Minnesota United head coach Cameron Knowles was impressed with James Rodriguez's impact on his first start for the club and hopes he can continue it against the Portland Timbers.

James made the move to Minnesota in February ahead of this summer's World Cup but had to wait until Tuesday to get his first start; the Loons drew 0-0 with Sacramento Republic in the U.S. Open Cup before prevailing 9-8 on penalties.

The Colombian topped the charts for final-third entries (16) and passes in the final third (34), while he had 73 touches in his 66 minutes on the pitch.

Knowles was full of praise for James' performance and is confident he will continue to make his presence felt.

"You can see how he creates play, how precise he is with the ball and how he involves everyone else in the game," Knowles said of James.

"Considering that he hadn't played much, and he had time off and recovery, he came back to full training and worked as hard as he could.

"He is a leader in the way he carries himself, and he is a winner. You see it when he plays, even in the small-sided games."

Minnesota are unbeaten in their last three MLS games, providing a stern test for Portland, who sit four points further back in 11th.

The Timbers got their first win since the opening matchday when they beat Los Angeles FC 2-1 last time out, but Phil Neville is not getting ahead of himself after that victory.

"You've got to keep your feet on the ground," he said. "We didn't get too low with the defeats, and we won't get too high with a win.

"We've not got to turn up on the road. We've got to take our home comforts – everything we love about playing at home – and take it on the road.

"How do we control games of football away from home? How do you show courage away from home? And we're going to have to over the next five out of seven games."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Minnesota United – Kelvin Yeboah

Kelvin Yeboah scored his third game-winning goal of the season in a 2-1 win at San Diego FC on Saturday.

His three winners lead MLS this season, and his nine career game-winners rank tied for first in the Loons' history with Robin Lod (regular season only).

Portland Timbers – Kevin Kelsy

Kevin Kelsy became the ninth different player to score a goal for the Timbers this season with his one-touch, one-goal game on Saturday against LAFC.

That is tied for the second-most goalscorers in MLS this season, trailing only Colorado Rapids' 10 players.

MATCH PREDICTION: MINNESOTA UNITED WIN

Minnesota United remain unbeaten in regular-season play at home against the Portland Timbers across eight meetings (W6 D2). Portland are the only team the Loons have hosted more than three times in the regular season and never lost to.

The Loons have allowed only one goal or fewer in four of their first seven games this season, including three straight.

Since the start of 2025, Minnesota have held opponents to one goal or fewer 28 times in the regular season, with only the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Philadelphia Union doing so more often (29).

The Timbers snapped a five-game winless run with a 96th-minute winner on Saturday in a 2-1 victory over LAFC. Since the beginning of last May, all eight of Portland's regular-season wins have come by one goal, joining D.C. United as the only teams without a multi-goal win in that time.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Minnesota United – 54.3%

Draw – 23.5%

Portland Timbers – 22.2%