The Portland Timbers honored Dairon Asprilla Saturday with a whirlwind 3-2 victory against Minnesota United.
Unfortunately, the Timbers did not get the memo early on, as the visiting Minnnesota hammered Portland for their sloppy, uninspired, and dreadful play early—and earned two goals for the effort.
Although the home side had their chances, the finishing was absolutely horrific. Jonathan Rodríguez, Santiago Moreno, and Felipe Mora all had chances and could not put anything away. When they got a good shot on goal, United goalkeeper Clint Irwin denied them. It looked very similar to the Philadelphia Union debacle earlier this season.
However, Mora drew a penalty late in the half, and Evander converted convert to halve the lead at 1-2.
The second half was all Portland. In the 73rd minute, Moreno finally broke through to equalize with a left-footed rocket.
Asprilla came on right after and looked to make one last heroic play.
The Providence Park crowd rightfully gave him the standing ovation and applause he desperate deserves. He is loved, adored, and appreciated by the Rose City. As a club legend, he will never be forgotten.
Thank you, Dairon Asprilla
Asprilla joined the Timbers ahead of the 2015 season. Little did he or the club know, it would change their lives forever. Nearly 10 years later, he finally said goodbye to his second home, Providence Park.
In his goodbye letter to Portland, Dairon Asprilla shared a heartfelt message to everyone:
Head coach Phil Neville confirmed the club legend would play minutes in his final game at the last training before the Minnesota match.
As reported by Jeremy Peterman of Cascadia FC, it was Asprilla’s wish to retire as a Portland Timber. Unfortunately, the front office and ownership could not agree on the terms.
As he arrived to the stadium, fans were waiting to greet and thank him one last time. There was something special in the air, and it was going to be a wonderful night.
A magical moment
In the 82nd minute, Evander lobbed a ball to find Asprilla. He hit it one-time into the box. It found Moreno’s header in stride and directed it to Rodríguez, who just needed to tap it in. But Rodríguez missed it…
The Timbers again thought they’d found the game-winner in the 87th minute off Antony’s header, but after VAR called it back.
The stage was set for the Timbers legend to shine and finish his story the only way he knows how.
Like a fairytale, in the 92nd minute, Asprilla got on the end of a long ball and hit it off the bounce. He placed it in front of the box to find Rodríguez for the match winner! In his final game as a Portland Timber, he created a moment that 22,000 supporters would never, ever forget.
This player has been magical since he arrived. Would you expect him to end it in any other way? Of course not.
“I’m very fortunate to have been part of this club for nine years,” said Asprilla. “I’m leaving happy, and my heart is happy.”
Postgame, he has one final message for the fans: “I think not only today, but these past days have been very, very long days” he said. “I tried my best to prepare for it, and I didn’t expect the moment of leaving to come so fast. I have a good opportunity to go back home and be very close to my family. I’ve tried to control my emotions as best as I can through these days, maybe hide my feelings a little, although people around me have given me a lot of great words. It’s been great to be around them. It was hard to come here from another country alone, but then this became my home. It’s been hard to see all the amazing messages and not being able to respond to them all. But mostly, I just want to thank everyone for the love that they’ve given me. I hope they can see this video, this message, and just to tell them that they’re my family.”
¡Gracias, Dairon!
“Thank you” is not enough, and it’s not even close to what he deserves, but all we can do now is say those two words.
Thank you for sharing your gifts on the pitch with everyone. Thank you for always being your authentic self. Thank you for all that you did for the city and community.
Thank you, Dairon Asprilla!
Did you know?
Asprilla, Diego Valeri, Diego Chará , and Darlington Nagbe are the only four players in club history to make at least 200 appearances for the Portland Timbers.
