Portland Timbers Eliminated from Playoff Contention
Portland Timbers fell out of the playoff race on Sunday following a road loss to Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The Timbers finished the season with a 12-14-8 record as their opportunity to win back-to-back MLS Cup championships slipped out of reach this campaign.
MLS Soccer News: In their final match of the 2016 regular season, the Portland Timbers fell 4-1 to Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place on Sunday afternoon. The loss put the Timbers out of playoff contention as they fall out of playoff scene after winning the MLS Cup in 2015.
With both teams flying out of the gates, Vancouver (10-15-9, 39 pts) opened the scoring in the 13th minute of play when defender Fraser Aird’s cross found its way to midfielder Giles Barnes, who quickly struck a shot into the top right corner.
With less than 15 minutes remaining in the first half, Whitecaps FC doubled their lead when Barnes won the ball just outside the 18-yard box and curled a shot into the bottom right corner to record his second goal of the match.
In the second half of play, Vancouver tallied a pair of goals in a two-minute stretch to extend their lead. Midfielder Pedro Morales scored a powerful strike in the 54th minute, then Nicolas Mezquida managed to convert on the counter attack in the 55th minute.
The Timbers eventually found the back of the net from the penalty spot in the 72nd minute. Diego Valeri converted for the Timbers, sending goalkeeper David Ousted the opposite direction.
The finish marked Valeri’s 14th goal in 2016, which signified an MLS career-high for the midfielder, and the eighth-most in the MLS this campaign. The Timbers became just the 10th team in league history to have multiple players score 14 or more goals in the same campaign with forward Fanendo Adi scoring 16 times in regular season play.
On the defensive end, goalkeeper Jake Gleeson recorded three saves against Whitecaps FC, extending his season tally to 112 saves in 28 games played, ranking the third-most saves in MLS this season. The Timbers concluded their 2016 season with a 12-14-8 record (44 pts).
Sunday’s match marked the final MLS game for Jack Jewsbury and Ned Grabavoy, who both announced their retirement following the 2016 campaign. Jewsbury and Grabavoy rank as just two of 39 players in league history to play 300 or more MLS games, with Jewsbury ranked ninth (352) and Grabavoy ranked 39th (301).
Photo Credit: Portland Timbers
