Phil Neville believes ex-Corinthians player will develop at Portland Timbers: ‘It will be his breakthrough year’

The Portland Timbers ended up trading Evander to Cincinnati at the start of the season, but another Brazilian has emerged as a candidate to be Oregon's new ‘star’. It's 23-year-old striker Antony Alves, who came through the ranks at Joinville and also played for Corinthians.

Antony is entering his second full season with the Timbers, where he enjoyed the best moment of his career in 2024, with seven goals and four assists in 37 games between MLS and the Leagues Cup.

So the Brazilian started 2025 standing out among the team's forwards, and in the 3-0 win against the Colorado Rapids last weekend, Antony contributed a goal, his 2nd in five games, and his 5th in five games against the Rapids. After the match, Timbers coach Phil Neville spoke about his expectations of the player this season:

‘He's scored two goals this season. He almost scored the third against the LA Galaxy. I think we need to make sure he has a successful season. He needs to have a breakthrough season in which he appears and scores goals. I think he has the potential for 10 goals, I believe that,’ said the coach.

Antony and his breakthrough year in MLS

Neville then went on to talk about the opportunities Antony will have on the pitch, since one of his competitors for the position, Uruguayan Jonathan Rodriguez, ended up injured, and for him, the Brazilian could have a ‘breakthrough’ year in the United States.

‘In life, sometimes you need a bit of luck, and he's got that. With Jonathan Rodriguez's injury, he knows he's going to play (more) and he's someone we've invested a lot of money in. This season, I think it will be his breakthrough year. He needs to continue learning, maintaining his quality in the final third of the pitch, with assists, ‘final passes’, crosses, finishing. And if he continues with this ‘fame’, he'll follow the same path as Santi Moreno, who for me, is on a different level,’ finalised Neville.

Against Colorado Rapids, Antony not only scored one of the winning goals but also played a part in other crucial moments of the game. In all, the Brazilian had 47 touches on the ball, completed 70% of his passes, created a ‘great chance’, completed 90% of his dribbles and also won 70% of his duels.

Portland Timbers' next challenge

With the win over the Rapids, the Portland Timbers moved up to 9th place in MLS Western Conference, with seven points from five games, two wins, one draw and two defeats.

The team's next fixture is next Sunday (30) at 9pm against the Houston Dynamo at Providence Park in the 6th round of MLS. The match will be broadcast exclusively on Apple TV.