Cifuentes urges Portland to find clinical edge before trip to San Jose

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Marty Cifuentes believes the only thing his Portland Timbers are missing is end product in attack after a disappointing loss to Atlanta United last time out.

Portland was beaten 1-0 by the Five Stripes at Providence Park, with Alexi Milanchuk’s 28th-minute goal being enough to hand Forest their 12th loss of the season.

While Portland’s expected goals against (xG) total was 2.3 on 21 shots in front of Lucas Hoyos’ net, Atlanta’s xG was 0.85 on 10 shots on goal.

The result leaves the Timbers’ standing in the Western Conference in jeopardy, with Cifuentes’ side in ninth place in the division but with the Seattle Sounders, San Diego FC and Austin FC all within striking distance.

Portland’s struggles against teams below them in the standings have been a recurring theme heading into 2026, and before heading to PayPal Park to face the San Jose Earthquakes, Cifuentes wants his team to take advantage of the opportunity when it arrives.

“We created more shooting chances, we regained possession of the ball on the pitch and there are a lot of positives, but that doesn’t explain the whole history,” Cifuentes said.

“The whole history is we need to be better in front of goal, we need to be more clinical. We need to be better at breaking down low defenses and stuff like that.

“It would be a good challenge against San Jose because of the situation we’re talking about. There are a lot of situations, but I don’t want to spend my time there.

“I want to be focused, stay positive and have enough energy to go to San Jose, which is having a great season, and try to leave there with a good feeling.”

San Jose, meanwhile, continued their push for the playoffs with a 2-2 draw at 10-man LAFC, with Reed Roberts equalizing for Bruce Arena’s side in the 98th minute.

Son Heung-min had given LAFC the lead before Aaron Long was sent off, but Denis Bouanga doubled the visitors’ lead eight minutes into the second half at Levi’s Stadium.

However, substitute Preston Judd halved the deficit before Roberts’ long-range shot sealed the tie in the bottom right corner.

The Earthquakes are fifth in the Western Conference, just two points behind fourth-place FC Dallas, and Arena believes their draw with LAFC is a true test of the team’s character against difficult opponents.

“We conceded two goals but came back and got a point in the game, which was a huge test for our character and competitiveness,” Arena said.

“I thought LAFC did a great job trying to close out the game. So thumbs up to both teams. It was a great MLS game today. The quality of the game was high.”

“I think it’s a very interesting game for the people here, seeing players like Son [Heung-min] and [Denis] Buangahe [Hugo] Lori, he’s awesome.

“And to see quality like this [Timo] With Werner and players like that on the pitch, it’s enjoyable and a great environment. The fan base is great. It’s a great day for Major League Soccer. ”

Players to watch

SJ Earthquake – Reed Roberts

Roberts scored a well-deserved point at 97 minutes and 32 seconds in the last game against LAFC.

It is the latest score-changing goal by a Earthquakes player in an MLS game since Shea Salinas (97:34) scored the winning goal against the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS Return Group Stage on July 15, 2020.

Portland Timbers – Christopher Wilder

Among players currently on the Timbers roster, Wilder leads the Portland Trail Blazers in goals (eight) and assists (nine).

With another assist, Wilder will become the fifth player in club history to register more than 10 assists in a single MLS regular season game, joining Diego Valeri (five), Sebastian Blanco (twice), Evander and Santiago Moreno.

Match prediction: SJ Earthquakes win

San Jose is undefeated in its past four games against Portland (W3 D1), including a 3-1 road win in May. The Earthquakes have never swept a season series and the four-game unbeaten run is their longest in the competition since Forest joined MLS in 2011.

The Earthquakes have won 12 games this season, the most in a single season since the team won 13 games in 2019. Following an 11-win campaign in 2025, this marked San Jose’s first back-to-back double-digit win seasons since 2012 and 2013.

Portland, meanwhile, has failed to keep a clean sheet on the road this regular season and is one of four teams in Major League Soccer to do so. The Timbers have never kept an away clean sheet in the entire MLS regular season after tying the club record with five clean sheets in the 2025 season.

OPTA winning probability

SJ Earthquake – 46%

Tie – 26.7%

Portland Timbers – 27.3%

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