The Portland Timbers fell to their third straight loss on Saturday night, suffering a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the San Jose Earthquakes in the Bay Area. A first half brace from Preston Judd and a goal from Eduard Lowen ensured that all of the damage was done before the game was even a half hour done, and Portland had no response after going down early once again. All they had to their name was a late David Da Costa consolation goal, assisted by academy graduate Eric Izoita.
Prematch & Lineups
Hamstrung by yet again unavailabilities along his backline, Marti Cifuentes opted for "Miller Time" in central defense. Eric & Kamal Miller got the start in favor of the injured Finn Surman and suspended Joel Waterman. Otherwise, it was as you were elsewhere, with Diego Chara backing David Da Costa and Cole Bassett in the midfield, and Vincent Janssen reclaiming his starting spot up top.
The team sheet was significant for Portland, as it marked the first time that they have had three academy graduates make an MLS matchday squad. Homegrown players Hunter Sulte, Sawyer Jura, and the newly signed Eric Izoita all were available, representing a not insignificant milestone in the club's pipeline of youth development.
Recap & Highlights
Despite the two lossess, the Portland Timbers actually started their last two matches decently well. As the match kicked off in San Jose, it seemed like they may have been able to put their penchant of slow starts behind them and finally– oh my god the Earthquakes just scored.
4' Goal San Jose – Judd (1-0)
The Timbers killer who tallied a brace at Providence Park back in May hurt Portland once again. He took advantage of a disconnected and discombobulated Timbers backline, as Eduard Lowen lofted a cross towards the backpost. Judd had Ronald Hernandez spun the wrong way, and he lofted a looping header past a frozen James Pantemis and into the back of the net.
Yep, it was another slow start for the Timbers on the road. Yep, it was another all-too-easy concession to gift their opponent the lead. And yep, it meant that for the umpteenth time Portland had to attempt to come from behind to win a result.
The Timbers unfortunately looked all out of sorts to start this attempt, as just minutes after the concession they nearly gifted San Jose another, after Ariel Lassiter committed a giveaway in the defensive third. Jimer Fory blocked the subsequent shot, and Lowen missed on his header from the ensuing corner kick.
Portland then found their first signs of life after that.
11' & 13' Shots POR – Lassiter & Janssen
Ariel Lassiter recorded Portland's first shot of the night in the 11th minute when he fired a low shot from distance that was easily collected by Earl Edwards Jr. Janssen then imposed his will in the box, muscling off a defender and turning to get off a shot in the box, but Janssen was equal to it yet again.
You'd be forgiven for starting to get a bit of hope from then on. Later in the half, a Da Costa cross looked destined for Lassiter and the back of the net, only to be just dealt with by the 'Quakes defense. Kristoffer Velde nearly assisted Da Costa with a nifty backheel, but the San Jose 'keeper smothered it once more.
None of the chances were golden, but they were starting to pile up. It kind of felt like a matter of time until Portland would be able to find– oh my god the Earthquakes just scored again.
24' Goal San Jose – Lowen (2-0)
San Jose's newest DP acquisition announced himself by roofing a shot from a tight angle after a nice feed from Beau LeRoux. Portland's backline was pushed too high, and Eric Miller wasn't quite quick enough to slide in and block Lowen's shot. And so, after about 10 minutes of mildly encouraging play, the Timbers found themselves in a two-goal hole.
It would get worse five minutes later.
29' Goal San Jose – Judd (3-0)
Just a cavalcade of breakdowns from Portland led to another all-too-easy goal for Judd. Defensive rotations on Portland's left side from Fory and Kamal Miller were too slow, leading to an open crossing opportunity. Hernandez was pulled out of position by a decoy run, leaving Judd to make just a little move off of E. Miller to create enough space for him to volley home the 'Quakes third goal. Just as he recorded back in May, Judd had found his brace once again.
From this point, Portland looked shellshocked and demoralized. They weren't able to break San Jose' press, and any kind of fluidity and rhythm completely evaporated from their offense. Da Costa was routinely left on an island without good options to play into the box, and nobody else from Portland's midfield offering any solutions.
Halftime mercifully came before the Timbers were able to concede another goal (although they tried their damndest too!).
HALFTIME: Earthquakes 3, Timbers 0
The halftime stats painted a bleak picture for the Timbers, on both sides of the ball:
I still can't decide what was worse. Conceding three goals on just four shots on target and less than one expected goal, or trailing for over 40 minutes and recording just four shots on target and 0.4 xG. It was clear that whatever the Timbers were trying, it simply was not working.
The second half got underway, and dear reader, it continued to be just as bleak.
While the Timbers, somewhat incredulously, did not concede another goal, they did not show the kind of defensive solidarity and determination to ensure that San Jose didn't get a chance to score. It was only through missed shots, some timely last-ditch interventions, and I suppose some measure of intervention by the soccer gods that the hosts didn't find the back of the net again.
Going the other way, things did not improve much at all for the Timbers. The disconnect between the lines in the first half persisted, and it never felt like Portland was close to clawing their way back into the game. Nobody seemed like they were willing to, to quote a previous Timbers gaffer, "take the game by the scruff of the neck" and make something happen.
67' Substitutions POR – Eric Izoita, Ian Smith, Antony ON // Bassett, Fory, Lassiter OFF
Cifuentes did what he could to try to inject some life into his side, making a triple sub midway through the second half. While the collective offensive push did not materialize, there was a bit of a spark of life from the young Eric Izoita, who finally brought some grit and fight to the pitch for Portland.
Exemplifying a true two-way presence, Izoita did his best to try to haul his side back into the match. He was tracking back and breaking up attacks, while also finally providing some connective tissue to the offense. Perhaps it was the game state, or perhaps it was due to youthful exuberance, but from the moment he stepped on the pitch to the final whistle Izoita was Portland's best player.
But alas, his efforts would only amount to a late consolation goal for Portland.
It was a banger, though.
86' Goal Timbers! – Da Costa (3-1)
A nice little passing combination for the Timbers in the final third saw Izoita sprung into the box, who squared the ball to Da Costa. The attacking midfielder collected the ball and smashed it past Edwards into the net, clawing a goal back for Portland.
Antony came close to making things interesting a few minutes later, but a good save from Edwards snuffed out the embers of a comeback chance for the green & gold.
The final whistle blew shortly after, and the result that felt academic after just a half hour was finalized.
FULL TIME: Earthquakes 3, Timbers 1
With the loss combined with results elsewhere in MLS, Portland fell below the playoff line for the first time since the restart of league play in July. The loss was also the third straight for the Timbers, an ignominious mark only matched by a stretch back in March when Portland lost their second, third, and fourth MLS game in 2026.
Just as worryingly, Portland's goalscoring form has gone absolutely ice cold. The Timbers have scored just two goals in their past three games, which includes them being shutout at home. If you exclude the goalsplosion against Minnesota – an outlier when you consdier that the Loons have conceded 17 goals over their past five matches – the Timbers are averaging just one goal a game since mid August.
That lack of scoring, combined with the already bad and getting worse by the game Portland defense, spells out a bleak forecast for the Timbers' postseason hopes. With just seven games remaining, Marti Cifuentes and Portland need to see improvement fast, otherwise this team will be done playing soccer before Veteran's Day.
