Want to catch up on all PTFC news? We've got you covered.
The Rose City submits bid to host 2031 Women’s World Cup at Providence Park
On Friday, Adam Crafton of the Athletic reported that the city of Portland has submitted paperwork to U.S. Soccer in hopes of securing a host-city bid for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
27 cities including the Rose City have submitted bids.
Although Providence Park has hosted Women’s World Cup matches in 1999 and 2003, there is much work to do for this edition including: seating capacity, grass, and many final approvals.
Group stage matches require at least 20,000 capacity, but semifinals must reach 40,000 capacity at a minimum.
Also, the stadium would also need to switch to grass pitches for the tournament...
Could the city find a way to host matches for their third time in its history?
History for Timbers2
Led by head coach Jack Cassidy, Portland Timbers2 continued their historic season with its first-ever MLS NEXT Pro playoff win in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.
In front of a club-record crowd of 7,882, goals from Max Kissel and Noah Santos as well as a clean sheet from the backline and goalkeeper Sam Joseph for a 2-0 shutout win over St. Louis CITY2.
Timbers2 have now extended their unbeaten streak to a 13th straight match (7-0-6) across all competitions.
What's next? The semifinals.
Julie Dufour is Back
It was announced yesterday that Portland Thorns forward Julie Dufour was activated off the season-ending injury list and available for selection at Bay FC.
Dufour returns from injury after nearly 13 months.
PTFC receive even more attacking reinforcements with three matches left in the NWSL regular season.
Want to hear from her? I'll have that interview out next week.
NEWS | Portland Thorns forward Julie Dufour is BACK #BAONPDX She has been activated off the SEI list and available for selection at Bay FC. After being acquired via trade from Angel City FC in Aug 2025, Dufour made an immediate impact - 2 goals/5 games. Now returns after 12+ months from injury.
— Phuoc Nguyen (Fook Win) ✍️ (@phuocerman.bsky.social) 2026-10-16T23:00:01.781Z
The Marti Cifuentes stat sheet
As mentioned by Cascadia FC's Jeremy Peterman, the PTFC head coach has been handing out stat sheets to reporters at trainings.
Want to see his key takeaways from it? He discusses that here.
What are your thoughts on this?
Marti Cifuentes handed out another stat sheet to reporters at the training ground this morning. The takeaways were pretty interesting. #RCTID https://t.co/WBGt7TGzi2 pic.twitter.com/1Yqv1rkySJ
— Jeremy Peterman𓅪 (@SportsGuyJeremy) October 16, 2026
Reyna Reyes selected to NWSL Skills Challenge
On Thursday, the NWSL announced 14 participants (two teams) for the Skills Challenge that will take place during the Championship weekend.
The Portland Thorns representative? Defender Reyna Reyes.
The events include: Gauntlet, Breakaway Circuit, and Precision Point.
If you are unable to see it live, you'll have to wait for the national broadcast on the CBS Television Network and streamed on Paramount+ on Saturday, November 28, at 2 p.m. ET.
The winning team will be awarded a $35,000 prize courtesy of CarMax to be split among that team's players.
Prematch media availability with Robert Vilahamn
Portland Thorns head coach Robert Vilahamn spoke to me ahead of the road match at Bay FC.
He discussed the return of Julie Dufour, the suspension of Sophia Wilson, who could potentially fill in at the nine role, the importance of Pietra Tordin, the pressures on being head coach in the Rose City, the inconsistencies as of late, and what needs to be cleaned up late in the season.
