Griffin Dorsey scored a brace to lead Houston Dynamo FC to a 3-1 road win over the Portland Timbers on Saturday, eliminating Portland on MLS Decision Day.
Houston (14-11-9, 51 points) secured fourth place in the Western Conference with the win. The Dynamo will have the home-field advantage when they face fifth-place Real Salt Lake in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs.
Adalberto Carrasquilla delivered the match-winning goal Saturday for Houston, who won for just the third time (3-9-5) in 17 road matches this season.
Between the Timbers’ loss and other results from around the Western Conference, Portland (11-13-10, 43 points) finished in tenth place, one point shy of a postseason berth. The Timbers entered Decision Day in seventh place in the West and in control of their own playoff hopes – but with four other teams bunched within two points of the Timbers.
However, the Timbers’ lack of finishing quality doomed them Saturday. Felipe Mora’s 80th-minute goal was the Timbers’ only tally of the match, as Portland otherwise had trouble turning their opportunities into truly dangerous scoring chances.
The Dynamo took early command on Dorsey’s 11th-minute goal, set up by a Hector Herrera corner. Dorsey moved closer to Herrera and was slightly outside the box when he re-directed the ball with a header, resulting in an odd-angle shot into the net.
Carrasquilla extended the lead in the 48th minute. The midfielder’s initial shot in the box was blocked, but after the ball deflected back to him, Carrasquilla displayed nifty footwork to create space for the decisive finish.
In the 71st, a nice Dynamo passing play was finished by a Dorsey shot under the crossbar. It was the defender’s first career brace, and only his sixth goal in 68 career MLS matches.
Mora’s finish on a tremendous pass in front from Evander in the 80th minute gave the Timbers some late hope. All six of Mora’s goals this season came in the last 10 matches, as the forward’s recovery from knee surgery delayed his season debut until June 25.
–Field Level Media
