Orlando City-Portland Timbers Preview (5/24)

Both teams suffered midweek disappointments and are looking to bounce back in a big way.

After a rough night in San Jose on Tuesday, it’s time for East Coast trip number two. Their opponent is arguably the hottest team in MLS: Orlando City.

The Lions Report

In a league that can vary wildly from season to season, Orlando City stands as a beacon of consistency. I usually refer to them as the “steady Eddie” of MLS. They’re usually good enough to be a top-4 team in the Eastern Conference while still existing in a tier below the title contenders. It can be a frustrating spot to be in if you’re an Orlando fan, but this team has always been built to get results in the regular season.

2024’s Orlando team finished 4th in the East with 52 points. That earned them a first round matchup with defensively-oriented Charlotte FC. After winning Game 1 by a score of 2-0, the Lions lost on penalties in Game 2. This set up sudden-death Game 3, and Orlando was staring down the barrel of elimination before Facundo Torres’ late (90+12’) equalizer sent both teams to the penalty spot for the second time in a row. The Lions triumphed and booked a spot in the Conference Semis to face Atlanta (their real rivals), who just dispatched Shield-winning Miami (their fake rivals). A cagey 1-0 win delivered by Ramiro Enrique saw them break through to the Eastern Conference Final and a date with the New York Red Bulls. Andres Reyes powered the visitors to MLS Cup with New York’s only shot on target of the entire game. It just be like that sometimes. Either way, another promising Orlando season ended with another playoff crashout. There was only one question for the winter: how does this team find the extra bit of juice to succeed in the postseason?

Well, a roster overhaul was never on the cards. Aside from a couple run-of-the-mill declined options, Orlando’s offseason didn’t truly get started until December 20th. Sure, they acquired U22 winger Nicolas Rodriguez from Fortaleza prior to that date, but when news of Facundo Torres’ sale to Palmeiras reached social media the collective MLS world’s ears pricked up. For a club record fee of $14M, the Lions sold their talisman. Personally, I understood what Torres brought as a player, but I thought he was a bit overrated. I would’ve taken that offer too. With a DP-sized hole on the right wing, HNK Rijeka’s Marco Pasalic was signed to replace the former Uruguayan wonderkid. Five days after the Pasalic deal was finalized, the Lions brought in another key contributor. Eduard Atuesta spent last season on loan at LAFC from parent club Palmeiras, and Orlando jumped at the opportunity to sign the Colombian midfielder on a free. In theory, they got $14M and Atuesta from Palmeiras in exchange for Torres. That’s good business. Their winter window ended with a mutual contract termination for Nicolas Lodeiro and a first-team contract for SuperDraft pick Joran Gerbet.

Orlando’s (6-6-2, 24 points, 5E/8S) season began with a 1-0-2 record and 7 goals. They have been undefeated in MLS play since a 2-1 loss at Yankee Stadium on March 8th. This 11-match unbeaten streak (the longest active unbeaten run in the league) has featured 4 0-0 draws but plenty more goalscoring. Those draws, by the way, occurred when Atuesta was out of the team. Orlando’s midfield depth took quite a hit when Wilder Cartagena tore his ACL prior to the season opener. But Atuesta and Gerbet have stepped in admirably alongside holdover Cesar Araujo. The main story has been the DPs: Pasalic, Martin Ojeda, and Luis Muriel.

The Croatian has been an underrated signing and is second on the team with 6 goals. Ojeda (who I wanted on the Timbers at one point) played on the right wing at former club Godoy Cruz, so I thought it was odd when Orlando signed him while having Torres already on the roster. After an underwhelming debut season in 2023, he took off in 2024 as he solidified his spot as the team’s number 10. The 26-year-old has 8g/4a in 1,068 minutes and is firmly in the MVP conversation. Former Atalanta striker Muriel had a rough debut last year, and was signed to replace the outgoing Duncan McGuire. Famously, McGuire’s January 2024 move to Blackburn fell apart on deadline day, so the Lions had to figure out what their plan was for the striker position with Muriel, McGuire, and Ramiro Enrique all on the roster. Enrique won the starting striker job over the course of the season, but Muriel has taken it back in 2025. The Colombian has 6g/2a in 1,035 minutes. Orlando’s 3 DPs are giving 2024’s excellent LA Galaxy and Portland units a run for their money.

In addition to a strong attack powered by 3 in-form DPs, the Lions’ trademark defense has remained strong after a shaky start. Pedro Gallese was the poster boy for that rough beginning, but has rebounded back into his usual top-5 goalkeeper form over the last couple months. An underrated center back room and the emergence of academy prospect Alex Freeman have helped Orlando lock down both ends of the pitch, and give them plenty of reason to believe that this unbeaten run could carry them deep into the playoffs. Maybe even a trophy! (Not MLS is Back though, you can only win that once.)

However, that unbeaten streak only applies to MLS fixtures. Prior to Wednesday’s Open Cup match against Nashville, it stood at 12 games across all competitions. Head coach Oscar Pareja rolled out a strong team against the Coyotes, but lost 3-2 at home. The Lions won the Open Cup in 2022. Nashville rotated heavily for this game and still came out on top. So how will Pareja’s team line up for tomorrow’s game?

ORL Injury Report & Projected Starting XI

Atuesta hasn’t played since April 26th, so his “questionable” tag is a victory for Orlando. It is also worth noting that the Lions have a midweek trip to Atlanta following tomorrow’s game.

I can’t predict a ton of rotation, but my best guess is Kyle Smith entering the midfield for the draft pick Gerbet. The other possibility is a Duncan McGuire start up top in place of Muriel. However, when your first-choice squad is in form, you don’t really want to tinker with it that much. Especially when there was no additional travel midweek.

The Timbers Report

After trying their best but not succeeding in San Jose, the Portland Timbers (6-5-3, 23 points, 4W/9S) have been dealt a deadly wombo combo. This trip to Orlando is the longest one of the season by distance, and they’re doing it on short rest after playing 120 minutes on Tuesday. That’s Brutal with a capital B.

Call-ups

Finn Surman and Maxime Crepeau have been called up to their respective national teams (New Zealand and Canada) for another manufactured international tournament in early June. Both players will be in action on June 7th and June 10th, so they will miss Portland’s June 8th game against St. Louis at Providence Park. I’ve already spoken before about how much this league hates all the teams that play in it, so it doesn’t surprise me at all that they can’t stop playing through international windows.

Some Stats!

If you haven’t noticed by now, individual stats are not my favorite thing to write about. But it’s been a while, and I’d like to check in on the team leaders for key stats.

Felipe Mora still leads the team with 5 goals, but three players (Moreno, Antony, and Kelsy) are right behind him with 4. Seven different players have scored a goal for the Timbers in 2025. David Da Costa and Antony are tied for the team’s assist lead with 4. Jimer Fory still leads the team in yellow cards with 6. Kamal Miller, Antony, and David Ayala each have 3. How do some of these stats compare to the rest of the league?

Da Costa and Antony are tied for the second-most assists in MLS (no, I’m not using secondary assists). 69.2% of Mora’s shots are on target, which is 3rd-highest in the league. Kevin Kelsy is tied with Philadelphia’s Tai Baribo with 0.4 goals per shot (1st). Da Costa ranks 3rd with 8 completed through balls. Portuguese Dave’s 4.0 expected assists ranks in the top 10. David Ayala has won 23 tackles (8th). Finn Surman leads the league in clearances (101). Antony and Moreno each rank in the top 10 for successful dribbles (32 and 25, respectively). Da Costa’s carrying stats are pretty cool. In terms of raw progressive carrying distance, Portuguese Dave ranks 4th. He’s only 3 progressive carries behind Denis Bouanga for the top spot in the league. Fory’s 6 yellow cards are no longer the most in the league, but he’s one behind Houston’s Franco Escobar for the top spot. James Pantemis has the second-highest save percentage (79.1%) with only Aljaz Ivacic ahead of him.

That’s a lot of numbers, and all of them match the eye test. As the Timbers prepare to face Orlando, the team selection will be heavily dependent on Portland’s injury report.

PTFC Injury Report & Projected Starting XI

During Friday’s press conference, Neville singled out Chara, McGraw, and Pantemis as the only players who didn’t travel. Rodriguez is questionable, but Kevin Kelsy is back.

Despite the 120 minutes in San Jose, the Timbers can still roll out a pretty strong team in Florida. My logic behind the Zuparic-Surman center back pairing is simple: Kamal Miller has played the most minutes in this heavy May run of games. He needs a rest. Mosquera and Fory should return to their starting roles at fullback. Ayala and Paredes didn’t see any minutes midweek, so they should be the first names on the teamsheet for Neville’s midfield. The attacking midfielders pick themselves, and I think another Kelsy start is on the cards due to Neville’s preference for the young Venezuelan during road games.

Tactical Preview

Freeman vs. Fory (The Thrilla at Exploria)

Most casual fans will be tuning in for a battle between two good attacking units, but I’m exclusively here for the heavyweight battle that will occur on Portland’s left flank. Alex Freeman has emerged as a Best XI-caliber right back at only 20 years old. The American has been named to the Gold Cup preliminary roster. He stands at 6’2” tall. The player opposite him, Jimer Fory (also 6’2”), will have his hands full with the marauding American. It’s a fullback duel of the highest order: two giants battling it out on Portland’s left flank. Fory prefers to stay back while Freeman is very active in the final third. There will be tackles, challenges, and possibly bookings. I can’t wait.

The Will to (Counter) Attack

Portland’s strong road form has been characterized by the team’s attacking battalion bombing forward on the counter. Since the 4-1 defeat at San Jose earlier this month, the impetus has gone from that unit and the Timbers are suffering. A combination of sloppy passing, poor decision-making, and off-target shooting has caused the goals to dry up. Despite that, the team is still getting results due to the defense. Both Portland and Orlando are good on the counter, but the Timbers will need to have extra mentality in their suitcases in order to triumph in the Sunshine State.

Matchday Info

Announcer Analytics

English: Tony Husband & Ross Smith

Spanish: Alejandro Figueredo & Tony Cherchi

Home Radio Broadcast from 750 The Game: available on the radio

Broadcast platform: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

Kickoff time: 4:30 PM PST

Referee Report

Jair Marrufo’s 2025 stats: 7 games, 21.14 fouls/game, 0.43 penalties/game, 2.71 yellows/game, 0.14 reds/game

Last Timbers game officiated: March 23, 2025 3-0 W @COL

Series History

Historical record: 2-2-3, -2 goal differential

Record at Exploria Stadium: 0-0-2, -4 goal differential

Current streak vs. ORL: 3 unbeaten

Current streak @ORL: 2 losses

MLS is Back Trophy Count: Portland 1, Orlando 0

Table Time

If you asked the 2024 Timbers to weather a similar stretch with the goals drying up, they wouldn’t be able to hang on to a top-4 spot in the Western Conference. It’s a credit to the team that they’re able to do so. But they have the toughest opponent out of all Western Conference teams in the top 8. Continuing to keep their grip on a top-4 spot is going to be very hard this weekend. But this league is weird, so anything can happen.

Final Whistle

The Timbers’ last trip to Orlando was on April 8th, 2018. After taking a 2-0 lead by the hour mark (courtesy of a Diego Valeri penalty and a Bill Tuiloma header) they melted in the final 10 minutes by allowing 3 goals in quick succession. It was one of the most frustrating Timbers games I have ever watched.

The 2025 Timbers have a penchant to let goals change games more than the average team would. Any scoring event by either team usually leads to the Timbers inviting pressure and getting punished from it. Although only two players on the roster (Diego Chara and Cristhian Paredes) were present for that horrendous 2018 collapse, it’s a game that the 2025 edition needs to learn from.

Any positive result (win or draw) should be the goal considering the circumstances. Seeing a bounce-back from the Timbers on short rest isn’t expected. But a win would see them break last year’s mark of 3 road victories. Given the short rest, long trip, and quality of the opponent, I’d call this Portland’s most difficult game of the season so far. Let’s see how they handle it. The climb continues.