Evander and Felipe Mora each had a goal and an assist as the Portland Timbers defeated visiting Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on Saturday night.
Portland goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau made a diving save on a header by Johnny Russell late in second-half stoppage time as the Timbers (4-7-4, 16 points) snapped their record Major League Soccer streak of conceding two or more goals in 10 consecutive matches. That was Crepeau’s lone save of the night.
Memo Rodriguez scored for Kansas City (2-7-5, 11 points), which is winless in its past eight league outings (0-6-2).
Evander scored the go-ahead goal in the 79th minute. Jonathan Rodriguez’s cross from the left wing found Mora near the top of the 6-yard box. He sent a header back to Evander for a volley that skipped once off the turf and past diving SKC goalkeeper Tim Melia. Mora was originally ruled offside on the play, but a video review determined it was a good goal.
Mora opened the scoring in the 51st minute. Evander got the ball near the top of the penalty area, outmuscled a pair of defenders as he drove down the right side of the box and sent a cross just over a leaping Melia to Mora at the far post for an easy header into the open net.
Kansas City tied it in the 63rd minute after a Portland turnover in its own half. SKC worked the ball to the top of the 18-yard box and Alan Pulido left a drop pass for Memo Rodriguez for a blast just inside the left post.
The best chance in a scoreless first half came in the 16th minute as the Timbers’ Miguel Araujo lifted a long pass from his own half over the Kansas City defense. Jonathan Rodriguez ran to the ball near the top left of the 6-yard box but his half-volley went off the post.
SKC midfielder Erik Thommy had to be substituted in the 18th minute after suffering an apparent right hamstring injury while trying to keep the ball inbounds at the end line. He was replaced by Felipe Hernandez.
–Field Level Media
