Timbers rolls past rival Sounders into West finals
PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Portland Timbers took care of their Pacific Northwest rivals when it mattered most Thursday night at Jeld-Wen Field, beating the Seattle Sounders 3-2 to advance to Major League Soccer's Western Conference finals.
The Timbers, who won 2-1 in the first leg of the series at Seattle last Saturday, prevailed by an aggregate of 5-3.
Portland moves on to face Real Salt Lake on Sunday in the first leg of the West finals. RSL wrapped up its series by beating the defending MLS champion Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0 Thursday.
"This means we're three games away (from a championship), and we have two teams in our way," Portland coach Caleb Porter said. "The guys are happy, but they won't be totally happy unless we win it all.
"But we're getting closer. This team genuinely believes we have a realistic goal at this."
The Timbers jumped to a 3-0 lead early in the second half, then survived a late Seattle rush to write their ticket to the final four.
"We have a style, and we want to do it every game," said midfielder Diego Valero, who scored the Timbers' second goal. "We needed to leave everything out there -- our soul even."
Midfielder Will Johnson and defender Mamadou Danso scored the other goals for the Timbers, who needed only a draw Thursday night to advance. The winners finished the job before a crowd of 20,674 -- the 52nd consecutive home sellout at Jeld-Wen.
"We came out to win," said Danso, who provided Portland's final goal in the 47th minute. "We came out to play the same game as we did in Seattle. We want to win every game going forward."
Shots finished even at 13 apiece, but the visitors had the game's final seven attempts in a late, futile comeback bid.
Portland carried the majority of the first-half action, outshooting the Sounders 8-4 -- shots on goal were 5-1 -- and taking a 2-0 lead into the break.
"The first half was perfect," Valero said. "We could have had even more goals in the first half, and (the Sounders) didn't really have any good chances. It was very important to jump out like that."
Will Johnson converted on a penalty kick in the 30th minute after Seattle defender Djimi Traore was called for a hand-ball as Portland defender Jack Jewsbury was dribbling inside the box. Valeri finessed one past sprawling Seattle goalkeeper Michael Gspurning for a second goal in the 44th minute.
By the time the Timbers tacked on a third goal on a header by Danso shortly after halftime, the Sounders' chances to continue their season seemed long gone.
Seattle kept fighting, though. Defender DeAndre Yedlin punched one in after a scrum in front of the Portland goal in the 74th minute to get Seattle on the board and trim the Timbers' lead to 3-1.
And when a header by forward Eddie Johnson off a nifty set-up from Yedlin from the corner found net less than two minutes later, the Sounders were within 3-2.
"It's natural when you get a 3-0 lead, you sit back a little bit and try to defend and get to the win," Portland forward Darlington Nagbe said. "Those two goals were a little unlucky, but it won't happen again."
Porter said, "It's a reminder you can't let your guard down in this sport or you'll get punched in the nose. A soccer game can turn on a moment. It was a wakeup call. It will keep us grounded."
There were smiles but not much celebrating in the Portland locker room afterward.
"It's been a good season, but we know the ultimate goal is to win the MLS Cup," Nagbe said. "We'll get real happy then."
The first playoff action in Portland's three years in MLS play is making the Timbers and their supporters happy.
"It means a lot," Danso said. "Looking at the fans out there tonight ... they've been giving us everything they've got for three years. This year, we've been paying them back. You see joy on their faces. That pushes you to want to play harder the next game. You can't wait for the next game. We do what we can to get them happy."
NOTES: Portland D Mamadou Danso got a yellow card for a healthy tackle on Seattle M Clint Dempsey in the first half. Dempsey got his own yellow in the second half. ... Portland now has a 12-1-5 home MLS record and a 16-1-5 home mark against all competition this year. The Timbers are unbeaten (12-0-4) in their last 16 matches at Jeld-Wen. ... Seattle went 5-11-2 in road MLS encounters this season and recorded only one win in its last nine games. ... The Timbers' streak of not allowing a goal at home ended at 524 minutes of play. ... The Timbers are the first team to win in their debut in the MLS Cup playoffs since Real Salt Lake in 2008. ... This is the fourth time Portland and Seattle met in the playoffs in all eras of pro soccer. Portland won 2-1 in 1975 en route to the NASL's Soccer Bowl. The teams met in the USL A-League playoffs in 2004 and '05. In the 2004 Western Conference semifinals, Seattle advanced with an overtime win after the teams split games. In the first round the next season, the Sounders won both games, advancing 3-0 on aggregate.
