Football Season Guide

Didn’t have one of their best seasons, but they managed to finish eighth in the West. Portland beat Real Salt Lake in the play-in but lost after three games to San Diego in the first round of the playoffs. Struggled upfront following Evander’s departure before the 2025 campaign, ending the campaign as the third-worst attack (41 goals) in the conference. Portland kept their backbone intact, with David Ayala being the only regular starter to have departed this season. Yet, he was replaced by a solid Cole Bassett, with Alex Bonetig and Brandon Bye also joining to provide depth in a defence that improved significantly last season. With Bassett being the only player expected to be thrown straight into the starting XI, Portland boast cohesion across the pitch. All they need to work on now is finding some much-needed consistency and a couple of players that would add depth to the midfield and attack. Bassett, Diego Chara and David da Costa are set to form one of the strongest midfields in the conference – a blend of quality, experience and creativity that could help Portland dominate games this term. Meanwhile, they will need their two strikers, Felipe Mora and Kevn Kelsy, to step up in front of goal after combining for just 12 goals last season, when no player hit double digits in scoring. It’s an area Portland need to polish in their bid to better last season’s position.