Portland Timbers Show Dominant Performance at Home Against Houston
The Portland Timbers once again showed that they are not a team to take for granted this season with a 4-2 win over the Houston Dynamo
The Portland Timers keeps their season perfect so far with a 4-2 win over the Houston Dynamo. Though going up early in the 11th minute from Valeri penalty kick, the half ended in Houston’s favor, a 2-1 scoreline thanks to goals from Cubo Torres and Romell Quioto, both of which have scored a goal in the past three games.
The second half saw a dominant Timbers side take control as they scored three unanswered goals from Valeri, Guzman, and Adi. Here are three things that Timbers fans can take away from Saturday night’s match:
More from MLS Multiplex
- Javier Milei Elected in Argentina: Potential Impacts on MLS and Signings of Argentine Players
- Orlando City and New York City FC in the Battle for Matías Arezo; Grêmio Enters Negotiations! Who Will Come Out on Top?
- USA, Honduras, Panama, and Canada Close in on a Spot in the 2024 Copa America
- De Gea Turns Down Al-Nassr’s Lucrative Offer: Speculation Points to Possible Reunion with Messi at Inter Miami
- Messi’s Magnetic Impact in the United States
1. Portland is the Real Deal
After a dismal 2016 season which saw them not qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs after winning it the season before, Portland is once again looking like the team that won the 2015 MLS Cup. They have been extremely impressive going forward with the likes of Blanco, Valeri, Nagbe and Adi leading the charge. Tough there might be some questions that can be asked about the defense, it must be noted that two regular starters in center back Liam Ridgewell and left back Vytas have been injured and their eventual return will only help the Timbers sure things up in the back.
Guzman is the Player Portland has Been Missing
Not only did Guzman get on the scoresheet Saturday night with the match winning goal and the equalizing assist for the Timbers, the midfielder is really settling into the Portland side well. Though many people would vote Valeri man of the match last night, Guzman could easily be in the conversation as well. The Costa Rican international had his best game yet for the Rose City, doing a lot of the dirty work in the midfield and cutting off service to Houston’s front three through the middle of the park. Not only are his defensive abilities important, we saw Saturday night how he can help going forward. If Portland makes a deep MLS Cup run this year, Guzman will be a big reason for it.
Valeri is Having a Dream Start
El Maestro is working wonders for the Timbers. In the three games played so far this season, Valeri has scored four goals with one assist. The only person to score more than him so far is Venezuelan beast Josef Martinez who has five goals on the season for Atlanta United.
To be successful in the MLS, a team has to have different options going forward. If Portland only had Fernando Adi or Darlington Nagbe, teams would eventually figure out how to shut down the Timbers’ attack. The biggest problem teams are having when playing against the Timbers is the exact opposite. Portland has so many different options going forward, teams don’t know how to deal with them and because of that, Valeri is in dream land.
You can see Valeri’s highlights from the Houston match below:
Next: Winningest MLS Franchises in League History
Portland will not have the weekend off going into international play and will travel to take on the Columbus Crew, a replay of the 2015 MLS Cup, next Saturday at 7:30 EST.