RECAP | Birthday boy Velde bags brace as Portland Timbers draw 2-2 with St. Louis CITY SC

Kristoffer Velde leads team in goal contributions with 17

PORTLAND, Ore. – Celebrating his birthday, Kristoffer Velde tallied a brace as the Portland Timbers fought back for a 2-2 draw against St. Louis CITY SC Wednesday night at Providence Park.

Velde now has seven goal contributions (4G, 3A) over his past five matches.

The Timbers face a quick turnaround and will travel to face FC Dallas this Saturday, Sept. 12.

Kristoffer’s Contributions

Kristoffer Velde notched his first MLS brace, marking his seventh and eighth goals of the season. It extended his team lead in goal contributions to 17 (8G, 9A), a club-high in both categories among active Timbers. Additionally, tonight’s performance was Velde’s fourth multi-goal contribution game of the campaign. Of note, the Norwegian winger has registered seven goal contributions (4G, 3A) in Portland’s last five matches. His first half free-kick goal and second half set-piece strike marked the Timbers’ eighth and ninth goals from outside the box this season, which is tied for third most in the league. The goals came as Velde’s third and fourth goals from outside the box this season, tied for fourth most in MLS.

Goal-Scoring Plays

STL – Rafael Navarro, 1st minute: Tomas Totland drove down the right wing and into the box before delivering a cross into the six-yard area. Rafael Navarro finished the play from close range with his first touch.

POR – Kristoffer Velde, 32nd minute: Off a free kick from outside of the box, Kristoffer Velde curled a shot up and around the St. Louis wall and into the left side of the goal.

STL – Rafael Navarro, 51st minute: Rafael Navarro pounced on a deflected ball inside of the six-yard box and headed it into the back of the net.

POR – Kristoffer Velde (Cole Bassett), 89th minute: Off a free kick from the top of the box, Cole Bassett ran over the ball and tapped it back to Kristoffer Velde, who fired a low shot into the bottom left of the goal.

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Notes

• The Timbers (9-10-5, 32pts) retain their eighth-place position in the Western Conference following tonight’s result.
• The Timbers have the third most goals scored in the Western Conference (46).
• Portland has scored in 14 straight matches across all competitions, dating back to May 23.
• Kristoffer Velde notched his first MLS brace, marking his seventh and eighth goals of the season.
• The goals extended his team lead in goal contributions to 17 (8G, 9A). 
• Velde’s eight goals and nine assists are the most by an active Timber in each category this campaign.
• Velde has tallied seven goal contributions (4G, 3A) in Portland’s last five games.
• His brace also marks his fourth match this season with two or more goal contributions. 
• Velde’s free-kick goal marked Portland’s ninth goal from outside of the box in 2026, which is tied for third most in the league. 
• The goals came as Velde’s third and fourth goals from outside of the box this season, tied for fourth most in MLS.
• Cole Bassett earned his seventh assist of the season.
• Bassett now has 10 goal contributions on the campaign (3G, 7A). 
• It marks Bassett’s second game in a row with an assist and fourth time securing a goal contribution in consecutive matches this season.
• Ronald Hernández made his Timbers debut as a second-half substitute.

Next Game

Facing a quick turnaround, the Timbers will travel to play FC Dallas on Saturday, Sept. 12. Kickoff at Toyota Stadium is set for 5:30pm 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 (9-10-5, 32pts) vs. St. Louis CITY SC (10-6-8, 38pts)

September 9, 2026 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)

Scoring Summary:
STL: Navarro, 1
POR: Velde, 32
STL: Navarro, 51
POR: Velde (Bassett), 89

Misconduct Summary:
STL: Polvara (caution), 31
STL: Orozco (caution), 36
STL: Totland (caution), 45+2
POR: E. Miller (caution), 58
STL: Navarro (caution), 67

Lineups:
POR: GK Pantemis, D E. Miller (Hernández, 65), D Surman ©, D K. Miller (Smith, 81), D Fory, M Bassett, M Ortiz (Fernandez, 81), M Da Costa (Chara, 18), F Lassiter (Antony, 65), F Velde, F Janssen (Guerra, 90)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Sulte, D Bonetig, D Waterman

TOTAL SHOTS: 15 (Velde, 6); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Velde, 2); FOULS: 10 (K. Miller, Velde, 2); OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 9; SAVES: 2

STL: GK Bürki ©, D Orozco (MacNaughton, 46), D Baumgartl, D Polvara (Fall, 65), D Totland, D Santos (Joyner, 80), M Durkin, M Edelman, , F Mățan (Holse, 81), F Sang-bin (Becher, 65), F Navarro

Substitutes Not Used: GK Ludnt, F Downs, F Ostrák

TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Navarro, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Navarro, 2); FOULS: 21 (three players tied, 3); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 9; SAVES: 1

Referee: Fotis Bazakos
Assistant Referees: Corey Parker, Diego Blas
Fourth Official: Malik Badawi
VAR: Drew Fischer
Attendance: 19,351

All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.