St. Louis CITY SC fell 2-1 in a tightly contested match against the Portland Timbers on Sunday night at Providence Park. CITY SC dominated the first half, outshooting the Timbers nine shots to five and posting an xG of 1.37. The hard work paid off for St. Louis in the second half, as Akil Watts broke the deadlock in the 50th minute with his first career MLS goal. Portland equalized five minutes later and tallied the game winner in second half stoppage time courtesy of a goal from David Ayala. St. Louis CITY SC will welcome LA Galaxy to Energizer Park on Saturday, June 14 at 3:30 p.m. CT.
Postgame Notes
- Akil Watts scored his first career MLS goal
- Brendan McSorley made his first appearance of the 2025 MLS Season after signing a short-term loan earlier today
- The defeat marked the first time CITY SC did not pick up at least one point at Providence Park against the Timbers since 2023
June 8, 2025 – Providence Park (Portland, OR)
Goal-Scoring Plays
STL: Akil Watts, 50th minute – Akil Watts scored from the center of the box to the bottom right corner.
POR: Antony (Jimer Fory), 55th minute – Antony scored with a right footed shot from the left side of the box to the top right corner.
POR: David Ayala (Santiago Moreno), 90th minute +2 – David Ayala scored with a left footed shot from the center of the box to the bottom left corner.
Scoring Summary
STL: Akil Watts, 50’
POR: Antony (Jimer Fory), 55’
POR: David Ayala (Santiago Moreno), 90’+2
Misconduct Summary
POR: Jimer Fory (caution), 13’
STL: Timo Baumgartl (caution), 45’
STL: Simon Becher (caution), 68’
POR: Kamal Miller (caution), 90’+4
POR: Felipe Mora (caution), 90’+8
Lineups
POR: GK James Pantemis; D Antony, D Kamal Miller ©, D Dario Zuparic, D Juan Mosquera (Eric Miller, 90’+2), D Jimer Fory; M Santiago Moreno (Diego Chara, 90’+3), M Joao Ortiz (Cristhian Paredes, 63’), M David Ayala, M David Da Costa (Omir Fernández, 81’); F Kevin Kelsy (Felipe Mora, 63’)
Substitutes not used: GK Trey Muse, D Claudio Bravo, D Ian Smith
TOTAL SHOTS: 17; SHOTS ON GOAL: 6; FOULS: 12; OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 7; SAVES: 7
STL: GK Roman Bürki ©; D Tomas Totland (Joey Zalinsky, 73’), D Henry Kessler, D Timo Baumgartl D Jay Reid; M Alfredo Morales (Jake Girdwood-Reich), M Akil Watts; M Célio Pompeu (Xande Silva, 88’), M Marcel Hartel, M Simon Becher (Tomáš Ostrák, 88’); F João Klauss (Brendan McSorley, 64’)
Substitutes not used: GK Ben Lundt, D Josh Yaro, D Jaziel Orozco, D Kyle Hiebert
TOTAL SHOTS: 18; SHOTS ON GOAL: 8; FOULS: 8; OFFSIDES: 4; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 4
Referee: Malik Badawi
Assistant Referees: Jeremy Hanson, Eduardo Jeff, Alexis Da Silva
VAR: Greg Dopka
AVAR: John Krill
Venue: Providence Park
Weather: Sunny, 92 degrees
