalez, 84), M Costa (Boyd, 46); F Chicharito ©️ (Joveljić, 3)
