Portland Timbers-Queretaro FC Preview (8/2)
After showing Atletico de San Luis some hamburger power on Wednesday, the Portland Timbers are ready for their second Phase One game of Leagues Cup. With one Tier 2 opponent knocked by the wayside, Tier 3’s Queretaro comes to Providence Park.
The Queretaro Report
During the first edition of the expanded Leagues Cup in 2023, Los Gallos Blancos (sweet nickname) acted as the Liga MX surprise package. You wouldn’t have thought that after witnessing their opening game (a 5-1 demolition by the Philadelphia Union). But a 1-0 victory against Tijuana was enough to advance into the knockout stage. A shocking 1-0 upset of Pumas and a penalty shootout victory against New England saw the Cinderella side advance to the quarterfinals. Waiting for them was Philadelphia again, and it took a 90+11’ Chris Donovan winner to knock Los Gallos Blancos out of the tournament.
In the following Apertura, Queretaro finished 14th. But their Clausura campaign saw them climb to 10th before losing in the first round of the playoffs to Necaxa on penalties. 17th and 12th place finishes followed in 2024/25, in addition to a swift elimination from Leagues Cup 2024 at the hands of NYCFC and Cincinnati.
They entered the 2025 edition of the tournament as true bottomfeeders. Through 3 Apertura games, Queretaro is 0-0-3 with a -5 goal differential. And they didn’t face a single Gigante during any of those 3 games (Tijuana and Necaxa away, Pumas home). In their opening game of Leagues Cup, Minnesota spanked Los Gallos Blancos 4-1.
The average global soccer fan might have heard about Queretaro after a fan brawl broke out in March 2022 in a game against Atlas. Well, it’s technically classified as a riot. As a result, Queretaro fans had a stadium ban for one year. However, since the riot happened 3 years ago, there isn’t anything to worry about for tomorrow’s game. In fact, I’ve appreciated the large contingent of Liga MX fans who have attended games over the past three years. At the end of the day, soccer is soccer. I hope a large contingent of Queretaro fans made the trip to Portland for tomorrow’s game.
Queretaro Projected Starting XI
I’m only confident in three things in this lineup: both wingbacks and the goalkeeper. Central midfielder Angel Zapata was sent off against Minnesota, so he will not feature tomorrow. Queretaro is not very good, and they got humiliated by the Loons so their tournament is pretty much already over. I’d imagine that they’re going to save some of their better players for the rest of the Apertura.
The Timbers Report
Goals, goals, goals. Wednesday’s 4-goal explosion matched the most goals that the Timbers have scored in a game this season. It’s also the most that they’ve scored in a home game. In order to advance from Phase One, Portland is going to have to keep piling in the goals.
Fory in the House
I had the opportunity to catch up with Jimer Fory after Friday’s training session. Here’s the interview in full (with some assists from local reporter/broadcaster Adam Susman):
Q (Susman): How do Liga MX teams compare with teams you faced in Colombia?
A: “Now that we’ve faced a Mexican squad, I can see that in Liga MX they are very competitive. Atletico San Luis was a very good opponent. In the first half, they had us suffering but we were able to hold on and that first minute goal really helped us a lot. For the rest of the game, we knew how to hold them and eventually defeat them.”
Q (me): For the past couple of games you’ve been playing on the left side of the back three in more of a center back role. Was that something you were thinking that you would play here and how have you thought about playing the position so far?
A: “It’s a position that I haven’t experienced until now. I’ve been having conversations with Phil (Neville) prior to that so I kind of knew that I would be put into that role eventually. I think since that first match in that role I’ve felt super great. I’m always going to do what the coach says and asks of me and I’m going to be helping wherever he needs me.”
Q (Susman): You played striker until you were 17 years old. Have you ever tried to convince Phil or other members of the coaching staff to let you play that here?
A: Honestly, no, I have not asked coach for that. I think that we have great players in those positions so no, I have not tried to convince him to change that. I feel great in the positions that I’m currently in but I will say that if he asked me tomorrow to go up front I would go up front.
Q (me): Over the past couple of games, when the team has scored you’ve been in the celebration pile and Juan Mosquera has come over and touched your head and then you chased him away. How has it been playing with one of your very good friends on this team?
A: “Well, I’m going to tell you guys that I may have made a decision to cut my hair too short and now I’ve been getting bullied for it. At the end though, it’s been creating good ambience in the locker room and it’s great for me to be able to connect with my teammates. As far as playing with Juan, it’s been great to play with him again. We spent a lot of time on and off the field prior to the Timbers. We played a lot together in the Colombia youth squads and it brings me a lot of pride to be able to reunite with him and compete once again together.”
Fory has been a revelation in 2025, and is arguably the best signing of the winter window. That’s no shade at Da Costa either. It simply speaks to how big of an impact the giant Colombian has made on and off the field. The last match was his fifth consecutive game without a booking, which is a new season-long streak. The only real criticism of his play was his affinity for bookings, but he’s become more controlled and disciplined after serving his last yellow card suspension.
The Bite-Sized Santiago Moreno Take
Earlier this week, Tom Bogert of GIVEMESPORT reported that the Timbers rejected a $4M offer from Brazilian club Fluminese for Santiago Moreno. Because Moreno’s former club America de Cali has a 20% sell-on clause, the Timbers would have only received $3.2M from the sale.
Simply put, this number is too low. Other MLS clubs offered $5M in the winter, but I imagine that Grabavoy & Co. laughed them out of the room. For an international sale, Moreno should command a fee of at least $8M. I know that the Colombian winger has been very vocal about wanting a move abroad in recent years (including a TikTok filmed last September in the team hotel that specifically asked for a Brazilian club to bid for him) but the Timbers still hold the negotiating power and should be holding out for a good fee.
Bogert also reported that the Timbers and Moreno have reached an agreement in principle for a new contract that begins in 2026. Next year, Moreno moves off of the U22 tag. Which is why any bid that is made this summer has to reach that $8M mark to even be considered. Right now, Moreno’s contract and roster status make him an extremely value-friendly piece of the roster. I don’t think this story needs any more updating until another bid has been made.
It’s also worth noting that Fluminese made the semifinals of the Club World Cup and received $60.8M in prize money for doing so. Moreno is also being considered as a replacement for departed Colombian winger Jhon Arias, who joined Wolverhampton Wanderers (EWWWW) for a confirmed fee of $20M. So Fluminese has plenty of cash to spare, and any lowball offers should promptly be shown the door. It follows a trend of the front office getting lowballed constantly for their players; specifically Brazilian teams. Even Evander’s $12M transfer to Cincinnati looks like a bargain, but he was technically being offered as a disgruntled player which always lowers a player’s value. $8M for Moreno is the bottom of the “range of acceptability” this summer. That number could change when he’s off the U22 deal, though.
PTFC Projected Starting XI
Normally these lineups are a prediction for what I think the Timbers will do. However, this is what I think they SHOULD do. Pantemis should get another home start with Crepeau being saved for Club America. There is a “good chance” that Dario Zuparic starts tomorrow, but I’d be OK with bringing him on at halftime for Fory like the McGraw-Surman substitution on Wednesday. Chara should start, but be on a minutes limit. Paredes is the optimal partner for him in this game, with Ayala/Ortiz (probably Ortiz but Ayala needs to stay sharp) getting minutes as the eventual Chara replacement. That’s all pretty non-controversial, but the rest of the team will not be. Ian Smith and Juan Mosquera need a rest. I’d like to see what Lassiter can offer as a wingback given his excellent work rate and willingness to run in behind. Jura has never made a start for the first team, and he’s only made one appearance. He’s going to be a first-team player next year, so why not give him a start in this game?
The front three is also interesting to me. Fernandez is an easy Sharpie, but I’d love to see what Guerra can do as an inside forward tasked with running the channels and crashing the box. Mora can operate as a secondary playmaker and a striker up top with Guerra able to make dangerous runs and occupy other defenders. There’s also another reason to start Mora in this game that plays more into his strengths than Kevin Kelsy’s. Neville went out of his way to mention Noah Santos in Friday’s presser, so expect the academy product to make his first-team debut tomorrow. I think David Da Costa will make the bench tomorrow, but I don’t expect him to see the field unless the situation becomes desperate.
Tactical Preview
The Low Block
Queretaro set up against Minnesota in a low block, and I don’t see a reason for them to change that against Portland. Mora’s ability to act as a quasi-playmaker up top can open up the field for the Timbers. Although Portland’s lineup isn’t going to be the strongest, I would like to see them try more shots from distance in addition to playing their usual game. The goal should be getting to halftime with a respectable scoreline and letting the key contributors cook in the second half off the bench.
Set Pieces
Portland held onto the clean sheet against ASL by defending corner kick after corner kick as the clock ticked down. Their set-piece defense will be tested again tomorrow, and they’ll have to keep up the good work from their previous three games. Yes, they did allow a set-piece goal against Minnesota, but the Loons might be the best dead-ball team in the world (no hyperbole). If they do the basics right while taking risks in the final third, they should win this game.
Matchday Info
Broadcast platform: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Home radio broadcast from 750 The Game: available on Apple TV (with Adam Susman on the call)
Kickoff time: 8:00 PM PST
Series History
No prior meetings.
Table Time
The impetus to improve their goal differential should be echoing through the home locker room prior to kickoff. That 4-0 victory against ASL recalibrated by expectations for this tournament. I think that a 3-goal victory is the bare minimum expectation for the Timbers tomorrow. With only four teams going through, Portland’s strong showing on Wednesday night set them up to make the knockout rounds with two more good results.
Final Whistle
The attendance for Wednesday night’s game was underwhelming, but I expect Providence Park to be more filled in for a Saturday night fixture. If the Timbers can capitalize on their recent good form and feed on the home crowd, it should be another quality night at the Cathedral. Portland cannot afford to be complacent, but they can afford to be confident. Going into the Club America game with maximum confidence should be the ultimate goal. And they could achieve it with a blowout victory. The quest continues.
