The Portland Timbers Reserves would surge out to a three goal lead in the first 15 minutes against Seattle on Sunday, but would have to hold on for the win at the end after Seattle pulled two goals back. But the early goals by Mike Fucito, Kris Boyd, and Brent Richards would hold up for the 3-2 win in front of 8,968 on another sunny afternoon at Portland’s JELD-WEN Field. With the crowd of nearly 9,000 for the season finale, the Timbers Reserves finish the 2012 home schedule averaging 8,200 per game.
It would only take until the fifth minute for the Timbers to take the early lead, with Kris Boyd playing a high cross in from the right side, taking advantage of a failed Seattle clearance. The ball bounced high on the turf, but Mike Fucito settled under the ball and hit a full volley that deflected off a defender and slipped into the right side of the goal for the 1-0 lead.
Four minutes later, the Timbers doubled their lead as Kalif Alhassan played Boyd through, and the Timbers forward would chip a charging Josh Ford and the ball settled into the net for the 2-0 lead.
And fifteen minutes in, the Timbers surged out to a three goal lead when defender Ian Hogg made a deep run down the right side, with his cross being stopped by Seattle defender Zach Scott. But the ball was not cleared and was loose in the box where Ford could not get to it before Brent Richards charged in and tapped the ball wide of the Seattle goalkeeper, then blasting into the open net for the 3-0 lead, with the Timbers having scored on three of their first four shots.
Seattle did not get a shot on net until the 32nd minute, with Duncan McCormick having an open look from the top of the box, but the low blast was smothered by Timbers goalkeeper Jake Gleeson. Gleeson would be forced to leave the game a few minutes later when he charged out of the box and collided with Seattle forward Sammy Ochoa, with Mitch North taking his place in goal.
The teams traded good chances before the half, with Sebastian Rincon’s dipping shot in the 36th minute being stopped well by Ford, and Seattle’s Ochoa putting a shot just wide right in the 43rd minute, but the half would end with the Timbers having a dominating 3-0 lead.
In the first minute of the second half, the Timbers had two great chances, with Fucito’s shot from the top of the box being defected over the bar, and Ryan Kawulok’s header off the ensuing corner kick also slipping just over the crossbar.
In the 49th minute, Seattle would pull a goal back with Jordan Morris’s header off a cross frm Cordell Cato slipping just under the crossbar past North to make the score 3-1 Timbers. In the 69th minute, Seattle had another good opportunity on a similar play, with a cross from Mike Seamon being blasted just over the bar from 20 yards out by David Estrada.
In the 77th minute, Portland’s Jose Valencia, who had his first minutes of the season after being out injured the entire year, would nearly score in his debut as he made a deep run into the box down the right side, with his low shot just being pushed past the post by Ford.
Two minutes later, Seattle would pull to within a goal when Dominique Dismuke pounced on a deflected shot, dropping a pass back to Isidro Prado-Huerta, who blasted into the roof of the net to make the score 3-2 Timbers.
Each team would have a few more chances but no serious threats to score, and the Timbers would end the 2012 Reserve season with a 4-5-1 record after the 3-2 win over Seattle.
