Timbers to start 2019 season with monster road trip

The Portland Timbers will have ample opportunity to rack up airline miles through the first three months of the season.

The club’s 2019 schedule, which was announced on Monday, opens with 12 consecutive road games to accommodate completion of the Providence Park expansion project.

Portland will debut its revamped stadium on June 1 when it hosts Los Angeles FC. The $75 million stadium expansion is set to add 4,000 seats to the stadium’s east side, above the Key Bank club.

Stadium capacity will be pushed to more than 25,000.

Portland opens the season on March 2 on the road against the Colorado Rapids.

To compensate for the road-heavy start, the backend of Portland’s schedule includes 16 home games — and 11 of its last 12 — from June through September.

The first Cascadia Cup game will be on May 10, when the Timbers face Vancouver FC in British Columbia. They play the Sounders first on the July 21 in Seattle.

The Timbers face the Columbus Crew on April 20 on the road, which will mark the first time facing former head coach Caleb Porter.

Porter, who was hired to coach the Crew last week, coached the Timbers from 2013-2016 and led Portland to its lone MLS Cup championship in 2015.

Atlanta United FC, who defeated the Timbers 2-0 in the MLS Cup Final in December, comes to Portland Aug. 18 for the lone regular-season matchup between the two teams.

Group tickets are set to go on sale Jan. 15, according to a club release. Information on single game tickets will be released at a later date.

Around 3,500 of the 4,000 new seats will go to season ticket holders on the season ticket waitlist, according to The Oregonian.

Timbers 2019 schedule

(All kickoff times Pacific; home matches in CAPITAL letters)

March 2 — at Colorado, 3 p.m.

March 10 — at Los Angeles FC, 4:30 p.m. (FS1)

March 17 — at Cincinnati, 2 p.m. (FS1)

March 31 — at L.A. Galaxy, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)

April 6 — at San Jose, 5 p.m.

April 13 — at FC Dallas, 5 p.m.

April 20 — at Columbus, 4:30 p.m.

April 27 — at Toronto, noon

May 4 — at Real Salt Lake, 6 p.m.

May 10 — at Vancouver, 7 p.m.

May 15 — at Houston, 5:30 p.m.

May 25 — at Philadelphia, 4:30 p.m.

June 1 — LOS ANGELES FC, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

June 22 — HOUSTON, 8 p.m.

June 26 — at Montreal, 4:30 p.m.

June 30 — FC DALLAS, 8 p.m. (UniMas)

July 7 — at New York City, 3:30 p.m. (FS1)

July 13 — COLORADO, 8 p.m.

July 18 — ORLANDO, 7 p.m. (ESPN)

July 21 — at Seattle, 6:30 p.m. (FS1)

July 27 — LA GALAXY, 7:30 p.m. (FS1)

Aug. 4 — at Minnesota, 1 p.m. (ESPN)

Aug. 10 — VANCOUVER, 8 p.m.

Aug. 14 — CHICAGO, 8 p.m.

Aug. 18 — ATLANTA, 7 p.m. (FS1)

Aug. 23 — SEATTLE, 7 p.m. (ESPN)

Aug. 31 — REAL SALT LAKE, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 7 — SPORTING KANSAS CITY, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 15 — D.C. UNITED 4:30 p.m. (FS1)

Sept. 18 — NEW YORK, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 22 — MINNESOTA, 1 p.m. (ESPN)

Sept. 25 — NEW ENGLAND, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 29 — at Sporting Kansas City, 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 6 — SAN JOSE, 1 p.m.

(Local TV to be announced at a later date)