PORTLAND, OR – The New York Red Bulls (11-12-7) are on the brink of doom after Saturday night’s 2-1 loss to the Portland Timbers (11-9-9). It was New York’s first meeting against the Timbers since 2022.
The panic button has been officially pressed by New York, as their late-night contest Saturday gave them the wrong result. With their last win and last goal coming against the Philadelphia Union nearly a month ago, New York knew that the pressure was on them.
While their disappointing away record is well-documented at this point, one stat should have been on their side for this match. New York entered the match with a 2-1-2 record against Western Conference foes this season. Add on the fact that the Timbers had failed to win at home in three straight games and the Red Bulls had a shot at winning.
That quickly dismantled for New York as the Timbers entered the first half as the stronger team. From the start, Portland seemed to control the game to their liking and felt more comfortable out on the pitch. This eventually led to Timbers midfielder Matías Rojas scoring in his home debut to make it 1-0 in the 28th minute.
The scoreline nearly read 2-0 after the 32nd minute, but Portland’s Antony missed a prime opportunity to double the homeside’s lead, keeping it at 1-0.
Things did seem to change as the first half progressed for New York. After the first half came to a conclusion, possession was nearly even with Portland at 51% and New York at 49%. Then, to start the second half, Red Bulls manager Sandro Schwarz subbed off midfielders Peter Stroud and Daniel Edelman in favor of Ronald Donkor and Gustav Berggren.
With changes made and New York starting to find their place in the match, the visiting side started making plays heavily in the second half. In the 55th minute, goalkeeper Carlos Coronel made an outstanding stop vs Portland’s Antony to keep it at 1-0.
The crown jewel of the night for New York then arrived in the 70th minute when captain Emil Forsberg scored and leveled the match at one.
Emil Forsberg had us level.@Audi | #RBNY pic.twitter.com/TXKzSSmqwf
— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) September 14, 2025
But even with a great few saves from Coronel, the good times stopped rolling for New York three minutes later. Antony, who had plenty of opportunities to convert in the match, finally found the back of the net to help Portland retake the lead.
With the result in the books for New York, their chances to add to their historic playoff appearance streak are dwindling quickly. At this point, dropping points is not an option anymore and with matches vs FC Cincinnati, New York City FC and Columbus Crew upcoming, it’s all or nothing.
For Portland, they return to their winning ways since their impressive Leagues Cup performances. They do face a tough schedule ahead to finish their campaign with matches vs the likes of San Diego FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC coming up.
As for New York, they head north to Montreal for a date against CF Montréal next Saturday. Kickoff for New York’s crucial match is set for 7:30 p.m. on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.
