Kelsy and Antony Spark Comeback as Timbers Beat Tijuana 3-1 in Cifuentes Debut

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Marti Cifuentes got the win. The Timbers got the comeback. Leagues Cup still showed them the door.

Portland erased a Mourad El Ghezouani opener and beat Club Tijuana 3-1 on Aug. 13 at Providence Park in Cifuentes' debut as head coach. Kevin Kelsy and Antony each tallied a goal and an assist. Ariel Lassiter finished the third. Attendance was 21,586. Portland finished Phase One 2-1-0 with six points -- seventh among 18 MLS clubs, short of the quarterfinal cut.

The Comeback

El Ghezouani finished Alan Vega's low cross in the 19th. Tijuana led. Portland responded before the break: Jimer Fory drove the left wing and found Kelsy at the back post in the 40th. 1-1. After the break, Kelsy headed, saw it saved, and squared for Antony's tap-in in the 64th. 2-1. Antony then slipped Lassiter for the 76th-minute insurance. 3-1.

Portland dominated the optics -- 16 shots to seven, 61 percent possession, 609 passes to 301. Four of the Timbers' last six matches had been comeback results. This was another. It just was not enough in the table math.

What It Means

Cifuentes' first club win arrives with an asterisk and a celebration at once. Kelsy reached 15 goal contributions across all competitions in 2026. Lassiter led Portland with three Leagues Cup goals. Antony scored his first of the tournament. The Timbers are 7-4-1 all-time in Leagues Cup and 5-3-1 against Liga MX in the competition. They outscored Phase One opponents 9-6 and still finished seventh. That is the format: win your nights and still miss the cut if the points do not stack high enough.

The Close

Debut wins are supposed to feel clean. This one felt like a statement wrapped in elimination. Portland came from behind, Cifuentes got his first W, and Leagues Cup 2026 still ended at Providence Park. Kelsy, Antony, Lassiter -- the attack showed up. The bracket did not wait.

The film will show the moments that decided it and the ones that almost did. That is how these nights work -- one bounce, one set piece, one finish from distance, and the narrative locks in before the Monday meeting starts. Fans leave loud or quiet. Coaches leave with clips. Players leave with the knowledge that September does not forgive unfinished chances.

Comeback wins that do not advance you are a special kind of sports emotion. Proud and pointless at once. Portland dominated the metrics, flipped a deficit, and still finished seventh. Leagues Cup Phase One does not grade on vibes. It grades on points among 18 MLS clubs, and six was not enough.

Kelsy's all-competitions form -- eight goals in his last 10 appearances entering this stretch -- continues to be the constant. Antony's tournament breakthrough and Lassiter's competition-leading three goals are the supporting pillars. Fory's assist from the end line was the kind of wide play Cifuentes will want on repeat in MLS.

Tijuana left 0-3-0. Portland left 2-1-0 and eliminated. Both sentences are true. Only one of them includes a coaching debut win worth framing.