SANDY, Utah (Sunday, May. 3, 2026) —Real Monarchs (2-3-2, 10 pts, 9th West) fall 0-3 to Portland Timbers 2 (3-1-3, 13 pts, 7th West) at America First Field on Sunday afternoon in its third consecutive loss, unable to find the back of the net in its last three outings.
Head coach Mark Lowry and Real Monarchs entered the Sunday matinee looking to bounce back after suffering two consecutive losses. The squad captained by FW Lineker Rodriguez looked to draw first blood early and build momentum after going scoreless since the 3-2 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 on March 22.
The starting lineup featured Real Salt Lake’s Columbian DF Juan Arias, logging his first professional minutes since arriving to Utah during the 2025 offseason accompanied by FW Jack Ottley who earned his first professional start on Sunday afternoon. The match started off with both sides trading possession before Portland drew first blood in the 13th minute taking the early lead.
After struggling to create any tangible shots on goal, DF Luis Rivera committed a foul in the Monarchs defensive box, awarding a shot from the spot to the visitors in the 35th minute. 20-year-old GK Max Kerkvliet showcased his confidence between the posts, diving to save the scoring attempt and keeping the home side within striking distance. The young ‘keeper has come up big thus far in 2026, making three shootout saves and now one in regulation.
The second half started much like the first, with both teams stringing together passes to work into their respective attacking third, in the 56th minute, the visitors capitalized in space sending the ball up the field quickly to score a second goal, putting the Monarchs down two with just over thirty minutes left in the match.
Although the Monarchs were able to get a few shots on goal, the momentum remained with the visitors who scored a third goal in the 86th minute after retaining possession off of an attempted sliding save by Kerkvliet. The scoreless loss marks the home side's third consecutive loss and third match without a goal.
Real Monarchs head out west next Sunday, May 10, to take on LAFC 2 at Titan Stadium in Fullerton, California. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. MT with the match available to stream on OneFootball.com.
SLC 0 : 3 POR
GOAL-SCORING SUMMARY:
POR: Colin Griffith (Sawyer Jura) 13’: Jura passed the ball to the top of the box for Griffith who took a couple of touches around the defense before sending a right footed shot into the bottom left corner from just outside the box.
POR: Noah Santos (Gage Guerra, Eric Izoita) 56’: After receiving the ball, Santos dribbled downfield before cutting around a defender at the top of the box and taking a right footed shot to the top left corner of the goal.
POR: Cole Cruthers (Noah Santos) 86’: Santos sent the ball up the field from just past the midway point to Cruthers whose shot was deflected off of Kerkvliet. Able to retain possession, Cruthers got the ball past the ‘keeper to send it into the net.
LINEUPS:
Real Monarchs (5-4-1): Max Kerkvliet; Gio Villa (Van Parker, 73’), Juan Arias (Cameron Estala, 65’), Luis Rivera (Felix Ewald, 46’), Gio Calderon, Ruben Mesalles; Jack Ottley, Griffin Dillon (Izzy Amparo, 65’), Luca Moisa (Chase Duke, 86’), Antionio Riquelme; Lineker Rodrigues ©
Subs not used: Trace Alphin, Lionel Djiro, Dylan Kropp, Liam O’Gara
Portland Timbers 2 (4-2-3-1): Hunter Suite; Sawyer Jura, Alex Bamford, Nicklas Lund, Charles Ondo; Victor Enriquez ©, Eric Izoita; Colin Griffith (Daniel Nuňez, 69’), Lucas Fernandez (Cole Cruthers, 72’), Noah Santos; Gage Guerra (Daniel Cervantes, 66’)
Subs not used: Samuel Joseph, Connor Ferguson, Benjamin Barjoto, Henry Mueller, Maximilian Kissel
Stats Summary: SLC / POR
Shots: 10 / 13
Shots on Goal: 3 / 6
Saves: 3 / 3
Corner Kicks: 3 / 3
Fouls: 23 / 14
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
SLC: Juan Arias (Yellow Card - 8’)
SLC: Griffin Dillon (Yellow Card - 45+3’)
POR: Daniel Cervantes (Yellow Card - 74’)
POR: Sawyer Jura (Yellow Card - 85’)
POR: Nicklas Lund (Yellow Card - 90+1’)
