by Matt Hoffman
Portland’s playoff hopes rose with a flourish Wednesday as the Timbers defeated RSL 1-0 behind a penalty kick by Fanendo Adi in the 52nd minute. The penalty was the result of a foul by Jamison Olave on Lucas Melano. Olave was summarily ejected from the game.
Portland was able to hang on but was given a serious scare late as it took some huge saves by Adam Kwarasey late to ensure the Timbers left with the full three points. Melano left the game holding his shoulder. Portland will be monitoring his health because it was Melano, specifically the Argentine’s speed, that created the denial of a goal scoring opportunity leading to both the goal and the man advantage.
By winning, Portland’moved three points clear of the San Jose Earthquakes and into a tie on points with Seattle Sounders FC for the fifth spot in the Western Conference standings. The Timbers improved upon their record to 5-0-2 in matches immediately following a home loss since 2013, with each of the seven matches coming on the road.
Portland can continue to climb the table in the Western Conference; The Timbers now sit just three points shy of Vancouver Whitecaps FC (50) in third place and one point behind Sporting Kansas City (48) in fourth place.
The loss meanwhile virtually extinguishes RSL from postseason contention. RSL’s chances to make the playoffs were razor-thin, but received ample life-support when the team collected 12 points over six games leading into Wednesday’s match. RSL Defender Tony Beltran surmised his feelings succinctly in his post-match remarks:
“A lot of emotions. Dejected, frustrated. We knew what we had to do. We failed.”
In the win, Portland now has a league-high 13 cleansheets. The Timbers also have 15 or more shots for three consecutive games. The Timbers had five shots on goal compared to RSL’s two. According to Timbers coach Caleb Porter, all went according to plan:
“In the first half we came out aggressive and didn’t just come out to sit back and let them come at us. We came out to attack. Obviously our lineup and our game plan reflected that. We pressed up the pitch. We had a lot of the ball and I think we were rewarded in the second half with the goal.”
Portland has a quick turnaround Sunday in LA. RSL next will host FC Dallas who currently sit atop the Western Conference standings.
