In a country where soccer was once considered a sport played by children or people in far off lands, it is somewhat rare to find a professional team in America that has been around (more or less) for the better part of a half century. That, however, is what the Portland Timbers are, and though there have been gaps in their existence since they played in the short-lived but high profiled NASL of the 1970s and 80s (yep, the Pele one), the Timbers and their legions of fans nonetheless carry a sense of history. The Timbers joined MLS in 2011, soon putting to bed any concerns about putting an expansion franchise in a rather small Pacific Northwest city with ridiculously high attendances at Providence Park (which itself dates back to the 1890s!). It took the Timbers themselves a couple of years to find their feet in the MLS, but by 2013 they had finished top of the Western Conference and took their fans on a thrilling ride all the way to the MLS Playoffs Semifinals, losing out in a tight 1-0 game to Real Salt Lake. The Timbers’ time would come again in 2015 when the team made it to their first MLS Cup Final, traveling away to Columbus, Ohio with many of their loyal fans along for the ride. It was a nervy match against the Columbus Crew, with the Timbers taking a 2-1 lead within 20 minutes and then hanging on for dear life until the final whistle to claim the team’s first ever MLS Cup. The Timbers have had two more cracks at glory since, in 2018, when they were defeated 2-0 by Atlanta United FC, and 2021, when they lost out to New York City FC on penalty kicks in front of a devastated home crowd at Providence Park. With 2022 and 2023 having been poor seasons that led to the Timbers missing the MLS Playoffs, the team’s massive fan base in Portland will be hoping that newly signed Canadians Kamal Miller and Maxime Crépeau (one of the best goalkeepers in the league) and stalwart striker Felipe Mora can give them something to cheer about in 2024.

How can I get cheap tickets to Portland Timbers games?

Do not let the small town vibes of Portland deceive you: the Portland Timbers are a massive local ticket draw. Providence Park, which can seat 25,000-plus fans, was sold out at one point for 163 matches in a row. The team’s season ticket waiting list often hovers at around 10,000 people. All these thousands of hardcore fans makes the atmosphere at Providence Park incredible, but tickets can be few and far between, especially for playoff games, cup games, key conference deciders, or rivalry matchups (see below). To find all the cheapest tickets to Portland Timbers games, search the TicketX listings on this page and use our trusty TicketX seating chart to compare prices and locations. Tickets can be all yours from TicketX with just one click and the lowest commission fees out there! 

Will the Portland Timbers play against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF in the 2024 regular season? 

No, the Portland Timbers are not currently scheduled to play against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF in 2024. However, it is possible that these two teams could meet in the MLS Playoffs this fall or in a cup competition. Please keep checking TicketX throughout the MLS Season just in case!

For your best chance at landing the cheapest tickets to sold out Inter Miami CF games featuring Lionel Messi*, search the TicketX listings and use our trusty TicketX seating chart to compare seats and prices. Tickets can be purchased from TicketX with a single click for the lowest commission fees! 

**As with any sport, there is never a guarantee that an athlete will be available to play in a certain game. Injuries and other issues can rule Messi out of action, just as they can with any other athlete.

Portland Timbers Soccer Rivalries

Portland is lucky enough to have two historic rivals going all the way back to the NASL days of the 1970s and 80s in the Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps. With all three teams joining the MLS around the same time, a decision was made to continue their informal annual Cascadia Cup into their MLS years, which Portland has won on five occasions. Their rivalry with the Sounders is generally feistier than with the Whitecaps, with many away supporters traveling to rivalry matchups between the two. Portland fans also have a natural enmity towards all things Los Angeles: in the MLS, namely the LA Galaxy, joined in recent seasons by upstarts Los Angeles FC. 

Are Portland Timbers soccer games exciting?

The atmosphere in Providence Parkfor Portland Timbers home gameshas been praised as one of the best in North America, not just among soccer stadiums but across all sports. The  Timbers have a huge supporters group known as the Timbers Army, which does a lot to supercharge the rest of the crowd with their banners, flags, and songs. If you’ve never been to a soccer game, be forewarned that if you go to a Timbers game, you’ll probably end up wanting to go back and see them every week!