St. Louis comeback sent a 'strong message' to MLS rivals, says Neville

Portland Timbers' comeback victory over St. Louis City in their last league fixture sent a "strong message" to the rest of the MLS, so says head coach Phil Neville.

The Timbers found themselves a goal behind thanks to Akil Watts' 50th-minute strike, with Antony restoring parity at Providence Park five minutes later. 

And in the first minute of second-half stoppage time, David Ayala snatched all three points for Portland to move them up to fourth in the Western Conference standings.

"I think the last two games have shown another side to us that is really important in the long run, is the ability to come back from being a goal down, suffer some adversity, respond to the adversity," said Neville.

"And I've got to say, I think scoring a late goal, for me, is better than winning the game 3-0 because it sends a real strong message to everybody."

Neville also had some strong praise for match-winner Ayala, saying: "I thought Ayala was the best central midfield player in the MLS.

"I know we joke about it, but I think he produced the performance today. And Antony, who they got tight to, produced a moment of magic."

Friday night footy in the Rose City

: Forever Green & Gold
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— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) June 11, 2025

The Timbers face the San Jose Earthquakes this weekend, who themselves struggled against St. Louis in their last MLS encounter, losing 2-1 to David Critchley's side.

That result saw a six-game unbeaten league run (W3 D3) come to an end, though Bruce Arena's team will be plenty rested, having played seven games throughout May.

The Earthquakes sit eighth in the Western Conference in what is Arena's debut season at the helm, and he believes improvements have been made since his arrival.

"I think the team has improved, and I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of team we can be in the second half of the season," Arena said.

"Yeah, it was very difficult. Those are plays that shouldn't happen. We conceded two very poor goals. The team played very well during the month of May.

"They've battled real hard. They've done a real good job. Martinez's goal was obviously a very good goal."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Portland Timbers – Antony

Antony, who scored the first goal in Portland's win on Sunday, has 14 goal contributions this season (eight goals, six assists), tied for second-most in MLS (Lionel Messi – 17).

Only Diego Valeri (15 in 2018 and 2019) recorded more in the first half of a season in the Timbers' MLS history.

San Jose Earthquakes – Josef Martinez

Martinez came off the bench to score San Jose's only goal in their defeat to St. Louis last time out, taking his tally to seven in the MLS this season.

Indeed, it was the Venezuelan's 12th strike as a substitute. Since the start of the 2022 campaign, only Dejan Joveljic can match that total.

MATCH PREDICTION: PORTLAND TIMBERS WIN

The Timbers came from behind to beat St. Louis last time out, their second straight come-from-behind win. This is the second time Portland has recorded comeback wins in two straight regular-season matches in the club’s MLS history, and the first since July 2014.

San Jose has won two straight matches against Portland in all competitions for the first time in club history (41 meetings). The Earthquakes had won just one of their previous 14 against the Timbers in all competitions (D3 L10).

And despite their eight-match unbeaten run across all competitions coming to an end in their last game, San Jose have scored in 15 of their last 16 matches in all competitions dating back to March.