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SEATTLE, Wash. – While strikers Fanendo Adi and Sebastian Blanco are both out of thigh injuries, the Portland Timbers found a lining in a hostile area of Seattle on Saturday afternoon.
Larrys Mabiala The second half led the Timbers (7-3-5, 26 points) to a huge 3-2 victory over the Seattle Sounders (3-9-3, 12 points) ahead of 47,521 CenturyLink fans Field Saturday. It was Portland's first ever regular season win against Seattle at CenturyLink Field. Mabiala, who has four goals this season, has now scored in two straight games.
With this win, the Timbers extended their unbeaten streak to 10 games in MLS and 12 games in total. Portland holds the longest run of active unbeaten in Major League Soccer.
Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri also played an important role in all three Portland goals on Saturday. He collected three assists in the match, doubling his total assistances for the season.
In addition to the absences of Blanco, who was on the bench but did not play, and Adi, the Timbers once again lacked defenseman Liam Ridgewell for personal reasons. Given his available manpower, Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese, who has made a name for himself as a tactically flexible coach this season, has set up a training course. -4-2 for the match with Samuel Armenteros and Dairon Asprilla. [19659002] In an equal and hard-fought match, the Sounders and Timbers both failed to get on the board in the first half before returning to life in the attack in the first 45 minutes.
Portland almost took advantage in the 22nd minute when Mabiala shot a point blank shot at the goal from a Valeri corner. But Sounders goaltender Bryan Meredith, who started his first game in MLS since 2012, made a huge reaction to keep Portland out of the game.
But Meredith could not stop Mabiala in the 48th minute. A corner kick from Valeri to give Portland a 1-0 lead
It was the first time Portland took advantage in Seattle in a regular season game of the MLS. The Timbers held that lead for three minutes. Sounders midfielder Victor Rodriguez made a great recovery at the back post in the 51st minute to score a center for Nicolas Lodeiro and tie at 1-1.
Portland responded in the 57th minute when Valeri sent a magnificent ball to Armenteros, who touched his defender before placing a left foot shot in the net for his fourth goal of the year. Seattle was pushed back in the 68th minute when Chad Marshall headed into a Lodeiro corner to tie at 2-2
But that's Mabiala who found the last goal of the night.
He led his second goal of the game on a Valeri corner in the 74th minute to give Portland the decisive 3-2 lead at CenturyLink Field and give the Timbers their first MLS regular season win at Seattle. [19659002] – Jamie Goldberg | [email protected]
503-853-3761 | @ jamiebgoldberg
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