New York City FC opened the 2018 season by going undefeated in its first seven games of the year and racking up an incredible 17 points to shoot to the top of the Major League Soccer standings.
But they were completely outplayed by the Portland Timbers Sunday afternoon.
The Timbers (2-3-2, 8 points) scored two goals in the first half en route to a 3-0 statement win over NYCFC (5-1-2, 17 points) Sunday in front of 21,144 fans at Providence Park. After failing to earn a win in their first five games of the 2018 season, the Timbers have now posted victories in back-to-back matches.
After conceding late goals and dropping results in Chicago and Orlando and barley hanging on to earn a 3-2 home win over Minnesota United last week, the Timbers managed to put in a much more comprehensive performance against NYCFC Sunday.
NYCFC controlled an incredible 74.6 percent of possession and completed 759 passes in the game, but the Timbers were a lot better at taking advantage of their opportunities on the ball and on the counter attack.
Portland, who switched to a 4-4-1-1 formation for the game, was clearly the more dangerous team in the match. The Timbers outshot NYCFC 9-3 in the first half and walked into the locker room at halftime with a 2-0 lead.
After failing to convert two point-blank chances early in the match, Sebastian Blanco finally put Portland on the board in the 26th minute when he somehow managed to send a looping header into the corner of the net off a cross from Andres Flores. Blanco leads the Timbers with four goals this year.
The Timbers then doubled their lead in the 38th minute when Fanendo Adi tapped in a rebound for his second goal of the season after NYCFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson got a hand on a shot from Diego Valeri.
NYCFC had a strong start to the second half and put pressure on the Timbers throughout the final 45 minutes as they desperately tried to find a goal. But the Timbers, who had conceded a poor 14 goals in six games to open the season, put in a strong and organized defensive effort to earn their first clean sheet of the year.
Timbers veteran center back Liam Ridgewell made his return to the lineup Sunday after being left off the game day roster for four-straight matches and had an immediate impact on the backline. He started in place of Bill Tuiloma, who suffered a knee sprain during training leading up to the match. Goalkeeper Jeff Attinella also earned his first start of the season Sunday as he beat out Jake Gleeson for a spot in the lineup.
Portland put the game out of reach in the 66th minute when center back Larrys Mabiala headed-home a corner kick from Valeri to give the Timbers the 3-0 lead.
The Timbers earned the victory while wearing a special black Adidas jersey made from Parley Ocean Plastic as part of a league-wide Earth Day celebration to support Parley for the Oceans.
Portland will attempt to build off Sunday's performance when the club heads back on the road to face the San Jose Earthquakes on May 5.
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