The Portland Timbers closed out the group stage of the Leagues Cup in style, dominating the Colorado Rapids with a 4-0 victory at Providence Park. With this win, the Timbers tied the tournament leaders for the most goals scored with six, while Evander matched the top spot for assists with three. The Timbers doubled their points total from last season’s Leagues Cup.
The Timbers, now winners of the West 5 group, await the outcome of the last match in West 3 to determine their next opponent and location. Should St. Louis CITY lose to FC Juarez, Portland will play away at CITYPARK. If Juarez loses, the Timbers will host the match at Providence Park.
Both head coaches, Phil Neville and Chris Armas, opted for strong lineups, featuring their star players and signaling their intent to win. The match started evenly, with back-and-forth action. Maxime Crepeau made two crucial saves early on to keep the scoreline level, but the Rapids initially looked poised to dominate with constant offensive pressure. However, a shift in momentum allowed Antony to break the deadlock. Capitalizing on a switch of play and a precise cross, he set up a 1-on-1 with the keeper to put Portland ahead.
In the second half, David Ayala doubled the lead with a powerful header off a corner kick, marking the team's third goal from set pieces in the tournament. New signing Mason Toye added a third, staying onside to score and ignite celebrations at Providence Park. Santiago Moreno completed the rout, taking the ball on a counter-attack and beating the goalkeeper 1-on-1 to make it 4-0. Portland maintained control and pressed for more goals until the final whistle, demonstrating their dominance throughout the match.
With this emphatic win, the Timbers have sent a strong message to their future opponents as they advance to the knockout stages of the Leagues Cup. With five different goal scorers in the group stage and three assists from their star players, Portland has scored six goals without star striker Jonathan Rodriguez finding the net.
“The whole roster is playing at an extremely high level” said Neville “I think we are building something really good. It’s a long way to go”.
Despite the lopsided score, the stats painted a closer picture, showing little to separate the two teams on paper.
“We didn’t have our best stuff tonight. this is not who we are,” Armas said.
The Rapids now look ahead to their next match against Club León, a winner-takes-all clash as both teams have lost their first matches and will vie for a spot in the knockout rounds.
“We like playing at home and we like our chances,” Armas said. “[León] is a difficult opponent.”
The challenge remains steep after this match, with the winner facing LIGA MX champions Club América in the next round.
