The I-5 FC: Portland's Antony has reason to be smiling
With a new son and tied for the MLS lead in goals, the Timbers forward sat down with The I-5 Corridor to talk about what's actually stressing him out.
BEAVERTON — There’s little stressing Portland Timbers forward Antony out these days.
Antony and his wife just welcomed the birth of their first son, Hendrick, last month, he then scored two goals in Portland’s season-opening win over Colorado Rapids and now currently sits tied for the MLS lead in scoring. It was his goal in the 85th minute that evened the score at Yankee Stadium against NYCFC on Saturday, and it was his pass that then set up Evander’s otherworldly strike in the 97th minute for one of the most thrilling victories in club history.
The Brazilian has rarely held back from beaming since the season started. However, just after training on Wednesday, The I-5 Corridor caught Antony in a momentarily uneasy mood.
See, the 22-year-old had his driver’s test later that afternoon. And right now, parallel parking is presenting a more daunting challenge than opposing defenses. Still, he figures he’ll get used to it, just as he’s adjusted to a Portland club that’s undergone quite the transformation since his arrival from FC Arouca (Portugal) in August.
The Timbers announced the acquisition of Antony on Aug. 2.
“As a team, we always want to grow. The addition of Antony will give us the possibility to have a player with different attributes,” said then-Timbers head coach Giovanni Savarese at the time. “We believe that young players can grow within our team as well as make us stronger. He will make our attacking squad even more competitive with his speed, strength and verticality on the field.”
And while the Timbers’ view of the young forward hasn’t changed since that quote, management did. Savarese was replaced three weeks later, and Antony only made 10 appearances with the club before Portland’s season ended short of the playoffs. After scoring six goals in 33 appearances for FC Arouca in 2023, Antony was held scoreless to close out the year in Portland.
“I didn’t feel like I adapted as well as I wish I could have, but that’s the reality of it,” Antony said.
So he took it upon himself to make a change. Antony stayed in Portland for most of the offseason and has been taking online English courses. He doesn’t speak a whole lot yet, but he understands more every day with the help of a growing bond with fellow Brazilian’s Evander and Nathan Fogaça.
He also has a coach who trusts the talent of the fastest player on the club.
“There’s a transition period when you come to this league from a foreign country, he had that last season,” Portland manager Phil Neville said. “From the first day of preseason, I’d like to say from the first month I took the job and I started talking to him on WhatsApp, I’ve just been really impressed with his attitude. He wants to win.”
“Comparing it to last year,” Antony said, “I’ve adapted a little better.”
The Timbers are 2-1-0, tied for the Western Conference lead with seven points, and appear to be on the verge of signing Jonathan “Cabecita” Rodriguez from Club America. And while it’s easy to think about how the signing of the goal scorer will further boost an offense that pulled off Saturday’s miracle in the Bronx, Neville has been notably impressed with the two-way game of the goal scorer they added last year.
Neville, after Portland’s season opener, joked that Antony’s performance was just “average.”
“Funny enough,” Neville said, “I thought some of his best moments were defensively in terms of the work he put in. We’re going to need that the next 50, 53, 55 games.”
Antony admits there’s not a whole lot of life outside of soccer and fatherhood right now. He said he’s tried to get around town a little bit and loves the way the White Stag sign lights up at night along the Willamette. He wants to get Portland back to the playoffs. He wants to reach the MLS Cup. And he wants to get faster.
That last part, of course, remained dependent on him being able to keep those wheels close to the curb.
“Playing soccer,” he said, “is a little easier.”
— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor