Portland Timbers head coach Phil Neville insists he and his players are keeping their feet on the ground ahead of travelling to FC Dallas this Friday.
The Timbers extended their unbeaten run to seven matches in the MLS following their 3-2 victory over Minnesota United at Providence Park last time out.
Neville's side are now fifth in the Western Conference table but are among a cluster of teams tightly packed in the middle of the division.
However, the Portland head coach said that despite his side's recent form, they have achieved nothing but is confident his side will continue to push up the standings.
"We are keeping our feet on the ground, I think that is massively important," Neville said.
"If we hadn't scored that last minute goal, we would probably have been down in eighth or ninth. There are a number of teams jostling for positions in the league, so there is a long way to go.
"We've got now four games before the Leagues Cup. We have a mini points target that we have set ourselves.
"We want to keep pushing, we know the teams below us are pushing. We have to keep concentrating on ourselves. We are now in fifth, but we have achieved nothing.
"At this moment in time, fifth is not competing. Competing is being up at the top of the league. We are on the climb, we have momentum, we have confidence, we have belief but there is still a long way to go."
For Dallas, they suffered back-to-back league defeats in a narrow defeat to Cincinnati last time out, courtesy of Luca Orellano's second half strike.
The result leaves Peter Luccin's side in 11th place in the Western Conference table, a point ahead of St. Louis City and seven behind Austin FC.
However, the Toros will be hopeful of continuing their impressive home record against their opponents at the Toyota Stadium and build momentum ahead of their important league meeting with Kansas City three days later.
pic.twitter.com/ySE1b0WqfU
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) June 30, 2024
PLAYERS TO WATCH
FC Dallas – Petar Musa
Petar Musa has been in fine goal-scoring form since his arrival from Benfica in February, notching 11 goal involvements from 19 games for Dallas.
The Toros’ top scorer has four goals in his last three league games, including a hat-trick against Minnesota United, and will be confident of taking his tally into double figures.
Portland Timbers – Evander
Evander grabbed a goal and an assist in the Timbers’ win over Minnesota on Saturday, his seventh match this season with multiple goal contributions.
In doing so, the Brazilian equalled Diego Valeri (2013, 2017) for the most such games in a single regular season by a Timbers player in MLS.
MATCH PREDICTION: FC DALLAS WIN
Dallas will be looking for an immediate return to winning ways following their defeat to FC Cincinnati last time out. The loss was just their third in their last 22 home matches in all competitions (W10 D9) dating back to the start of the Leagues Cup last July. It was also only the second time in that span that Dallas failed to score in a home match.
Luccin’s side hold a favourable record against their opponents and have lost just one of their previous 11 encounters against Portland at the Toyota Stadium (W6 D4), dating back to 2015.
However, the visitors will come into the fixture with confidence following their comeback win over Minnesota. They came from two goals down to win 3-2, having also come back to win the previous time they trailed by two goals (vs. San Jose in May). Prior to these two comebacks, Portland had a record of W1 D11 L100 when trailing by multiple goals in an MLS match.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
FC Dallas – 44.2%
Draw – 26.8%
Portland Timbers – 28.9%
St Kitts announces squad for Concacaf Nations League October matches
St Kitts and Nevis Senior Men’s National team head coach Francisco Molina has named his squad for the upcoming Concacaf Nations League home matches in October. The team will face off against the British Virgin Islands on October 9 and the Cayman Islands on October 15, with both matches set to take place at Warner Park at 3:30 pm.
The squad will feature experienced goalkeeper Julani Archibald, who will be relied upon to provide stability between the posts. He will be supported by defenders such as Kai Trotman, Ash-on Maynard, and Kalonji Clarke, while Raheem Hanley and Omarion Liburd add versatility to the backline.
Midfield will be anchored by Malique Roberts, Marvin McSheen, and Devion Harvey, who are expected to drive the team’s transition between defense and attack. Mervin Lewis and Nequan Browne will also play pivotal roles in midfield, with the likes of Tyquan Terrell and Yohannes Mitchum adding creativity and energy.
Kyle Kelly and Tiquanny Williams will be tasked with providing the attacking flair, while Kimaree Rogers, Dequan Hamilton, and Gvaune Amory add depth in forward positions. Javern Matthew, Shevene Boston, Jahlyan Burt, and Dionis Stephens are all set to contribute to the team's efforts as well, with Trimar Samuel and Jahmarli Connor adding further options to the squad.
The squad also boasts the experience of Romaine Sawyers, who will bring leadership and composure to the midfield, making him a key figure in the team's campaign.
As St Kitts & Nevis look to build on their performances in the Concacaf Nations League, these home matches offer an opportunity for the team to secure valuable points and continue their push toward regional success.
Portland Timbers 0-0 FC Dallas: Neville's men held after securing playoff spot
The Portland Timbers were held to a goalless draw by FC Dallas on Sunday, having already clinched an MLS Cup playoff berth by virtue of results elsewhere.
Austin FC's 2-1 defeat to the LA Galaxy on Saturday, which led to the team firing head coach Josh Wolff, ensured they could not overhaul Portland for the Western Conference's final wild-card spot.
The Timbers still went with a strong lineup for their final home game of the regular season but had to settle for a point.
Both Portland and Dallas had their chances, having 19 and 18 shots respectively, with the hosts almost finding a winner in second-half stoppage time as Dario Zuparic's header was cleared off the line.
Perhaps their best opportunity came in the 88th minute, but Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer pushed Felipe Mora's attempt over the crossbar to preserve the visitors' clean sheet.
Dallas, who had already been eliminated from the playoff race, sit 11th in the West, while Portland missed a chance to close the gap to the automatic qualification spots, which are now out of reach due to seventh-placed Minnesota United boasting two more wins with one game remaining.
Data Debrief: Timbers end playoff exile
Portland enter the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2021, having missed out in both of the last two campaigns.
They finished as runners-up when they last made the postseason, while three of their last six playoff appearances have seen them make the MLS Cup Final.
'Grades are given at the end of the season' – Luis Enrique calm as PSG lose top spot
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique was not disheartened by seeing his side relinquish top spot following Sunday's 1-1 draw at Nice in Ligue 1.
PSG were forced to come from behind to maintain their unbeaten start to 2024-25, with Nuno Mendes cancelling out Ali Abdi's opener early in the second half.
The French champions were unable to find a winner despite enjoying 71.1% of the possession and attempting 19 shots to Nice's eight. Nice's possession share of 28.8% was their lowest in Ligue 1 since December 2011 (28.7% versus Lille).
The result leaves PSG second in the table with 17 points, two adrift of Monaco.
It is the second season in a row that PSG have not led Ligue 1 after seven matchdays, having sat fifth at this stage last term. They topped the table after seven games in five of the previous six campaigns (second in 2020-21).
"We are at the beginning of the season. The start seems promising to me. I like what I see. I think it's a much better start than last season," Luis Enrique told a press conference on Sunday.
"Grades are given at the end of the season. When the season is over we'll see the grade...
"The important thing is to win the league. The most important thing is to be in contention for all the titles."
The Spaniard did add, however, that simple errors had proven costly, saying: "There was a level of inaccuracy from most of the players that was not usual and a lot of very simple technical actions, easy passes, situations that we normally solve, a very high number of unusual mistakes.
He was, though, proud of his players' reaction to falling behind midway through the first half.
"I am especially proud after a bad first half. A really bad one. I'm proud of their spirit. They concentrated on the game, on trying to turn the game around," he said.
PSG face Strasbourg in their next league game on October 19, before taking on PSV in the Champions League three days later.
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