In a Pacific Northwest matchup, the Portland Timbers beat the Seattle Sounders 1-0 courtesy of a first half goal from Yimmi Chara on Wednesday night at Providence Park.
The Sounders set the rhythm of the match early on, dominant in possession and creating scoring opportunities. Jordan Morris and Raul Ruidiaz led the Sounders' early charge, with goalkeeper Steve Clark forced into a save on a Ruidiaz shot ten minutes in. However, it was the Timbers who scored first, through Chara in the 13th minute. Jeremy Ebobisse saw Chara making a run into the penalty area and passed through a crowd while Chara was on the edge of the area. The Designated Player then scored from close range.
Conceding did not stop the Sounders' momentum and they continued to record shots, though with varying levels of success. Ruidiaz followed up his opening shot with two that missed the target, with the on and off success a theme for the Sounders as they ended the half with four shots on target from 11.
The second half was pretty similar to the first, with the Sounders continuing to search for an equalizer. While Portland had very few opportunities going forward, the Sounders racked them up. From starters like Morris to substitutes like Will Bruin, Seattle relied on its attacking group to finally convert one of 19 shots it recorded but were either met with a save from Clark, who made six, or just failed to find the target. In the end, it was Chara's goal that separated the sides.
The match did make MLS history as two pairs of brothers faced off against each other -- Portland's Yimmi and brother Diego Chara were on the pitch when the Sounders' Alex Roldan joined brother Cristian when he came on in the 53rd minute.
Goals
- 13' - POR - Yimmi Chara | WATCH
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: The Sounders will rue so many lost chances after converting none of their 19 chances, six of which were on target. Portland will owe much of their win to Steve Clark, who stopped every one of the Sounders' best chances to score.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: On a day where the Sounders dominated, it was the Timbers who won on their lone shot on target from Yimmi Chara, who has scored three goals in three games.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: The Sounders were not goalless for a genuine lack of effort, and it was down to Steve Clark's six saves that preserved his side's lead.
Next Up
- POR: Sunday, September 27 at Vancouver Whitecaps (10 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; TSN2 in Canada)
- SEA: Sunday, September 27 at LA Galaxy (10:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+; MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)
