So close but yet so far were the Portland Timbers of achieving their 2nd MLS Cup, as they lost to Atlanta United in the finals. But with the new season, there is another chance for them to win their 2nd MLS Cup in their history.
Head Coach: Giovanni Savarese
Appointed as the head coach of Portland Timbers at the end of 2017, he became the 3rd coach in their MLS history. In the 2 years with Timbers, he has managed to finish 1st in the Conference in 2017 and brought the Timbers to the finals of the MLS Cup last season, where they lost to Atlanta United (2:0). With Portland, he has not yet won a silverware, however, while he coached New York Cosmos, he did manage to win the NASL Championship 3 times, finished Runner up once, and won the NASL Regular Season title 3 times.
Transfers
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| Date | Name | Moving from | Moving to | Mode of Transfer |
| January 24, 2019 | Tomás Conechny | San Lorenzo | Portland Timbers | Loan |
| December 10, 2018 | Marvin Loría | Saprissa | Portland Timbers | Transfer |
| December 10, 2018 | Andy Polo | Morelia | Portland Timbers | Transfer |
| January 24, 2019 | Claude Dielna | New England Revolution | Portland Timbers | Trade |
| January 18, 2019 | Aljaž Ivačič | Olimpija Ljubljana | Portland Timbers | Transfer |
| December 10, 2018 | Renzo Zambrano | Portland Timbers 2 | Portland Timbers | Free |
| January 31, 2019 | Liam Ridgewell | Portland Timbers | Hull City | Free |
| December 27, 2018 | Alvas Powell | Portland Timbers | FC Cincinnati | Trade |
| December 24, 2018 | Jack Barmby | Portland Timbers | San Antonio FC | Free |
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Expectations for the 2019 season
Last season was a highly successful one. Portland Timbers finished 5th in the Western Conference and went all the way to the finals of the MLS Cup, where they eventually lost to Atlanta united (2:0). As we might expect, Portland Timbers are looking to build on the successful 2018 campaign as they head into their 2nd season under Giovanni Savarese. While Timbers had an impressive run in 2018, they still have some work to do to compete with the top teams in the MLS. There is no denying they had some amazing runs during its years in the league, but then again, they have not yet been close to achieving the Supporters’ Shield. I expect Portland to once again achieve the playoffs, but as said, there is a lot of work that needs to be done before they get to be on the top.
