Looking at the Timbers' stat line on goals in 2024, the Timbers were right there in the top half of the league. Scoring even more goals seems to be a point of focus for the front office if you look at the transfer activity of the Timbers during this past offseason.
In December 2024, the Timbers brought in veteran forward Ariel Lassiter from the Chicago Fire on a free transfer and followed that up with the acquisition of Ecuadorian midfielder Joao Ortiz, and forward Kevin Kelsy from Ukrainian powerhouse Shakhtar Donetsk.
This all happened right before the blockbuster transfer of Evander. On the heels of Evander's exit to FC Cincinnati, almost on queue was the acquisition of Portuguese midfielder David Da Costa from RC Lens in France. It's safe to say that the Boys in Green will have the talent and opportunity, on paper at least, to climb up the MLS scoring ladder.
A little more defense could go a long way for the Timbers in 2025
That said, balancing a productive offence with a solid backline will be the Timbers key to success in 2025. During the 2024 season, the Timbers scored an impressive 64 goals led by strikers Johnathan Rodriguez (16) and midfielder Evander (15).
However, the team gave up 56 goals, a goal differential of 9. Perhaps the cavalry is on its way with the acquisition of Columbian youth international, Jimer Fory. At 22-years-old, he could be the future of the Timbers backline. We'll see soon how Fory meshes with a backline that includes both experienced veterans and young talent like Juan Mosquera and Zac McGraw, respectively.
The Timbers ended the 2024 season with a 5-0 loss against the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Wild Card round. This was a somber cap to a shaky up-and-down season.
After the match, while talking to the media, Head Coach Phil Neville, stated, “I think the result Wednesday night will stick with us all offseason.”
In a matter of days, we will get to see how Neville, heading to his second year as the Timbers gaffer, can put together a formidable backline to go along with an already potent offence.
Neville and the Timbers will begin 2025 to right the wrong of a bad playoff defeat against the opponent that bounced them out in spectacular fashion, the Vancouver Whitecaps, a team looking to go to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. It all starts on Sunday afternoon, February 23rd, at Providence Park.