February 28, 2026; Commerce City, Colorado, USA; Portland Timbers forward Felipe Mora (9) carries the ball into the offensive zone during the second half of a game against the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images The Houston Dynamo will look to get back on track after an unexpected week without a game when they host the Portland Timbers in an early-season Western Conference matchup on Saturday.
The Dynamo (1-1-0, 3 points) are back in action at home for the third straight time, most recently against Los Angeles FC on Feb. 28, when Houston was held a man down for the entire second half and used just nine players for the final 14-plus minutes.
The Dynamo did not play on March 7 after their scheduled trip to New England to play the Revolution was postponed due to field setup delays.
Houston opened the season with a 2–1 win over Chicago on February 21, with both goals coming in the debut of the team’s splashy offseason Designated Player acquisition, Guillerme Augusto Vieira dos Santos.
Houston coach Ben Olson understands that early season games are a time of adjustment and rapport.
“We’ve only been there a few weeks and it was new for some of the players that were around,” Olsen explained. “But again, our principles haven’t changed much and I think the coaching staff has done a really good job of keeping them well informed.”
On Thursday, Houston strengthened its attack with the acquisition of forward Aliyu Ibrahim from the Columbus Crew. Ibrahim returns to Houston from 2023 to 2025, scoring 12 goals and nine assists in 90 appearances across all competitions.
Portland (1-2-0, 3 points) heads to the Bayou City after losing 4-1 at home to Vancouver on March 7.
18-year-old rookie Eric Izoita scored a late consolation goal for Portland during his MLS debut, but it was the defense that let the Timbers down.
Portland has lost two straight games since opening the season with a win over Columbus, and has given up two or more goals in six straight games dating back to last year’s MLS Cup-opening playoff series against San Diego.
“The biggest focus is on us, our performance and making sure we are better than the last two games,” Timbers coach Phil Neville said. “We want to get some consistency back. We need to be in better shape tactically. And you know, I think we’ve had a really good week of training. We’re feeling really positive going into the weekend.”
On Thursday, the Timbers announced the signing of Colombian midfielder Jose Caicedo from Liga MX side Pumas UNAM. Caicedo will play an important role and will immediately strengthen Portland’s midfield group.
The two teams split their matches in 2025, with each team winning at home. Houston is 3-1-1 in the last 5 meetings against Portland.
–Field level media
