LOS ANGELES, CA – On MLS Decision Day 2020, the Timbers grabbed a point late to earn a 1-1 draw with Los Angeles FC. Once the dust settled on an action-packed Sunday evening around the league, the Timbers (1.7 ppg) landed as the three seed in a highly competitive Western Conference. Portland will host six seed FC Dallas at Providence Park in their first-round matchup.
Portland has suffered a recent spell of stoppage-time heartbreaks, but on Sunday night it was Jorge Villafana who flipped the script, scoring a header in the 90th minute for Portland. The late goal came as a huge relief as the Timbers attack struggled throughout much the match and managed just three shots on target. For Villafana, it was his first goal for the club since 2015.
LAFC will ultimately wish they had done more with the opportunities created, having dictated the pace throughout most of the match. LAFC looked quick in moving the ball downfield and their defenders were consistently swarming around the ball when the Timbers tried to build from the back.
Carlos Vela got LAFC out of the gates early, scoring in the fifth minute. In is first start since August, the 2019 Golden Boot winner looked re-energized and as potent as ever as he scored off a point-blank rebound initiated by teammate Latif Blessing. Eventual 2020 Golden Boot winner Diego Rossi looked poised to add to his haul of 14 goals on the season, but dinged the post twice during the match.
LAFC finishes as the seven seed in the West and a knockout round matchup in Seattle is where their path to MLS Cup begins.
For the Timbers, Sunday night’s result seemed to be a mix of course correction from their recent disappointments and restrained optimism in the hobbled attack. The Timbers were again without Designated Players Sebastian Blanco and Jaroslaw Niezgoda due to season-ending ACL injuries and Jeremy Ebobisse was unavailable for a fifth straight game due to a concussion suffered last month.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night for Portland was the ability to earn a result without the ball-winning heroics of Diego Chara in the midfield. Chara was forced to sit out due to yellow card accumulation.
Looking ahead to the FC Dallas matchup, the Timbers should look a little better on paper than they did before tonight’s game. Despite the absence of Blanco and Niezgoda, the Timbers still have a number of reliable goal scoring options in Diego Valeri, Jeremy Ebobisse, and Felipe Mora. Also worth mentioning is the addition of a healthy Dairon Asprilla – a player renown for manufacturing big moments in the postseason for Portland.
MLS Cup Playoffs begin Friday, November 20th. It has yet to be confirmed, but the Portland/Dallas matchup will take place between November 21-24.
