Fourteen games, 14 points, and a seven-week World Cup break to think about what exactly this team is supposed to be.
Fourteen games played and 14 points secured. That is the Portland Timbers thus far in 2026. The good news for Portland Timbers fans is that the Phil Neville era is mercifully over. General manager Ned Grabavoy finally saw enough to realize Neville was incapable of getting the best out of what should be a top-six MLS Western Conference team. With Portland struggling to show any tactics in or out of possession, Grabavoy and company said goodbye to Neville.
MLS has now hit the 2026 FIFA World Cup break, giving teams seven weeks to prepare for the second half of the season. More importantly, clubs still have more than half of the campaign remaining. Just 40% of the regular season has been played, meaning the Timbers still have 60% of the season to turn things around. With 60 points still available, Portland’s front office saw that urgency was on the menu if it were to salvage the season.
The roster Grabavoy assembled should, at minimum, be competing for a playoff place. However, under Neville, the squad never looked like it would win a match, except when lowly Sporting Kansas City was in town.
The Timbers sit just six points off the Western Conference’s final playoff spot. Of course, MLS rewards mediocrity, and Portland has absolutely embraced mediocrity this season. Averaging one point per match may seem respectable. However, only three MLS teams currently have fewer points than the Timbers.
The next seven weeks will see the Timbers searching high and low for Neville’s replacement. It is unlikely that the replacement will be short-term. Rather, the next Portland manager is likely to be given time to fix the problems. Having watched plenty of Portland matches under Neville, I can see the problems are apparent.
An attack that entertains and a defense that self-destructs
One week, Portland can look dangerous in attack, with Krisoffer Velde and Kevin Kelsey carving teams apart. The next week, the Timbers defense resembles a group of players meeting for the first time in a Sunday league parking lot.
Tactically, there does not appear to be a clear identity. Instead, it felt like Neville and his coaching staff were throwing ideas against the wall and hoping something would stick.
Fourteen matches have produced four wins, two draws, and eight losses. Only the Colorado Rapids and Sporting Kansas City have lost more games in the Western Conference. That is not a company any club with playoff ambitions wants to keep.
Oddly enough, Portland’s attack has actually performed reasonably well. The Timbers have scored 22 goals, which is respectable for a team sitting 13th in the Western Conference. The real issue is a defense that has conceded 28 goals, averaging 2.0 per match. You do not need advanced analytics to understand why the Portland Timbers are struggling. Giving up two goals every game is generally a poor long-term strategy for winning soccer matches.
Providence Park remains a fortress, the road remains a disaster
At no point this season have the Timbers won back-to-back MLS games. Victories have been isolated incidents, while defeats have arrived in bunches. After demolishing Sporting Kansas City 6-0 at Providence Park, an unsurprising result due to the visitors’ ineptitude, the Timbers closed out the first portion of the season with three straight matches without a win. Those matches included a 2-2 draw with Montreal, one of the worst MLS teams assembled in recent memory, followed by losses to Inter Miami and the San Jose Earthquakes.
Providence Park continues to provide one of the best atmospheres in North American soccer. At home, the Timbers have posted three wins, two losses, and one draw. On the road, however, Portland has been dreadful. Neville’s team won once, drew once, and lost six times in eight road fixtures.
For anyone insisting home-field advantage no longer exists in MLS, Portland’s season should end that debate immediately. Just five of the Western Conference’s 15 teams have won more road matches than they have lost. Travel still matters in MLS. Playing at altitude still matters. Crossing multiple time zones still matters. Portland has not handled any of it well. Now comes the summer heat.
Velde and Kelsey cannot do everything
Kelsey and Velde have been Portland’s best attacking players. Together, they have scored nine of the club’s 22 goals, accounting for 41% of the Timbers’ total scoring. When assists are included, the duo has combined to score or create 12 goals, accounting for 55% of Portland’s offense.
That level of dependence is unsustainable over a full season. The Timbers either need other attacking players to contribute or, more realistically, need the defense to stop turning every opposing attack into a shot on target.
Portland has kept exactly one clean sheet this season. Unsurprisingly, it came against Sporting Kansas City. Goalkeeper James Pantemis is averaging 4.9 saves per game, the second-highest mark in MLS. While that statistic may initially sound impressive, it actually says everything about Portland’s defensive problems. Pantemis is facing far too many shots, and despite all those saves, he is still conceding 2.0 goals per match.
The numbers paint an ugly picture
The underlying numbers are not especially kind to Portland either. The Timbers rank 15th in MLS in goals per game, 22nd in goals allowed, 24th in expected goals, 20th in shots on target per match, 15th in big chances created, and 28th in touches inside the opposition penalty area.
That final statistic stands out the most. Portland has touched the ball just 282 times in the opposition penalty area all season. The lack of touches suggests the Timbers are either settling for long-range efforts or rushing shots immediately after entering the box. There is very little patience, composure, or structured buildup in the final third.
Portland’s expected goals total of 18.1 also suggests the club has overperformed offensively. In other words, the Timbers are already scoring more goals than the quality of their chances would normally produce. That is not exactly encouraging for the final 20 games of the season.
Is all lost for Portland in 2026? Not technically. But the Timbers are currently on pace for just 34 points. It would be the club’s lowest points total since 2012. Neville failed to get Portland into the playoffs in 2024, and last season the club backed its way into the postseason. Neville was in the final season of his contract. Honestly, there should be surprise amongst Timbers fans that the club didn’t just sit on its hands and say, “Oh, well. We’ll get them next year.” It’s good that the club is being proactive by sacking a coach who wasn’t capable of doing the job. Perhaps they read this column. Perhaps fans are reading this column and holding Grabavoy and company more responsible.
It took 47 points to reach the postseason last year. As things stand, Portland is nowhere near that pace. If the Timbers continue at their current rate, 2026 could produce another missed opportunity. With these players, this shouldn’t be the case.
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