Real Salt LakevsPortland Timbers
RSL 1/POR 2
Things to say
Portland Timbers beat Real Salt Lake 2-1 at Providence Park.
01
opener
Timbers took it 2-1 at home. RSL kept knocking on the door but Portland had that little bit more up top. Providence Park was rocking.
02
key player
Velde was everywhere, seven shots on his own. Guy basically ran the whole attack himself.
03
hot take
RSL are top of the table but they mustered one shot all night. That's not a real title contender, that's a team about to get found out.
04
deep cut
Kamal Miller quietly had 14 defensive interventions at the back. Nobody talks about him but he cleaned everything up.
05
exit
We'll see if the Timbers can keep it going on the road next week. Long season still to run.
The recap
Portland got the job done at Providence Park, edging Real Salt Lake 2-1 to bank three at home. Kristoffer Velde was the danger man all night, peppering the RSL goal with seven shots and dragging the Timbers forward whenever they needed a spark.
Credit RSL keeper Rafael for four saves keeping it respectable, but the visitors mustered next to nothing going the other way and the one goal they nicked wasn't enough. Solid, workmanlike win for Portland against a side sitting comfortably above them in the table.