The Portland Timbers were very quickly seeing their season spiral out of control. After a wobbly start, they steadied the ship with a sensational 15-game unbeaten run. And then, just as they were looking as though would challenge at the very sharp end of the Western Conference, four disastrous losses put their very playoff position under threat.
That slump, however, very quickly came to an end on Wednesday night, the Timbers flying past a much-rotated Toronto FC in a consummate 2-0 victory thanks to two second-half goals and a strong defensive showing.
So, with the Timbers faithful suddenly looking forward to the run-in, here are three things we learned from Wednesday’s clash of two MLS titans.