FARLEY | Timbers crowd, Sebastián Blanco help make each others' returns special

PORTLAND, Ore. — Everything you need to know about Sebastián Blanco’s importance to Portland Timbers fans was on display at 9:14 p.m. Pacific time. And everything you need to know about those fans’ importance to the Portland Timbers was evident in that moment.

After nine months of recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Blanco, voted best player during last summer’s MLS Is Back tournament, returned to the field, coming off the bench in the 80th minute of his team’s 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City at Providence Park. His shift would have non-descript — killing off a match as one of three forwards confronting the Sporting defense — were it not for the moment’s context. Nine…