The Portland Timbers won for the first time since week one in dramatic fashion, handing LAFC their first loss of 2026 with a shock 96th minute winner courtesy of Kevin Kelsy's first goal of the season. Kristoffer Velde opened the scoring in the first half, while LAFC drew affairs level via a wondergoal from 17-year-old wunderkind Jude Terry.
It looked like Portland's winless run was headed for six games until the very last kick – well, header – of the game. With Kelsy's dramatic winner, Porland handed LAFC their first loss of the season and picked themselves off of the mat.
Lineups & Prematch
At long last, Phil Neville's side was finally fully healthy – well, almost. The sole remaining starter on the unavailable list was Juan Mosquera, but besides him all of the oft-injured members of the Green & Gold were available. Most important among those were the attackers and midfielders.
Cole Basset made his first appearance for Portland since week two, lining up alongside Jose Caicedo, who was making his Providence Park debut, in the midfield. David Da Costa started behind the front line of Kristoffer Velde, Felipe Mora, and Antony. It was the first time all season that Portland's first-choice front six were all available, fully eliminating any kind of excuses that may have been present thus far.
On the other side, with a huge Concacaf Champions Cup match in Mexico set for next week, LAFC chose to heavily rotate their lineup. Stars Hugo Lloris and Son Heung-Min didn't make the trip to Portland, and multiple academy products started instead for the black & gold. That's not to say they were without quality: the always dangerous Denis Bouanga lurked alongside Portland's left side.
It was a cool and damp afternoon at Providence Park, but Phil Neville might not have known that – his seat was blazing hot going into the match. A putrid start to the season had put Portland second-bottom in the Western Conference, and based on the comments Timbers GM Ned Grabavoy made earlier in the week, the pressure was very much on the third-year Timbers head coach to deliver and start the desperately needed turnaround.
Recap & Highlights
The opening minutes were bright, as Portland sought to put the pressure on LAFC early. Multiple early attacks came down the Timbers' right side through Kristoffer Velde, with Cole Bassett and David Da Costa pushed high to support.
But LAFC have bullied two separate leagues this year with scintillating counterrattacking play, and that was also on display early doors. Portland would have to be ready to break up those counters all match – at least better than they did in the seventh minute, when a clumsy challenge from Jimer Fory on Ryan Hollingshead earned the Colombian left back an unfortunate early yellow card.
That early caution drew the attention of LAFC's chief offensive threat, Denis Bouanga. He would spin Fory like a top and nearly open the scoring not even 15 minutes into the match.
13' Chance LAFC – Bouanga
On a long ball launched over the top, Bouanga outraced Fory and caught him from behind, pouncing on a weak clearance into Portland's box. The LAFC attacker cut back and screwed Fory into the turf, letting a loose a shot that fizzed just wide of James Pantemis' far post.
If you needed an example of how LAFC could score in the game, it was that.
If you needed a hint 25 minutes in as to which side had rotated their lineup, it wasn't going to be from the stats. Despite Portland holding the edge in possession, LAFC held the edge in shots (4) and shots on target (2). Portland's total in those stats? Zero and zero.
The only action involving LAFC's goal up to that point was a rather unfortunate one that resulted in an early goalkeeper change for the away side.
A big collision in the box between Brandon Bye, LAFC defender Artem Smoliakov, and LAFC goalkeeper Thomas Hasal created a lengthy stoppage, and ultimately resulted in LA's medical team making the decision to sub off Hasal.
Exit, LAFC backup 'keeper Thomas Hasal. Enter, LAFC third-choice 'keeper Cabral Carter. The new 21-year-old dodgy 'keeper was thrust into his very first MLS minutes in very difficult circumstances.
Kristoffer Velde made sure that the young man got a true Providence Park welcome, just two minutes into his MLS career.
32' GOAL TIMBERS! – Velde (1-0)
Bassett did superbly well to collect a pass and shake past a defender flying in on him, and then hit a pass into the path of an onrushing Velde. The Norwegian carried the ball forward, and with the scrambling LAFC defense failing to put any pressure on him, he called his own number. Velde fired off a low and driven shot that snuck underneath Carter and into the bottom corner.
With their first shot of the game, Velde gave the Timbers the lead. The North End exploded in praise, as Velde raced up and briefly perched himself atop the victory log in celebration.
It was the first goal LAFC had conceded in MLS play all year, to boot.
The tally was also Velde's third goal in four games for Portland, the most productive stretch he has had this far in his Timbers tenure.
Ten minutes later, Portland had three separate chances to double their advantage – all somehow denied.
42' Chances POR – Bye, Bassett, Mora
Da Costa juked past his defender to fire off a cross to the far post. Bye produced a strong header, but it was met by an equally strong save from Carter, who pushed the ball high and back into the box. Bassett got the second bite of the apple, which was also parried away by Carter. Mora was then there and looked sure to poke it home, but again Carter somehow scrambled to gobble up the loose ball.
In the span of ten minutes, all of Providence Park got to witness why Cabral Carter was LAFC's third choice goalkeeper, and also why he might have a promising career with the black & gold.
They also got to witness what happens when you poke a bear that can be as fierce as LAFC. After conceding, the away side came out of their shell and attacked Portland in waves. Key saves from James Pantemis and key blocks from the backline warded away the chances, but it was still unnerving to see Portland get put on their heels and forced into a defensive shell so easily.
Nevertheless, after eight minutes of first half stoppage time Portland managed to achieve something they hadn't yet in 2026: a lead at halftime at Providence Park.
HALFTIME: Timbers 1, LAFC 0
An encouraging first half that was probably far too open against this rotated LAFC lineup ended with Portland justly having a one-goal advantage. Of course, the Timbers' challenge as of late hasn't been how they've started games – it's how they finished them.
All eyes turned towards perhaps the most pivotal second half of the season thus far.
And it started maybe as inauspiciously as it possibly could have.
49' Goal LAFC – Terry (1-1)
From the same team that brought you "concede a winner off a screamer from outside the box", may I present "concede an equalizer off a screamer from outside the box". LAFC's renewed intensity carried over into the second half, and a quick passing sequence around Portland's box resulted in 17-year-old Jude Terry receiving a ball at the top of Portland's box. The Homegrown midfielder curled an incredible effort up and over Pantemis and into the top corner for his first professional goal, leveling the score.
An encouraging start from Portland was undone – again. And they allowed a free shot from outside the box that resulted in a goal – again. Thus, the vibes immediately turned sour and anxious all around Providence Park – again.
63' Chance POR – Caicedo
The first chance the Timbers had to lift those vibes came just past the hour mark off a recycled corner kick. Velde's initial ball was cleared away, but the second effort floated in found Jose Caideo wide open and unmarked. The midfielder powered a header on frame – right into the waiting arms of Carter, who had positioned himself and reacted well.
The most disappointing part of the final quarter of the match was how ineffective Portland continued to look offensively. Facing a must-win game against a very beatable team, they just simply didn't show the urgency or quality to wrestle back the result. Possession was too ponderous, runs were too delayed, and nobody (outside of maybe Velde) looked willing to take the game by the scruff and win it.
If anything, Portland looked like they were destined to concede the backbreaker and drop from three points to zero for the second time in a row.
In the 87th minute, it sure looked like that was what happened.
87' Overturned Goal LAFC – Porteus
After Mark Delgado came within a fingertip of snatching the winner, Ryan Porteus looked like he had done it himself. A recycled cross after an LAFC corner kick saw Porteus thump home a wider open header at the far post after nobody in canary yellow was anywhere close to him.
But after a video review, VAR judged that Timothy Tillman was offside in the buildup, and so the goal was chalked off.
Was that objectively a good outcome for the Timbers? Yep. Did it make me feel in any way better at the time about this game and its seemingly inevitable outcome? Nope!
The Timbers still looked ineffective and out of ideas offensively, showing little to no signs that they were going to make this game anything other than
And here's where the words I wrote before the 96th minute end, because Kevin Kelsy made me delete everything else I had written.
90'+6 GOAL TIMBERS!! – Kelsy (2-1)
With the match seconds away from ending, Portland launched one last attack forward. Kristoffer Velde collected the ball and fired a cross to the back post, where Brandon Bye was set to meet it. Bye headed it back across the face of goal, where the freshly shaven and strong noggin of Kevin Kelsy was there to hammer it home.
Kelsy, who had entered the match just eight minutes prior, picked the absolute perfect time to score his first goal of the season. Because not only was it the winner, and not only did it cement the first defeat for the Supporter's Shield leaders, but it also gave Portland their first win since February and kept the hopes of the season alive.
KEVIN KELSEY AND PORTLAND IN THE FINAL SECONDS TO HAND LAFC ITS FIRST LOSS OF THE YEAR 🤯🤯🤯
— Soccerwise (@soccerwisehq.bsky.social) 2026-04-11T22:58:36.715Z
FULL TIME: Timbers 2, LAFC 1
Reader, you must believe me that I had a full diatribe all written and ready to go. I was writing what everyone must have been thinking: that this was just yet another miserable day for a team that is off to a miserable start. Good start spoiled, goal conceded from outside the box, vibes are awful, etc etc.
So you must also believe my sincere shock that I am in fact not writing any of that.
In a vacuum, this is an absolutely massive win for the Timbers. Knocking off the last unbeaten team in MLS is a nice feather in the cap, but most importantly it meant that Portland recorded a full three points for the first time since week one. To say that this was desperately needed was an understatement. There was a chance that without a win, Portland would have ended the day in dead last in the Western conference.
Instead, Portland is dragging themselves back into the pack, lifting the vibes in the process.
There are numerous questions around Portland's quality of play, particularly in the second half, and how sustainable their chances are in the murderer's row of opponents that will follow. But for one evening on one weekend, we can enjoy the sweet taste of something that Timbers fans haven't enjoyed for months: a victory. And that is absolutely a wonderful thing.
