The Portland Timbers have existed in four different incarnations since 1975, and after making the final of their league 3 previous times, including twice before in their Major League Soccer years, the Timbers are finally going to be playing a league final at home. With the 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake tonight, the Timbers will host the Eastern Conference Champions at Providence Park next Saturday. Felipe Mora and Santiago Moreno scored for the Timbers, while Steve Clark recorded the shutout in goal.
The Timbers started the match controlling much of the possession, and it would not take long to pay off for the home side. In just the 5th minute, Felipe Mora played a nice one-touch pass into the run of Yimmi Chará, whose low cross was deflected away from goal by Real Salt Lake’s Aaron Herrera, but his clearance was right onto the foot of Mora, who appeared to only attempting to trap the ball, but the ball would trickle past goalkeeper David Ochoa, and right out of the gate, the Timbers had a 1-0 lead.
In the 25th minute they had a good chance to double their lead when a shot from 25 yards out by Yimmi Chará forced a diving save from Ochoa, who covered up the rebound before any Timbers players could get to the ball. In the 31st minute Marvin Loría‘s tight angle shot forced another save from Ochoa, and though both Mora and Santiago Moreno appeared to have a great chance to knock the rebound into the open net, they got in each other’s way and the good scoring chance was lost.
Real Salt Lake had better possession in the later part of the half and very nearly tied the match up in the 33rd minute when Herrera made a nice run to the end line and his cross found the head of an open Damir Kreilach only six yards out from goal. But his snap header would be stopped by a spectacular reaction save from Steve Clark, who knocked the shot up before quickly jumping to his feet to claim the free ball. The Timbers held a 1-0 lead at the break.
In the 61st minute, the Timbers would put a critical second goal on the board when Moreno made an open run from near midfield, and sent a dipping shot towards goal from 30 yards out that beat Ochoa, then hit the left post, rebounded off Ochoa’s back, then found it’s way into the net. The Timbers had widened their lead to 2-0.
The visitors really needed to push for a goal now, and had a good chance in the 64th minute when Albert Rusnák had a low blast from 20 yards out stopped by a diving save to his right by Clark. In the 68th minute the Timbers had yet another good scoring chance when a Yimmi Chará free kick found the head of Dario Župarić, whose headed pass was headed towards goal by Jarosław Niezgoda, but Real Salt Lake defender Marcelo Silva cleared the ball off the line, and Niezgoda’s follow-up was over the crossbar.
In the 79th minute, the challenge to the visitors would become even more difficult when Herrera was sent off for his second yellow card, a foul on Loría, so Real Salt Lake would have to try to equalize while down a player. They would have one last good scoring chance in the 85th minute on a header from Silva that Clark made another good save on to protect the lead and the shutout.
In stoppage time, Diego Valeri nearly put a spectacular third goal on the board when his beautiful free kick from 30 yards out was only kept out by a spectacular diving save from Ochoa.
But the whistle would blow after four minutes of stoppage time, and with the 2-0 win, the Timbers will be hosting MLS Cup 2021 next Saturday at noon local time. Their opponent will be the winner of Sunday’s Eastern Conference Final between the Philadelphia Union and New York City FC.
Steve Clark had three saves for the Timbers in earning the shutout, while David Ochoa had three saves for Real Salt Lake.
MATCH RECAP | Timbers defeat Real Salt Lake 2-0 to advance to 2021 MLS Cup | Timbers Website
HIGHLIGHTS | Mora, Moreno with goals as Timbers beat RSL to win Western Conference | Dec. 4, 2021 | Timbers Website
