In the 80th minute of Portland’s disastrous season-ending loss to San Diego, Timbers defender Juan Mosquera took a late tackle, immediately rose, lunged at San Diego’s Hirving Lozano and landed Portland’s best strike of the match: a karate chop to the throat.
As Lozano writhed on the turf with his club leading by four goals, Mosquera was shown an immediate red card, and the Timbers ended their 2025 season down a man, with a 4–0 loss.
Simply, one can’t use hands like that. Granted, it’s not like the Timbers were any better with their feet.
A week after the club’s thrilling come-from-behind PK win against San Diego to force Sunday’s deciding Match 3, all the Timbers were in this one was behind. They were down 1–0 after five minutes. They were down 3–0 after Amahl Pellegrino scored in the 17th and 53rd minutes. And then they were down 4–0 in the 79th, when Anders Dreyer potted his second goal of the night.
There was no drama. There was no edge-of-your-seat stress. It was just a drubbing. San Diego had nine shots on net to Portland’s three, five big chances to Portland’s zero, controlled the ball for 66 percent of the match and, despite being a first-year club, was the one who held its composure in the final minutes as frustrations flowed from a Timbers roster that wasn’t ready for the season to end but did little to prevent its closure.
The result was not a full representation of the 2025 Timbers, but it was befitting of the inconsistency Portland displayed throughout the season.
On one hand, the Timbers reached the first round of the MLS playoffs for the first time since 2021, where the club’s win in Match 2 penalties provided one of the best nights of Portland men’s soccer in years. The club saw key development from defender Finn Surman. Kristoffer Velde’s acquisition in the summer transfer window didn’t pay dividends this year, but it’s clear the Timbers have a passionate, talented player — in his prime — they can center the club around for the next two years.
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But the Timbers were often a tough watch in 2025 — a team that spent its offseason handcuffed by Evander’s will-he/won’t-he and then watched as their former star scored 18 goals for Cincinnati while Portland’s own attack sputtered.
Portland lost more games than it won. It allowed more goals than it scored. And while this club is better than it showed in a blowout loss to the Western Conference’s top seed, the result wasn’t entirely surprising for a team that’s been feast or famine all season.
It was feast on Sunday – for San Diego – which spent little time playing with its meal before devouring Portland’s hopes.
— Tyson Alger, For The Oregonian/OregonLive
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