Portland, Oregon — Jorge Villafaña and Portland Timbers FC hosted Andrés Ricaurte and FC Dallas on Sunday night in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Jorge Villafaña Breaks Deadlock to Lift Portland Timbers Over FC Dallas
Outside of one chance, the first half was all Timbers. They pressed and pounced on the visitors early and often. At times, Dallas had trouble just getting the ball out of their own defensive half. Portland had chances early and often but FCD goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer held his ground.
First Half One-Way Traffic:
One of the best chances in the first half came in the 11th minute. Felipe Mora held the ball up well to find Andy Polo who shot to the far bottom corner but Maurer was able to make the dining save to prevent a rebound.
The one opportunity for Dallas in the first half came on the half-hour mark. Ryan Hollingshead played the ball through to Franco Jara who was able to get in behind. With just goalkeeper Steve Clark to beat, he dribbled on goal to score.
VAR got involved as Jara looked to be offside on the replay. Armando Villarreal ruled the play as such after visiting the sideline monitor. The half ended 0-0.
The second half was more of the same, with Portland getting the lion’s share of the chances but not finishing. Substitute Cristhian Paredes nearly scored in the 65th minute with a shot from the top of the box but Maurer again answered the call.
The Second Half Goes Off:
The Timbers finally broke the deadline on 82 minutes. Portland again had numbers in and around the 18. Moving the ball quickly, Paredes found Valeri in the box with Villafaña making a run straight for goal. Valeri touched it around the last defender and Villafaña roofed the ball into the top of the net.
Dallas would not go away quietly. Out of nowhere in the third minute of stoppage time, teenager Ricardo Pepi found himself in on goal off a Timbers goal kick. Clark made the initial save, the ball deflected off the post, and fell into Pepi’s lap for him to score.
Extra time was relatively uneventful until the final kick. Valeri tried to chip the ball to the far top corner. The ball went off the post and out and the whistle blew seconds later.
Penalties:
The penalties were well taken from the initial five takers for each team. Of those ten kicks, only once did the goalkeeper get a touch to the ball. The field players continued to execute the kicks from the spot well, until the second kick of the eighth round.
Jorge Villafaña, the goal scorer for Portland, kicked the ball high and slightly to the right. Maurer dove and got his hands to it and the ball bounced out in front of goal, winning the game for FC Dallas and eliminating Portland.
Maurer denies Villafana!! @FCDallas win!!!
POR: ✅✅✅✅✅✅✅❌
DAL: ✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅#PORvDAL // @Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/XgtGxCpN9h— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 23, 2020
Three Takeaways:
Timbers cannot finish chances: Portland had 22 shots through the 120 minutes. They dominated play through at least 70 of the 90 regular time minutes. If they were clinical like they’d been for much of the year, they would have won this game comfortably in regular time.
Jimmy Freaking Maurer: Portland couldn’t get no the board through 81 minutes because of the play of Jimmy Maurer. He’s now played in more MLS games this season than in his previous three years with Dallas. He put in a MOTM performance standing on his head and making the critical save in penalties.
Ricardo has Pepi in his step: Dallas continues to churn out teenage Homegrowns who can bring something at the MLS level. Pepi had his signature Homegrown moment in this game. His confidence must be souring and that could make him a valuable weapon for FC Dallas going into their next playoff game.
