Timbers Beat Houston Dynamo 3-1 to Move Eighth in the West: Playoff Fate Back in Their Own Hands
The Portland Timbers beat Houston Dynamo FC 3-1 at Providence Park in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon, on November 1, putting their MLS playoff destiny back in their own hands in the final match before Decision Day and making it three straight wins.
Portland entered the day 11th in the Western Conference, but Real Salt Lake, Seattle Sounders FC and the Colorado Rapids all lost on Saturday, and the win lifted the Timbers into the eighth-place Wild Card spot, bumping rivals Seattle out of playoff positioning. Summer signing Vincent Janssen delivered one goal and two assists to earn Man of the Match honors, with David Da Costa and Kristoffer Velde also scoring; Janssen had recorded the Timbers' first-ever MLS hat trick in September.
It was a key win in head coach Martí Cifuentes' first season. A win at Austin FC next Saturday would secure a third straight playoff berth, and a seventh-place finish with a direct Round One berth remains alive.
(Source: MLSSoccer.com)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：波特兰伐木者队主场 Providence Park 球场。Ray Terrill 摄，CC BY-SA 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Providence Park, home of the Portland Timbers. By Ray Terrill, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
