Toronto FC vs. Portland Timbers: What you need to know
Mired in a four-game winless skid, TFC will try to stop the rot when they host the Timbers on Saturday in an inter-conference battle.
Toronto FC showed some resilience in a come-from-behind draw against the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday.
Moral victories are nice, but TFC could use the genuine kind as they look to climb the ladder in the Eastern Conference. Winless in four matches (three losses), the Reds desperately need victories to get back into the playoff race. Otherwise, they run the risk of extending their post-season drought.
On the milestone front, defender Kevin Long is on the verge of making his 50th appearance for TFC across all competitions.
Here’s what you need to know about Saturday's game between Toronto and the Portland Timbers at BMO Field (7:30 p.m. ET/Apple TV).
John Molinaro
Toronto FC have a major mountain to climb
While a midweek 1-1 draw vs. the Red Bulls saw Toronto show some resilience, the final result did little to help Robin Fraser's side.
TFC (3-10-5, 14 points) remained stuck in 14th place in the Eastern Conference (out of 15 teams), five spots and 11 points behind Charlotte FC who hold down the ninth and final playoff berth.
With just 16 matches remaining on the schedule, time is not on Toronto's side, as it runs the risk of missing the playoffs for a fifth straight year if it doesn't start putting together some wins. The Reds can't put this off anymore – they need points, and they need them now.
It's an urgent situation for TFC, something that the players fully understand, according to Fraser.
"It's something we talk about consistently. [What] it comes down to [is] does it resonate? And I certainly think it's starting to. Because I think in the early part of the season, you can think, ‘all right, that wasn't good enough.’ But we continue to work at this, continue to work at that," Fraser said after Friday's practice.
“And now we have to actually talk about results, as opposed to just improving or just doing the things that we need to do. We need to talk about results. And that's where we are right now.”
John Molinaro
Robin Fraser wants Reds to play with urgency, tempo
Wednesday's match vs. New York was a tale of two halves from TFC: slow and plodding in the first 45 minutes vs. lively and engaged after the halftime break.
Robin Fraser admitted he felt his team looked terrible in the first half, and while he liked the response in the second half, he stressed that the Reds can no longer afford to be passive and have to be aggressive right from the opening kickoff.
It was a message he doubled down on when speaking to reporters on Friday.
"It doesn't matter how much we talk; it doesn't matter how much we say we're ready; it's gotta be evident when the whistle blows on Saturday or not. And that's really the sort of pressure that we have to feel because time is running out, and we can't afford to waste opportunities," Fraser said.
"It's a game at home against a very good opponent, but because it's at home, we need to feel that urgency we have. We have to play a certain way. We have to play with a certain tempo. And certainly, one of the things is we need to show people here that we are playing with that sort of urgency, because we do know where we are."
John Molinaro
Injury report: Henry Wingo out for a couple of months
Coach Robin Fraser revealed on Friday that veteran defender Henry Wingo (lower body) is expected to be out for "a couple of months." Wingo played in six league games (five starts) this season totalling 280 minutes, with his last appearance coming on May 28 vs. the Philadelphia Union.
Captain Jonathan Osorio will miss his second straight match this weekend due to a lower-body injury. Fraser said there's no timeline as to when he might return, but added, "I think it's going to be shorter than we'd originally thought." Osorio was injured while he was away with Canada at the Concacaf Gold Cup.
Defender Zane Monlouis picked up a hip/groin injury in the draw vs. New York. Fraser called it a "long-term injury." Winger Federico Bernardeschi and midfielder Markus Cimermancic (both lower body), and fullback Kobe Franklin (ankle) will also likely miss Saturday's match. Cimermancic and Franklin trained with the team on Friday. Fraser described the injury to Bernardeschi, who was absent from Friday's practice, as "lingering."
"With regards to injuries, if we didn't have bad luck we'd have no luck, it seems like," Fraser said.
He later added: "It does feel like a MASH unit at times. We've had incredibly bad luck. Injuries are part of the game, and it happens. But when you get this number of injuries and different types and different severities and different durations, it does feel odd."
Richie Laryea (Canada) and Deybi Flores (Honduras) remain unavailable as they are away at the Gold Cup. Defender Nicksoen Gomis is expected to miss the rest of the season after having surgery to repair his left Achilles tendon last month.
John Molinaro
A quick look at the Portland Timbers
Portland (8-4-6) sits fourth in the Western Conference and is unbeaten in its last three games, including a 1-1 home draw vs. the San Jose Earthquakes on June 13 in its previous outing.
Brazilian forward Antony leads the team in scoring with six goals this season, but the Timbers revealed this week he is expected to miss six to eight weeks following a hamstring injury sustained vs. San Jose. Uruguayan forward and DP Jonathan Rodríguez is also sidelined with an injury and expected to be out for the remainder of the campaign.
In their absence, the Timbers will look towards Felipe Mora and Kevin Kelsy (five goals each) to pick up the slack, and for David Da Costa to continue serving as the club's chief playmaker. The Portuguese midfielder leads the team with eight assists in MLS. Canadian goalkeeper James Pantemis has started 11 of the teams 18 games and had three clean sheets to his credit.
Portland is missing Canadian internationals Maxime Crépeau and Kamal Miller who are away at the Gold Cup.
"They've always been an extremely athletic team. They have very good individual players who are able to make things happen on their own. But collectively they have a very aggressive mindset when they go forward. They're a difficult team to deal with because of that," Robin Fraser said.
RELATED READING: News | Features | Match reports | Newsletter | Opinion | Q&As | Roster moves | TFC 2 | Audio | Videos
What happened last time between Toronto and Portland
Saturday is the first meeting between the teams since Toronto earned a 3-1 home win on Aug. 13, 2022. Lorenzo Insigne put in a man-of-the match effort and scored the decisive goal, while Jonathan Osorio and Federico Bernardeschi also scored for Toronto.
Insigne lived up to his nickname ‘Il Magnifico’ (The Magnificent), terrorizing Portland with his fleet-footed movement with the ball at his feet and forcing goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic to make several important saves. Former TFC coach Bob Bradley heralded the contributions of the Italian DPs on the night.
“These guys bring some special qualities and then you put that into the middle of some of the other things that we try to do as a team. I thought Lorenzo, his goal was special, and then [Federico] finishes the game,” Bradley said.
Toronto leads the all-time MLS regular season series against Portland with five wins and two draws in 11 games. TFC have a 5-1-1 home record vs. the Timbers.
This weekend is the only meeting of the regular season between the clubs.
What's next for Toronto FC
TFC returns to action when they visit New York City FC on Thursday, July 3 (7:30 p.m. ET/Apple TV).
(Top photo by Lucas Kschischang/Toronto FC)
TFC Republic has a comments section! At the very bottom of every story, there is a feature where you can post your comments, so be sure to share your thoughts and views.
TFC Republic subscribers can get up to a 20% discount on ticket prices for Toronto FC home games during the 2025 MLS regular season and the Canadian Championship.
To receive the special promo code, email me at jmo1897@gmail.com
(Please don't share promo code with non-TFC Republic subscribers).
