Still searching for the first victory of the 2025 MLS campaign, the Los Angeles Galaxy will travel to Providence Park on Sunday for a match against the Portland Timbers.

Match preview

Three matches into the new domestic season, we are seeing many similarities from Phil Neville's side so far that we witnessed in 2024.

Portland have allowed six goals in three games, the second-most in the Western Conference, looking particularly vulnerable in transition just like last year.

We have not seen the attacking quality that we witnessed throughout the 2024 regular season though, with the Timbers scoring just two goals in the competition so far after netting the joint second-most in the Western Conference last season (65).

Providence Park, though, is usually where they are at their best, winning nine MLS encounters there a year ago while posting a clean sheet in their previous home fixture against Austin FC (1-0 win).

In their last eight regular season encounters, this team have only scored once in the opening 45 minutes of play, collecting points in their last two domestic encounters when doing so.

The Timbers have picked up at least a point in four of their previous five meetings against the Galaxy, including a 4-2 triumph at Providence Park last year.

Coming off an MLS Cup triumph and blowing away opposing defences along the way, few could have predicted the Galaxy would begin this season so poorly.

After three league fixtures in 2025, Greg Vanney's men are one of only three sides in the league without a single point, along with Sporting Kansas City and CF Montreal.

While the season is still early, perhaps the most surprising thing about their start is that they have the joint fewest goals in the Western Conference (one) after leading the West in that category a year ago (69 goals).

The Galaxy got a big confidence boost earlier this week, though, claiming a 4-1 win over Herediano in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, their first victory of the campaign, ending a four-match losing run across all competitions in the process.

Los Angeles have not lost four consecutive MLS contests since the 2020 campaign when they suffered six successive defeats between September and October of that year.

They have collected at least a point in two of their last three visits to Providence Park, with their previous triumph in Portland coming in 2022 (3-1).

Portland Timbers possible starting lineup:

Pantemis; E. Miller, K. Miller, Smith, Bravo; Antony, Ortiz, Ayala, Chara; Mora, Kelsy

Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:

Micovic; H. Miller, Garces, Yoshida, Aude; Parente, Cerrillo; Pec, Reus, Fagundez; Ramirez