VANCOUVER – A defensive breakdown led to a Fanendo Adi goal that helped give the Portland Timbers a 2-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in the second leg of their MLS Western Conference semifinal.
The sellout crowd taking in the first-ever MLS playoff game at BC Place tried to spur a Whitecaps comeback, but it wasn’t enough to help a squad that struggled all season when conceding the first goal of the game.
After a scoreless draw in the first leg of their semifinal, both sides came out aggressively in the match’s first 15 minutes.
Kekuta Manneh looked dangerous early, firing a shot wide of the Timbers goal at the six-minute mark.
Three minutes later, Manneh fought off midfielder Darlington Nagbe to drill a shot that rang off the post and hit the head of sprawled goalkeeper Adam Larsen Kwarasey, but managed to stay out of the net.
Twenty-one minutes in, Manneh limped to the sideline after a collision with Portland defender Nat Borchers, then returned briefly before being replaced by Mauro Rosales at the 25-minute mark.
Six minutes later, Rosales and Steven Beitashour got caught flat-footed on a throw-in that saw Diego Valeri bring the ball into the box and drop it off to Adi, who roofed it into the top of the net to give the Timbers a 1-0 lead.
Forced to open up on the offensive end, the Whitecaps showed some spark early in the second half, but often failed to play with a sense of urgency.
Robert Earnshaw entered the match in the 82nd minute and had an early impact, firing a bicycle kick that just barely sailed over the Portland net.
But the Timbers ended any hope of a comeback when Adi passed the ball to Diego Chara, who beat Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted in extra time.
“We changed the formation twice to try and get back into it, but I think we might have been there another 90 minutes and not scored,” said Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson.
The loss brings an end to a largely successful Whitecaps season that was hampered by scoring woes late in the season.
After the match, Robinson said he was “disappointed today for the guys, but really proud of them…I think it is a missed opportunity for us this year, but we’re a young group of players and we’re going to learn.”
The ‘Caps scored seven times during their final seven games of the season, but three of those came in a 3-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo. That was the final game of the season and Houston was already eliminated from the playoffs.
The Timbers advance to the MLS Western Final where they will face FC Dallas, who defeated the Seattle Sounders Sunday in a penalty kick shootout.
-With files from Canadian Press
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