Well-rested Dynamo welcome struggling Timbers

The Houston Dynamo will look to get back on track after an unexpected week without a game when it hosts the Portland Timbers on Saturday in an early season Western Conference match.

The Dynamo (1-1-0, 3 points) return to action for its third straight home game, with their most recent match a 2-0 loss to Los Angeles FC on Feb. 28 in a match Houston played a man down for the entire second half and with just nine players over the final 14-plus minutes.

The Dynamo did not play on March 7 after a scheduled trip to New England to play the Revolution was postponed because of delayed field installation.

Houston opened the season with a 2-1 win over Chicago on Feb. 21 and got both goals in from a debuting Guilherme Augusto Vieira dos Santos, the team's flashy offseason designated player signing.

Houston coach Ben Olsen understands that the early games of the season are a time for adjustment and building familiarity.

"We've only been living in it for a few weeks, and it's something that's new for some of the players that have been around," Olsen explained. "But again, our principles haven't changed that much, and I think the coaching staff has done a really good job of giving them enough information."

On Thursday, Houston bolstered its attack when it acquired forward Aliyu Ibrahim from the Columbus Crew. Ibrahim returns to Houston where he played from 2023-25 and made 90 appearances across all competitions while amassing 12 goals and nine assists.

Portland (1-2-0, 3 points) heads to the Bayou City after a 4-1 home loss to Vancouver on March 7.

Rookie 18-year-old Eric Izoita scored a late consolation tally for Portland during his MLS debut but it was the defense that let down the Timbers.

Portland has dropped two straight outings after beating Columbus to open the season and have conceded two or more goals in six consecutive matches dating back to last year's opening-round MLS Cup playoff series against San Diego.

"I'd say that the big focus is about us, about our performance, making sure that it's better than the last two games," Timbers coach Phil Neville said. "We want to get back to some consistency. We need to be in a better shape tactically, and you know, I think we've had a really good week's training. We're really positive going into the game at the weekend."

On Thursday the Timbers announced that they signed Colombian midfielder Jose Caicedo from Liga MX's Pumas UNAM. Caicedo will be leaned on to play an important role and immediately strengthens Portland midfield group.

The two teams split their matches in 2025, with each side winning at home. Houston is 3-1-1 vs. Portland in the last five encounters.

--Field Level Media