The Portland Timbers return home to Providence Park to kick off their 2026 Leagues Cup campaign against Mexican giants Club Puebla. With new manager Marti Cifuentes yet to arrive in the Rose City, Interim Head Coach Jack Cassidy looks to continue the momentum he has built since taking charge of first-team affairs.
Opponent Preview: Club Puebla
Club Puebla is located in the city of Puebla, Mexico, which is located just under 3 hours southeast of Mexico City. La Franja, as the club is affectionately known, was founded in 1944 and plays its home matches at the Estadio Cuauhtemoc, which has a capacity of 51,726. Gerardo Espinoza currently manages the club. In the 2024-2025 season, Puebla struggled heavily in Liga MX play and did not advance from the group stage in the 2025 edition of the Leagues Cup.
Head to Head
Portland Timbers:
Last 5 games: 3W-1D-1L
Leading Scorer: Kevin Kelsy (9)
Assist Leader: David Da Costa (7)
Club Puebla:
Last 5 Games: 1W-1D-3L
Leading Scorer: Fernando Monarrez (1) (Apertura just started)
Assist Leader: Alberto Herrera (2)
Things to Watch
Expect the Timbers 11 to be pretty heavily rotated tonight. Jimer Fory is suspended due to a red card received in last year's Leagues Cup; James Pantemis picked up a knock against Seattle (thank Paul Rothrock for that 😞); Juan David Mosquera is out 8-10 months, Alexander Aravena is out 8 weeks, and Vincent Janssen still hasn't received his visa yet.
In a press conference given earlier this week, Jack Cassidy said, "I've picked Thursday's team to win the match and with Sunday in mind." With that being said, I think that this is what tonight's Timbers eleven will look like. Trey Muse has been a member of the Timbers since the 2024 season and looks to make his debut for the club tonight.
The Boring Stuff
Kickoff: 7:30 PM Pacific
TV Network: Apple TV
English Talent: Blake Price, Paul Dolan
Spanish Talent: Carlos Ramirez, Max Cordaro
Referees: Victor Rivas (REF), Logan Brown (AR1), Jose Da Silva (AR2), Steven Josue Madrigal Fallas (4th), Jesus Alberto Montero (VAR), Yasith Monge(AVAR)
Looking Ahead
According to Tyson Alger of the I-5 Corridor, the Jack Cassidy era of the Portland Timbers is coming to a close on Sunday. New Timbers Head Coach Marti Cifuentes has arrived in the Rose City and has received his visa and will take charge of the Timbers for the first time on Thursday, August 13th, as the Timbers face Club Tijuana in the group stage match of Leagues Cup.
Some news:
— Tyson Alger (@tysonalger) August 6, 2026
The Jack Cassidy era of the Portland Timbers officially has an end date.
Marti is here. https://t.co/ALVJ5PncVy
With tonight and Sunday being the first opportunities for Cifuentes to see his new side in the flesh, the momentum must certainly continue for Jack Cassidy, as he looks to set the new boss up for success.
How will tonight's smoky showdown in Portland go? Only time will tell. Talk about it in the comments below.
