Portland Timbers
- Phil Neville’s Timbers squad was erratic through 2025 and ended in eighth spot in the Western Conference.
- The Portland team finished with 44 points and were eliminated by San Diego FC in the playoffs after a 4-0 loss to the West Coast club.
- A mixed set of results in their final five competitive games doesn’t seem to tell the whole story as the Timbers beat Real Salt Lake 3-1 and won a playoff game against the same club in a penalty shootout before being thumped twice by San Diego.
- Antony is the most consistent attacking threat, but Kristoffer Velde had a breakthrough season in 2025 and could be the dynamic spark for this team this season.
Columbus Crew
- Columbus Crew finished seventh in the Eastern Conference (54pts) and Portland 8th in the West (44pts).
- Felipe Mora and Kevin Kelsy add veteran experience up front, but James Pantemis will be the No.1 keeper after the departure of Maxime Crépeau.
- Columbus Crew have had a full preseason to get used to new head coach Henrik Rydström, who won titles in Sweden and has a reputation for playing high-tempo, high-possession football.
- Rydström’s three-center-back system is not the most defensive, but the three-man centre-back line should provide plenty of cover with wingbacks offering width.
- Diego Rossi will be the Crew’s main man up front after scoring 16 and assisting four in 2025, while Jacen Russell-Rowe adds a bit of firepower and versatility.
Head-to-Head
- Portland won 7, drew 4 and lost only 3 of the 14 MLS matches between these clubs.
- The last two MLS meetings between these two sides ended 2-2 (April 2024) and 3-2 to Portland (July 2023).
Key Players
- Antony is the most consistent attacking threat, but Kristoffer Velde had a breakthrough season in 2025 and could be the dynamic spark for this team this season.
- Felipe Mora and Kevin Kelsy add veteran experience up front, but James Pantemis will be the No.1 keeper after the departure of Maxime Crépeau.
- Diego Rossi will be the Crew’s main man up front after scoring 16 and assisting four in 2025, while Jacen Russell-Rowe adds a bit of firepower and versatility.
Betting Insights
- It’s very hard to get a feel for the odds in this one with Columbus coming in at 2.28, Portland at 2.95 and the tie at 3.45.
- With 43-24 goals for in the series, we’ll take Over 2.5 goals at 1.67 for this one as it is not only a matchup of contrasting styles, but two teams that could score some goals if all goes right.
Prediction
A 1-1 tie looks the most likely result, but if Rossi gets some space early on Columbus could nick a win, while if Neville’s pressure gets the Timbers going then they should snag the win at Providence Park.
