Portland Timbers 1, FC Dallas 3 | MLS Match Recap

The Portland Timbers are still struggling out of the gate, as they were no match for a high tempo FC Dallas team that was able to take all three points with a 3-1 road victory. 

FCD came out of the gate flying, and took the lead in the fourth minute on just their second attempt. Tesho Akindele was able to slide a ball into the penalty area for Michael Barrios who nudged it past Adam Kwarasey. The Timbers backline had trouble with Dallas' attacking speed early in the match, and Maxi Urruti gave the Timbers midfielders fits.

It was an Urruti midfield tackle that led to Dallas' second goal. Fabian Castillo recovered the ball after Urruti took it off Jack Jewsbury, then dribbled forward to blast it from outside the penalty area and in. FCD went up 3-0 in the first half when Akindele cleaned up a loose ball in the 18-yard box with a weak dribbler that somehow found its way through the defense. 

Darren Mattocks came on in the 65th minute as a substitute and two minutes later had an impact, inching the Timbers closer. He kept with the ball after a Chris Klute cross was blocked, smashing it home inside the penalty area.

Box Score

• 4' - DAL - Michael Barrios (Tesho Akindele)
• 26' - DAL - Fabian Castillo (Maximiliano Urruti)
• 29' - DAL - Tesho Akindele (Fabian Castillo)
• 67' - POR - Darren Mattocks
• Full Box Score 
• Stats
• Highlights

Three Things

1. WHERE'S THE MOMENTUM? By the end of the match Portland was at 60.4% possession, but 60 minutes into the match they had only forced Dallas to make 11 clearances. That shows that the Timbers were holding onto the ball, but for most of the match they weren't pressing forward with any kind of threat. The Portland attack didn't catch fire until after Mattocks was brought in, with Dallas finally having to scramble to deal with the pressure.
2. DEFENDING FROM UP TOP: They were listed as forwards as Dallas switched to a 4-4-2, but Urruti was credited with three tackles and Akindele with three interceptions. The two FCD forwards also combined for nine recoveries, as putting pressure on Portland's midfield was definitely part of the gameplan. Those turnovers led directly to one goal and set up a number of chances. 

3. Next Up

   • POR: Saturday vs. San Jose Earthquakes (10:30 pm ET, MLS Live) 
   • DAL: Sunday vs. Sporting Kansas City (7:00 pm ET, FS1)