PORTLAND, Ore. – A memorable first weekend of MLS soccer in the Rose City concluded with another Timbers victory in front of a loud sellout crowd at JELD-WEN Field as Portland survived a furious late rally from FC Dallas to grab another three points at home with a 3-2 win on Sunday.
Jack Jewsbury and Kenny Cooper each scored in the first half, while Rodney Wallace added the third for Portland in the second. That three goal advantage, however, was whittled to one in the final 10 minutes by David Ferreira and Brek Shea.
FCD nearly tied the game in extra time, when Ferreira fired a potential game-tying shot that hit the upright.
In addition to it being the Timbers’ second win of the season, Portland moved into a league-leading tie for goals scored with nine. Seven of those tallies have come in the two-game home-opening weekend that started with Thursday's 4-2 win over Chicago.
The Timbers got on the board in the 13th minute when midfielder Kalif Alhassan found Jewsbury at the edge of the box. The Timbers captain took a shot that ricocheted off the post and FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman to find its way into the net.
Then, in the 34th minute, Cooper took advantage of his 6-foot-3 frame to rise above the defenders and get a head on a Jewsbury corner kick. He directed that cross masterfully over Hartman and inside the left upright.
In the first two minutes of the second half, Portland appeared to add to their lead. A cross from Steve Purdy skipped through Hartman’s hands and onto the path of forward Jorge Perlaza, who calmly tapped it in. However, the goal was ruled offside and the goal was called off.
It didn't take long for the Timbers to again break through FCD's defense and, in the 55th minute, they would add their third goal. Alhassan made a brilliant move to slip through four defenders. He poked the ball ahead and defender Rodney Wallace finished it into the back of the net.
FC Dallas pressed for a goal in the final 30 minutes, but could close any of their chances and were unable to sustain effective possession. That would change in the 83rd minute, when Ferreira finally made his presence felt. The reigning MLS MVP slid onto a pass from Shea and directed the ball past goalkeeper Jake Gleeson.
Less than two minute later, Ferreira and Shea woudl connect again, but this time, it was Ferreira who served the assist. The Colombian sent a chipped pass over the defense and into the path of a streaking Shea, who got onto the end of the pass to beat Gleeson.
Dallas scrambled to find the equalizer in extra time, but an intervention from Gleeson and the post kept FCD from tying the match.
With the win, Portland improved their record to 2-2-1. Dallas, meanwhile, are now 1-3-1.
Scoring Summary:
POR -- Jack Jewsbury 2 (Kalif Alhassan 2) 13
POR -- Kenny Cooper 2 (Jack Jewsbury 1) 35
POR -- Rodney Wallace 2 (Kalif Alhassan 3) 55
DAL -- David Ferreira 3 (Brek Shea 1) 83
DAL -- Brek Shea 1 (David Ferreira 1) 86
Misconduct Summary:
POR -- Rodney Wallace (caution; Reckless Tackle) 15
DAL -- Marvin Chavez (caution; Reckless Tackle) 40
POR -- Kenny Cooper (caution; Delaying a Restart) 79
POR -- Eddie Johnson (caution; Reckless Tackle) 80
Lineups:
FC Dallas -- Kevin Hartman, Zach Loyd (Jackson Goncalves 60), George John, Ugo Ihemelu, Brek Shea, Marvin Chavez, Daniel Hernandez, Andrew Jacobson (Maykel Galindo 72), Fabian Castillo, David Ferreira, Milton Rodriguez (Jair Benitez 64).
Substitutes Not Used: Eric Alexander, Eric Avila, Ruben Luna, Chris Seitz.
Portland Timbers -- Jake Gleeson, Steve Purdy, Eric Brunner, Mamadou Danso, Rodney Wallace, Jeremy Hall (Darlington Nagbe 65), Jack Jewsbury, James Marcelin, Kalif Alhassan (Sal Zizzo 72), Kenny Cooper, Jorge Perlaza (Eddie Johnson 77).
Substitutes Not Used: Kevin Goldthwaite, Adam Moffat, Ryan Pore, Troy Perkins.
Referee: Mark Geiger
Referee's Assistants: Peter Manikowski; Claudio Badea
4th Official: Landis Wiley
Weather: Sunny and 50 degrees
Attendance: 18,627
