By Victor Araiza
One of the best match atmospheres in MLS awaits when the Portland Timbers host Atlético de San Luis on Wednesday at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon.
HEAD-TO-HEAD:
- 1st matchup all-time
- Record at Leagues Cup: Portland (3-2), San Luis (0-4)
LAST FIVE GAMES:
- Portland Timbers FC: 2 Wins, 1 Draw, 2 Losses
- Record at Providence Park in 2025: 6 Wins, 2 Draws, 5 Losses
- Atlético de San Luis: 2 Wins, 3 Losses
- 1-2-0 to start Apertura 2025 under new manager Guillermo Abascal
MAIN STORYLINES:
- Portland Timbers look to extend a perfect record (2-0) in Leagues Cup openers
- The MLS side has won only once against Liga MX clubs in five all-time encounters
- Atlético de San Luis seeks its first victory (outright or PKs) in Leagues Cup
- The Liga MX seeks its first win against an MLS opponent in any competition
- English vs. Spanish managerial battle between Phil Neville and Guille Abascal
KEY FACTORS:
- Portland Timbers FC:
- Felipe Mora - Nine goals created in 2025, seeks to end two-month goal drought
- David Da Costa - Scored twice in last three appearances, leads team with eight assists
- Finn Surman - 21-year-old defender among MLS leaders in clearances (45) and team leader in minutes played
- Atlético de San Luis:
- João Pedro - Scored in two of three matches since joining from English Championship side Hull City this summer
- Sébastien Salles-Lamonge - Led the club with six goals in Clausura 2025
- Rodrigo Dourado - Represented Liga MX in 2025 MLS All-Star game
WHAT TO EXPECT?
Records could be broken when the Portland Timbers and Atlético de San Luis meet for the first time.
The MLS side will seek to continue its undefeated mark in opening matches at the Leagues Cup. On the opposite side, the Mexican club will be out to end a winless run over the past two editions.
For Timbers manager Phil Neville, whose club is coming off a 1-nil victory against LAFC, the tournament arrives at a perfect time when his team is building momentum while providing opportunities to players who have lacked minutes.
“We need to keep momentum,” Neville said. “We're going to go strong in every single game. And I think that's really important for this competition. This is a competition that we want to win. This is a competition that we want to go deep in, and I think what the new format promotes is that, going for goals, going for the wins.”
The club’s leading scorer, Antony, trained with the team for the first time on Tuesday since being sidelined in mid-June, but is expected to get extended recovery time. Former Liga MX star Jonathan Rodríguez is out due to a season-ending injury.
Atlético de San Luis is at the start of a new process, entering its fourth official match under manager Guillermo Abascal. The Potosinos defeated Club León in their season opener but fell to the likes of CF Monterrey and CD Guadalajara, the latter ending in a 4-3 defeat last Saturday.
With three matches over the next week, the Mexican side aims to get the most out of its third participation and make this edition its most successful yet.
“It's a format that doesn't allow for mistakes,” Abascal said. “That's why we have to approach it in a way that's very personal for us, for our growth, match by match, for our improvement as a team, for our individual improvement.”
“What I do see as positive is the motivation of competing away from home in an international competition,” Abascal added. “We want to leave a good impression on the Mexican teams, and above all, San Luis wants to do things better than in previous editions.”
