PORTLAND, Ore. – The discussion around Major League Soccer after Wednesday’s game at Providence Park will center on the LA Galaxy’s slide, and rightly so. When a five-time champion is going through this kind of moment – one that leaves the team mired at the bottom of their conference – it’s fair to ask why, and how.
That the Portland Timbers put their struggling guests away early is also, at some point, worthy of note, particularly given what their victory means for the race in the Western Conference. Thanks to two early goals from Jaroslaw Niezgoda and a penalty converted by Diego Valeri, the Timbers were up 3-0 after 31 minutes, eventually winning 5-2 to clinch the club’s fourth-straight playoff spot.