Match Recap: Timbers at Nashville
Pantemis party pauperized by poor Portland productivity
The Portland Timbers fell in their first road test of the season by a scoreline of 2-0 in Nashville. James Pantemis had two penalty kick saves in the first half spoiled by a goal from Andy Najar just before halftime, and Ahmed Qasem added the capper for the hosts midway through the second half.
Portland’s offense was entirely absent on the night, as they failed to find the back of the net for the first time this season.
Lineups & Prematch
Phil Neville opted to keep the same starting XI that got his side their first win and first shutout last weekend, with the one difference being Kevin Kelsy starting up top instead of Felipe Mora. Zac McGraw, now the marshal and veteran of the backline, was handed the armband as captain for the side.
Kamal Miller returned from suspension and was available off the bench, while Dario Zuparic and Santiago Moreno returned to the team sheet and were available for the first time in 2025 after recovering from injury.
Match Recap & Storyline
Within five minutes of kickoff, it was deja vu for the Timbers in the worst way possible.
5’ Penalty NSH
A simple ball over the top beat the Timbers backline yet again, as the defense was sucked further up the field. Andy Najar hit a ball through that beat all of Portland’s defense, and McGraw was left to try to chase down Sam Surridge who in turn was chasing down the ball to get in one-on-one with James Pantemis. McGraw clattered into Surridge in the box, the forward went down, and the referee didn’t hesitate to point to the spot. McGraw was shown a yellow card for the foul.
Former MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar stepped to the spot to take the penalty, he shot to his left… and then James Pantemis gave him the business.
6’ PENALTY SAVE PORTLAND
Pantemis guessed correctly and dove to his right, getting just enough of his fingertips to the ball to push it off the post. Portland cleared the second ball, and the team surrounded their keeper in celebration. He’d bailed out his backline, and kept Portland from a disastrous start.
But the Timbers seemingly weren’t content with that reprieve, because they did everything they could to squander it. Portland couldn’t grasp any semblance of possession in the game, and Nashville came again and again.
And so ten minutes later… the hosts were awarded another penalty.
16’ Penalty NSH
This time, the call was much more debatable.
Nashville’s newest signing Ahmed Qasem dribbled into the left side of Portland’s box, tracked by Joao Ortiz. The Timbers midfielder put in a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge on Qasem just on the inside of the box, the Nashville attacker went to ground, and the referee again pointed to the spot.
In this blog boy’s opinion, the second penalty was a soft one to give. Ortiz didn’t make a lot of contact, it was shoulder-to-shoulder, and Qasem went down rather easily. Nevertheless, the official stood by his decision.
Surridge stepped up to take the spot kick this time, with the hosts hoping that a different penalty taker might bring about a different result.
It didn’t.
18’ PENALTY SAVE PORTLAND
I suppose the ball don’t lie.
Yet again, Pantemis came up absolutely massive. Again reading the kick correctly, the Timbers’ presumptive backup goalkeeper leapt to his right and pushed away Surridge’s kick. Finn Surman punted away the rebound, and the Timbers had somehow dodged disaster again in the opening 20 minutes of the game.
But don’t let Pantemis putting on a cape distract you from the fact that the Timbers’ performance was remarkably poor in the first half.
Whether by design or by lack of execution, Portland were absorbing a ton of pressure. More worryingly, they couldn’t gain any kind of a foothold in the game. Portland’s midfield of David Ayala and Ortiz were offering very little by way of ball possession or progression. The byproduct was that the front three of Kelsy, David Da Costa, and Ariel Lassiter were bereft of the ball and didn’t have many touches at all.
The forwards had to drop deeper and deeper to try to receive it, and that gave Nashville time and space to press and win the ball back easier. Kelsy in particular struggled to provide consistent hold-up play, and the Timbers never found a rhythm offensively.
The only sniffs of the goal they got in the first half was when Ayala headed a corner at the far post just over the bar, and Da Costa skied a free kick from 19 yards out.
Still, the Timbers went into first half stoppage time clinging to a clean sheet. It looked like they were about to head into the locker room still knotted at zeroes with a chance to breathe and regroup.
If you’re familiar with the experience that is watching the Portland Timbers, you know what happened next.
45’+2 Goal NSH — Andy Najar, 1-0
One final foray forward from Nashville saw Najar collect the ball in a wide position with a narrow view on goal. He went for the ambitious effort at the near post, and beat Pantemis to score Nashville’s first goal of the season.
It was brutal for Pantemis to give up a goal like that after making two outstanding penalty saves — but it wasn’t wholly undeserved. The Timbers had clearly been the second-best team on the pitch through the first half, and Nashville deserved at least something for their efforts.
Portland went into the locker room having recorded just three shots (none on goal) to Nashville’s 12 shots (six on goal).
Halftime: Nashville 1, Timbers 0
Needing to do something to reinvigorate his side, Phil Neville made a triple-change at halftime. Out came Ortiz, McGraw, and Lassiter, and in came Diego Chara, Eric Miller, and — making his season debut — Santiago Moreno.
The trio of subs also saw Portland shift their formation, changing from the 3-4-3 they started the match with into more of a 4-2-3-1 shape. Antony shifted higher into his more familiar attacking winger role, Santi settled into his familiar right wing spot, and Da Costa moved centrally in the hopes of getting on the ball more.
The change in shape led to a more balanced look for the Timbers, in particular moving forward. Da Costa was indeed on the ball more and had more chances to influence the game, Ayala looked more comfortable moving forward, and Chara added a bit of a spark to the side that was missing in the first frame.
However, Portland still struggled to find the back of the net. Kelsy’s tough night continued, as some of the decisions he made in the final third led to the ball being turned over cheaply and snuffing out promising moments for the Timbers.
To be fair, he spent a large portion of the night devoid of any kind of quality service. The attacking unit as a whole struggled to find chemistry with each other, which made it hard for Portland to claw their way back into the game.
Nashville didn’t sit on their heels either, as they still found a lot of room to attack despite the greater balance from the Timbers. Qasem in particular looked dangerous, and he pinged the crossbar with a shot after a quick free kick.
And unfortunately for the Timbers, he wouldn’t miss twice.
68’ Goal NSH — Ahmed Qasem, 2-0
Portland were caught trying to pass the ball out from the back, and Nashville quickly recycled possession. Daniel Lovitz whipped in a ball into the box after nobody in green closed him down, and Qasem ghosted towards the near post. Ian Smith, now playing as one of just two centerbacks, lost track of the Swedish attacker, and Qasem snuck a glancing header past Pantemis and into the bottom corner to double the hosts’ advantage.
With twenty minutes left and now trailing by two goals, the Timbers still weren’t able to create any kind of consistent offensive danger. Nashville’s defense, anchored by Walker Zimmerman, did a solid job of closing down dangerous passes. And the shots the Timbers were able to generate were lower quality and didn’t trouble Nashville ‘keeper Joe Willis much at all.
And so, it ended with the Timbers failing to find their way back into the game, and failing to find the back of the net for the first time in 2025.
Full time: Nashville 2, Portland 0
This match proved to be the let-down game, for a number of reasons. The Timbers couldn’t follow up their first shutout with another one, and ultimately the defensive effort left much to be desired. Giving up two penalties is not a great look, with the first one in particular revealing an alarming weakness for long balls over the top in the backline.
Speaking of those penalties, squandering an incredible performance from Pantemis in saving both of the spot kicks stings and was also a let-down. Yes, it was cruel irony that Pants conceded a goal at his near post in the dying minutes of the first half. But he also was the only reason Portland was in the game at all, and deserved a little more from the ten men in front of him.
Ultimately though, Portland’s offense needs to be in the crosshairs for the result. Portland got outshot 23-9 on the night, 10-4 with shots on target. And of course, they failed to score.
There was a lack of balance all over the pitch, and the Timbers didn’t generate any kind of offensive rhythm before it was too late. In retrospect, Neville’s team selection didn’t do his side any favors either, as multiple players failed to meet the moment.
For all the good that the win against Austin did for Portland’s confidence, this match gave them just as much to worry about and work on. They will have a week and a day to start to do so, as the defending champs come to Providence Park next Sunday afternoon.
I am (and likely the whole Timbers army) more vested than Paulson, Gravaboy, Neville, because I love this city and the Timbers. Clearly Neville has no idea what he needs to do to have an above average team. I enjoy going to the games because of my buddies and the atmosphere that we bring to the table. RCTID!
Not that it matters, but I take issue with describing the goal Pants gave up at the end of the first as "brutal." Yes, he should have had it and it was near-post, but as a former keeper, I can tell you that shots directly at your feet are harder to stop than it would seem, especially when there is a lot of pace to them, such as that shot had.
It's hard to explain, but you are expecting to dive or block/punch/parry/catch a shot, and you also have to worry about a cross. So when you get a screamer at your feet, it is hard to coordinate your brain and feet to make the correct move in a split-second. He got a piece of it, just not enough. Tough, good shot. Not brutal.