Austin FC kicks off a busy May schedule in Oregon on Saturday night, when the Verde & Black trek to the Pacific Northwest to face Portland Timbers. The match will kick off at 9:30 p.m. CT/7:30 p.m. PT at Providence Park.
Tune-In
Fans can watch the match in English or Spanish in over 100 countries via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
- Stream: Click here to watch the match, or access it through any device compatible with the Apple TV app. An MLS Season Pass subscription is required.
- Radio: The match will be broadcast live locally in English on iHeart Radio’s Alt 97.5, and in Spanish on Univision’s TUDN Radio Austin (104.3-HD2, KLQB-FM).
Austin FC Outlook
Austin FC took plenty of positives from a 2-2 draw against San Jose Earthquakes last time out. Head Coach Josh Wolff’s side controlled the tempo for the majority of the match, especially in the second half, out-possessing, out-creating, and out-shooting San Jose.
While Austin fell short of three points, the team showed its grit, twice coming back from a deficit. The focus now turns to Portland away, a match which represents a chance for the Verde & Black to build momentum at the beginning of a packed fixture list this month.
In addition to six MLS matches in 26 days in May, Austin has a U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 tie at home to New Mexico United on May 10. Should the team win that match, it would play its Open Cup Round of 16 game on either May 23 or 24.
The return of former Timber Julio Cascante is a big boost for Austin’s backline ahead of that stretch. Cascante made the bench against San Jose but didn’t see the field as the team pushed for a late winning goal. Saturday could see the Costa Rican center back get his first minutes since his injury suffered less than 10 minutes into the season opener.
Portland Timbers Outlook
Portland had a rough start to 2023, winning only once in its opening seven matches and collecting just five total points. After falling behind at home to arch-rivals Seattle on April 15 though, the Timbers poured in a four-goal flurry that appears to have kickstarted their season.
While the 4-1 victory over the Sounders was followed by an away loss at Cincinnati, Portland then beat Orange County SC 3-1 in Open Cup play and became the first team to earn a road win over St. Louis City SC last weekend.
The Timbers don’t have one dominant goalscorer, instead operating as an attack by committee. Portland’s 13 MLS goals have been scored by 10 different players, with no single player having more than two goals to his name. Though the offense has been sharp, the defense has allowed 16 goals - second-most in the Western Conference - and will be without starting center back Zac McGraw due to yellow card accumulation.
Getting on the board early has proven crucial in this matchup’s history. The team that has scored first in meetings between Austin and Portland has gone on to win on all five occasions in which the teams have faced each other.
Possible Portland Lineup
(4-2-3-1, R-L) - GK: Aljaz Ivacic; Juan Mosquera, Dario Zuparic, Larrys Mabiala, Claudio Bravo; Diego Chara, Cristhian Paredes; Santiago Moreno, Evander, Marvin Loria; Franck Boli
