MLS Cup is returning to Portland as the Timbers played spoiler to Real Salt Lake’s incredible Cinderella story with a 2-0 victory in the Western Conference Final on Saturday night. Portland finished the regular season with more points (55) than NYCFC (51) and the Philadelphia Union (54) meaning the final will be hosted in Portland.
Last week, I felt privileged to attend the first-ever MLS game on Thanksgiving. It was an odd event I couldn’t not attend. Turns out, a lot of people tuned in to watch on FOX — just not the massive MLS TV ratings being reported elsewhere.
On Thursday, the Colorado Rapids hosted the Portland Timbers in a Western Conference semifinal at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. It was the first-ever MLS Thanksgiving game — I really hope it’s not the last.
In the U.S., Thanksgiving is a time for American football. It’s the Lions and Cowboys; it’s a college football game or two. But let’s be honest, the Lions suck, everyone hates the Cowboys and college football has been garbage on Thanksgiving since Texas refused to continue its rivalry with Texas A&M.
One of the great Thanksgiving traditions — other than your annual Turkey Derby — is watching American football teams you don’t care about. Typically, you couldn’t pay someone to watch a Detroit Lions game, but on Turkey Day it just hits different. This year the Lions are so horrendous that we at The18 recommend these soccer games on Thanksgiving instead.
After a remarkable Decision Day that ended with Colorado atop the Western Conference and Salt Lake in the postseason at the expense of the LA Galaxy, it’s time to begin our countdown to the Cup final on Dec. 11 with some MLS playoff predictions.
Thankfully, this season’s action begins after the November international break so there’ll be no awkward space between the first round on Nov. 20 and the conference semifinals on Thanksgiving.
An incredible Portland Timbers bicycle kick goal from Dairon Asprilla rocked Providence Park on Wednesday night as his side defeated San Jose 2-0.
Asprilla’s goal instantly went viral. A bicycle kick from outside of the penalty box is a rarity in soccer and quickly was featured on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays.
Coming from the Italian word typhu, meaning fever, tifo now refers to "passionate support for a sports team," as sports fandom often consumes the body much like a sickness.
Raúl Ruidíaz and Fredy Montero each scored twice, with Ruidíaz netting his Major League Soccer-leading 13th goal of the season, as the Seattle Sounders defeated the host Portland Timbers 6-2 Sunday night.
Jimmy Medranda and Nicolas Benezet also scored, and goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland made seven saves for the Sounders (10-3-6, 36 points), who moved within a point of first-place Sporting Kansas City in the Western Conference. Sebastián Blanco and George Fochive tallied for the Timbers (7-9-2, 23 points).
That was one helluva tribute for Zizinho.
Rayan Raveloson hit a spectacular overhead kick to open the scoring in the LA Galaxy’s 4-1 win over Portland on Friday, but even better than his goal was the team’s celebration of it. Raveloson and his teammates immediately ran to the bench to grab a jersey of a player who had never played a game for the club.
¡Ayayay! es una de las reacciones inmediatas al ver la violenta entrada que Derrick Williams hizo sobre el peruano Andy Polo, en el último duelo entre Portland Timbers y LA Galaxy, en la MLS. La barrida del irlandés fue tan dura y a destiempo que el árbitro le mostró roja directa y sin un ápice de duda. Polo, en tanto, debió abandonar el campo con la pierna inmovilizada y muletas.
Williams literalmente dio vuelta a Polo con la patada. Las imágenes hablan por sí solas.