🔬 The Debrief from a telling night of Sunday action in MLS
Week six of the 2025 MLS season wrapped up tonight after a typical Sunday schedule, with two fixtures providing the bookend to what was another fantastic advert for the top flight across the US and Canada.
Here is how the two matches broke down.
What Happened
A severe weather delay was the highlight of the first of two matches on the docket, with St. Louis City SC hosting Austin FC at Energizer Park.
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An opening strike by Verde and Black winger Myrto Uzuni in the 33rd minute gifted Nicolás Estévez's men a deserved lead before the interval, but Olof Mellberg's outfit reached a new gear in the second half while looking capable of bagging an equalizer before the match was delayed due to lightning.
After the restart, St. Louis continued to chip away at the Austin backline as desperation set in, but despite five minutes of added time, a leveler could not be found, setting the club on a two-match losing run after what was a fantastic start to the season.
Sunday Night Soccer in MLS featured the later clash between Western Conference bottom-half pair Portland Timbers and Houston Dynamo at Providence Park.
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Phil Neville's men got off to a perfect start as Portland looked to carry over their goalscoring ways at home, with Felipe Mora bagging his second of the season to gift the Timbers an early lead inside the opening six minutes of action.
Houston leveled matters with their first road goal of the 2025 season thanks to an inch-perfect volley from Franco Escobar in the 12th minute, only for Portland to retake the lead after a calm close-range finish by Antony ten minutes later.
Portland would tuck the result under the covers with less than 20 minutes remaining when Antony completed his brace, slotting calmly into an open net after young Houston shot-stopper Blke Gillingham was left scrambling.
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After concerns in the wake of losing Evander in the off-season, Portland looks capable of pushing for the upper echelons of the Western Conference.
Player of the day 🥇
The boy from Brazil turned up on an evening out in typical Pacific Northwest weather as Antony delivered a two-goal performance to help Portland continue their charge up the Western Conference ladder.
Stat of the day 📊
Portland fans continue their wait for a first-ever club hat trick after Antony secured the 61st brace in Timbers history across MLS play. Will 2025 be the year for breaking ducks?
What this means 🤔
Austin makes it three wins from their last three as Estévez's side hits form, meaning they climb up to second in the Western Conference, just two points adrift of Vancouver.
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After a fantastic start to the season under Mellberg, St. Louis has now slid to the tune of consecutive defeats, now sitting eighth in the table.
Portland enjoyed their second win on the bounce which sees them climb up to sixth in the conference table as goals begin to flow for Neville and company, while Houston continues their worst start in franchise history as they remain second from the bottom with just two points in the bank.
What comes next
Four MLS outfits will be back in action during the midweek program across CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter-finals play, with Inter Miami traveling to LAFC, Vancouver Whitecaps hosting Pumas UNAM, and LA Galaxy welcoming Tigres UNAL to SoCal.
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MLS play will then resume next weekend across a full set of league clashes.
📸 Editorial Photo Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
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