Portland Timbers Win the MLS Cup! Beat Columbus Crew SC 2-1

The Portland Timbers did it.

The Portland Timbers beat the Columbus Crew 2-1 in the MLS Cup Final.

The Portland Timbers are MLS Cup Champions.

***

It was anarchy in the early going as the Timber jumped out to a quick two goal lead.

Inside the first minute the Timbers were up 1-0 as the Crew played the ball back to goalkeeper Steve Clark. With Diego Valeri closing him down, Clark went to clear the ball, only to find Valeri sliding in on him, blocking the ball off his foot, and knocking it into the back of the net.

Just six minutes late the Timbers were on the board again as Darlington Nagbe carried the ball down the right flank before dishing it out wide to Lucas Melano. With room to line up a cross, Melano picked out Rodney Wallace driving at the Crew goal and the Timbers' winger put a skipping header on goal, beating Clark and putting the Timbers up 2-0.

However, the Crew were not ready to give up there.

After the second Timbers goal the home side roared to life, pushing back down the pitch and putting the Timbers defense under heavy pressure. With the Crew in the hunt for their first goal it was only a matter of time before they got it.

In the 18th minute, the Crew pumped a cross into the Timbers box, only to see the ball knocked down in front of Timbers keeper Adam Kwarasey. With players on both teams trying to connect with the ball, eventually it made its way back to Crew leading scorer Kei Kamara. As he has all year, Kamara calmly lined up his shot and put it away, pulling the Crew back within one.

From there the game was one long blur, with both teams charging back and forth down the pitch, looking for the next goal that was not to come.

Not that the Timbers didn't come close.

Wallace almost got another deep in the second half in a scramble in the Crew box, hammering a close range shot off the chest of Michael Parkhurst, the bar, and Parkhurst's arm before it was cleared. Fanendo Adi came close as well even later in the match, flicking a header off the far post, with Clark only able to look on.

In the end it didn't matter. The Crew ended the game with only a single shot on target as the Timbers defense held strong to make the 2-1 scoreline stand up.