The Portland Timbers survived. On a tense night at Providence Park, the team clawed back a stoppage-time equalizer, pushed the match to penalties, and kept their MLS Cup playoff series against San Diego FC alive. Rookie Gage Guerra came off the bench to tie the game 2–2 in the 98th minute, and Antony converted the final kick in the shootout to seal a 3–2 victory. The result forced a Game 3, set for Sunday, November 9, at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.
Timbers respond under pressure
Portland had to win to stay alive in the playoffs and came out strong in front of their home crowd. In the 18th minute, Kristoffer Velde scored for the second straight postseason match. The play began with goalkeeper James Pantemis sending a long ball to Antony. The forward controlled it and laid it off to Velde, who fired a shot into the bottom right corner. San Diego answered before halftime. In the 57th minute of stoppage time, Ahmal Pellegrino received the ball near the top of the box and struck with his right foot to level the score.
Early in the second half, the visitors turned the game around. In the 51st minute, Hirving Lozano pounced on a rebound and tapped it into the net. Backed by a packed stadium, Portland kept pushing. The team held possession and tried to attack down the flanks. As the game neared its end, Ariel Lassiter sent in a cross from the left, and Gage Guerra rose above the defense to head the ball into the top right corner, tying the match 2–2 in the 98th minute.
Victory decided on penalties
With the draw, the spot in the next round came down to penalties. Both teams traded makes and misses in a balanced shootout. In the end, Antony stepped up for the decisive kick and buried it to secure a 3–2 win. The players and fans celebrated the result, which kept Portland’s season alive.
The Timbers now head back to San Diego, where they lost Game 1 of the series 2–1 on October 26, after playing the final 24 minutes a man down. Their playoff record remains balanced, with 12 wins, 8 losses, and 8 draws. The team travels confident, fully aware they’ll once again face a strong, well-rounded opponent.
Phil Neville’s message
Head coach Phil Neville praised the atmosphere at Providence Park and the performance of both teams. “What impressed me most about both sides was the passion,” he said. “The game was always on edge. That’s elite-level soccer. That’s where we need to be, and I’m proud of the lads.”
Neville also called the matchup the most entertaining of the first playoff round and underlined his team’s mindset for the decisive match. “We played without fear, and that’s exactly what we’ll do next week in San Diego,” he said.
The coach acknowledged San Diego’s status as favorite, returning home with a full squad and Lozano in good form, but made it clear Portland intends to bring the same intensity shown at home.
The series is tied, and the winner of Game 3, whether in regulation or on penalties, will advance to the Western Conference semifinals.