The Portland Timbers season is over.
After 120 minutes and eight rounds of penalties, the Timbers finally succumbed to an FC Dallas side that were slow to start but finished strong in Sunday night’s MLS Cup Playoff match. It was only fitting in 2020 that, with victory in their grasp after a beautiful goal from Jorge Villafana, the Timbers conceded in the 93rd minute to a bouncing ball played over the top of their backline, ultimately losing 1-1 (7-8) after a tense penalty shootout.
The opening minutes saw the Timbers come out and get after Dallas, pressing the visitors in their end and creating a flurry of chances. shots on goal from Yimmi Chara and Andy Polo forced saves from Jimmy Maurer in the 6th and 11th minutes, but the Timbers were not able to turn their early advantage into goals and Dallas were able to gradually work their way into the match.
Halfway through the first half, in the 26th minute, the timbers came close to opening the scoring on a corner kick. Diego Valeri’s out-swinging ball from the corner flag found the head of Larrys Mabiala as the big man made a diagonal run through the box. Mabiala got to the ball just ahead of Dallas center back Matt Hedges and was able to send a header zipping toward goal, only to see the ball skim just over the bar.
Dallas appeared to turn the match on its head in the 30th minute when Ryan Hollingshead got free and turned to break through the center of the pitch. In space, Hollingshead slid the ball through the Timbers backline for a slicing run from Franco Jara that put the Dallas forward in on goal. With Steve Clark rushing out at him, Jara finished coolly past the Timbers and turned to celebrate, only for the goal to be called back on review for an offside infraction.
With the Dallas goal waved off, the Timbers gathered themselves and were able to retake control of the match. Holding the ball in the Dallas end for long stretches, the Timbers looked to be on the front foot only to be dealt a cruel blow just before halftime when Eryk Williamson was forced from the game with an ankle injury in the 45th minute.
In the 54th minute, the Timbers came close to breaking the deadlock. Off a Timbers corner kick, the Dallas defense managed to head away the first ball into the box, but they could only get the ball as far as the top of the box where Cristhian Paredes was lurking. As the ball fell to him, Paredes lined up a side volley and slammed the ball toward goal, forcing Maurer into a fingertip save to touch it over the bar.
Paredes tested the Dallas keeper again in the 64th minute, jumping on a misplaced pass in the Dallas half and letting rip with a strong shot from distance that Maurer had to dive at full stretch to push around the post.
On the ensuing corner kick, Polo had a chance of his own. Slipped in on goal by a short pass from Valeri, Polo snapped off a shot from a tight angle, but again Maurer was equal to the task, getting a touch to the ball and sending it wide.
Felipe More came close in the 72nd minute when a short pass from Yimmi Chara found his run into the Dallas box. With a trio of defenders swarming him, Mora held them off just long enough to get a toe-poke toward the near post. Mora was not able to put much power on the ball, but from close in his dinked shot still challenged Maurer, and the keeper needed to get down quickly to deflect it away from goal.
Finally, in the 83rd minute, the Timbers broke through. After a series of quick passes around the Dallas end, Paredes picked out Valeri in the Dallas box with his back to goal. Holding off a defender, Valeri took a touch and tapped the ball forward into the path of Jorge Villafana. Cutting inside from his position on the left flank, Villafana met the ball on the run and struck, smashing it home from point-blank range and giving Maurer no chance at the save.
Dallas were not out of the match, however, and in the 93rd minute they drew even. Off a goal kick, Dallas won the ball and sent it back toward the Timbers backline where youngster Ricardo Pepi was the first to react. Gathering up the ball, Pepi raced toward goal and shot for the near post, forcing a reaction save from Clark that pushed the ball into the post. The rebound off the woodwork spun behind Clark and set up in front of the open net where Pepi was, once again, the first on the spot. With Mabiala and Dario Zuparic looking on in horror, Pepi touched the ball home and sent the sides to extra time tied at 1-1.
Extra time was a drag for the Timbers. Facing off against an invigorated Dallas side, the control that the Timbers showed in the first 90 minutes of the match was nowhere to be found. On the back foot, the Timbers retreated into their own end, struggling to get forward and ceding possession for much of the remainder.
After 120 minutes, Valeri had one last chance to finish the match before going to penalties. Receiving the ball on the left side of the Dallas box, Valeri clipped a looping ball back toward the back post. The shot dipped down over Maurer but clanged off the far post, bouncing away from goal as the whistle to end extra time blew.
The penalties were a back and forth affair, with both sides burying their spot-kicks until, in the 8th round, Villafana stepped up to the ball. With Dallas up and the pressure on, Villafana went for power and fired his shot to Maurer’s right, but the Dallas keeper went the right way and made solid contact with the attempt, pushing the ball around the post to secure victory for his side.