The Portland Timbers broke their single-game goal scoring record on Saturday night against Sporting Kansas City, scoring an amazing seven times, including six times just in the second half, in a 7-2 demolition win. Sebastián Blanco and Timbers newcomer Nathan Fogaça had two goals each, while Bill Tuiloma, Marvin Loria and Santiago Moreno also scored for the Timbers. Johnny Russell and Marinos Tzionis had thee goals for Kansas City.
The Timbers would make their first good scoring chance pay off in the 12th minute, when Eryk Williamson‘s free kick from just outside the SKC box found the head of a wide-open Bill Tuiloma, whose strong header found the back of the net past goalkeeper Tim Melia, and the Timbers had a 1-0 lead. Neither team seriously threatened to score again for the rest of the half, so that would be the score at the break.
It would not take long for the Timbers to widen their lead after half, when just about 30 seconds in, Cristhian Paredes would chip a soft pass to a wide-open Sebastián Blanco in the middle of the Kansas City box, and Blanco cleanly finished past Melia, and the Timbers had a 2-0 lead.
And just five minutes later, Blanco would have his second. He would make a deep run into the SKC box, cut back, and then curl a perfect shot into the upper right corner of the net, and the Timbers lead was 3-0.
And after another five minutes had passed, the Timbers widened the lead even more when Blanco played a nice ball into the run of Nathan Fogaça, who was making his debut for the Timbers, and the Timbers forward would one-time the shot past Melia, and the Timbers lead was now 4-0.
Just a minute or so later, in the 57th minute, Sporting Kansas City would pull back a goal, when Felipe Hernández‘s curling high pass into the box found Johnny Russell slip in unmarked behind the Timbers defense, and he finished easily at the far post past goalkeeper Aljaž Ivačič, and the Timbers lead had been reduced to 4-1.
In the 69th minute, Portland’s Blanco would play a nice give-and-go with Williamson, and then played a nice pass through the box to Fogaça, who had slipped in and was wide open to finish easily past Melia and the four goal lead was restored as the Timbers were now up 5-1. After Portland’s Josecarlos Van Rankin was ejected in the 74th minute for his second yellow, Kansas City would pull back another goal when the ensuing free kick by Hernández was redirected into the net by Marinos Tzionis, with his first-ever MLS goal, and the score was now 5-2 Timbers.
After Sporting Kansas City’s Robert Voloder was himself ejected shortly afterwards for a second yellow, the Timbers would show they were not done with their scoring yet, when in the 88th minute, a pass from Paredes found wide open Marvin Loría, who curled in his shot from the top of the box and into the upper right corner, and the lead had grown to 6-2.
Then, in second half stoppage time, the Timbers would put the cherry on top of the night when Santiago Moreno slipped behind the entire SKC defense and was in one-on-one with Melia, and once he had the goalkeeper on the ground, he finished easily for the seventh goal of the night and the 7-2 victory. The seven goals scored being a new all-time record for Timbers goals scored in a Major League Soccer match. The six goals scored in the second half also match the Major League Soccer record for goals in a half, which has been accomplished three times before, the last time by Real Salt Lake vs. the New England Revolution in April, 2009.
Aljaž Ivačič had two saves for the Timbers, while Tim Melia recorded a single save for Sporting Kansas City.
MATCH RECAP | Portland Timbers explode with goals to defeat Sporting Kansas City 7-2 | Timbers website
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS | Portland Timbers rout Sporting KC 7-2 behind Blanco, Fogaça braces | Timbers website
