The Portland Timbers did rally from an early two goal deficit to the Vancouver Whitecaps, but never found the equalizer and ended up at the short end of a 3-2 score. Ryan Gauld would score twice for the Whitecaps, with a goal by Brian White between his two scores, and Felipe Mora and Evander would score for the Timbers.
In the first game for Miles Joseph in charge, after Giovanni Savarese was let go after the last match, the match was even an uneventful for the first 12 minutes, but then the Whitecaps had a counterattacking chance down the left side, and a shot chance rebounded off a Whitecaps player’s leg, and fell into a perfect place for Ryan Gauld to get to the ball first at the far post and hit it home, and the Whitecaps had a 1-0 lead.
In the 33rd minute the Timbers nearly tied the score on a spectacular bicycle kick attempt by Dairon Asprilla that was just wide left.
But three minutes later the Whitecaps would double their lead when Brian White got his head on a cross from close range, eluding two Timbers defenders, and the shot was past David Bingham to widen the Whitecaps lead to 2-0. Then Gauld nearly added yet another goal on a header just before halftime, but the shot was off the crossbar. The Whitecaps would hold a 2-0 lead at the break.
But in the 53rd minute the Timbers would pull back a goal when a cross from Asprilla found the head of Felipe Mora, whose shot from about 10 yards out was perfectly past Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka and into the top left corner, and the Vancouver lead was now 2-1.
But just a few minutes later, the Timbers had a foul called on Evander in the box, and the referee pointed to the spot. Gauld would take the kick and slipped it just inside the left post, and the Whitecaps had restored their two goal lead at 3-1.
The Timbers would make some good chances pay off when in the 85th minute, Sebastián Blanco‘s cross found Evander who one-timed it into the far side of the net, and the Timbers had pulled within a goal again, at 3-2.
The Timbers had some good late chances, but never found the equalizer, and would be on the short end of the 3-2 final.
Portland Timbers fall 3-2 in hard-fought match against Cascadia rival Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Timbers website
