The Portland Timbers will open the Main League Soccer season the identical method they completed 2024, by enjoying host to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
The Timbers can solely hope the Sunday match goes higher.
The Whitecaps cruised to a 5-0 victory in a Western Convention wild-card recreation on Oct. 23 behind Ryan Gauld’s hat trick.
“We’re actually trying ahead to this recreation,” mentioned Timbers midfielder Diego Chara, who is about to grow to be the primary participant in league historical past to look in 400 regular-season matches for one membership. “Now could be completely different, however on the identical time, I feel the staff is aware of what occurred up to now and it is a nice alternative.”
The playoff loss led Timbers star Evander, who completed third in MVP voting with 15 objectives and 19 assists, to tear staff possession and administration in postgame tweets. That precipitated his departure in a switch to FC Cincinnati final week for $12 million.
The Timbers used about half of that cash to finalize a switch for midfielder David Pereira da Costa from RC Lens (France) because the staff’s new designated participant.
“I am constructing a staff right here and a tradition to win,” mentioned Timbers coach Phil Neville, whose membership went 12-11-11 final season. “Whenever you construct one thing and also you wish to win, you want everyone on the bus heading in the identical course.”
Regardless of pushing Los Angeles FC to the restrict in a best-of-three first-round playoff sequence, the Whitecaps (13-13-8 in 2024) fired coach Vanni Sartini and changed him with Jesper Sorensen.
Gauld and ahead Brian White, who scored a team-leading 15 objectives in 2024, return to steer the Vancouver assault.
The Whitecaps may have one other large transfer forward, because the staff is on the market.
“Clearly, that is an enormous factor happening on the membership, but it surely does not actually have an effect on us in our day-to-day,” Gauld mentioned. “We have nonetheless received an enormous season forward of us, and, talking to all the fellows … it is not likely come up in dialog between any of us. We’re all right here simply to be targeted on the soccer and be sure that we do our job.”
–Discipline Degree Media