By César Arreola
Club América showed why it is considered one of the favorites to win the 2026 Leagues Cup, earning an impressive 3-1 victory over the Portland Timbers.
Just six minutes into the match, Brian Rodríguez gave América a 1-0 lead with what could be one of the goals of the tournament, curling a spectacular long-range free kick into the net and stunning the crowd at Providence Park.
Portland responded by taking control of the match and eventually found the equalizer after capitalizing on a mistake by América goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota. Kristoffer Velde recovered the ball, worked his way past two defenders and finished to level the score at 1-1.
In the 63rd minute, Isaías Violante restored América’s advantage. Rodríguez fired a powerful shot off the post, and Violante reacted quickly to the rebound, finishing with Trey Muse out of position to make it 2-1.
Óscar Perea then made an immediate impact off the bench. Just one minute after entering the match, the Colombian finished off a lightning-fast counterattack in the 88th minute, calmly sending his shot to the right as Muse went the opposite way to seal the 3-1 victory.
REACTIONS
- América Head Coach Guillermo Almada
- "It was a good match between both teams, very physical ... We set the tone (of the game) with the intensity of the team”.
PLAYERS OF THE MATCH
- América
- Brian Rodríguez had another strong game commanding América’s offense. He scored a spectacular goal and created another with his shot off the post.
GAME NOTES
- This was the 4th meeting all-time between the two sides. América remains undefeated vs Portland (3-1-0)
- América has now won three straight games, scoring at least three goals in each game. The last time América achieved this was in March 2025.
- Brian Rodríguez has a goal in three straight matches for the first time since October 2025.
- This loss for Portland ends a 5-game unbeaten streak across all competitions.
CARDS/INJURY REPORT
- Yellow Cards:
- América: Ramón Juárez, Dagoberto Espinoza, Miguel Vasquez, Alan Cervantes
- Portland: Diego Chará, Jimer Fory, Brandon Bye, Kristoffer Velde
LOOKING AHEAD
- Club América: Aug. 13 vs. Austin
- Portland Timbers: Aug. 13 vs. Tijuana
