Mosquera’s first goal of the season leads Timbers to 1-0 win over rival Sounders

The Timbers welcomed their arch-rivals to Providence Park for a crucial match in terms of the Western Conference table, and with the team’s leading goal scorers Felipe Mora and Jonathan Rodriguez suspended, it was Juan Mosquera who provided the spark that the Timbers needed.

The Colombian scored his first goal of the season to propel the Timbers to a 1-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders and help Portland climb to 6th in the Western Conference. 

First half:

The Timbers had the first major chance of the game in the 5th minute. Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei made a save on Antony and then stopped the follow-up from Mason Toye. Frei suffered a head injury during this sequence and had to be taken out of the match. Seattle brought in Andrew Thomas to replace Frei in goal.

After Frei’s injury, Seattle had the better of the chances in the first half, they even put one in the back of the net that was called back for offside. Despite Seattle’s first half chances, the game was scoreless after 45 minutes.

Second half:

Juan Mosquera scored the game’s only goal for the Timbers in the 55th minute, putting the Timbers up 1-0 as the shot took a deflection and went in. In the 67th minute, Seattle had a golden opportunity to get level. Jordan Morris had a close range shot blocked by Mason Toye.

The Sounders continued to push for that tying goal but the Timbers were able to hold on and get the 1-0 win, jumping Seattle in the standings and climbing from 7th place to 6th. The Timbers have had their way with the Sounders in recent years, Portland has a record of 4 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss against their rivals in the last 3 seasons.

The Timbers’ next match won’t be until September 14, exactly two weeks from today. They will travel to the Rocky Mountains to play the Colorado Rapids, so there will be plenty of time to celebrate this win. With just 7 matches left in the regular season, it’s crucial that the Timbers keep getting results in order to get to the MLS Cup Playoffs after two straight seasons of not qualifying.

This win also puts the Timbers just one point behind the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Cascadia Cup standings. The Timbers still have an away match against Vancouver and then an away match against Seattle as they try to bring the Cascadia Cup back to Portland.