Kissel, Santos score as T2 beat CITY2 to advance to Western Conference Semifinals
PORTLAND, Ore. – In front of a club-record crowd, Max Kissel and Noah Santos each scored on either side of halftime and Portland Timbers2 defeated St. Louis CITY2 in the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference Quarterfinals Friday evening at Providence Park.
Goalkeeper Sam Joseph made five saves in the shutout victory. The win extended T2’s unbeaten streak to a 13th straight match (7-0-6) across all competitions and also marked T2’s 15th clean sheet of the 2026 campaign.
T2 now advance to the Western Conference Semifinals to be hosted at Providence Park on a to be determined date.
Up Next: Western Conference Semifinals
Advancing into the next round of MLS NEXT Pro playoffs as the No. 2 Seed, T2 will host a Western Conference Semifinal match at Providence Park. Opponent, date, and kickoff time will be determined following the league's Pick Your Opponent show on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Tickets to the match are free and will be available for redemption HERE.
History Continues at Providence Park
With the result tonight, T2 extends its best season in club history, winning its first-ever MLS NEXT Pro playoff game in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Max Kissel earned the title of the team’s first ever post-season goal scorer with his 12th minute strike to put T2 ahead early. The team also earned its 15th shutout of the 2026 campaign, and 13th with Goalkeeper of the Year Sam Joseph in net.
Goal-Scoring Plays
POR – Max Kissel, 12th minute: After receiving a ball over the back line, Gage Guerra played a ball to the top of the box for Danny Nuñez, whose shot was deflected away and then finished into goal by Max Kissel at the back post.
POR – Noah Santos (Gage Guerra), 68th minute: Following a T2 free kick into St. Louis’s box, Gage Guerra headed the ball up and Noah Santos finished a first-time strike into the bottom left corner of the net.
Notes
- Timbers2 played in and hosted its first-ever MLS NEXT Pro playoff game at Providence Park.
- T2 advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals.
- Opponent, date and kickoff time for T2’s Western Conference Semifinal match will be announced on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
- Portland extended its unbeaten streak to 13 games (7-0-6).
- Tonight’s 2-0 result gives T2 its 15th clean sheet of the 2026 campaign.
- Max Kissel scored his fourth goal of the year.
- Kissel now has five goal contributions (4G, 1A) on the season.
- Kissel is responsible for the first playoff goal in T2’s MLS NEXT Pro era.
- Noah Santos found his fourth goal of the season to extend T2’s lead.
- Santos now has six goal contributions (4G, 2A) this year.
- Gage Guerra provided an assist, his second of the campaign.
- Guerra has tallied four goal contributions (2G, 2A) in five appearances for T2 this year.
- Goalkeeper Sam Joseph recorded his 13th clean sheet of 2026.
Next Game
Timbers2 will host their next match in the Western Conference Semifinals. Opponent, date, and kickoff from Providence Park for the semifinal match will be announced on Tuesday, Oct. 20. All matches will air live on OneFootball.com and MLSNEXTPro.com.
Portland Timbers2 (No. 2 seed) vs. St. Louis CITY2 (No. 7 seed)
October 16, 2026 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Goals by Half |
1 |
2 |
F |
Portland Timbers2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
St. Louis CITY2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Scoring Summary:
POR: Kissel, 12
POR: Santos (Guerra), 68
Misconduct Summary:
STL: Pearson (caution), 6
STL: Zengue (caution), 17
POR: Joseph (caution), 62
STL: Reid-Brown (caution), 68
POR: Jura (caution), 86
POR: Guerra (ejection), 90+3
POR: Enriquez (ejection), 90+3
STL: McSorley (ejection), 90+4
Lineups
POR: GK Joseph, D Jura, D Bamford, D Lund, D Ferguson , M Enriquez ©, M Nuñez (VanVoorhis, 55), M Fernandez-Kim, F Kissel (Barjolo, 85), F Griffith (Santos, 66), F Guerra
TOTAL SHOTS: 12 (Guerra, Santos, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 7 (Santos, Nuñez, 2); FOULS: 18 (three players tied, 3); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 0; SAVES: 4
STL: GK Olivares, D Reid-Brown (Jorgensen, 81), D Pearson ©, D Lillington, M Forcellini, M Wagoner (Paris, 76), M Ault, M Pearce (McDonald, 81), Barclay (Lynch, 66), F McSorley, F Zengue (Pickering, 67)
TOTAL SHOTS: 17 (McSorley, 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Ault, 3); FOULS: 15 (Zengue, 4); OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 8; SAVES: 4
Referee: Lauren Aldrich
Assistant Referees: Bruno Rizo, Alicia Messer
Fourth Official: Adorae Monroy
Attendance: 7,882
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.
