Portland Timbers 2-Seattle Sounders 1
The Portland Timbers have won the first leg of the MLS Cup Western Conference Semifinals series against the Seattle Sounders. The big question now is: Can they seal the result? Despite an early setback, the Timbers pulled off two unanswered goals to earn the 2-1 win at home at Providence Park.
Seattle did get off of the blocks running with a Raul Ruidiaz goal in the tenth minute. But the Timbers showed their resolve and composure by relying heavily on veteran midfielder Diego Valeri. It paid off with MLS’ reigning MVP setting Jeremy Ebobisse with a goal in the 17th minute. Sebastian Blanco added a second in the 29th minute. The Timbers defense were tested for the remaining 61 minutes but held their own. Goalkeeper Jeff Attinella made two saves to preserve the result for the home side.
With the win Portland do hold the 2-1 advantage over Seattle but make no mistake about it: The Sounders early goal will add a complication to the second leg. The two sides will reconvene on Thursday night at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.
We have two recaps from the match from Duffy Alverson and Fern McCostigan which you can read below. In the meantime please enjoy some photos of the match from Diego Diaz (who you can find on Twitter @dhondiego and on Instagram @dhondiego.) and Jeff Wong (Whose work you can find on Facebook).
Portland Timbers
Seattle Sounders FC
