Portland Timbers vs. FC Dallas Final Score

The Portland Timbers earned their first win of the season tonight with a 3-1 victory over formerly league leading FC Dallas. The Timbers scored twice in the second half to see off a physical Dallas side.

The scoring was opened in the 23' as the Timbers pushed forward and earned a corner kick off the hard work of Alvas Powell down the right flank. Jorge Villafana stepped up to the ball and curled a high ball into the Dallas box. With the kick dropping at the back post, Fanendo Adi tangled up two FC Dallas defenders and freed Nat Borchers for an open header that bounced past Chris Seitz and into the back of the net.

The Timbers looked likely to get the second goal of the night as well as Fanendo Adi fires a long range shot that Chris Seitz could only parry away to the feet of Maximiliano Urruti. Urruti put the ball into the back of the net with no hesitation, but the linesman also showed no hesitation as he waved his flag for offside and the goal was called back.

After the offside call, Dallas wasted no time dragging themselves back into the fight.

In the 29', Dallas found themselves setting up for their first corner of the match with Michel on the ball. Sending an out-swinging corner into the box, Michel found the head of Atiba Harris in the center of the box. Harris could not put his header on goal, sending it skimming just wide of the post as the Timbers looked on. What Harris did find was the streaking Tesho Akindele, arriving at the back post just in time to knock the ball home past the stunned defense.

With the two teams on level pegging, Dallas looked like the team more likely to get the game winning going into the end of the first half, pushing forward and making dangerous chances off free kicks and corners in the Timbers' end.

The second half saw the Timbers push back and reassert themselves on the match, breaking the deadlock in the 62', shortly after substitute Dairon Asprilla hit the pitch.

It was Asprilla who would unlock the Dallas defense for the game winner as the speedy sub got the ball to the Dallas end line thanks to a simple pass from Darlington Nagbe. From there Asprilla fired a hard cross in front of the net, seemingly directly to Seitz, only to have Maximiliano Urruti arrive on the scene and redirect the ball around the keeper and into the back of the net, putting the Timbers up 2-1.

Dallas was down, but not out until the 87', when a quick Timbers break sealed the result.

With the game stretched wide open while Dallas pushed for a second game-tying goal, the Timbers managed to break out of the unrelenting Dallas pressure and carry the ball down the pitch. Adi, with the ball at his feet, drew pressure from the Dallas defense then slipped the ball down the pitch for the onrushing Diego Chara. With only the goalkeeper in front of him Chara took two touches before calmly placing the ball around Seitz and into the goal to kill off the game.

The Timbers play Orlando City FC at home next Sunday.