Portland Timbers Man of the Match: In Spite of All the Crap

The Portland Timbers fell short of three points on Sunday night as they lost to the Vancouver Whitecaps in a contentious 4-3 match. The defense was in a shambles for much of the match, but going forward was a different thing entirely. The Timbers scored a few and looked good for another to tie the score, only to run out of time before they could grab an equalizer.

Who, though, made the best contribution to the Timbers on a rought day for the team? You can check out our picks here and vote for your own in the poll below.

Kevin: Darlington Nagbe

Because...Nagbe.

But honorable mention to the pass from Adi to setup third goal. If there was a pass of the week that'd be it.

Ryan: Darlington Nagbe

He was the most dangerous Timber on the field for the whole game. His runs slaloming through the defense were amazing and he almost willed this game to a tie...

Stacey: Diego Valeri

Valeri had two assists and a pretty good outing overall. He also deserved a PK in the first half, but in spite of all the crap in this game, he kept fighting for the assist hat trick until the very end. I was also very impressed with Nagbe, who did a lot of hard work to set Valeri up to get his two assists.

(Note: Valeri was later credited with an assist on the Timbers' third goal as well, giving him three on the night.)

Kelly: Will Johnson

Great goal (from an even better assist) and I feel like he's usually the driving force behind any kind of comeback attempt. He rallies the troops, injects passion, and mixes it up with opposing players.

Michael: Diego Valeri

Overall probably the best game from an attacking player. Two excellent passes for assists and probably deserved to draw a penalty, as well. Too bad his nice performance will be forgotten amid the bitching and moaning about referees.

Will: Diego Valeri

You can't really lay any of the blame for the Timbers' defensive woes at his feet, but you can put the entirety of their offensive explosion there. Valeri's passing was spot on and his three assists have put him in a tie for the most in MLS this year.

Who was your pick for the Timbers' Man of the Match? Vote in the poll and let us know why in the comments.