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%
Reggae Boyz head coach quits following 3-0 loss to Venezuela, amid reports of souring relationship with JFF, key players
The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has announced the immediate resignation of Heimir Hallgrímsson, head coach of the Senior Men's National Team. The decision was communicated by Hallgrímsson to the JFF president and players earlier today.
According to a statement released Sunday night by the JFF, Hallgrímsson, who took over the role more than two years ago, has been instrumental in raising the standards of the national team. His tenure has brought significant benefits to the JFF and the wider Jamaican football community. Despite his efforts, recent events have led to his departure from the position.
In the statement, the JFF expressed gratitude for Hallgrímsson's contributions, acknowledging his commitment to the team and wishing him success in his future endeavors. The JFF's Technical Committee will now begin the search for a new head coach as the Concacaf Nations League and the FIFA World Cup qualifiers loom on the horizon.
Hallgrímsson's resignation comes on the heels of Jamaica’s 3-0 loss to Venezuela on Sunday, which marked their third straight defeat in the Copa America. Meanwhile, a report in the Sunday Observer indicated that the relationship between Hallgrímsson and the JFF had soured, with the coach also losing favour with several key players in the Reggae Boyz squad.
According to the Observer report, sources within the JFF suggested that frustrations on both sides had reached a breaking point, leading to an early separation. Hallgrímsson, who led Iceland to its first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance in 2018, was brought on board in 2022 with the goal of securing Jamaica's qualification for the 2026 tournament. Despite a fairly respectable record Halgrímsson's tenure has been marred by internal conflicts and less-than-convincing results.
The report went on to say that coach's relationship with the JFF reportedly began to deteriorate significantly earlier this year and that Hallgrímsson vacated his residence in Jamaica and returned to Iceland in January, only traveling to Jamaica for team assignments. Additionally, his attempts to reintegrate controversial Aston Villa attacker Leon Bailey into the squad for the Copa America were met with resistance from other players, further straining relations within the team.
As the JFF begins the search for a new head coach, the focus will be on finding a leader capable of uniting the team and steering Jamaica towards success in the Concacaf Nations League and the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Jamaica exits Copa America with 3-0 loss to Venezuela
Jamaica bowed out of the 2024 CONMEBOL Copa America with a 3-0 defeat to Venezuela in their final Group B match on Sunday at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas. This loss marked Jamaica’s third consecutive defeat in the tournament, concluding their participation without a win.
The match started with a glimmer of hope for Jamaica as Michael Hector, making his record-extending ninth Copa America appearance, struck on target in the sixth minute. However, the early optimism quickly faded as Venezuela began to assert their dominance.
Jamaican goalkeeper Jahmali Waite made a crucial save in the 42nd minute, deflecting a powerful shot from Darwin Machis to keep the score-line level at half time. Despite Waite’s efforts, Venezuela broke the deadlock early in the second half. Eduard Bello headed home a cross in the 49th minute to give Venezuela the lead.
The South American side doubled their advantage in the 56th minute when Salomon Rondon found the back of the net with a precise hit inside the box. Jamaica continued to search for their first goal of the match, with Kaheim Dixon coming close in the 77th minute, but his attempt was off target.
Venezuela sealed their victory in the 85th minute as Eric Ramirez scored their third goal, ensuring their place at the top of Group B. Jamaica had one final attempt from Alex Marshall in stoppage time, concluding their eight attempts on goal for the day.
Despite a valiant effort, Jamaica exits their third Copa America participation at the bottom of their group. The Reggae Boyz managed to score their first goal of the tournament on the second matchday through Michail Antonio but could not secure any points in their three group matches.
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.
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