The Portland Timbers went to Sporting Kansas City in need of a draw and came away with a 3-2 win to advance to the MLS Cup Final. Sebastian Blanco opened the scoring with a thunderous strike and Diego Valeri finished off the home side with a second half brace.
From the opening whistle it was clear that today’s match would shape up differently from the home leg. Kansas City came out of the gate looking to press the pace of the match and force the Timbers into a mistake.
That pressure nearly paid off for the home side as they generated several chances in the early going, culminating in a 16th minute corner kick that found striker Diego Rubio at the near post for a header on goal.