Cifuentes sees room for Portland to grow after breakthrough win

Marti Cifuentes has backed the quality in his Portland Timbers squad after securing his first MLS victory as head coach in a 3-1 win over San Diego FC.

Kristoffer Velde, Ariel Lassiter and David da Costa were on target as Portland responded to Cifuentes’ opening league defeat against the Chicago Fire. The former Leicester City boss was appointed as Phil Neville’s replacement and had spent his first matches assessing the team before the performance against San Diego delivered the desired result.

“We have to be proud of what the guys delivered,” Cifuentes said. “The players showed a lot of mental strength.”

The Timbers have now won four of their last six MLS matches and sit ninth in the Western Conference. Cifuentes believes the squad already possesses the necessary ability, but wants Portland to sustain their attacking play for longer stretches.

“We've got the talent that we need, but we need to implement being higher up the pitch for longer periods,” he said. “The talent is there. We scored some fantastic goals. The behaviours and principles were very good.”

“It’s my job to get the best out of the players,” Cifuentes added. “We will try to keep improving.”

Timbers face demanding test at LAFC

Portland’s next assignment is a trip to Los Angeles FC, who are third in the Western Conference. LAFC have failed to win their last three league matches and have lost their previous two, but the hosts are still favored by Opta with a 61.6 percent win probability. Portland are given an 18.1 percent chance of victory, with the draw at 20.3 percent.

The Timbers have won their last two meetings with LAFC, including a 2-1 home victory on April 11. Portland have also been in prolific scoring form since the World Cup break, finding the net 24 times in nine matches across all competitions—six more than any other MLS team during that period.

Son and Velde provide key talking points

Son Heung-min made a substitute appearance in LAFC’s midweek defeat, playing 26 minutes. LAFC have not won any of the three regular-season games in which Son Heung-min has entered from the bench, while they have won 15 of the 26 regular-season matches in which he has started.

Velde will be one of Portland’s main threats after producing a goal and two assists against San Diego. He has registered five assists in his last five regular-season matches since the break, matching his total from his previous 26 MLS appearances.