Timbers need a win at Austin on MLS Decision Day (Nov. 7)
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The Portland Timbers play at Austin FC today at 4 p.m. Pacific on MLS Decision Day, needing a win to clinch a berth in the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Portland is on a three-game win streak and unbeaten in four, sitting eighth in the Western Conference with 43 points after beating Houston 3-1 on Nov. 1.
Austin is already eliminated (14th in the West, 34 points) after beating Portland 2-1 at Providence Park in August.
A draw or loss leaves the Timbers needing help from other Decision Day results involving Colorado, Seattle, Salt Lake and Minnesota.
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AUSTIN, Texas - The Portland Timbers close the regular season today at Austin FC on MLS Decision Day with a simple path in reach: win and they're in the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs, the club said.
Kickoff is 4 p.m. Pacific (6 p.m. CT) at Q2 Stadium. The match is on Apple TV, with radio on 94.7 KNRK and a Spanish-language call on La GranD (KGDD 93.5 FM / 1520 AM). Fans looking for Timbers gear on Amazon can find it ahead of the finale.
Win clinches; draw or loss needs help
Portland enters eighth in the Western Conference with 43 points after beating Houston 3-1 on Nov. 1 at Providence Park. The Timbers have won three in a row and are unbeaten in four. Vincent Janssen had a goal and two assists in that home finale, and Kristoffer Velde scored his team-high 11th goal that night.
A win at Austin clinches a playoff berth. A draw or loss can still leave pathways depending on Colorado, Seattle, Salt Lake and Minnesota results on Decision Day, according to the club's postseason scenarios. In short: win clinches; anything less leaves Portland needing help from other results.
Austin is already eliminated from the playoffs, sitting 14th in the West on 34 points, per Austin FC and MLS. The Verde beat Portland 2-1 at Providence Park in August, with Facundo Torres opening and Oleksandr Svatok scoring the stoppage-time winner.
Also this weekend: The Portland Thorns play an NWSL quarterfinal at the Washington Spirit on Sunday, Nov. 8, at noon Pacific at Audi Field, on ABC.
Sources
Portland Timbers: Matchday, Timbers set for showdown with Austin FC on MLS Decision Day
Portland Timbers: Postseason scenarios, how the Timbers can clinch a spot in the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs
Austin FC: Match preview, Austin FC vs. Portland Timbers, Nov. 7, 2026
MLSsoccer.com: Decision Day, what every Western Conference team is playing for (2026)
Cover photo: Providence Park, Portland Timbers vs. Columbus Crew, 2016-03-05, by Tech. Sgt. John Hughel, 142nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
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