Portland Timbers-FC Dallas Preview (7/22/26)

How fortunes can change in such a short period of time. The 2026 Portland Timbers returned from the World Cup break with a delightful 5-1 destruction of the Seattle Sounders. Just days later, it was reported by KGW's Timbers 360 that former QPR and Leicester head coach Marti Cifuentes was hired for the congruent role in Portland. It really has been a delightful week. 

But the Timbers are now intent on proving that the whipping of their biggest rivals wasn't a fluke. Another Western Conference contender is on the docket: FC Dallas. Los Toreros’ annual trip to Providence Park has another underlying narrative besides the surface-level battle between two foes who know each other very well. An old friend (now bitter enemy) will face the team that he abandoned less than one year ago. 

The Dallas Report

Portland and Dallas played a very entertaining 2-2 draw back on September 27th at Providence Park. The Timbers took the lead twice but failed to secure all three points. That game marked the 7th consecutive game for Los Toreros without a loss. They extended the streak to 8 two weeks later with a 2-1 victory against the Galaxy. Unfortunately, the streak ended the next week when the Galaxy returned the favor with the same scoreline. It was the first loss for Dallas since the short Leagues Cup break. That momentum of simply not losing any games allowed Los Toreros to climb up the table at the same time that the majority of second-tier Western Conference teams refused to climb or sink. 

On Decision Day, they traveled to Vancouver needing a positive result (and some choking from the teams surrounding them) to climb above the Wild Card spots. Mathias Laborda got a straight red card after 11 minutes, and Dallas walked out with a crucial 2-1 win. This was enough to push them into 7th place in the West. Vancouver needed to win that game in order to secure the top seed in the West, but their loss coupled with San Diego’s 4-0 destruction of the Timbers set up a 2 vs. 7 matchup in the first round of the playoffs. Dallas was staring down the barrel of a very dangerous Canadian gun.

Game 1 was a complete and total Vancouver victory. The 3-0 scoreline somehow flattered Dallas, who were held to one single shot (it didn’t even hit the target). Dallas hosted Game 2 and took the lead in the 25th minute (Petar Musa goal). Ralph Priso equalized deep into second-half stoppage time, and the Whitecaps prevailed in the resulting penalty shootout. Year One under new head coach Eric Quill started in a confusing manner, but Dallas’ commitment to a low block and counter secured crucial result after crucial result down the stretch. A return to the playoffs was good, and it was something to build upon as the club entered the offseason.

Dallas’ roster was solid, but it needed a couple more additions to really unlock the full capabilities of this team. Quill was strictly faithful to a back five, so the first major addition was wingback Herman Johansson from Swedish side Mjallby. Technically, they made a major addition before Johansson’s transfer was announced on December 30th. Israeli midfielder Ran Binyamin joined the team in early December on a U22 deal. Dallas technically has 5 U22s, but Enes Sali and Geovane Jesus began the 2026 season on loan. Only three players could be classified as “major departures”: midfielder Sebastian Lletget, goalkeeper Maarten Paes, and oft-injured midfielder Paxton Pomykal. All of those players lost their starting jobs throughout the 2025 season.

Michael Collodi began preseason as Dallas’ number 1 goalkeeper, with Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois joining in early February to compete for the starting job. Joaquin Valiente was the headline acquisition of the winter, joining from Defensor in Uruguay on a TAM deal. He was expected to be the number 10 operating underneath Musa and former Oregon State Beaver Logan Farrington. But he wasn’t very effective in that role. Dallas did want to bring in another playmaker, and they had an open DP slot to do so. Maybe a permanent transfer wasn’t on the cards, but you can take up a DP spot with a costly loan. A player with MLS experience and the will and desire to finally play the 10 appeared on their radar. On March 27th, Dallas struck a loan deal with Brazilian club Fluminense for their new number 10: Santiago Moreno.

This news was met with plenty of laughter in the Rose City. Not even a full year had passed since Moreno fled to Colombia from the team hotel in Austin the night before the Timbers were set to take on Club America in Leagues Cup. His flight from Texas began a chain of events that ended with a flight to Texas. Moreno failed to establish himself in Brazil; playing 154 minutes in 2025 and failing to register a goal involvement. He began 2026 on Fluminense’s roster, but could only manage 18 minutes in the league and 244 in the local tournament. He notched his only Fluminense goal involvement in said tournament. Not even a year removed from a $6M move, Moreno was surplus to requirements. He landed back in MLS and took Dallas’ open #10 shirt.

FC Dallas (7-4-4, 25 points, 5W/9S) began the season with only 1 loss in their first 8 games. That lone loss was due to a David Martinez piledriver to give LAFC a 1-0 win on March 7th. Other results in that stretch included a season-opening 3-2 victory over Toronto, a 0-0 draw at home against Nashville, a wild 3-3 draw against San Diego, a classic 4-3 rivalry win against Houston, a 4-0 destruction of DC, and consecutive draws against St. Louis and the Galaxy. 

They went 4-0-3 over their final seven games before the World Cup break. Consecutive losses to Minnesota and Seattle didn’t slow their momentum. Back-to-back wins against the Red Bulls and RSL followed, with Moreno opening his Dallas account in the latter (he just hates playing RSL guys). Their final defeat before the World Cup break was a 3-2 home loss to Vancouver. 

That was the last game Dallas would play at home until September 5th. Toyota Stadium is currently undergoing some renovations, including a full rebuild of the east stand. However, they won both of their final two games against San Jose (courtesy of a 90+3’ winner from Sam Sarver, which prompted him to chug a beer that was thrown at him from San Jose’s supporters’ section) and Colorado.

Dallas has picked up 12 out of their 25 points on the road despite playing in three less away games than home games. They are a very capable outfit away from Toyota Stadium. Two players on this roster are foundational pieces: striker Petar Musa and center back Osaze Urhoghide. The Croatian striker is considered by many (myself included) to be the best number 9 in the league. He has 12g/2a in 13 matches. Like Finn Surman, Musa scored a goal at the World Cup (against England in the group stage). Urhoghide is the linchpin of Dallas’ stingy defense. Some defensive regression has occurred as Quill (the most fascinating tactical coach in the league because he loves to get weird with it) continues to evolve the identity of the team. They’re no longer a bunker-and-counter outfit. Their players are very capable with the ball, and a lot of their offense runs through Musa and Logan Farrington.

The days of the two-striker partnership are back in Dallas. Musa acts as the target man while Farrington is a constant off-ball threat. They work in excellent synchronicity with each other, with both able to score and create. The emergence of a third option is what can elevate Dallas towards true contender status in the second half of the season. That puts a lot of pressure on Moreno’s shoulders.

FCD Injury Report & Projected Starting XI

Dallas returns from the World Cup break with only one injury. Defensive midfielder Ramiro won’t be available.

Dallas’ extended road trip takes them to San Diego on Saturday, but they should be treating this game as another season opener due to the extended break. Quill’s innate weirdness has shifted Dallas’ main structure to a 4-4-2. Daniel, one of the top goalkeepers in the league, was recently acquired from San Jose after the Earthquakes brought Scotland international Angus Gunn to the club during the World Cup. Oddly enough, he will have played his last match for his old team and his first match for his new team at the same stadium despite not playing either of those games for the team who calls that stadium home. That's pretty cool. Norris and Johansson are natural fullbacks. Moore has been deputizing as a center back alongside Urhoghide. Cappis was a summer signing in 2025 and should be starting in the midfield due to Ramiro’s absence. Kaick is an exciting 20-year-old Brazilian who plays in a dynamic box-to-box role. Moreno and Valiente should occupy the wings.

However, there is a question about Musa’s availability following the World Cup. Will he be good to go at the start? Quill could opt to bring him on as a substitute, which would clear the way for one of Louicious Don Deedson (instant Hall-of-Fame MLS name), Anderson Julio, or Patrickson Delgado to start alongside Farrington up top. I don’t think a Musa benching is likely, but it has the potential to occur. Quill is very weird.

Another name to watch is supersub Sam Sarver, scorer of 3 big goals off the bench in 2026. Dallas doesn’t have an incredibly deep squad, so the starters will be expected to do a fair amount of damage. Other personnel changes could occur as well. Nothing Quill does ever surprises me. He’ll try any personnel grouping if he believes it can give the team an advantage. 

The Timbers Report

Following up the 5-1 victory in Seattle is a tall task. However, the Portland Timbers (5-2-8, 17 points, 11W/20S) viewed Thursday’s delightful win as a chance for a springboard. That’s usually how victories against Seattle work, after all. And, finally, the schedule is about to work in their favor.

The Runway

Tomorrow’s match is the first of 6 consecutive home games. The MLS schedule is responsible for the first three (Dallas, RSL, 5eatt1e) while Leagues Cup has gifted the Timbers three additional games at Providence Park (Puebla, Club America, Tijuana). Portland spent the entirety of the MLS Apertura without a single instance of consecutive home games. For a comparison, the Timbers had two separate occurrences of 3 consecutive road games and 2 consecutive road games. A long homestand is overdue.

It’s also worth noting just how tough the schedule was for Portland’s Apertura. It was rated the hardest schedule in the league based on Soccer Datavizer’s strength of schedule metric. The remaining 19 games rank as the 8th-weakest schedule. Only Dallas has a larger gulf between respective Apertura and Clausura schedule strength (hardest to weakest, not the other way around). 

Although all three teams that the Timbers will play before Leagues Cup present as quality opposition (except the Sounders because they are still in a state of reckoning) Portland gets the chance to face them at home. One of the goals of this season was to re-establish the Providence Park fortress. Through 6 home games, the Timbers have 10 points (3-1-2). The two losses have come against Vancouver and San Jose, while the Timbers have beaten Columbus, LAFC, and SKC. After securing their second road win of the season at the Azteca of Humiliation, the Timbers have to win consecutive MLS games for the first time this season (and the first time since May 28th-June 8th, 2025 against Colorado and St. Louis). Dallas is a formidable road opponent. This is a good test for the Timbers at this moment in time.

Tree Questions With Jose Caicedo

Out of all the new players to join the Timbers within the past year, none of them has taken to life in Portland more than Jose Caicedo.

For some reason, the Colombian defensive midfielder just loves Multnomah Falls. He’s posted multiple Instagram stories from the Oregonian landmark. Caicedo has adapted to life in the Beaver State after a much-delayed start due to visa issues. I caught up with him after training on Tuesday.

Q: How did you spend the World Cup break?

A: “I spent time with the family recharging batteries. It’s important as a player to just sit back and recharge. Obviously, kept in the present was the need to get back into my best form before getting back here. I had individual personalized workouts during my time off, but the entire time I kept thinking about getting here a step ahead rather than starting from zero.”

Q: How would you rate yourself and the team during the first couple months of your time here?

A: “I think it’s been a good process. Since the time I’ve been here we work everyday and we show all the important things that we’re able to do. We work to improve like everybody else. It’s been a nice process, seeing the growth of the group. It’s just important to be able to connect with everybody and get on board.”

Q: What kind of a boost could this upcoming run of home games provide to the team?

A: “It’s always nice to play in front of our supporters. We always say it almost feels like it’s an additional support for us having them behind to play these games. We’re going to go step-by-step, game-by-game. And we’ll be ready for them.”

PTFC Injury Report & Projected Starting XI

Per Jack Cassidy, Mosquera is seeing a specialist regarding his foot/ankle injury. That sounds pretty ominous. Fernandez participated fully in training, so I believe this absence is precautionary due to the long-term status of his injury. Guerra trained on the side on Tuesday. Kristoffer Velde has returned from Norway following the birth of his first child and is available for selection.

If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. The Timbers can field a stronger team than they did in Seattle due to Velde’s return. I think he starts on the left to form a triangle with Da Costa and Fory. Due to Lassiter’s strong performance and ability on dead balls, I see no reason to break up the right-sided triangle that he formed with Bassett and Bye. The rest of this team picks itself. Antony should be the first name off the bench. He has game-changing ability as a substitute, and it should be heightened by the boiling hot conditions both teams are set to play in. 

Tactical Preview

The Endline

Much of Portland’s success against Seattle was created by an ability to keep getting to the endline over and over again. David Da Costa and Antony punished Seattle’s right side and wouldn’t stop putting belt to ass until the final whistle. In some ways, the Timbers beat the Sounders at their own game. You really have to hand it to them.

The Timbers will be trying to create the same success against Dallas. Los Toreros will be vulnerable, especially if the Timbers can continue to use their wide triangles (formed by the fullback, attacking midfielder, and winger). Space should be open in the gaps between center back and fullback for one of those three players to exploit. Seattle gave the Timbers that space on Thursday. I think Portland will have to work a little harder in that regard tomorrow.

Containing A Moose

Despite sticking to a diet of plants, you do not want to encounter a moose in the wild. It's a volatile creature, and is perfectly capable of wrecking your body if you happen to upset it. They're spectacular animals, and are admired by many. But you do not want to find yourself in a situation where you're unprepared for a moose encounter.

Dealing with Petar Musa by himself is already a problem. When you add in Logan Farrington’s proclivity for showing up in the right place at the right time, Dallas’ striker tandem becomes a daunting task for any defense to deal with. I’d expect Portland’s starting holding midfielder (probably Jose Caicedo) to focus on keeping the space around the top of the box on lockdown. That’s been a pretty hard task for the Timbers, who have a habit of leaving space open in that area for shots from distance.

The Musa-Farrington partnership also works really well on the fast break. Portland wasn’t really tested on the counter by Seattle, but they did a great job maintaining a man advantage in their rest defense. James Pantemis talked about this on Tuesday, and mentioned the phrase “keeping a plus one at all times.” Incoming head coach Marti Cifuentes used this exact wording when talking about rest defense in his “Masterclass” video. I’m definitely noticing something.

Forcing Dallas’ secondary attacking options to beat them is probably the best general defensive strategy for the Timbers. Musa is probably impossible to contain for a full match, but his effectiveness can be limited if his service is cut off.

Duels

I don’t have a tactical suggestion here, but I will be checking the duel numbers throughout the game. Dallas is very physical, and it’s a good test for a Timbers team that didn’t embrace their physicality under the previous regime. Their stellar performance against Seattle should serve as further proof of concept for Jack Cassidy’s rigid focus on winning duels. Let’s see how the Timbers fare in this regard against Dallas. 

Matchday Info

Broadcast Bulletin

English: Blake Price & Paul Dolan

Spanish: Oscar Salazar

Home Radio Broadcast from 105.1 The Game: available on Apple TV

Broadcast platform: Apple TV

Kickoff time: 7:30 PM PST

Tomorrow’s game is going to be a real scorcher, with temperatures expected to be in the 90s around kickoff. Sealed water bottles and sports drinks will be allowed into the stadium. Proper hydration breaks will be implemented. James Pantemis and the other players are more than grateful for that. “It’s part of being a professional.”

Referee Report

Alexis Da Silva’s 2026 stats: 9 games, 28 fouls/game, 0.22 penalties/game, 4.89 yellows/game, 0.11 reds/game

Last Timbers game officiated: July 16, 2025 vs. RSL 1-0 L

The Timbers have an interesting history with Da Silva. I won’t forget a fateful 1-0 loss against Austin in late 2024, when Los Broccolis spent the majority of the game on the ground and got the benefit of nearly every whistle. Phil Neville went on record after a game (my memory has forgotten which game it was) and trashed Da Silva, who was the 4th official and treated Neville and the coaching staff poorly on the sideline. He isn’t a very good referee.

Series History

Historical record: 11-13-12, -13 goal differential

Home record: 9-6-2, +10 goal differential

Current streak: 4 winless

Current home streak: 5 unbeaten

The Timbers haven’t beaten Dallas since 2023. Franck Boli’s 35th minute goal (assisted by Evander) was enough for Portland to secure a 1-0 victory at Providence Park. It’s time to finally taste victory against Los Toreros again. 

Table Time

Your Portland Timbers are only 3 points back of a playoff spot. LA and St. Louis (9th and 10th in the West, respectively) play each other tomorrow. It’s physically impossible for the Timbers to go to bed on Wednesday night in the playoff positions, even if they win. In an odd twist of fate, both teams below Portland (12th-placed San Diego and 13th-placed Colorado) also play each other. RSL, Portland’s opponent on the weekend, visits LAFC. It’s the first full MLS slate since late May. Rejoice.

Final Whistle

Jack Cassidy fielded several questions from reporters on Tuesday about his next step after new permanent head coach Marti Cifuentes takes charge of the first team. He responded in the same way to every query: I’ll be re-assuming my role as the head coach of T2.

This is the best possible outcome for every party involved. Cassidy gets a chance to finish what he started with Portland’s second team, who are putting together their best season since the introduction of MLS NEXTPRO in 2022. Cifuentes takes over a team that has been reinvigorated by Cassidy’s focus on “world-class basics.” And the Timbers get a fantastic head coach who isn’t just tasked with finding success with Portland’s second team. They get to continue to reap the rewards of their reinvigorated focus on building a pipeline from the academy to the first team.

Cassidy’s best role in this organization is being the junction of that pipeline. He is absolutely crucial to it. The English coach helps players buy into his principles, and those principles are exactly what young players need to instill in themselves if they have hopes and dreams of competing at higher levels. They’re receiving an excellent education from a man who can mold them into future contributors for the first team. He’ll never have to buy a beer again in Portland after the brilliantly authored 5-1 destruction of the hated and stupid Seattle Sounders last week. But he remains incredibly grounded and focused on whatever task lies ahead of him.

Cifuentes’ hiring was made official on Tuesday morning, but it’s unknown when the Catalonian head coach will arrive in Portland. That unclear arrival is due to the inability of the current federal government to correctly perform the functions that it was created for (this can apply to many things, but it applies to work visas in this instance). Cifuentes is also expected to bring several members of his own staff to Portland. I think the club regrets keeping the same coaching staff on board during the transition from Giovanni Savarese to Phil Neville. Only two assistant coaches were new hires (Dave van den Bergh and Alex Dodgshon) while Shannon Murray was promoted from T2 head coach to first team assistant. Supporting a new head coach doesn’t just apply to backing them financially in the transfer market. After all, there are only three active first team coaches at the current moment, and one is on loan from T2. Watching Cifuentes build out his staff will be pretty fascinating to watch.

But tomorrow’s game has been circled on the calendar for months. It’s Portland’s first home game since the World Cup break, and it coincides with the return of the latest bitterly departed player. Santiago Moreno, by all rights, shouldn’t be back in Providence Park so soon. In all honesty, it would have been nice to see him succeed in Brazil regardless of the way he forced that move. Ironically, I was in Dallas last year when that transfer was confirmed as the Timbers prepared to face Los Toreros in their first match post-Leagues Cup. It’s not a true full-circle moment, but it comes pretty damn close.

Honesty also can apply to two very different beliefs. Moreno’s potential brilliance in Brazil was never realized, and he’s preparing for a game against a team and a fanbase that soured on him quicker than a milk carton left in the Texas heat. After all, he spent the majority of his time in Portland as “Potential-Man.” He spent the season before his departure as the fourth option in a brilliant attack, but fell victim to his trademark inconsistency after two key cogs in that fearsome offense were lost to injury or outburst. The way he treated his teammates, employers, friends, and supporters was far worse than Evander ever did. Requests to leave and hints of wanting to leave kept appearing throughout the latter part of his time in Portland. He finally got the move, but the grass wasn’t very green in Brazil. The fans that populate Providence Park tomorrow will take pleasure in reminding him of that. And, if he’s being realistic, he’ll be expecting it.

It won’t be the most recent uproar at Portland’s 100-year-old home. The last game at Providence Park featured a historic loss to the San Jose Earthquakes and fan frustration boiling over in the stands. Last week’s tremendous victory up north has revitalized the fanbase, and everyone who fills the seats of the Cathedral will be there to root for their team first and foremost. “There’s no better feeling than coming back to the best stadium in the league,” James Pantemis said on Tuesday. These players are about to get an extended break from travel. They won’t leave the Rose City until mid-August when they travel to the Windy City for a Sunday night special against the Chicago Fire. Homestands seem to be a blessing for the Timbers, who seem to always be traveling. That was certainly the case for the Apertura. Now they have to perform and deliver with the roar of tens of thousands behind them. Getting consecutive wins in league play has been long overdue. It’s time to begin the second half of the 100-year-celebration of Providence Park in style. The climb continues.