It took 92 minutes, however the Portland Timbers lastly beat the warmth.
Enjoying underneath a warmth advisory at Windfall Park with game-time temperatures within the mid-90s, it was David Ayala’s 92nd-minute objective that lifted the Timbers to a 2-1 win over St. Louis Metropolis SC.
The win was Portland’s second consecutive and vaulted the Timbers (8-4-5, 29 factors) into fourth place within the Western Convention, pending the results of Seattle’s night conflict with first-place Vancouver.
And boy, did it take so much to get there.
Whereas Ayala’s volley off a nook kick delivered the winner, the Timbers may’ve melted on the turf with out the efforts of Antony and James Pantemis earlier within the match.
Making his first look since April 27, Pantemis saved Portland in it with seven saves — together with a dramatic sequence within the twenty seventh minute when he dove to cease an preliminary shot, then scrambled on all fours to dam the rebound.
Regardless of his heroics, St. Louis lastly broke by way of within the fiftieth minute. After one other Pantemis save, the Timbers did not clear the rebound, permitting Akil Watts to fit house a low shot for a 1-0 lead.
However Portland didn’t go away its keeper out to wilt for lengthy. Simply 5 minutes later, Antony took possession close to midfield on the left, flipped the ball over a defender’s head, drove upfield and unleashed a right-footed shot from simply contained in the field. The ball curled from proper to left, nestling into the highest nook for a surprising equalizer.
It was Antony’s team-leading sixth objective of the season.
The match appeared headed for a irritating draw — particularly contemplating St. Louis had fired its supervisor simply two weeks in the past — till Portland earned a nook in stoppage time. Santiago Moreno delivered an ideal ball to Ayala, who struck it cleanly together with his proper foot for his second objective of the season to beat St. Louis – and the warmth – and safe three factors for the house membership.
Subsequent up: The Timbers return to Windfall Park on Friday evening to face San Jose. Portland has confronted the Earthquakes twice in 2025 — shedding 4-1 on the highway in MLS play and 1-0 within the U.S. Open Cup.
