The Portland Timbers will try to snap a five-match winless streak when they host Western Conference-leading Los Angeles FC on Saturday afternoon.

The question heading into the match is not whether the Timbers (1-4-1, 4 points) can win the game, but rather can they at least score a goal?

LAFC (5-0-1, 16 points), led by former French national team and Tottenham Hotspur star Hugo Lloris in goal, have set an MLS record with six straight clean sheets to start a season.

Lloris, who helped lead France to the 2018 World Cup, has made 22 saves in the six contests, including six in last week’s 6-0 victory over Orlando City.

“We don’t go into games thinking about, ‘Oh, we have to keep a clean sheet,'” Los Angeles coach Marc Dos Santos said. “We go into games thinking about what we have to do as a group, collectively.”

To that end, LAFC is tied for second in goals scored in MLS with 14. Forward Denis Bouanga leads the team with four goals, including a hat trick that took just 28 minutes to complete against Orlando, while Son Heung-Min leads the league with seven assists.

The only blip on LAFC’s record so far this season is a 0-0 draw at Austin FC on March 21.

Portland, which is 0-4-1 in its last five matches since a season-opening 3-2 home victory over the Columbus Crew on Feb. 21, has allowed a Western Conference-worst 15 goals while scoring nine times.

The Timbers come in off a 3-2 loss at MLS Cup runner-up Vancouver last Saturday in which they allowed two goals in second-half stoppage time to take a shocking defeat.

Portland coach Phil Neville knows his squad faces a big challenge on Saturday.

“They’re a team that has not conceded any goals this season and they don’t give away many chances,” Neville said. “In terms of attacking play, I think we’re going to have to be really, really, really good in our attacking play, our attacking movements and our attacking control.”

–Field Level Media

Bryan Reynolds hit a two-run home run, Carmen Mlodzinski threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings and the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0 on Friday afternoon.

Facing Chicago starter Shota Imanaga, Pittsburgh didn’t tally its first hit until the top of the seventh.

Cubs reliever Caleb Thielbar (1-1)’s third pitch was singled to right by Ryan O’Hearn. His next pitch left the yard off the bat of Reynolds to left field, bringing home what became the only runs of the game on his third homer of the season.

Mlodzinski allowed six hits, walking three and striking out two for Pittsburgh, which has won seven of its last nine games. Mason Montgomery (1-0) earned the win, striking out two batters in relief of Mlodzinski. The Pirates will search for their first series win over Chicago since Sept. 2024 on Saturday.

Imanaga finished with a no-decision despite striking out nine batters and walking just one across six no-hit frames.

Ian Happ had two hits and Carson Kelly had a single and three walks for Chicago. The Cubs had six hits and worked seven walks, but were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 runners.

Chicago threatened in the fourth, as Happ and Seiya Suzuki laced a pair of singles and Kelly’s two-out walk loaded the bases. Mlodzinski escaped the jam, getting Moises Ballesteros to line out to left field.

Alex Bregman and Happ each singled to begin the bottom of the sixth, before Mlodzinski struck out Suzuki. Montgomery then replaced Mlodzinski after 81 pitches.

Montgomery struck out Pete Crow-Armstrong and walked Kelly to load the bases. The Pittsburgh reliever preserved the scoreless tie with an inning-ending strikeout of pinch hitter Matt Shaw.

Dennis Santana earned his first save of the season, striking out Dansby Swanson and Michael Busch as part of a perfect ninth.

–Field Level Media