Portland Timbers-Houston Dynamo Preview (3/30)

Following their 3-0 victory in Commerce City, the Portland Timbers are now getting ready for primetime. Their first appearance on Apple TV’s Sunday Night Soccer will take place this weekend against a familiar foe: the Houston Dynamo.

The Dynamo Report

The 2024 Houston Dynamo did not reach the same heights as the 2023 squad that advanced to the Western Conference Final and won the US Open Cup. However, finishing 5th and making the playoffs for the second consecutive year still constituted a solid campaign. Unfortunately, the way their season ended raised more questions than answers.

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The Dynamo faced Seattle in the first round of the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs in a best-of-three series. They fell to the Sounders in two games. But it wasn’t the fact of elimination that raised questions, it was how they got eliminated. Across both games, the Dynamo yielded only 3 shots on target. Houston’s solid defense stood tall, and it really had to. In both games the Dynamo had to deal with unnecessary red cards. During the first leg in Seattle, Coco Carasquilla threw Jackson Ragen to the ground during a stoppage in play. It was way too easy for referee Ted Unkel to reach for his back pocket and send the Panamanian to the dressing room. That was the last action that Carasquilla would perform in a Dynamo uniform. The game went to penalties after both teams were tied 0-0 at the end of regulation, and the Sounders scored all five of their kicks past Steve Clark (noted) to win Game 1.

You’d think that the catastrophic effects of Carasquilla’s red card would lead to the Dynamo not committing any unnecessary infractions in Game 2. Especially not Hector Herrera, the team captain. Well, with the game tied 0-0 in the 65th minute, Herrera committed a hard foul on Jackson Ragen. I don’t know what it is about Ragen that brings out the devil in Dynamo players, but he’s obviously done something wrong besides looking like a gopher. Herrera was promptly (and correctly) shown a yellow card for the challenge. This would have been fine (it’s a hard foul but he was challenging for the ball) and you’d think that a captain would quickly regroup his own emotions with all to play for in a PLAYOFF GAME. But Herrera’s next action wasn’t regrouping his emotions; he chose to regroup his salivary glands instead. He spit directly at the feet of referee Armando Villareal while the official’s back was turned. VAR correctly identified the loogie, sent Villareal to the monitor, and the referee returned with a verdict of “Spitting. Red Card.” Simple as that. Adding the veteran Mexican midfielder in 2022 helped change the Dynamo’s fortunes from a basement-dweller to trophy-winners in the span of one season. But this is how his stint in orange would end: with a complete headloss and one loogie.

Houston held on after the dismissal before Cristian Roldan found the back of the net in the 87th minute. However, because Roldan is a Seattle Sounder, he needed to find a way to innovate. There are 33 different instances of a MLS player scoring both a goal and an own goal in the same game. The primary innovator for this unfortunate group is current Thorns GM Jeff Agoos, who was the first MLS player to accomplish this feat on May 4th, 1997 (congratulations to him). However, in the 4th minute of second half stoppage time, Roldan became the first player to score a goal and an own goal in a playoff game. It only took him 7 minutes to do both, which is the number on the back of his jersey. Adding some prophetic symmetry to a classic Sounders innovation? Brilliant. You really have to hand it to him. Impressive work.

Roldan’s innovation sent the game to penalties again. Clark, who hadn’t saved any of Seattle’s kicks in the first game, needed to come up big in Game 2. What do you think happened? If you guessed that Clark failed to save any of Seattle’s SEVEN penalty kicks, you would be correct! Houston matched Seattle with every kick until Tate Schmitt’s attempt was kicked away by Stefan Frei. This was a series that the Dynamo could have won. Despite two boneheaded decisions from key players, they were still able to advance. But when your goalkeeper fails to save a single penalty kick, you aren’t going anywhere.

The key figures from that playoff series (Herrera, Carasquilla, and Clark) all left the club in the offseason. Squad players like Jan Gregus, Junior Moreno, Latif Blessing, Brad Smith and Tate Schmitt also departed. After the addition of Ezequiel Ponce in the summer, DP striker Sebas Ferreira was surplus to requirements. His contract was mutually terminated, which opened up a DP slot. But the biggest departure came right before the season began. Micael’s presence at center back provided the platform for the Dynamo to become a ball-dominant side. I voted for him to win Defender of the Year last season. He was not a finalist. This snub spoke to how much he was underrated league-wide. When a transfer to Palmeiras was finalized on February 22nd, alarm bells began to ring for neutral observers.

To offset those departures, the Dynamo scoured the free agent market. Erik Duenas, Jimmy Maurer, Junior Urso, Nico Lodeiro (eww), and Duane Holmes all arrived to boost squad numbers. But in order to replace Herrera’s ball progression, Houston sent $2.1M (could rise to $3.4M) to Philadelphia for midfielder Jack McGlynn. That was their first big splash of the offseason. Their second is the acquisition of Slavia Prague attacking midfielder Ondrej Lingr for a fee of $2.6M. The Czech international is their new number 10, but his signing was announced on Friday.

Could the acquisition of Lingr help Houston’s (0-2-3, 2 points, 13W/25S) struggling attack? Throughout their first 5 games, the Dynamo have only scored 3 goals. Both of their away games have ended in 0-0 draws, with the Dynamo absorbing serious amounts of pressure. Ponce, last summer’s marquee signing, has 1g/1a in 5 matches to open the new season. As a team, they are underperforming their xG by 1.4. But despite their offseason departures, they are still a very difficult team to beat (at least on the road) due to their defensive organization.

HOU Injury Report and Projected Starting XI

This is a very long list, and it’s highlighted by two goalkeeper injuries. Ennali and Quinones are big misses, but they’re both recovering from ACL tears. Bartlow and Sviatchenko (both center backs) being listed as questionable is intriguing.

Gillingham is their 3rd-string goalkeeper, and he entered last week’s match in Seattle and helped keep a clean sheet. I’m being rather catastrophic in regards to the injuries, but Steres is the most likely candidate to start alongside MLS NEXTPRO graduate Femi Awodesu at center back if Bartlow and Sviatchenko aren’t fit enough. Escobar and Dorsey have been fixtures at fullback under Ben Olsen. McGlynn returns from international duty and should start with Fake DP Artur in the midfield. Kowalczyk has locked down the left wing spot with both Ennali and Quinones unavailable. Lodeiro has occupied Carasquilla’s inverted right wing role for the time being with Bassi starting as a nominal 10. Ponce is unquestionably Houston’s starting striker despite his poor start to the season.

The Timbers Report

Phil Neville has spoken at length about how he wants this team to play. Tactics aren’t usually on the menu, but do tactics really matter when something greater can be achieved? That’s right, folks. The 2025 Portland Timbers (2-1-2, 7 points, 9W/18S) are fueled by the power of friendship.

“False spring” is an annual phenomenon in the Pacific Northwest. On Tuesday, false spring was in full force. Short pants, previously buried in the depths of numerous closets region-wide, were donned for the first time in 2025. And the Portland Timbers took full advantage of the excellent weather. Maybe it was due to last weekend’s victory, but the smiles were wide and the laughs were loud.

This is not an unusual phenomenon, much like false spring. You can’t see him, but David Ayala is the subject of this interview. I’m sure that Adam Susman is doing an excellent job, but my focus is on the crowd that is obscuring Ayala. Juan Mosquera was the first to arrive, with Santiago Moreno hot on his heels. Finn Surman (currently in the process of growing a beard) strolled over to hear what his teammate was saying. But the latest arrival is the most noteworthy. Throughout his brief time in Portland, David Da Costa has a beacon of politeness. This includes short greetings with media members as he exits the training pitch. These greetings are not limited to Da Costa. Most players take time to engage in brief handshakes or small talk. But Da Costa’s next move is the most interesting. After saying hello, he noticed the crowd of players around Ayala and walked over. The power of friendship is strong in this squad. Would you believe me if I told you that this kind of interaction happened twice on Tuesday?

Please ignore the back of my head. I promise that it’s a lot better than the front. Juan Mosquera was the subject of my (ruthless) questioning on Tuesday, but one moment from this interview stands out. Throughout the beginning of the season, many Spanish-speaking Timbers players have been enrolled in English classes. Mosquera is one of those players, and I asked him about how those classes are going. He responded in English: “Better. It’s very important for me in my life. [There are] seven, eight players in the class. It’s important for communication and the team.”

It wasn’t easy, but he put the effort in and provided a solid, understandable answer. This is an aspect of soccer that mostly goes under the radar. Adapting to new environments and the languages spoken in new places can present a difficult learning curve for players, especially younger ones. Mosquera, age 22, is always a wonderful person to talk to due to his professionalism and honesty. Answering a question from a reporter (especially one with a man dressed as a heating apparatus on his sweatshirt) in his non-native language is incredibly mature. He also went on to describe his offseason and how it felt to return from injury: “It’s been very hard in the preseason. Missing games is hard because I know that I started in most games last season, but I think the important thing is that I’m coming back slowly but healthily and hopefully will be ready to play soon.”

But, once again, as the interview progressed the crowd grew. Felipe Mora and Claudio Bravo were the first to show up, followed by Jimer Fory. You might notice that it’s an entirely different crowd than the players who surrounded Ayala a few minutes prior. While Mosquera was answering a question, Mora interrupted him with a snide remark. After a playful slap, the Colombian continued his answer. This is the ethos of what Phil Neville wants from his team. Enjoyment and team chemistry is the top priority, and a happy squad is a winning squad.

PTFC Injury Report and Projected Starting XI

This list is definitely shorter than Houston’s. Araujo and Rodriguez’s absences were already expected. However, this is the 6th game out of 6 that Rodriguez is spending on the Disabled List. He’ll be eligible for reinstatement next weekend. Both players are in a race to get their Green Cards. Eric Miller’s knock is classified as a “lower body” injury. During both observable training sessions, he was off on the side working with the fitness staff.

This lineup picks itself, especially with Eric Miller’s knock. No changes from last week’s game aside from Mosquera. The biggest question mark is goalkeeper now that Maxime Crepeau is fully healthy and back from international duty. However, Pantemis has 2 clean sheets in 4 starts. He’s earned that starting job, for now.

Tactical Preview

Taking More Risks

This is a huge opportunity for the Timbers to come out guns blazing. In order to do that, they have to be willing to take more risks in the attack. Houston is very organized, so a bit of creativity will be needed to break through against a team that hasn’t allowed a goal away from home this year. Off-ball movement, willing runs, and shots from distance will be necessary. Especially with Houston’s third-string goalkeeper between the sticks. They’re playing at home in a primetime TV slot. Get the crowd involved early, and keep them engaged.

Pressure from the Front

Houston’s system is predicated on slow, methodical ball progression. The Timbers can definitely disrupt that, and in order to do so their defensive shape and pressure from their forwards will be key. Three of Portland’s four projected starting forwards (Da Costa, Antony, and Moreno) are excellent defensively. Mora isn’t the work-rate machine that the other three are, but he’s very smart about choosing when to join in the press. With Houston’s backline and midfield still learning how to play together, the Timbers need to be aggressive on the ball and off the ball. FC Dallas capitalized on buildup mistakes and defeated the Dynamo in the season opener. The Timbers could do something similar, but they have to balance any aggression with organization.

Matchday Info

Announcer Analytics

English: Jake Zivin, Taylor Twellman, and Andrew Wiebe

Spanish: Sammy Sadovik and Diego Valeri

Home Radio Broadcast from 750 The Game: available on Apple TV

Broadcast platform: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

Kickoff time: 4:00 PM PST

Referee Report

Pierre-Luc Lauziere’s 2025 stats: 3 games, 26.67 fouls/game, 0.67 penalties/game, 4 yellows/game, 0.67 reds/game

Last Timbers game officiated: May 16, 2024 4-2 W vs. SJ

Quick note: this is Lauziere’s first game in the middle since he officiated Nashville’s 3-1 win in Philadelphia two weeks ago. That is noteworthy due to two controversial calls on fouls in the box. I’d urge you to watch Andrew Wiebe’s recap of both of those calls because I don’t like either of them. You might also remember the non-penalty call at the end of Portland’s game against the Galaxy that also occurred two weeks ago. That referee, Lukasz Szpala, did not officiate a game last week. But he will be in charge of Vancouver’s trip to Toronto today. Far from ideal. Zero accountability from PRO, per usual.

Series History

Historical record: 10-9-9, -2 goal differential

Last year’s record: 0-1-1, -1 goal differential

Home record: 9-2-3, +10 goal differential

Final Whistle

No need to look at the table right now. Points and results are all that matter. After tomorrow’s game, 4 of Portland’s next 5 games will be on the road. This is a massive opportunity for the Timbers. They will be in a standalone window for the 3rd time in six weeks. Their opponent is lacking in the “match-winners” department. It is also worth noting how much of a bogey team the Houston Dynamo have been. In 2017, they knocked the Timbers out of the playoffs. The 5-0 loss and the 3-1 Decision Day defeats to Houston in 2023 led to serious changes within the coaching staff. Portland was presented with two opportunities to beat the Dynamo last season and failed to finish the job in either one. A win on Sunday wouldn’t just be good for vibes and the table. It would be a huge confidence boost to the team by vanquishing an enemy. Onwards.

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