Phil Neville insists Portland Timbers are still "nowhere near" their capabilities, despite an impressive MLS run lifting them up the table ahead of Saturday's clash with Minnesota United.
The Timbers have surged up the Western Conference standings, sitting seventh in the league after a six-game undefeated streak.
Neville's men leapfrogged Vancouver Whitecaps with a commendable 2-0 victory last time out, with this another chance to put pressure on the teams above them.
The former Inter Miami head coach still believes Portland can significantly improve, too.
"It's step by step, we've got a lot of work to do, but we're not getting carried away," Neville said.
"We're keeping our feet firmly on the ground, but we are building confidence, and I think the boys are enjoying what we are doing at the minute.
"I think the longer that continues, the better it is for us. I think this team could still play better. We're nowhere near where we need to be.
"There's a big improvement still needed, we have another opportunity to go here – we're at home, we need to improve our form there, and gaining points here is going to be key to us making the playoffs."
Minnesota are two places above the Timbers despite a three-match losing streak, a run they will be desperate to snap here.
The Loons came away empty-handed once more in their last outing, a 1-0 defeat to Austin FC, but Neville acknowledged the quality his side will face.
"We're against a team that has brilliant players," Neville added. "We're going to have to play better than we did against Vancouver – we're not taking our foot off the gas."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Portland Timbers – Felipe Mora
Felipe Mora scored his ninth goal of the season on Saturday, while Jonathan Rodriguez netted his eighth of 2024.
That pair join Evander (eight goals) to make Portland the only MLS team with three players to have scored at least eight goals this season, though Mora may be the one to keep an eye on against Minnesota.
Minnesota United – Robin Lod
Robin Lod created four chances against Austin, his ninth match with at least that many in an MLS game for the Loons.
The only Minnesota players with more MLS games in which they have created four or more chances are Emanuel Reynoso (24) and Darwin Quintero (14).
MATCH PREDICTION – PORTLAND TIMBERS WIN
Minnesota may boast a favourable head-to-head record in this fixture, but Portland are the favourites for victory here.
Indeed, the Loons have only two of their last 13 meetings with the Timbers in all competitions (won nine, drawn two), including winning the last three in a row.
Yet, Minnesota have never won four straight against Portland, who are in fine defensive form before this clash.
Portland have kept a clean sheet in three of their last five matches, including a 2-0 win over Vancouver on Saturday.
Prior to that, Portland had two shutouts in their previous 31 regular-season games dating back to last June, and another could be on the cards against the out-of-form Loons.
Minnesota dropped their third consecutive game with the loss to Austin, though the Loons have not lost four straight regular-season games since failing in the first four matches of the 2021 season.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Portland Timbers win – 44.8%
Draw – 26.9%
Minnesota United win – 28.3%
Euro 2024 Data Dive: England scrape through after late drama, Spain make statement
It was another dramatic day in the Euro 2024 knockout rounds, as two more teams booked their places in the quarter-finals.
England fought back from the jaws of defeat as they secured an extra-time win over Slovakia to set up a meeting with Switzerland in the last eight.
Meanwhile, Spain broke Georgia hearts with their comeback victory, and will play Germany in an eye-catching last-eight tie.
Here, we round up the best Opta statistics from the second day of the last 16.
England 2-1 Slovakia (aet): Bellingham, Kane prove late heroes
It looked like England were going to make an embarrassing early exit from the tournament, until Jude Bellingham stepped up with a spectacular overhead kick in stoppage time before Harry Kane netted the winner.
Timed at 94 minutes and 34 seconds, Bellingham's goal was the latest ever for England in normal time at the Euros, coming from the Three Lions' first shot on target after a largely toothless performance.
Kane, on his record-breaking 79th competitive appearance for England, got the timing right too, heading home just 50 seconds into extra time for the fastest goal scored in that period in the competition's history.
The England captain has now scored 14 goals at major tournaments (World Cup and Euros), with only four European players netting more than him – Cristiano Ronaldo (22), Miroslav Klose (19), Gerd Muller (18) and Jurgen Klinsmann (16).
It marked the fourth game that England have won from a losing position at the European Championships as well, after losing their first six such matches.
Only France (five) have ever won more matches when conceding first in the competition, and that late, late show left Slovakia stunned after being just moments from a famous victory in Gelsenkirchen.
Ivan Schranz's third goal at this Euros seemed set to take the headlines, with only Robert Vittek (four) at the 2010 World Cup ever scoring more at a single major tournament for Slovakia, but the forward will not get a chance to equal that record.
Spain 4-1 Georgia: La Roja march on with comeback win
Spain are the only team in the tournament to win all of their games so far, and survived an early scare to come out on top in Cologne thanks to second-half goals from Fabian Ruiz, Nico Williams and Dani Olmo.
Robin Le Normand's 18th-minute own goal saw Luis de la Fuente's side concede for the first time at Euro 2024, only for Spain to rally to the biggest margin of victory by a team that conceded first in the competition.
Spain amassed 17 shots on goal in the first half but only Rodri's first major tournament goal hit the net. It is the most on record (since 1980) by a team in the opening half of a European Championship knockout game.
Indeed, La Roja's 35 shots overall were their most in a single match at either the World Cup (since 1966) or the Euros.
It was the youngsters who stole the spotlight once more as Lamine Yamal got his second assist at the Euros, with Cristiano Ronaldo the last teenager to tee up multiple goals at a single edition (Euro 2004 when he helped Portugal reach the final).
Williams, meanwhile, became the first player on record at the European Championships (since 1980) to score a goal, assist another and complete 100% of his passes (46/46) in a game he started.
Georgia's fairytale was ended by a familiar, formidable foe as they have now lost all seven of their competitive meetings with Spain, conceding 23 goals and netting just four of their own.
Spain 4-1 Georgia: La Roja complete emphatic comeback to set up Germany meeting
Spain avoided an early Euro 2024 scare against Georgia to make it into the quarter-finals with a 4-1 comeback victory in Cologne.
Rodri cancelled out Robin Le Normand's 18th-minute own goal before the break on Sunday, and a spirited Spain rallied in the second half to leave Georgia powerless.
Fabian Ruiz fired Spain into the lead shortly after the break, with Nico Williams and Dani Olmo making sure of the victory late on to end Georgia's fairytale run at this European Championship.
Luis de la Fuente's side will next face the hosts Germany in a marquee quarter-final meeting in Stuttgart on Friday.
Giorgi Mamardashvili was the most worked goalkeeper in the group stages, and he was called into early action against Spain, making two early saves to deny Pedri and Dani Carvajal.
La Roja were stunned shortly after as they conceded for the first time in the tournament – Le Normand was unfortunate to turn Otar Kakabadze's whipped cross into the back of his own net.
Mamardashvili remained alert when Spain upped the pressure again, getting down sharply to keep out Marc Cucurella's low strike before pushing away Williams' curler.
The Georgia goalkeeper was left helpless moments later though, when an unmarked Rodri picked out the bottom-right corner from the edge of the box for his first major tournament goal.
Spain survived an early warning after the break as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia audaciously tried to catch out Unai Simon from the halfway line, but his hopeful effort bounced narrowly wide.
Fabian flipped the script shortly after, peeling off the back of Georgia’s backline to thump a header past Mamardashvili from point-blank range following Lamine Yamal's sumptuous delivery.
Yamal, desperate to get on the scoresheet himself, almost capitalised on a mistake by Georgia's defence but dragged another attempt narrowly wide of Mamardashvili's goal.
Giorgi Gvelesiani's blushes were spared by a tight offside call as he turned another dangerous Yamal cross into his own net, though Spain would soon extend their lead.
Williams raced forward on the counter down the left flank, leaving his marker in his tracks before rifling his right-footed rocket into the roof of the net 15 minutes from time.
Olmo added some more gloss to the scoreline in the 83rd minute, latching onto Mikel Oyarzabal's throughball to nestle his shot into the bottom corner and send Spain coasting into the last eight.
The kids are alright
It may have been a couple of the older players in Spain's squad that got the all-important goals in Cologne, but La Roja's youngsters continued to shine.
Yamal became the first teenager since Cristiano Ronaldo at Euro 2004 to assist multiple goals (two) at a single edition of the competition, while only Fabian managed as many shots as the winger's seven.
Meanwhile, Pedri made his fourth start in the knockout stages of the Euros, the most of any player aged 21 or under in the competition's history.
It is the second time Williams has both scored and assisted in a game for Spain, with the other also coming against Georgia in September 2023.
With Williams also getting his first assist in the tournament, it looks like the youngsters are on course to keep leading the team forward as they prepare to meet the hosts in Stuttgart.
Georgia's fairytale cut short
After pulling off a stunning victory over Euro 2016 winners Portugal in their final Group F game, Georgia came into the last 16 with another upset in mind.
It looked like that could be possible too, as they took another early lead, all despite not having a shot in the game up to that point.
Mamardashvili had saved 21 of the 22 shots on target he had faced prior to Rodri's goal, but he was helpless as Spain upped the pressure on Sunday.
William Sagnol's team go out with their heads held high despite their exit, after a debut tournament to remember.
Pedri surpasses Ronaldo for major tournament appearance record
Spain midfielder Pedri has surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo to set a new record for the most major tournament appearances by any European player aged 21 or under.
At the age of 21 years and 218 days, Pedri made his 13th European Championship or World Cup appearance during Spain's last-16 match against Georgia at Euro 2024 on Sunday.
It is also the fourth game the Barcelona midfielder has started in the Euros knockout stages while aged 21 or under, the most of any such player.
That ensured he beat Ronaldo's tally of 12 tournament outings for Portugal before turning 22, which came at Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup.
Pedri made his senior international debut as an 18-year-old in March 2021, going on to enjoy a breakout tournament at the delayed Euro 2020 as Spain reached the semi-finals before suffering penalty shoot-out heartache against eventual champions Italy.
He won UEFA's Young Player of the Tournament award for that competition, having completed more passes in the opposition half (317) than any other player.
Only Jordi Alba, Marco Verratti (both 12) and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (11) bettered his tally of 10 open-play chances created, meanwhile.
After playing all six of Spain's games at Euro 2020, he was also an ever present at the 2022 World Cup, ranking 12th among all players for open-play passes (426) despite La Roja exiting at the last-16 stage having only played four matches.
In the first two matchdays at this tournament, Pedri led all Roja players for chances created (six), assisting Fabian Ruiz's goal in their 3-0 win over Croatia.
He has some way to go to match Ronaldo's overall achievements at that tender age, though.
Ronaldo registered two goals and two assists as Portugal finished as Euro 2004 runners-up to Greece on home soil, then helped them to a fourth-place finish at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol managed 11 major tournament appearances for Croatia (four at Euro 2020, seven at the 2022 World Cup) before he turned 22 earlier this year, putting him one behind Ronaldo but unable to draw level.
Pedri's new record could yet come under threat from England talisman Jude Bellingham, however.
Bellingham drew level with Pedri on 12 earlier on Sunday when England faced Slovakia in the round of 16, having already made 11 Euros/World Cup appearances to better the tallies recorded by Spain's Cesc Fabregas, Belgium's Enzo Scifo and Germany's Bastian Schweinsteiger before turning 22.
With Bellingham not turning 22 until next June, he could yet seize the record if Spain suffer a swift exit and England go all the way at this year's competition.
By scoring the winner in the Three Lions' opening Group C fixture against Serbia, Bellingham became the first European player to appear at three different tournaments before turning 21, featuring at Euro 2020, the Qatar World Cup and Euro 2024.
He is also just the second player to score at both the Euros and the World Cup while under 21, after fellow Englishman Michael Owen, who netted at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
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