SEATTLE — Elbow room disappeared quickly inside the mixed zone.

Egypt and Belgium had just tied, 1-1, in the first World Cup match ever held in the city, and media members from around the globe flowed from Seattle Stadium’s press box down to ground level, through a hallway filled with signed Seahawks “12s” jerseys and into the neighboring event center, where players from both countries would soon filter through.

At first, I didn’t feel out of place.

I’ve been to what is normally known as Lumen Field multiple times for football games, covered a handful of Sounders matches here, and the way the athletes who aren’t chosen for the main press conference are paraded through the mixed media zone isn’t unlike the experience of covering track.

I’m an American football writer by profession. In November, I’ll be in Columbus covering the Ducks vs. Buckeyes in a stadium holding roughly 40,000 more people than the 66,775 who were here Monday.

What’s a little World Cup, right?

Fortunately, I know better.

While my Oregon Ducks coverage at Lookout Eugene-Springfield is award-winning, I’ve only really been following soccer for the last three years. I started writing about it to fill a void in Portland Timbers coverage in 2023, had a meltdown the first time I had to write a gamer off a scoreless draw and have had more than my share of embarrassing moments while trying to learn a sport and league on the fly.

I’ve read books, started digging into analytics, been in the same building as Messi and slowly become the person recommending the Netflix documentary about the 2010 French World Cup debacle to friends, despite its subtitles. I’ve even started guffawing at American sports fans who can’t handle soccer’s flopping.

I can’t pretend like I didn’t see this in person:

But there is still so much I don’t understand about the game. My writing has leaned heavily on storyline and heart — granted, my Ducks readers will never confuse me for a tactical genius when it comes to our football, either.

And so I started to feel out of place in the increasingly crowded interview area as we waited for players.

I wasn’t writing a gamer — I’m saving that for Friday, when the Americans take on Australia in a game pitting Group D’s undefeated teams against each other — and my chances of understanding what was happening took a hit when a FIFA official said there would be no translators on hand.

There were no identifying placards. Players wore no numbers.

“Who is this?” I asked a reporter next to me as the first Egyptian came through the scrum.

I heard: “Mo Salah.”

That was weird, because the Mo Salah I knew had a beard.

The man in front of the cameras, of similar stature, was freshly shaven.

Hey, it wouldn’t be the first locker-room shave. Plus, I’m the rookie here.

So for about five minutes, I ignored my red flags and believed I was listening to Mo Salah, the two-time Premier League Player of the Year with Liverpool, who received cheers from the Egyptian fans every time he touched the ball Monday, and who now said that, despite hundreds of hours of interviews on YouTube to prove the contrary, he didn’t speak English and would only take questions in Arabic.

As it turns out, Mo Salah does speak English.

Tarek Alaa does not.

Nor did the 23-year-old defender play.

But Monday was his first time at the World Cup, and through the marvels of modern technology, I’d later learn that Alaa soaked it all in: from Salah’s pregame speech to the roaring crowd to the slight disappointment in Egypt’s locker room after falling just short of upsetting the ninth-ranked team in the world.

There’s still room to improve, he said.

“We came over to fulfill a dream,” Alaa said. “We didn’t just come to put on a good performance. We want to achieve something.”

I do, too.

More than a decade into my career covering American football, I still get anxiety about making sure everything I write about a game is correct. You have to be careful, right? These players are famous. Fans care about them. Shoot, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has nearly 150,000 followers on Instagram. Screw something up and there could be some blowback.

But among the many things I learned Monday, 65 million people follow Salah — and more than a million of them had liked a post from Monday showing Salah, with a beard, playing in his first World Cup in eight years.

It was his birthday.

I didn’t know.

I do now.

And while I’m still figuring out what exactly my coverage is going to look like over the next two weeks as I head back up to Seattle on Friday and then Vancouver on Sunday, my goal is simple: Be prepared. Be curious. Learn.

Here’s a log of my observations and lessons learned from Day 1 at the Cup.

The World Cup Day 1 Diary

8:45 a.m. — That wasn’t so hard

A massive event bringing in people from around the world kicking off in the middle of a Monday?

Yeah, like I was going to try that traffic.

Instead, the trek from Portland was made on Sunday night. After a solid night of rest and breakfast with my nephews, I headed from Capitol Hill down to FIFA’s credentialing offices in Pioneer Square. I expected a line. There wasn’t. Within 10 minutes, I was back in my car, credential in hand, and heading to the stadium.

9:15 a.m. — Go, Mariners?

The Seattle Mariners fueled my interest in sports as a kid. That led to sports writing, which led to soccer, which led to the World Cup, where I’m now parking in the Seattle Mariners media garage.

The writer in me likes that symmetry.

Granted, the scene outside is a bit different from your typical Mariners game. It’s jarring at first — the sheer diversity is unlike any sporting event I’ve been to. There are Belgians with painted faces and Egyptians dressed as pharaohs waiting in line together for Seattle Dogs. It’s crowded, yes, but the temperature is still cool and the vibes are high.

“Here’s hoping it’s this way on Friday,” the security woman says as she checks me through and sends me on my way to the press box.

10:30 a.m. — Not the only fish out of water

The Athletic is in front of me. The Seattle Times is to the left. And I’m sitting in the third row as I come to find my seatmate is Ari Liljenwall, who came on The I-5 Corridor’s Traffic Report podcast five years ago to explain a sport I knew little about.

Small world, right?

It feels even smaller when the Belgian, Egyptian and American media members huddle under the room’s TVs to watch the final minutes of Spain’s shocking tie — not a phrase I would have imagined using four years ago — with …

“Cape Verde?” someone says. “Literally never heard of it until today.”

11:18 a.m. — Going with the flow

The U.S. national anthem just played before both teams took the pitch for warm-ups. A walk around the stadium’s upper concourse sees manageable concession lines, but bottlenecks in the stadium’s narrower concourses.

They drive on the right side of the highway in Belgium and Egypt, but what happens if we get a righty versus a lefty?

11:50 a.m. — “From Cairoooooo”

I was curious about the feel of this World Cup being played in cavernous American football stadiums. When I was a young boy growing up dreaming about covering my first Cup — just go with me here — I didn’t exactly have visions of it happening at the same place as the Beastquake.

But the stands are packed now. The grass field installed for the pitch is immaculate, and the pregame ceremony induces goosebumps as two massive flags from each country unfurl.

This truly is an international event.

This is also America, I’m reminded, as “Sirius,” the player entrance theme song for the Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls, plays as lineups are announced.

12:20 p.m. — Plenty of cheering in the press box

From the start, it’s clear this is the best soccer I’ve ever seen. There are great individuals in MLS. But everything here is assertive, physical and, my goodness, it’s nice to see passes hit their targets in stride.

Egypt plays the aggressor early and strikes first when Emam Ashour rips a low shot from outside the box inside the near post. The crowd erupts — and so, too, does a third of the press box.

At American sporting events, this would generally prompt a reminder from officials that “there’s no cheering in the press box.” No such thing here, and I see a mixture of bewilderment, annoyance and maybe even a hint of jealousy from the Americans in the middle.

12:23 p.m. — The hydration break

Soccer purists despise the “hydration break” installed at this year’s World Cup, which is said to be for safety but also comes with the added benefit of two commercial breaks for FIFA.

It’s 82 degrees and overcast as today’s match reaches its first break. It’s supposed to be 76 degrees at kickoff on Friday.

Hey, at least Phil Neville approves.

12:40 p.m. — Cal Raleigh’s World

Both countries’ flags include red and black, which contrasts the teal of the occasional Mariners jersey in the crowd.

Salah is big here.

So, too, is the Dumper.

12:50 p.m. — Where everyone knows your name

The World Cup: Where you can see some of the most famous people in the world … and your mortgage guy.

At halftime, I noticed my buddy Brian Tovey was posting Instagram stories from seats just below the press box.

His review?

“We had a blast. Getting in was a madhouse. Once in, it was the expected $20 beers and long restroom lines. Everyone was pleasant. We saw no skirmishes.”

Put that on a greeting card.

1:26 p.m. — Tie game

Belgium just equalized. Team legend Romelu Lukaku, who started the match on the bench as he works his way into shape, subbed on in the 66th minute and forced an own goal 22 seconds later to bring this thing to a draw.

The Egyptian media groan. Two succinct claps ring out from the Belgians. It’s game on — closely followed by another hydration break.

1:38 p.m. — Salah comes off

Salah comes off to applause in the 76th minute, taking off his captain’s band as he leaves the pitch. I make note and wonder if he’ll be available for media later.

3 p.m. — Nobody wants to leave

The game ended in a 1-1 draw more than an hour ago, interviews are over and Occidental Avenue is still pulsing with energy.

As I make my way back to the parking garage, I stop to take photos of a circle of fans juggling a soccer ball. There are Americans, Egyptians, Belgians and two kids laughing in the circle as they keep the ball afloat.

I pray it doesn’t come my way and blow my cover.

6 p.m. — Home sweet home

To be clear, I’ve learned a fair amount about soccer before today. I’ve learned that an exciting draw does exist, that pinpoint crosses are some of the most technically challenging feats of athleticism, that most club team assistant coaches speak six languages better than I do one and that college sports should take a long, hard look at the response when the world’s top soccer clubs tried to form their own super league.

It’s a massive and complicated sport with millions of entry points, which can be overwhelming for someone in his 30s who grew up familiar with home runs and alley-oops and Hail Marys, yet foreign to bangers, gaffers and a clock that ticks up instead of down.

But what I’ve learned is that if you’re lucky enough to be caught by the game, if you allow it to grab hold of your attention long enough to sink in, there’s so much to love.

I thought that before Monday.

But now, sitting on my own couch in a quiet house six hours after being at the World Freaking Cup, I know it.

I can’t wait for Friday.

— Tyson Alger

Welcome to The I-5 Corridor’s coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The I-5 Corridor will be providing in-person coverage from Seattle and Vancouver throughout the group stages in the coming weeks. There’s no paywall — just do us this solid: if you enjoy our coverage, consider subscribing to The I-5 Corridor’s YouTube channel and checking out my Oregon Ducks coverage over at Lookout Eugene-Springfield.

PORTLAND — Zeena Aqel didn’t move to Portland from Jordan 10 years ago with the World Cup in mind.

But as Aqel and her 10-year-old son, Khalid, watched the Jordanian men’s national team train at the University of Portland on Saturday, she couldn’t help but wonder if fate had brought her to Oregon for this.

Maybe she was here, in part, to help send Team Jordan off to its first World Cup ever.

“It’s always hard for people to live outside of Jordan and come to the U.S. and be alone,” Aqel said. “But maybe the reason was that one day when a team like our Jordanian team comes here, they’ll find so many people to welcome them.”

Portland isn’t hosting any World Cup matches this summer. But this week, the World Cup still came to town.

Aqel and Khalid were among a few dozen spectators in the stands at Harry A. Merlo Field, Jordan’s base camp throughout the group stage of the tournament. Between matches, Jordan is staying downtown at The Nines hote and busing up to North Portland for daily training sessions. Much of Portland’s athletic complex has been draped in black sheets to provide the team privacy.

Jordan begins the World Cup on Tuesday in San Francisco against Austria.

“This is a really cool night,” Portland athletic director Scott Leykam said. “We got a cold call from FIFA in 2022 asking if we’d like to be a part of the World Cup. Then it was three years of back-and-forth about what team, and field conditions, and time, and our hotel partner, so to see four years happen tonight is really fun for us.”

Leykam said 12 teams toured Portland’s facilities in the lead-up to the Cup, and UP had a leg up because of its natural grass pitch and its experience hosting Japan last year during the Club World Cup.

“It says a lot about our field and our stadium and what Clive Charles built and what Harry Merlo built and what coach Nick has built with his soccer program,” Leykam said. “…There’s definitely a revenue boost in something like this, but we pride ourselves in being an elite soccer program, and we have two women’s soccer national titles, we have two men’s soccer Elite Eights in the last three years, and this can only help in recruiting.”

It will be good for the Pilots.

But Aqel assured the experience this week means even more to Oregon’s Jordanian community.

Aqel is a public speaker and activist who says “life” brought her to Portland, a place she says she’s “never been happier.”

“It’s where people advocate,” Aqel said. “It’s where people protest for equal rights. It’s amazing.”

She felt that way before Jordan turned the University of Portland into its World Cup training base. Before Aqel found herself reminiscing about the days when a little girl with big hair used to play goalie back in Jordan between a pair of trash cans set up as a goal.

All they needed was a ball, Aqel said.

Jordan has that. And now, the world’s stage.

“We’re always homesick and we’re jealous of every sporting event that’s happening,” Aqel said. “We’re immigrants. We’re from somewhere different and we feel left out. This is the first time in our world where they feel left out. This is our world.”

— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor

On-Deck: Omaha, Nebraska.

The Oregon Ducks are two wins away from their first trip to the College World Series in the modern era. In this week’s Traffic Report, Tyson and Justin dive into the ramifications of Oregon’s Eugene Regional sweep — including what it means for Oregon State.

For more, listen to this podcast in the player above or find us over on Apple or Spotify.

Looking for more Oregon Ducks coverage? Lookout Eugene-Springfield is the new home for Tyson Alger’s coverage of University of Oregon athletics.

I have a preview of the regional up over at Lookout, and this week on the Traffic Report, Justin Myers and I take a stroll back to 2009 to look at the rivalry between a college baseball powerhouse and an upstart program in Eugene that wanted all of Corvallis’ glory.

For more, listen to this podcast in the player above or find us over on Apple or Spotify.

Looking for more Oregon Ducks coverage? Lookout Eugene-Springfield is the new home for Tyson Alger’s coverage of University of Oregon athletics.

PORTLAND — Phil Neville isn’t a naturally sympathetic figure.

He’s rich, had unbelievable success as a player, has a wonderful family and his friends include some of the most famous people in the world.

His hiring in Portland wasn’t celebrated three years ago, and he lost more games than he won after arriving. The final one reached a breaking point when the manager left the field to chants of “Neville out! Neville out! Neville out!” from the Timbers Army after Saturday’s 3-1 loss to San Jose.

The crowd got its wish two mornings later, when the club announced it had mutually agreed to part ways with the coach. He was 4-8-2 (14 points) on the year and 27-31-24 overall.

“I cannot thank Phil enough for his tireless dedication to this club,” said owner Merritt Paulson in a release.

“I realize we are in a results business, and the results haven’t been to the expectations of this football club,” added Neville.

With more than seven weeks until Portland’s next game, the club will start anew.

The way it all ended needs some time to digest, too.

The Timbers had just lost another game that was winnable. San Jose won for the first time ever at Providence Park in a game in which the Timbers controlled the ball for 65 percent of the match. But Portland conceded two goals in the game’s first 11 minutes, and after pulling within a goal on Antony’s first score since the season opener, the Timbers allowed one right back.

It was Antony’s tap-in miss in the 78th minute that ended the momentum of any late-stage Portland comeback.

From the 85th minute on, Providence Park showed the ruthlessness Neville had so often been calling for from his team. But instead, the mentality came from the supporters waving flags that read “Bye Phil” and “Fire Neville.”

“I think tonight was probably the perfect example of the 14 games,” Neville said after. “When you start in life, the foundations of life are to compete. And if you don’t compete, you can’t win at anything in life. I’ve got an incredible bunch of talented players, but if talented players aren’t willing to do the jobs that San Jose’s players — San Jose was a brilliant example. We told them all week about what that team is and why they’ve got the points that they got. It’s because they do the things that really matter to win games of football. And I think in the first 14 games, we’ve not done those things. And it’s why we are where we are in the table. It’s why we’ve got 14 points and I think it’s totally unacceptable.”

San Jose didn’t have the more talented team. But if getting players to do what they’re supposed to do falls under the responsibility of the manager, San Jose has one of the best in MLS in Bruce Arena.

For yet another game, it was clear: Portland’s disadvantage included the sideline, and the Timbers elected to make a change.

The irony in the rejection from Portland supporters after that final match is how different it was from the rejection Neville faced when he took over the club. The Timbers Army protested Neville’s hiring because of his perceived character, stemming from a couple of tweets from more than a decade earlier that Neville had repeatedly apologized for.

“Those first two or three weeks, I can’t say they were nice because they weren’t. You want your supporters to be on board with everything,” Neville told The I-5 Corridor in 2024 of the backlash. “When you make mistakes you have to live with them. But I have a feeling that once they get to know me and know my character, they’ll know that I’m not what those tweets were about.”

And he was right.

Neville made himself available to Portland’s supporters early in his tenure, and after a dreary start to his first season, slowly won them over with a team that had three players score 14-plus goals, including Evander, who finished third in MVP voting. It wasn’t great soccer, but it was fun soccer, and Neville fell in love with the city and fed off the energy of Portland’s supporters.

“For the first time in her life she’s going to a university where people aren’t looking at her, judging her, saying nasty things,” Neville said of his daughter Isabella, a student at the University of Portland with cerebral palsy. “At Portland, she’s just seen as Isabella Neville. I am proud of this city that I’ve been learning about because it’s accepted the most special girl in my life and is treating her normally.”

But the soccer became harder to accept once Evander left.

It wasn’t the manager’s fault that a player Neville compared to a “son” left in such a public manner following Portland’s disastrous 5-0 loss to Vancouver in the 2024 play-in game. But losing one of the best scorers in MLS removed Portland as an intimidating threat to anyone.

Coupled with a season-ending injury to designated player Jonathan Rodriguez, the Timbers fell from fourth in goals per game to 24th in 2025. While the Timbers did win a playoff game for the first time since 2021, it came amid a freefall. Portland entered the play-in game with one win in its last 10 matches, a stretch in which it was shut out four times.

Then the Timbers beat Salt Lake 3-1 at home to make the first round. After a Match 1 loss to San Diego, Neville had the best win of his Portland career when the Timbers responded with a penalty-kick win to even the series.

“It was the Thrilla in Manila — they were just throwing haymakers the whole game, it was dog-eat-dog, and it was a fight, and we had to keep going,” Neville said. “We took some risks with our tactics. We took some risks with our substitutions. I was always told by my father when I was younger that sometimes in life, you’ve got to take risks to win.”

Some perceived the Timbers were taking one by remaining with Neville after his second season ended a week later with a 4-0 loss to San Diego. After two years, Neville’s Timbers were exceedingly average: 23 wins, 23 losses and 22 draws. Yes, he had dealt with losing Evander, Rodriguez and midfielder Santiago Moreno abandoning the team midway through the 2025 season. But he was also hired to replace former coach Giovanni Savarese, who was fired in his fifth season with the club with a 74-62-47 overall record and a pair of MLS Cup appearances on his resume.

Savarese was 6-10-8 at the time of his firing, with the Timbers sitting in 12th place. After Saturday, Neville’s Timbers dropped to 13th. With the upcoming World Cup break and MLS preparing for a calendar change that will squeeze a 14-game “sprint” season between February and April of 2027 before the league’s new era begins in July, it felt like the Timbers had to make a move. Otherwise, those chants would have had nearly two months to echo.

Deep down, Neville understood.

“It’s not a pity party for me. Them supporters deserve better than what we’ve given in the first 14 games,” he said. “I think if I was in that Timbers Army, I’d be doing the same. I’d want more from my team, the team that I support, the team that I love, the team that I’m passionate about.”

It was the right thing to say. Neville rarely had a problem with that during his time in Portland. By then, few could question Neville’s passion, drive and, yes, character.

The issue, ultimately, wasn’t who Neville was.

It was who the Portland Timbers had become.

— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor

Phil Neville is no longer the manager of the Portland Timbers.

The club announced Monday morning that it had mutually agreed to part ways with the third-year coach following Saturday’s 3-1 loss to San Jose.

The loss dropped Portland to 4-8-2 (14 points) on the year and 13th in MLS’ Western Conference. It also ended with a large portion of Providence Park chanting for Neville’s dismissal.

Neville finished his tenure in Portland with 27 wins, 31 losses, 24 draws, two play-in appearances and one first-round playoff berth.

“In my nearly two decades of owning and operating the Portland Timbers, there are very few people I have enjoyed working with more than Phil Neville,” Timbers owner Merritt Paulson said in a club statement.

“Phil has outstanding leadership qualities and a boundless sense of positivity even in the face of adversity. I cannot thank Phil enough for his tireless dedication to this club and the Portland community, which he and his family truly embraced.”

The Timbers did not name an interim manager. Players not currently on World Cup rosters are on a three-week break before training resumes in mid-June. Portland’s next game is July 16 at Seattle. There are 20 games remaining on the schedule.

But for the first time since 2023, those games won’t be managed by Neville.

“I’d like to thank Merritt Paulson, Ned Grabavoy, and the entire Portland family for their unwavering support in giving me the job and standing behind me,” Neville said in the release. “To my staff, thank you for your incredible loyalty and hard work. And to the most incredible bunch of players: thank you for the effort, the good times, the good results, the bad results, and all the laughs we shared together. I realize we are in a results business, and the results haven’t been to the expectation of this football club. To the Timbers Army — you are the reason I felt inspired to try and bring success to this club. Keep getting behind the players and the club in this wonderful city. I will miss you all.”

The I-5 Corridor will have a more thorough story on Neville’s departure on Tuesday.

Many of you are likely familiar with the story that happened at the Multnomah Athletic Club earlier this month, when a former employee drove a car filled with explosives into the club’s front lobby, killing himself and causing significant damage to the facility.

It was a terribly sad event, but as can be the case in tragedies, there was some inspiration to be found in the response.

I’m not a member, but I was playing in a squash tournament there that weekend. I had a match Friday night and was getting ready to head down to the club for my Saturday morning match when I saw the news.

Understandably, I figured the tournament was over. There were still dozens of matches to be played for the tournament’s 80 players, including a professional draw that brought in players from around the world.

Then came the texts: the tournament was still on — just not at the MAC — as the Lloyd Athletic Club, Reed College, Bay Club and Hawthorn Farm Athletic Club quickly agreed to host the final two days of the tournament.

“We initially looked at potentially just running the pro draw games as well as a few out-of-town matches to at least give the traveling players some court time and started looking for a venue where we could ask for a few hours of court time,” MAC squash pro Werner Hergeth said. “So we asked the four clubs with courts with the hopes of one club saying yes. We got a quick response from one club, and then another…and a few hours later, we had all four venues opening up their doors to us.”

Now, it wasn’t seamless. Many of the players had left their gear at the MAC and didn’t have access to their shoes and racquets — a problem solved by a WhatsApp group text where non-MAC members offered up their own gear for the weekend.

By the end of Sunday, 76 matches had been played on the different courts, including my final two in the men’s 4.5s: a loss on Saturday at my home club, the Lloyd, followed by a win on Sunday at Reed.

Of course, results aren’t why I play in squash tournaments. The community is the draw, and since I’ve moved to Portland, I’ve always been thankful for the MAC’s openness to facilitating it and supporting the sport. The club hosts numerous tournaments throughout the year, opens its doors to non-members for league play and is a place where I’ve met many of the friends I’ve come to rely on in this city.

And it was really cool to see other clubs do the same to make the most out of a terrible situation.

— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor

MIAMI — MLS is not the same league for everyone.

That was on full display Sunday at Nu Stadium, the $1 billion megacomplex that opened last month as the presumed final home for Lionel Messi.

Messi needs no introduction here, other than to note that after one of the greatest careers at the highest levels of soccer, he joined MLS in 2023, led Miami to a league title and collected a pair of MVP trophies.

He’s 38 now. He’s past his prime. And his 11 goals coming into Sunday were only one short of league-leader Hugo Cuypers, a player nine years his junior.

That is part of what makes MLS strange and compelling. For Messi, the league is a final act. For Portland’s James Pantemis, it is a platform to make a World Cup roster. For Finn Surman, it is a launching pad.

Same field, same match, entirely different stakes.

On Sunday, Messi’s name populated the majority of backs making the pilgrimage from the massive parking garage, to a gaudy stadium entrance that still had that “new house” smell, to one of the only sections in professional sports dedicated to an active player: the Leo Messi Stand on the stadium’s east side.

Just before kickoff, after shaking hands and taking a photo with Portland 40-year-old Diego Chara, a stadium DJ called for chants of “Messi. Messi. Messi.”

Energy shot through the stadium every time Messi touched the ball, then the crowd erupted in the 31st minute when he scored his 12th goal of the year off a give-and-go. It was technically the game-winning goal, though far from anything that’ll show up on the career highlights of a player who has scored more than 900 times.

But Messi has also tallied more than 400 career assists — and his first against Portland, the one where he pinballed through four Timbers before sliding a pass over to Germán Berterame for the 2-0 lead, was world-class.

For a Portland team that has struggled to score goals and win on the road, that was the difference.

“We need our big players to score goals,” Portland manager Phil Neville said after the loss to his former club. “This game was about the big players scoring goals and I felt like that was the difference between the two teams.”

Portland didn’t need to be world-class on Sunday. Miami had conceded nine goals in its three matches prior. The Timbers just needed something that, as has been the case more often than not in 2026, they couldn’t find.

In the larger picture, Sunday was a failure for a team with one game remaining before the World Cup hiatus.

But the Messi thing was different.

Neville called it “the elephant in the room,” and acknowledged that one can prepare as if it were any other game, but …

“You can say you’re going to be OK, you’re not going to be nervous, until you step on the pitch,” Neville said.

Pantemis met the moment.

In one of his final showcases before Team Canada decides on its World Cup roster, Pantemis stopped Messi point-blank in the fourth minute, again on a curling shot destined for the top corner in the second half and then produced what may have been the save of the year in stoppage time, when his full-out extension denied a Messi free kick.

It was the kind of save that follows a goalkeeper around, especially when a World Cup roster is about to be picked.

That’s the type of spotlight Messi brings.

Granted, Surman didn’t really care about any of that.

Unlike Messi, Surman is on the other side of the league’s equation. For Messi, MLS is a step before retirement. For Surman, who joined Portland in 2024 as a 21-year-old playing outside of New Zealand for the first time, MLS should be the step before stardom.

He’s an All-Star. He was just named to New Zealand’s World Cup roster. He expects himself to meet the moment against the world’s best, which is why he didn’t seem particularly impressed with his block of the legend in the 68th minute, when Messi got the ball in his spot at the top of the box but couldn’t find an opening between Surman and the net.

“It was just like normal,” Surman said. “I was just annoyed that we were losing at the time.

“I think everyone kind of has their own preparations with that sort of stuff, whether it’s big players or a big game or anything like that. One thing that we kind of said was that, you know, play the game, not the occasion. Don’t get caught up in that. And that’s all you can do at the end of the day. They’re amazing players. But they’re still just football players.”

It’s what makes the league special: Surman’s boat is heading in one direction, Messi’s yacht in the other, and both are playing on the same pitch.

Yes, Portland lost. But sometimes in the orbit of Messi, it’s not just the larger picture that matters. Little wins can matter, too.

Maybe that was the win for Surman. Sitting in a small office inside the visitors’ locker room, in a setting reminiscent of where he made his postgame media debut two years ago in Seattle, he had proof that he could really treat this one like any of the others.

“I’d like to say that no matter what age I am or I’ve been, that I would just go out and kind of play my game and try to be myself,” Surman said. “But I don’t know. Because two years ago, Finn is probably a different person to what I am now.”

— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor

Looking for Oregon Ducks coverage? Lookout Eugene-Springfield is the new home for Tyson Alger’s coverage of University of Oregon athletics.

MIAMI — There were parts of Phil Neville that wanted to save all the pleasantries for after the match.

Yes, Portland’s coach is back in Miami, the place that welcomed him into MLS back in 2021, then moved on from him just before signing Lionel Messi and rewriting the history of the league.

There are no hard feelings, Neville said. His good friend — David Beckham — is one of the owners. Neville knew why the change happened, holds it against no one and can go on and on about all the positives in his life that came from his eventual move to Portland in 2023.

“I was under no illusions that, if Messi came in, that I would be here,” Neville said Friday after training at the Florida International University campus. “And that’s totally fine. I understand football and one of my best friends in my life is the owner of the football club, so it’s not as if we kept secrets from each other during that period.”

So no, Sunday’s match against Inter Miami isn’t setting up as some big Neville revenge tour. He actually quite likes the people here and was distributing hugs to members of the Miami media who came out to training.

For Neville, the real motivation might be simpler. Not payback. Not closure. Just the chance to leave Miami with the clearest sign yet that Portland’s recent surge has substance.

After Portland (4-6-2, 14 points) beat Kansas City 6-0 at home on Saturday and tied Montreal 2-2 on the road Wednesday, Neville could use an exclamation mark on Sunday.

“I’m here to make this week a seven-point week,” Neville said. “I’m here to win a game of football with a club that I’ve fallen in love with.”

Of course, that’s easier said than done against the defending MLS Cup champions, who come into Sunday with the best offense in MLS, with 31 goals in 13 games, and Messi. The Argentine has won a pair of MVP awards in his two full seasons with Inter Miami (7-2-4, 25 points) and, while 38 years old, is already up to 11 goals in 2026 after scoring twice Wednesday in a 5-3 win over Cincinnati.

“You know what I love? I love it with him and Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, when they score, they celebrate,” Neville said. “They’re not just here to pick up whatever money they’ve earned — they’re there to win a game.

“There was a game against Orlando, they’re down two-nil, and the greatest player in the world is arguing with maybe the goalkeeping coach from Orlando on the bench. For me, I think that inspires the whole league, because we’ve had players in this league that came here for a pension.”

Neville compared Messi — in a way — to Portland’s Diego Chara, who unexpectedly sprang into action on Wednesday in the ninth minute when Jose Caicedo left with an injury.

“I’m lucky I got a 40-year-old on the pitch that has that same desire — maybe not the same skill level as the No. 10 of Miami — but has the same desire and hunger to go out there and perform.”

Chara said he has a job to do, and in his 16th season in MLS, he’s very much looking forward to coming into work on Sunday.

“Every game is different,” he said. “But when you play this type of player, we’re talking about in the history of soccer, one of the biggest players, that makes me really happy. That’s a great opportunity for someone in my position to try and stop him. It’s not going to be easy.”

— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor

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Looking for more Oregon Ducks coverage? Lookout Eugene-Springfield is the new home for Tyson Alger’s coverage of University of Oregon athletics.

Hi Mom,

Sorry I didn’t get around to the podcast this week — my real job caught up with me a bit. We’ll have to save that one for next year.

I’m actually writing this from the first base bleachers of Jackie Robinson Stadium here in Los Angeles. Oregon is playing UCLA, Lookout sent me down for the series and, well, it’s just about perfect.

This ballpark is surrounded by trees, the sun is just beginning to set, the alumni band is playing, it smells like hot dogs and the Ducks are just finishing up batting practice.

Very cozy. Very old California.

I think you’d love it. You know I do.

You were the one who filled my shelves with baseball books and lined my walls with posters of Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez. You took me to get new gear, ran the Little League concession stand, patched up injuries, sat in the bleachers for games I never got in and was the first to lift me up after the ones when I finally did — I think my hit-by-pitch record is safely intact.

We didn’t just have baseball, either. The best Northern Lights I’ve ever seen were during those 5 a.m. drives to hockey practice in Alaska. You’d bring your lava buns and a book and sit through those two hours in a frozen rink like I was going somewhere.

Sitting here, I keep looking around at the players’ moms in the stands and thinking about how many of them did the same things. Some are from California and are getting to watch their sons play close to home. Others made trips from around the country. The difference, of course, is that they’re not just watching their kids do what they love — they’re watching them do something they’re damn good at.

They just all look so proud.

Granted, I know what that looks like. Despite my athletic inadequacies and the ups and downs of pursuing a career I love in a cursed field, I’ve never for a second wondered if you were proud.

I believed it after wins — like the last time we were here in LA together for the Jim Murray Scholarship.

I believed it after losses — you didn’t blink when I quit The Athletic and were a Day 1 I-5 Corridor subscriber.

And I really believed it when, after my four years of playing around as an independent journalist, you retired and bought a boat only after I regained full-time employment.

Maybe I can’t hit 500-foot home runs like Naulivou Lauaki Jr. or have an arm like Oregon third baseman Drew Smith.

But it’s a Saturday night in Southern California, I’m getting paid to watch a sport you helped me fall in love with, and later I get to write a story that I know you’ll read. Sure, maybe I fake a little embarrassment when you get a little too complimentary in the story comments, but I’ll never take for granted how powerful it can be when someone believes in you.

Heck, I’m sure even after last night’s 11-1 loss, the Oregon moms think their boys have a chance tonight.

On that note, BP is wrapping up and I have to head over to the press box. The clouds are starting to move in and it’s getting a little chilly.

Don’t worry, I brought a sweatshirt, I still have my wallet, and I’ll give you a call in the morning.

I have a game to cover.

Happy Mother’s Day.

Looking for more Oregon Ducks coverage? Lookout Eugene-Springfield is the new home for Tyson Alger’s coverage of University of Oregon athletics.

For what it’s worth, Diego Chará doesn’t think his record-breaking foul was warranted.

Portland’s midfielder had only been in the match against Vancouver for three minutes two weeks ago when he was shown the yellow card — his 124th in MLS play, breaking Kyle Beckerman’s record.

“I think half the yellow cards are not fair,” Chará said with a grin outside Portland’s training facility. “In my opinion, that one wasn’t. But that happens. It’s what the referee decides.”

Chará has given officials plenty to work with over his 16-year career with the Timbers. While the club captain has celebrated milestones like playing the most games for the Timbers and winning an MLS Cup, the meaning of this record brings with it a little bit of nuance.

On one hand, setting a record for getting booked the most isn’t exactly one Chará is ready to put on his resume. There are some bad fouls in there. But there were plenty of necessary ones, too. And after playing more MLS matches than all but eight players in league history, the midfielder was bound to find his way into the record book somewhere.

Remember: LeBron James has missed the most shots in NBA history, too.

“It’s not a record that a player is looking for,” Chará said. “But at the same time, it’s part of my position. I enjoy it because I have to be aggressive in a good way.

“It’s difficult for me to pick (a favorite), but I think any time I got a yellow card because maybe I stopped a transition, I think that’s a good yellow card.”

Chará’s card against Vancouver didn’t just set the record — it was his last foul as someone in his 30s. Chará, who has played 368 minutes and started four of Portland’s eight games, turned 40 the next morning.

And, other than suddenly being alone in MLS history, he said things don’t feel a whole lot different than they did before.

“The most difficult part right now is the recovery. It takes a little bit longer than before,” he said. “At the same time, having the opportunity to compete — that feels great.”

— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor

Looking for Oregon Ducks coverage? Lookout Eugene-Springfield is the new home for Tyson Alger’s coverage of University of Oregon athletics.

Who cares about the fan base or the momentum of a playoff run when there’s a bottom line to attend to, right?

Then, Tyson and Justin break down the new “Jail Blazers” Netflix documentary and close with a look ahead to Oregon’s upcoming spring game.

For more, listen to this podcast in the player above or find us over on Apple or Spotify.

OK, so maybe we haven't talked much about one of — we're looking at you, Netflix — Portland's professional sports teams, but seeing as Portland is playing in the NBA Playoffs on Sunday, we figured now is the time to jump on the bandwagon.

Tyson and Justin talk about what it means for the city, Oregon spring ball, “Win the Day" and review Justin's trip to Bandon.

Then, Erik Anderson joins to break down the Blazers' series.

For more, listen to this podcast in the player above or find us over on Apple or Spotify.

Looking for more Oregon Ducks coverage? Lookout Eugene-Springfield is the new home for Tyson Alger’s coverage of University of Oregon athletics.

Kevin Kelsy admits the haircut came out of boredom.

It’s been a rough start to the year for his Portland Timbers, and the first six games of the season weren’t what the forward envisioned for his second year with the club.

He’s still splitting minutes with Felipe Mora, and the last time the Timbers played at Providence Park, he lasted just 22 minutes before a Kamal Miller red card forced Phil Neville to take him off the pitch.

Looking to change things up, the 21-year-old shaved his head.

On any other Saturday, that might have gone unnoticed. But it was impossible to miss in the 96th minute, when Kelsy’s closely-cropped dome met a ball that changed the momentum of Portland’s young season.

The Timbers (2-4-1, 7 points) beat LAFC (5-1-1, 16 points) 2-1, taking three points from a team that not only hadn’t lost in 2026, but had yet to surrender a goal. And it was a roller coaster even before Kristoffer Velde fed a cross to Brandon Bye, who headed it over to Kelsy for the goal that handed LAFC its first defeat of the season.

“Breaking their unbeaten streak felt great,” Kelsy said. “But the most important part is we’re getting a victory in this very tough stretch.”

Portland’s path to three points began with a bit of overconfidence from the visiting side.

The Western Conference leaders came into Saturday with a 14-0 goal differential and fresh off a 3-0 win Tuesday over Cruz Azul in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals. With the return leg coming Tuesday, LAFC figured it could heavily rest its roster against a Timbers club that hadn’t won since February. Star forward Son Heung-min didn’t make the trip, nor did starting goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

Velde made that look like a mistake in the 32nd minute.

Taking a pass from Cole Bassett, who played 89 minutes after missing the last four games due to injury, Velde quickly surged up the middle of the pitch, crossed up a pair of defenders as he cut to his right and ripped a low shot that beat Cabral Carter at the far post.

In celebration, Velde jumped over the stadium ad boards and momentarily onto the Victory Log in front of the Timbers Army. He threw both arms into the air before losing his balance and hopping off.

“I wasn’t thinking straight,” Velde said. “I don’t know if it’s legal to jump on the log or if it’s holy. I don’t know. But I should have stuck to the log because I lost my balance.

“Next time, maybe I grab the chainsaw and cut the log myself.”

Velde’s third goal of the season came against LAFC’s third-string goalkeeper. Just minutes before the tally, Thomas Hasal left the match following a collision with teammate Artem Smolyakov.

The Timbers looked to be in control.

Then, as has so often been the case this season, Portland’s late-game demons returned.

The Timbers surrendered the equalizer just three minutes into the second half when 17-year-old Jude Terry ripped a shot from outside the box for the first goal of his career. And a week after a win turned into a loss in the final minutes against Vancouver, it appeared disaster had struck again for Portland when LAFC found the back of the net in the 87th minute.

Then the goal went to review.

As officials watched the replay, Neville said he thought back to a lunch he had earlier in the week with Timbers owner Merritt Paulson. After the Vancouver result left the coach frustrated with the refereeing, Neville said the two talked about shifting their mentality.

“We spoke about that attitude and not thinking that the world’s against us,” Neville said.

His first sign that maybe things were turning came that morning, when Neville got emotional after seeing a post from the Timbers Army calling on supporters to rally behind the team amid its struggles.

His second sign came when the goal was waved off for offsides.

With new life, Neville subbed Kelsy on for Mora. And seven minutes after debuting his new look to the home crowd, Kelsy sent 24,686 into jubilation for the first time in far too long.

But Neville said it’s more than just a new haircut that Kelsy is sporting. It’s the growing maturity of a young player finding his way.

“Yesterday when I left him out, he said to me, ‘The team is more important than me for this game tomorrow,’” Neville said. “... I think when you have that kind of spirit of togetherness, eventually the tide will turn.”

— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor

Calls for his job weren’t about to stop Portland Timbers manager Phil Neville from appreciating a little bit of well-timed dark humor.

For those needing a refresher, the Timbers were leading Vancouver late on Saturday, then were tied late, then lost by the end — a turn of events so sharp that a Vancouver media member asked Neville about the status of his job after Portland’s 1-4-1 start.

Meeting with local media for the first time since on Tuesday, Neville was asked about the team’s vibe after such a dismal weekend. And as the coach began to speak, a dump truck at a neighboring construction site decided it was time to loudly expel its load.

“That’s how it feels,” Neville said. “That was the moment that summed up my life.”

Neville was in a good mood. He was joking. And the Timbers largely looked relaxed as they began preparations for Saturday’s home match against LAFC. The coach still believes his team showed progress on Saturday, and he continues to preach that once the club has time to acclimate after injuries and roster turnover, the Timbers can be good.

There are still 28 matches to play, after all.

But Portland’s poor start has been very real. The team sits at the bottom of the Western Conference, with a fan base that has grown increasingly vocal about the club’s direction. And while it can’t all be chalked up to injuries — or calls made by officials — Timbers general manager Ned Grabavoy spoke of patience Tuesday when asked about Neville.

There are eight games until the league takes a two-month pause for the World Cup, Grabavoy said, which gives the club a natural checkpoint for evaluation.

“Despite the injuries, despite some of the questionable and bad calls that we’ve had over the last couple of weeks that have put us in a bad position, we have not met expectations and standards for where we want to be and the position that we want and need to be in the table,” Grabavoy said. “Coaching staff is aware of that. Players are aware of that. Ultimately, it’s my job to continue to support and be committed to them, and I also want to give them the opportunity through this first 14 games to really have the full group together as well and correct and find the answers and solutions that we need to better position ourselves in the table, to get results, to pick up points. Those things need to happen.

“Everyone is being assessed. Everyone is being monitored. We’ll continue to do that and we’ll have time to make decisions if we need to. We’ll evaluate those things when we get through this first 14-game stretch.”

Unfortunately for the Timbers, they are currently in the teeth of that schedule. Saturday’s loss came against the No. 2 team in the Western Conference. Next up is LAFC, a team that has yet to allow a goal this season. A week later, Portland travels to Minneapolis to face Minnesota, another playoff contender. Then comes San Diego, the team that eliminated Portland from the 2025 playoffs.

“I’ve always found throughout my life that these are the situations that I tend to really enjoy and really thrive in,” Neville said. “You go back on all experiences and you trust yourself and believe in yourself.

“My players are giving absolutely everything and I just need to give a little bit more.”

— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor

Tyson and Justin get together to talk pimento cheese sandwiches, Augusta, the college basketball title game and whether we should feel bad for CB Bunknor.

Then, Kevin Palmer, our 2024 Masters Correspondent, shares his unsolicited thoughts on the upcoming tournament.

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— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor

It was after his sixth game of his third season with the Portland Timbers that Phil Neville faced the question that’s become a not-so-scarce topic online.

The Timbers (1-1-4, 4 points) had just lost 3-2 to Vancouver. After beginning the year by saying “we’ve got to deliver,” all the Timbers have delivered is a lone win in February and a spot in the bottom of the Western Conference.

It’s been a dreadful start — so much so that discussions that had mainly been saved for social media leaked into Neville’s postgame press conference.

“I’m wondering, as a coach, what level of concern do you have about your own job security? Some fans are calling for a switch,” asked a member of the Vancouver media.

“Who’s calling for my head?” Neville replied.

“The fans.”

“Are they?”

“Yes.”

“Which fans?”

“Timbers fans.”

Neville didn’t seem to care much for the question. In his mind, his Timbers had just played a hell of a match that was taken from them by a questionable call from the referee. Had the official not whistled Antony for protecting his face on a rocket of a shot, Portland likely wins 2-1 on Saturday and the narrative is about how, after a first month of injuries and roster transition, the Timbers went to Canada and came home with three points against the league’s best offense.

Neville listed eight players he thought played really well, including new addition Jose Caicedo, who made his debut in the midfield. Juan Mosquera scored in his season debut. David Da Costa put one past the keeper for the first time since July. This wasn’t a match where Portland was outgunned or outmanned on the pitch.

But it was another match where Portland crumbled when it mattered most.

The handball decision ultimately led to Thomas Müller’s equalizing penalty in the 91st minute. What the Timbers had — and then lost — control of was everything that followed. Instead of coming away with a point, Portland lost all of it when Sebastian Berhalter thumped in a rebound in the dying moments.

And instead of talking about a win that could have changed the momentum of the season, Finn Surman was asked whether the Timbers need a new manager.

“No, I don’t think that’s an appropriate question. And I don’t think that’s something that we need to happen,” Surman said. “I think it’s down to us players. We know in that locker room that we have not been good enough and we can’t be conceding these late goals. We need to, first of all, play better in the second half, we need to keep the ball better, and we need to manage the game slightly better. Especially when you do get to those last 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes where, if you are holding on to the lead for whatever reason or holding on to a draw, whatever the situation is, we need to do better.”

In response to the question about his job security, Neville said Portland fans are passionate and that he wants success as much as they do. He said he welcomed the blame as long as it shielded his players from it.

Then he made clear where he thought the blame belonged.

“I told them in the locker room, sometimes you think the world is against you, and it feels like that with the decisions that were made,” Neville said of the officiating. “Without a shadow of a doubt, Jimer Fory shouldn’t have been sent off in Colorado. Kamal Miller shouldn’t have been sent off against LA Galaxy. And that shouldn’t have been a handball tonight. But that will change. Once it changes, then we’re going to be a really good team.”

The problem for Neville is that officiating has drawn his ire for much of his three seasons in Portland. There’s reason for that — the Timbers have had a handful of high-profile decisions go against them in recent seasons, and Neville hasn’t always been unjust in calling them out.

But it doesn’t seem like there’s going to suddenly be a league-wide referendum on the way the Timbers are refereed. And the fanbase doesn’t have a voice in the league office.

It does have one at Providence Park, though, a place where those online conversations could once again transition into real-world voices if the Timbers don’t play a full 90 against LAFC on Saturday.

— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor

No, it’s not time for the Masters yet. But it is time to welcome back the Boys of Summer.

On this week’s Traffic Report, Tyson and Justin are talking baseball. We’re talking opening day, we’re talking streaming and, eventually, we get to the news of the transfers of Jackson Shelstad and Kwame Evans Jr. from the Oregon men’s basketball program.

For more, listen to this podcast in the player above or find us over on Apple or Spotify.

Looking for more Oregon Ducks coverage? Lookout Eugene-Springfield is the new home for Tyson Alger’s coverage of University of Oregon athletics.

Then, we’re talking brackets and the men’s tournament descending on Portland.

For more, listen to this podcast in the player above or find us over on Apple or Spotify.

Looking for more Oregon Ducks coverage? Lookout Eugene-Springfield is the new home for Tyson Alger’s coverage of University of Oregon athletics.