Match Recap: Timbers vs. Austin FC

Cometh the hour, cometh the cheeky little chappy.

Photo Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer/Portland Timbers

They left it late, but the Portland Timbers left Providence Park feeling great after a David da Costa free-kick in the 89th minute gave the club their first win of 2025 at home to Austin FC.

Lineups & Prematch

Despite seven first-team players being unavailable for selection Phil Neville opted to continue with the back three formation the team rolled out throughout preseason, with a slight tweak from opening day’s 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps.

In what could become a recurring theme this season, Diego Chara began the match from the bench with Portland’s newest designated player David da Costa earning his full debut for the club in front of a double pivot of David Ayala and Joao Ortiz. Ariel Lassiter and Ian Smith also earned their first starts for the Timbers after limited minutes off the bench last Sunday, while Kevin Kelsy was dropped in favor of Felipe Mora.

Max Crepeau was a late addition to the injury report with a “lower body” ailment, meaning a return to play for one of 2024’s standout performers James Pantemis.

Match Recap & Storyline

3’ Crossbar POR — Antony

Ian Smith hit a frozen rope from deep directly into the feet of Felipe Mora, who had time to turn and pick out Antony on the right wing. Antony took on his defender and a deflected cross/shot rebounded off the crossbar and narrowly avoided an on-rushing Jimer Fory in the box.

5’ Big Chance POR — Felipe Mora

David da Costa showed just how cheeky of a little chappy he can be, utilizing some dazzling footwork after another excellent long-ball from Smith sent him down the left wing. The ball was laid back to David Ayala, who whipped a left-footed cross into the box that glanced off the head of Lassiter and dropped to a wide-open Felipe Mora, whose left-footed strike was well-saved at the near post.

For the next 30 minutes both sides had spells of controlled possession, but neither really took advantage of their control in the attacking third. Portland’s backline kept their shape extremely well and made no individual errors leading to big chances, in large part due to the aerial dominance of Fory, Smith, Surman, and McGraw.

Going forward the Timbers looked a bit discombobulated, but Da Costa and Fory had some bright moments on the left wing.

34’ Big Save POR — James Pantemis

Austin were awarded a free kick in dangerous territory after a giveaway in midfield and subsequent foul by Joao Ortiz. $10 million dollar signing Brandon Vazquez stepped up to take on his right peg, and forced a wonderful diving save from Pantemis to keep the score level at 0-0.

Joao Ortiz had a shaky first half and didn’t really settle into his midfield role. On several occasions like the one aforementioned, he took too long on the ball which led to some dangerous turnovers.

39’ Yellow Card POR — Zac McGraw

McGraw picked up the first caution of the match for a foul on Obrian in midfield. It was definitely a foul, but harsh given the Austin player ran into Zac more than it was a poor challenge.

Two minutes of stoppage time were added to the end of the first half.

Halftime: Timbers 0 - 0 Austin FC

53-64’ Yellow Card(s) POR — Antony, Jimer Fory, Joao Ortiz

Antony attempted to drive into the middle of the pitch but a loose touch allowed Ilie Sanchez to recover, and Antony’s follow-through cleaned the Austin FC captain out. Fory then received yellow for a late challenge on Austin’s right back Desler. Another cynical foul from Ortiz resulted in Portland’s fourth card of the match.

65’ Substitution POR — Joao Ortiz and Felipe Mora OFF // Diego Chara and Kevin Kelsy ON

Mora struggled for service all night, and with the amount of long balls and crosses being sent in by the Timbers, Kevin Kelsy’s physical presence against a tired Austin backline for the last third of the match made a lot of sense. Chara for Ortiz was one out of caution with the latter having just been booked.

74' Chance POR — Kevin Kelsy

The Timbers finally connected on one of those crosses when David da Costa found Kevin Kelsy’s big noggin with a dug-out cross from deep, similar to the chance the pair created six days earlier against the Whitecaps.

82’ Substitution POR — David Ayala and Ariel Lassiter OFF // Cristhian Paredes and Eric Miller ON

Neville spoke midweek about Ayala still returning to full fitness after missing a good amount of sessions over the course of preseason, and the midfielder looked absolutely gassed coming off the pitch. Lassiter struggled to impact the match, so bringing Eric Miller on at right wing-back and pushing Antony higher up the pitch gave the team a more stable presence at the back and more attacking quality up top.

89’ GOAL POR — THE CHEEKY LITTLE CHAPPY, DAVID DA COSTA

On March 1, 2025, Phil Neville found his new son. After Ian Smith was brought down after a long forward run, Portland were awarded a free-kick just outside the left corner of the penalty area. There was only ever one player who was going to take it. Up he stepped, and in it went through a crowd of bodies. What a moment!

90+1’ Yellow Card POR — Cristhian Paredes

Another soft yellow was awarded to Paredes for a foul in the middle of the park.

After the goal Austin pushed for the equalizer, but for the second week in a row the Timbers were a physically dominant team from set pieces, stifling any attempts that came into their own box. It’s a concentration and togetherness in defending that has been lacking in recent years, and an extremely welcome change for Timbers supporters.

Five minutes of stoppage time were added to the end of the second half.

Full Time: Timbers 1 - 0 Austin FC

The performance tonight couldn’t have been more different than the one the Timbers produced on opening weekend and neither is the feeling walking away from Providence Park. “We had to be disciplined and we did that. We truly believe that last week wasn’t a reflection of the work that’s been done,” said Neville. “We had to take a little bit of criticism … we didn’t feel great after the last game because there was so much expectation and this week I felt as if what we went through last weekend, we recovered today.

Ian Smith, David da Costa, and Jimer Fory were the standout players of the match, but Smith in particular had as good a debut as any rookie that’s come through Providence Park in the MLS era. His confidence and composure on the ball, his eagerness to defend, and willingness to listen to the coaching staff’s instruction of “play your game” all point to Smith being a solid player for years to come.

“That’s just a normal performance from [Smith], trust me,” said Neville. “That’s what we see every week, it’s what he does every single day in training. The boy’s got a massive future and we believe in him, and he can be really proud of his full MLS debut tonight.”

The Timbers will travel for their first away match of the season next weekend, heading down to Nashville for a tough test against an Eastern Conference opponent. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, March 8.