Austin FC II plays its second August match this Thursday night, when the Verde & Black travel to the Pacific Northwest to face Portland Timbers 2. The match will kick off at 10 p.m. CT/8 p.m. PT and feature a livestream on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Austin FC II Outlook
Austin FC II has achieved positive results in each of its last two matches. After defeating Cancún FC to win the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Invitational, ATXFC II earned two points on its return to league play with a penalty shootout win over Western Conference leaders North Texas SC.
Ervin Torres provided the Verde & Black’s goal in regulation while Marcus Alstrup made a decisive save in the shootout. Torres, a 16-year-old Austin FC Academy product, notched his second goal of the season.
Austin has won all three of its previous meetings against Timbers 2, twice in regulation and once on penalties earlier this season.
Portland Timbers 2 Outlook
Portland finds itself in eighth in the Western Conference, in the final playoff spot and eight points ahead of Austin FC II. As the Verde & Black look to close the gap, that makes Thursday night’s contest an invaluable chance to boost their playoff hopes.
Kyle Linhares has five goals and three assists for Timbers 2 thus far this season. Other top contributors include Josh Penn with five goals and Harvey Neville with four assists. At the defensive end of the pitch, Portland’s 1.4 goals conceded per match rank as the seventh fewest in MLS NEXT Pro.
Timbers 2 have collected 16 points from 10 matches at Providence Park, the Western Conference’s 10th best home record.
