EUGENE, Oregon (Sunday, August 3rd, 2025) - Real Monarchs (6-5-7, 29pts, 7th West) closed out its three-match series against Portland Timbers 2 (6-9-4, 24pts, 11th West) with a hard-fought come from behind 2-1 victory, completing a clean sweep of the season matchup.
Real Monarchs head coach Mark Lowry made five personnel changes from last week's 4-0 road loss to The Town FC. Opting for a 4-2-3-1 formation, Lowry started defenders Maximus Jennings and Tommy Silva into the back-line as well as attacking midfielders Brayan Sandoval and Juan Gio Villa. The fifth change to the lineup was the newly signed 20-year-old striker Marcos Zambrano who joined the Monarchs after inking his first Major League Soccer deal earlier this week with Real Salt Lake. Tonight marked Villa’s first start of the 2025 season, following a pair of appearances last year.
The Monarchs got off to a quick start, putting pressure on the Timbers’ defense from the opening whistle. The most tangible scoring opportunity for the visitors came in the 10th minute, when Sandoval nearly put his team on the board. Although unable to convert, the Monarchs kept its energy high in search of the back of the net.
In the 21st minute, Gio Calderon’s attempt to make a defensive stop in the box resulted in a handball and a penalty kick, which was converted, giving the home side the lead midway through the first half.
The start of the second half saw end-to-end action, with each side creating dangerous chances that forced quick reactions from the opposing defenses. In the 61st minute Real Monarchs evened out the score when Luca Moisa found Sandoval down the pitch. With a left footed strike he sailed the ball into the back of the net for the Monarchs first goal of the evening. The equalizer marked the first MLS NEXT Pro goal for the Columbian attacker in his fifth start of his debut season with the Monarchs.
In the 70th minute Lowry made his first substitutions of the match, bringing on Zack Farnsworth and striker Chase Duke, despite not finding the net, Zambrano made his presence known in the attacking third as a new member of the Monarchs, getting off multiple shots and assisting in the offensive cohesion throughout the duration of his 70 minute shift.
With less than 10 minutes left in regulation, Ruben Mesalles crossed the ball from the left side of the pitch for Silva who fired first time finding the back of the net. The score marks Silva’s first of the 2025 season and second of his Monarchs career along with Mesalles’ fourth assist of his rookie campaign.
Today’s 2-1 victory capped off a season sweep for the Monarchs over Portland Timbers 2, winning all three meetings between the sides. After a winless July, the victory offers a promising turning point for the Monarchs as it looks ahead to the second half of the season.
Real Monarchs are on the road for its final match of a three game road trip, taking on Houston Dynamo 2 on Saturday, August 9, at SaberCats Stadium. The match will be streamed on MLSNEXTPro.com with kickoff scheduled for 6:00 p.m. MT.
POR 1 : 2 SLC
GOAL-SCORING SUMMARY:
POR: Blake Pope (Unassisted) 21’ – The Timbers 2 were awarded a penalty after Monarchs defender Calderón was called for a handball while attempting a defensive block inside the box. Blake Pope stepped up and calmly slotted the ball past goalkeeper Mackay to open the scoring for Portland.
SLC: Brayan Sandoval (Luca Moisa) 61’ – Moisa found Sandoval down the left flank, where the winger surged forward, cut inside past his defender, and unleashed a powerful strike that rocketed past the Timbers 2 goalkeeper to bring the match level for the Monarchs.
SLC: Tommy Silva (Ruben Mesalles) 82’ – Center back Mesalles delivered a driven pass into the box, where left back Silva made a well-timed run and calmly slotted the ball past the Timbers 2 goalkeeper, giving the Monarchs a late lead.
LINEUPS:
Real Monarchs (4-2-3-1): Will Mackay; Maximus Jennings, Ruben Mesalles, Gio Calderon, Tommy Silva; Griffin Dillon ©, Luca Moisa (Liam O’Gara 90+2’) ; Gio Villa, Owen Anderson (Izzy Amparo 83’), Brayan Sandoval (Zack Farnsworth 70’); Marcos Zambrano (Chase Duke 70’)
Subs not used: Luis Rivera, Aiden Hezarkhani, Trace Alphin
Timbers 2 (4-2-3-1): Lukas Burns; Sawyer Jura, Malcolm Johnston ©, Charles Nduwuisi Ondo, Blake Pope (Alex Bamford 88’); Victor Enriquez, Eric Izoita (Santino Gallardo 72’); Noah Santos (Marquinhos 57’) , Alex Moreno (Daniel Nunez 57’), Kyle Linhares; Mataeo Bunbury (Dario White 88’)
Subs not used: Jacob Izoita, Zavier Garcia, Maximillian Deisenhofer
Stats Summary: POR / SLC
Shots: 8 / 14
Shots on Goal: 2 / 6
Corner Kicks: 1 / 5
Fouls: 14 / 18
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
SLC: Marcos Zambrano (Yellow Card - 49’)
SLC: Nick Rimando (Yellow Card - 50’)
POR: Victor Enriquez (Yellow Card - 68’)
SLC: Gio Villa (Yellow Card - 77’)
SLC: Gio Calderon (Yellow Card - 78’)
