Orlando City SC host Portland Timbers this Saturday in our second cross-conference MLS fixture of 2025. While we’ve faced Phil Neville before – going 4-2-1 against his Inter Miami side – this is our first meeting with him as Timbers boss.
Riding high off our stunning 0-3 win at Inter Miami, our momentum just took a big hit! Eliminated from the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup last night, losing 2-3 to Nashville SC in the Round of 16, fatigue and tired legs told. With Orlando squeezing NINE fixtures into May, this gruelling month is a real test of our fitness, mentality, and squad depth. Now, we must regroup and dig deep against talented opposition.
Last time out
On Wednesday, Orlando City SC crashed out of the U.S. Open Cup in gut-wrenching fashion, falling 2-3 to Nashville SC at Inter&Co Stadium. Despite Marco Pašalić’s rocket and Ramiro Enrique’s equaliser, a late strike from Wyatt Meyer sealed our Round of 16 exit. In truth, Oscar Pareja’s strong XI was undone by two sloppy first-half goals and some questionable officiating – a recurring theme lately. Rodrigo Schlegel endured a rough night with an unfortunate own goal and lapses in concentration, while Ahmed Qasem punished a lack of pressure to put the visitors ahead at the break. The Lions responded after half-time with some slick interplay between Alex Freeman, Pašalić and Enrique. But a blatant handball in the box went unpunished – a decision Pareja later called “incredible”. Despite leaving Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge at home, a heavily rotated Nashville side still looked the livelier team. They took full advantage of City’s fatigue, with Freeman, Martín Ojeda and César Araújo all fading. Despite late efforts from Luis Muriel and substitutes Duncan McGuire and Rafael Santos, Orlando couldn’t find a leveller in seven minutes of stoppage time. Gutting!
Last head-to-head
On March 27, 2022, Orlando City SC came agonisingly close to snatching all three points at Portland Timbers, but were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw. Júnior Urso opened the scoring with a composed finish on 52 minutes, latching onto a sublime chipped assist from Alexandre Pato. The goal capped off a classy counter-attacking move and saw Urso hush the Timbers Army in celebration. With Oscar Pareja’s side defending deep and frustrating the hosts for much of the encounter, our plan seemed to be working to perfection. Especially after Josecarlos Van Rankin was sent off on 76 minutes for hauling down Pato. But just two minutes later, substitute Andrés Perea clumsily brought down Cristhian Paredes in the area, gifting Timbers a lifeline. Paredes made no mistake from the spot, levelling the score on 78 minutes. It was a bitter pill to swallow, particularly with Mason Stajduhar enjoying a quiet afternoon in his 2022 season debut.
What’s at stake this time?
Orlando City SC have surged from eighth to fifth in just two MLS gameweeks, riding an 11-match unbeaten streak — the longest in MLS this season and just one shy of our MLS club record (12 – set in 2020). Given that both Charlotte FC and Inter Miami sat above us before we beat them 3-1 and 0-3, our back-to-back wins couldn’t have come at a better time! Our 0-3 derby win in Fort Lauderdale was a huge statement. It was made even sweeter by Orlando City B’s 3-0 win over Inter Miami II that same weekend. The 6-0 combined sweep ensured that FLORIDA IS PURPLE!! 😈😏, as Luiz Muzzi proudly posted on X. Phil Neville’s Portland Timbers arrive fourth in the West with 23 points from 14 games. Unbeaten in three (1-2-0), they did fall 1-0 to San Jose Earthquakes in the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday. Let’s hope the 5+ hour flight from PDX leaves them feeling more fatigued than us following our own cup exit. Meanwhile, Papi’s recent tactical tweaks have been key. David Brekalo has excelled at left back, supported by Iván Angulo whose tireless shifts have helped on the flank. With Martín Ojeda (8 goals) firmly in the MLS Golden Boot race and Luis Muriel (6 goals) finding form, Orlando are no longer just chasing — we’re contending!
Opposition danger men
🇨🇱 Felipe Mora (5 goals, 2 assists – 2025 MLS)
🇧🇷 Antony (4 goals, 7 assists – 2025 MLS)
🇻🇪 Kevin Kelsy (4 goals, 0 assists – 2025 MLS)
🇵🇹 David Da Costa (2 goals, 7 assists – 2025 MLS)
New opposition faces
🇨🇷 Ariel Lassiter (Chicago Fire)
🇪🇨 Joao Ortiz (Independiente del Valle)
🇻🇪 Kevin Kelsy (Shakhtar Donetsk)
🇺🇸 Ian Smith (2025 MLS SuperDraft)
🇨🇴 Jimer Fory (Independiente Medellín)
🇵🇹 David Da Costa (Lens)
🇺🇸 Omir Fernandez (Colorado Rapids)
Injuries
🇨🇴 Eduard Atuesta (neck) – out
🇻🇪 Gustavo Caraballo (lower leg) – questionable
🇵🇪 Wilder Cartagena (right leg) – SEI
🇨🇴 Nicolás Rodríguez (thigh) – out
🇯🇵 Yutaro Tsukada (knee) – SEI
🇨🇴 Diego Chara (lower leg) – questionable
🇻🇪 Kevin Kelsy (lower body) – out
🇨🇦 Zac McGraw (back) – out
🇨🇦 James Pantemis (leg) – out
*SEI – Season-Ending Injury List (Unavailable)
Suspensions
None
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Orlando City SC vs Portland Timbers
Last 3 head-to-heads
- July 18, 2019: Portland Timbers 1 Orlando City SC 1 (MLS)
- August 11, 2020: Portland Timbers 2 Orlando City SC 1 (#MLSisBack Tournament Final)
- March 27, 2022: Orlando City SC 1 Portland Timbers 1 (MLS)
2015/22 head-to-head stats
- It was 1-1 the last time the sides met (March 2022)
- Played Timbers 7 times in MLS – Orlando 3, Draws 2, Timbers 2
- Two of the last 3 MLS head-to-heads have finished 1-1
- Luis Muriel has scored in Orlando’s last 2 MLS fixtures (2 goals)
- Santiago Moreno has scored in 4 of Timbers’ last 6 MLS fixtures (4 goals)
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Watching the game
Orlando City SC vs Portland Timbers will be shown live on Apple TV at 00:30 (GMT) on Sunday, May 25.
Remember, UK supporters can watch all of Orlando City SC’s 2025 MLS regular season fixtures by subscribing to Apple TV’s “MLS Season Pass”.
Subscribe now by clicking here.
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