After securing the largest win in club history over the weekend, the Portland Timbers travel to Montreal on Wednesday looking to build on their offensive explosion and snap the hosting side’s home winning streak.
Portland (4-6-1, 13 points) dismantled Sporting Kansas City 6-0 on Saturday, setting a new franchise record for margin of victory. Kevin Kelsy starred with two goals and two assists, while Kristoffer Velde added a goal and an assist. The Timbers netted four times in the opening 26 minutes—the fastest four-goal start in the team’s MLS era.
“People have got to drop their egos and just keep pushing forward,” said Portland head coach Phil Neville. “Super proud of the performance, and I’ve told them I want a nine-point week and nothing more, nothing less than that. That means every single one of them in there has got to drop their egos.”
Kelsy and Velde lead the Timbers with four goals each through 11 matches. Wednesday marks the only meeting between the two sides this season and their first encounter since October 2023, when Montreal won 4-1 at home.
Montreal (4-7-0, 12 points) enters the contest aiming for a fourth straight home win in MLS regular-season play. The Eastern Conference side defeated Orlando City 2-0 on Saturday, with stoppage-time goals from Daniel Rios and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Rios opened his MLS account for the season with a penalty kick after a foul on Luca Petrasso in the area.
“I was staying in the present and thinking about what could happen and just tried to stay calm and keep my cool,” Rios said of his penalty.
Montreal’s attack is paced by forward Prince Owusu, who has recorded six goals and four assists this season.
