Timbers Open 2018 Season at LA Galaxy; Home Opener Set for April 14th

We have our first glimpse of the Portland Timbers’ 2018 schedule.

The Timbers will open the season with a cross-country road trip that features the two erstwhile “it” clubs in MLS. Gio Savarese’s side will open the regular season against the LA Galaxy at the Stub Hub Center on Sunday, March 4th, at 7:00 p.m., before heading to Harrison, New Jersey, to face the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, March 10th, at 4:00 p.m.

The Timbers will make their season’s debut at Providence Park on Saturday, April 14th, at 7:30 p.m. against Minnesota United, the same team that the Timbers beat 5-1 in the 2017 home opener.

The Timbers’ 2018 and 2019 home openers are being delayed to expand the window in which construction can take place on the Providence Park expansion project set to be completed in 2019. As a result, in 2018 the Timbers will play approximately six consecutive away games to start the season before their April 14th home opener with a similar setup expected in 2019. For the same reason, neither the Timbers nor the Thorns will host a preseason tournament in 2018 or 2019.

The full schedule will be released by MLS sometime in January.

Fans may notice some changes in the Timbers concessions and catering at the home opener. The Timbers and Thorns announced on Tuesday that they have entered into a 12-year deal with Levy Restaurants to take over concessions and catering. Fear not, however, Portland’s favorite stadium-food czar isn’t going anywhere.