A few weeks ago, the consensus around the Portland Timbers was that they didn’t look like a playoff team. Questions lingered – what would happen to coach Caleb Porter? Would the front office see any shake-ups?
That sort of talk has turned into a distant memory after a late-year surge and now the Timbers are into their first MLS Cup.
The Timbers weathered a spirited challenge from FC Dallas in the second leg of the Western Conference finals on Sunday to finish 2-2 and hold onto their aggregate lead, which ended up at 5-3. Late goals from Ryan Hollingshead and Blas Perez had FC Dallas with a shot at a remarkable comeback, but it proved to be too little, too late.
Dallas started a rally in the 68th-minute as midfielder Mauro Diaz sent a well-weighted ball towards Hollingshead, who finished with a cool volley. Five minutes later, Diaz returned to cut further into Portland’s lead. His free-kick was headed past goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey by Perez, cutting Portland’s lead to a single goal.
But Portland’s high-priced, midseason acquisition, Lucas Melano, scored a stunning goal in stoppage time to ensure Portland’s spot in the MLS Cup; it was his second goal of the year. Melano dribbled past goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez and, with the outside of his foot, finished from a seemingly impossible angle, the ball barely crossing the goal-line.
Dallas had 13 shots to Portland’s seven on Sunday, and held the edge in possession at 55.5% to 44.5%.
“They put numbers forward,” Portland midfielder Diego Valeri said. “They had chances but we fought, we worked and we got the trophy.”
In the MLS Cup, Portland will face Columbus Crew, who dispatched the New York Red Bulls on Sunday evening. It will be the Timbers’ first time in the MLS Cup since joining the league in 2011. They made the playoffs once before, losing out in the 2013 Western Conference finals.
Fanendo Adi’s 54th-minute goal before Dallas’ surge put the Timbers up three goals on aggregate. Dairon Asprilla intercepted the ball and fed it to Valeri, who threaded a pass toward Adi in the box. Adi turned a defender and fired his finish off Gonzalez’s toe and in.
FC Dallas came into the second leg of the Western Conference final with the best home record in the league this season at 13 wins. In all but one of those victories, they scored two goals or more.
But the Timbers, for their part, have been exceptional on the road, garnering the second-most points way from home in MLS this year.
Designated Player and center back Liam Ridgewell did not dress for Portland after being substituted early in the series’ first leg. Ridgewell and coach Caleb Porter initially downplayed his injury as routine calf tightness, but Norberto Paparatto took his spot on Sunday.
“I’ll be good to go by next week,” Ridgewell said afterward. “I can’t miss another one. It was bad enough watching today.”
Adi exited the match in the 85th minute, limping and holding his ankle from a rough challenge a minute earlier. If Adi is not ready for the final, it would be a terrible loss for Portland – he led the team in goals this season at 16.
David Texeira nearly punished lax Paparatto defending in the 32nd minute. His header was slapped away by Kwarasey at point-blank range, the biggest save of the first half.
The regular season was an up-and-down rollercoaster for the Timbers, who suffered four-game winless stretches three times in a very competitive Western Conference. But a three-game winning streak with lopsided results at the end of the season carried Portland through the playoffs and now the Timbers head to MLS Cup on an eight-game unbeaten streak.
Whether that streak can continue long enough to take the league title is a question that will be answered on 6 December at the MLS Cup.
