Kevin Kelsy, Antony tally a goal and assist each
PORTLAND, Ore. – Kevin Kelsy and Antony tallied a goal and an assist each, Ariel Lassiter scored a goal of his own and the Portland Timbers came back from a goal down to defeat Club Tijuana 3-1 in their third and final match of Leagues Cup 2026.
Additionally, Martí Cifuentes picked up his first club win in his debut match as Portland head coach.
Despite the victory, Portland finished Phase One in seventh place (2-1-0, 6pts) and was eliminated from advancing in tournament play.
MartÍ Cifuentes Debuts with a Victory
Martí Cifuentes’ made his debut as head coach of the Portland Timbers with tonight’s 3-1 win. Portland led the match in shots (16-7), possession (61%-39%), passes (609-301), and passing accuracy (92%-81%). The result marks Portland’s fourth come-from-behind performance (3W, 1D) in their last six competitive matches. The Timbers have gone unbeaten in six matches across all competitions in that span (5-1-1), outscoring opponents 20-11.
Timbers Exit Leagues Cup 2026
Tonight marked the Timbers’ third and final match of their Leagues Cup 2026 campaign, exiting the tournament with a mark of 2-1-0 and outscoring opponents 9-6, placing seventh amongst 18 MLS clubs. Portland is 7-4-1 all-time in Leagues Cup play and 5-3-1 against Liga MX clubs in the tournament. Ariel Lassiter led the Timbers in scoring in this year’s competition with three goals.
Goal-Scoring Plays
TIJ – Mourad El Ghezouani (Alan Vega), 19th minute: Alan Vega gathered a pass on the left wing and played a low cross that was finished by Mourad El Ghezouani from close range into the middle of the net.
POR – Kevin Kelsy (Jimer Fory), 40th minute: Jimer Fory received a pass on the left wing, took a touch towards the endline and then played a low cross to the back post for Kevin Kelsy to finish with a left-footed shot into the top of the net.
POR – Antony (Kevin Kelsy), 64th minute: Kevin Kelsy gathered a rebound at the near post off his own saved headed shot and played the ball back across the goal where Antony tapped the ball across the goal line from close range.
POR – Ariel Lassiter (Antony), 76th minute: Antony received a through ball on the left side of the 18-yard box and played a right-footed pass across the goal to be tapped in by Ariel Lassiter.
Cifuentes: "Very happy...to experience Providence Park atmosphere"
Notes
- Tonight marked head coach Martí Cifiuentes’ debut at the helm for the Timbers.
- Portland led the match in shots (16-7), possession (61%-39%), passes (609-301), and passing accuracy (92%-81%).
- The Timbers exit Leagues Cup 2026 with a 2-1-0 record (9GF, 6GA), placing seventh amongst 18 MLS clubs.
- With the comeback win, the Timbers have earned points in six of their last seven competitive matches across all competitions (5-1-1).
- Four of Portland’s last six matches have ended in comeback results (3W, 1D).
- The Timbers are now 7-4-1 all-time in Leagues Cup play and 5-3-1 against Mexican opposition in the tournament.
- Kevin Kelsy recorded his first goal and assist of the tournament.
- The Venezuelan international reached 15 goals across all competitions for Portland in 2026 (10G, 5A).
- Notably, Kelsy has scored eight goals in his last 10 appearances for the Timbers in all competitions.
- Antony scored his first goal of the tournament tonight.
- It marks Antony’s third goal across all competitions this year.
- Ariel Lassiter recorded Portland’s third goal of the night.
- Lassiter led the team with three goals in this year’s edition of the tournament.
- Lassiter has now recorded eight goal contributions in 2026 (5G, 3A).
- Jimer Fory provided his first assist of the tournament.
- It comes as Fory’s fifth assist across all competitions this year.
Next Game
The Timbers will return to league play this weekend, traveling to face Chicago Fire FC on Sunday, Aug. 16. Kickoff for the match at Soldier Field is scheduled for 3pm PT on Apple TV in English and Spanish with local radio broadcasts on 105.1 FM/1080 AM The Fan (English) and La GranD 93.5 FM/1150AM (Spanish).
Portland Timbers (2-0-1, 6pts) vs. Tijuana (0-3-0, 0pts)
August 13, 2026 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Goals by Half |
1 |
2 |
F |
Portland Timbers |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Club Tijuana |
1 |
0 |
1 |
Scoring Summary:
TIJ: El Ghezouani (Vega), 19
POR: Kelsy (Fory), 40
POR: Antony (Kelsy), 64
POR: Lassiter (Antony), 76
Misconduct Summary:
TIJ: Vega (caution), 36
POR: K. Miller (caution), 41
POR: Velde (caution), 45+3
POR: Ortiz (caution), 89
Lineups:
POR: GK Muse, D E. Miller, D Surman ©, K. Miller, D Fory (Jura, 81), M Caicedo, M Bassett (Fernandez, 56), M Da Costa (Ortiz, 65), F Lassiter, F Kelsy (Janssen, 65), F Velde (Antony, 56)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Sulte, D McGraw, M Chara, F Guerra
TOTAL SHOTS: 15 (Lassiter, Kelsy, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Lassiter, Kelsy, 2); FOULS: 14 (four players tied, 2); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 1; SAVES: 1
TIJ: GK Hernández, D Meija, D Porozo ©, D Magallón, D Vega (Olvera, 87), M J. González (F. González, 60), M Zapata, M Boya (Preciado, 60), M Padilla (Orduño, 87), F El Ghezouani (Manoel, 60), F Pérez
Substitutes Not Used: GK Rodríguez, GK Corona, Gómez, D Órtiz, M Rivero, F Abreu, F Árciga
TOTAL SHOTS: 8 (El Ghezouani, 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (El Ghezouani, 2); FOULS: 11 (Meija, 3); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 1; SAVES: 5
Referee: Ismael Alexander Cornejo Meléndez
Assistant: Juan Francisco Zumba, Giovany Garcia
Fourth Official: Jefferson Escobar
VAR: Marianela Araya Cruz
Attendance: 21,586
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.
