Portland Timbers Matchday 4 Injury Update & Lineup Status

No new injuries for the Portland Timbers, but is a formation change in the cards?

After the Portland Timbers failed their first road test of the year — a 2-0 loss to Nashville SC — the club return home for a match against the reigning MLS Cup winners with just three first-team players on the roster.

Phil Neville told media that there wasn’t an update on Jonathan Rodriguez’s return to action from a knee injury picked up in preseason, but did provide an update on Juan Mosquera’s fitness. “Juan’s still out for another probably three or four weeks … We’re building him back up slowly, he’s had a long time out,” said Neville.

Miguel Araujo is still working through his visa process in Peru.

Max Crepeau is once again available for selection after a hip/groin injury kept him out of the last two matches, but it remains to be seen whether or not he will slide back into the starting XI following two strong showings from James Pantemis in net.

Dario Zuparic and Santiago Moreno featured off the bench for the first time in 2025 against Nashville, and both have been removed from the “questionable” list for this afternoon’s match against the LA Galaxy.

Lineup Prediction:

To me, the choice between Crepeau and Pantemis is difficult to predict for this match. As was the case for the majority of 2024, Pantemis deputized admirably for an absent Crepeau and looked confident behind the Timbers’ backline, which would make you think that he should be starting. But Neville has maintained that Crepeau is the club’s number one goalkeeper, and expressed how important it was that he would be returning for selection quickly prior to the Nashville match.

The backline selection is equally hard to predict now that the majority of the players are available for selection. If I was in charge of picking the team to start against the Galaxy, I would revert back to the 4-2-3-1 if Santiago Moreno is fit enough to go at least 60 minutes having watched Portland’s shape get exploited across the pitch last weekend.

That would mean Eric Miller coming in at right full-back and Jimer Fory retaining his spot on the opposite side of the two center-backs. None of said center-backs — Ian Smith, Zac McGraw, and Finn Surman — covered themselves in glory in the loss to Nashville. McGraw gave away a penalty in the opening minutes of the match and was hooked at halftime, Smith didn’t follow Qasem’s run for Nashville’s second goal, and Surman was pulled out of position on multiple occasions that led to big chances for the opposition.

Kamal Miller was the first center-back to sub in last weekend, and I think he’s a likely candidate to start today. It was hard for me to not partner him with Dario Zuparic, who also featured against Nashville, but I’m not sure how many minutes he’s got in his legs following his return to action.

Another player who struggled in what has been a rough start to his time in Portland was Joao Ortiz. He again looked uncomfortable with his role in midfield and not quite up to the speed of the MLS game, and like McGraw, was hooked at halftime in favor of Diego Chara having given away a (extremely soft) penalty. I think Chara returns to the starting XI to give the team more stability in the midfield.

I would start Felipe Mora up top in front of Antony, David da Costa, and Moreno with the hope that Portland’s best attackers available can jump-start an offense that has looked incredibly stagnant to start the year. When Neville switched to that (with Kelsy instead of Mora) against Nashville to start the second half, the attack instantly looked more connected with Da Costa and Antony moving into their best positions.

Starting XI: Pantemis - Fory, K. Miller, Surman, E. Miller - Ayala, Chara - Antony, Da Costa, Moreno - Mora // Bench: Crepeau, Bravo, Smith, McGraw, Zuparic, Paredes, Ortiz, Lassiter, Kelsy

What do you think about the formation and lineup, Rose City? Let us know in the comments what changes you would like to see.