Fanendo Adi and Diego Chara bagged the goals in the Portland Timbers’ triumph over Cascadia rival Vancouver Whitecaps in the Western Conference Semifinals of the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs: Adi's 31st-minute strike, a smooth left-footed finish off a Diego Valeri cross; Chara's sealing shot, the clever culmination of a stoppage-time counter attack.
They proved the decisive moments of a 2-0 aggregate victory in the two-leg series that ended Sunday night at Vancouver’s BC Place.
But it seemed no matter who scored, or when, Portland could have gone another 180-plus minutes without ever letting Vancouver’s attack enter the series. The Timbers’ defense – not to mention their keep-away-style possession after Adi’s goal put the Whitecaps in an away-goal tiebreaker hole – was just that good.
“I think we managed both legs really well,” said Timbers head coach Caleb Porter. “We didn’t give up the away goal which led into this game. We knew they would want to come out, and yet we wanted to be aggressive as well. … That meant now that we could manage the game with the ball, which we did in the second half.”
Despite the early goal forcing Vancouver to score two to advance, Portland controlled the game throughout, finishing with nearly 54 percent of the possession. It wasn’t until the 82nd minute, after bringing in reserve forward Robert Earnshaw, when the Whitecaps finally started pressing forward. By then it was all but too late.
Adding two shots on target pulled Vancouver's total to five across both legs.
“We obviously had a good share of the possession, which is huge for this team,” said center back Nat Borchers. “And we got that first goal, which changed the game, I think, and really put them on the back foot and us on the front foot. So definitely we were the more aggressive team and I think the better team on the day.”
Portland continued their aggressive approach from the first leg, despite not finding a goal in the scoreless draw at Providence Park, and upped it. That effort was aided by the return from injury of Diego Chara, the starting defensive midfielder in Porter’s newfound 4-3-3 formation that has sparked the Timbers’ attack. Chara missed their first two playoff games with a sprained foot tendon.
“I think our midfield was fantastic, and I think they were over the whole series,” Borchers said. “Just getting pressure on the ball, making play predictable for us in the back, winning second balls, those are just huge things for us. … So that was very, very big for them.”
It marks a decisive win for the Timbers, who have now advanced to their second Western Conference Championship in the last three years, all coming since Porter took over ahead of the 2013 season. They also happen to be playing some of their best soccer since joining MLS, unbeaten in six games – with four straight road victories, by a combined score of 10-3.
“They play for each other; they’re very hungry,” Porter said. “Last six games we’re unbeaten and last six games we’ve been in playoff mode. We’ve been under massive pressure, and for this group to play the football they’re playing under massive pressure is a really good sign.”
Dan Itel covers the Timbers for MLSsoccer.com.
