Portland Timbers head coach Phil Neville believes there’s a new vitality amongst his gamers, having had loads of relaxation forward of their upcoming league conflict with St. Louis Metropolis.
The Timbers performed eight video games throughout Could in all competitions, however haven’t taken to the sphere since a 2-1 victory over 10-man Colorado Rapids on the finish of final month.
Neville’s workforce sit fifth within the Western Convention standings, having taken eight factors from their six league fixtures in Could, stage on factors with fourth-placed Seattle Sounders.
And forward of welcoming St. Louis to Windfall Park this weekend, Neville believes his gamers are raring to go upon their return to league motion.
“The ten-day break has allowed us to have a psychological refresh,” Neville mentioned. “We have now reset and there’s a completely different really feel for the gamers. Could was a troublesome month for us.
“We had lots of video games and lots of journey, and it takes quite a bit out of you. This little break, the squad has come again after a few days off and their eyes are open, they’re smiling once more and there’s a brand new vitality across the place.
“There’s one other push for us for the subsequent two video games to try to get some good outcomes towards a workforce who’ve a brand new supervisor. They themselves have had a win lately.
“They’ve a brand new vitality, a brand new really feel, a brand new system. It’s going to be a troublesome recreation, however it’s one we’re all trying ahead to.”
Suns out, work is pic.twitter.com/XOBF1jghzt
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) June 6, 2025
St. Louis, in the meantime, picked up their first league victory since March with a 2-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes final trip.
That they had gone 11 video games with no victory, a run of kind that noticed Olof Mellberg sacked, with David Critchley taking cost of the membership on an interim foundation.
Critchley acknowledged the challenges that face his gamers within the coming weeks, however he was assured that their newest victory is a strong basis for them to construct on.
“Perception is one phrase we’re going to have round right here,” mentioned Critchley. “I simply had a sense. I believed within the workforce, and I knew every part we talked about.
“We accepted nothing right this moment however three factors as a workforce. So, the mentality was tremendous, tremendous necessary for us. Sure, they equalised, gave us somewhat little bit of adversity. It’s OK.
“We’re altering issues round right here. We don’t sit again in these moments.
“We go and try to win a soccer recreation, and that’s what we carried out and that’s what was deserving of the three factors right this moment.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Portland Timbers – David da Costa
Da Costa and Antony every have eight assists this season, tied for essentially the most in MLS, stage with Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez.
Portland are the second workforce within the final 25 seasons to have a number of gamers with eight assists after 16 video games of a season (D.C. United – Mateusz Klich and Jared Stroud (eight every) in 2024.
Da Costa additionally completed with team-high totals for probabilities created (seven) and passes within the remaining third (34) within the Timbers’ victory over Colorado.
St. Louis Metropolis – Eduard Lowen
Lowen’s match-winning penalty within the second minute of second-half stoppage time towards San Jose was the most recent match-winner within the membership’s common season historical past.
St. Louis had not scored a successful purpose after the 86th minute previous to Lowen’s purpose on Saturday, and he will probably be hoping to supply one other telling contribution this time round.
MATCH PREDICTION: PORTLAND TIMBERS WIN
Regardless of the pre-match simulations favouring this weekend’s hosts, St. Louis have prevented defeat in each of their visits to Portland, successful, 2-1, in March 2023 and enjoying out a 4-4 draw at Windfall Park final season. Total, St. Louis have misplaced solely one in all 5 conferences with the Timbers in all competitions (W2 D2).
In addition they snapped their club-record 11-match regular-season winless run with a victory over San Jose on Saturday in interim supervisor Critchley’s first match. The earlier longest winless run in membership historical past, a nine-match run in 2024, resulted in interim John Hackworth’s first match in cost.
Portland are unbeaten in seven straight dwelling matches (W4 D3) after opening the season with a loss to Vancouver at Windfall Park. That loss to the Whitecaps is one in all solely two defeats for the Timbers of their final 20 regular-season dwelling matches (W12 D6).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Portland Timbers – 56.4%
Draw – 22.5%
St. Louis Metropolis – 21%