COMMERCE CITY, Colo.—Alan Gordon, a master of late-match goals, came through in the 89th minute with the game-winner to give the Colorado Rapids a 2-1 win over the Portland Timbers on Saturday night at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
The Rapids were outclassed in the first half, with Sebastian Blanco testing their defense repeatedly. But they were clearly the stronger side in the second, as Dominique Badji took advantage of a judgment error by Portland goalkeeper Jake Gleeson and chipped in the equalizer in the 51st minute.
Gordon, an 80th-minute substitute, headed in a cross from Mohammed Saeid in the waning minutes, and the Rapids held on for their fourth straight home victory.
Goals
- 18' – POR – Sebastian Blanco
- 51' – COL – Dominique Badji
- 89' – COL – Alan Gordon
Three Things
- HOME SWEET HOME: The Rapids haven't been away from home since May 20, and they have won every match at Dick's Sporting Good's Park since May 27. That's four in a row across all competitions, and while one of those wins was against USL side Oklahoma City Energy, the other three have come against MLS foes. That's helped them move up from the bottom of the Western Conference. They can make it five straight on Wednesday against the LA Galaxy.
- LATE-GAME HERO: Alan Gordon has a penchant for game-winning goals, and he provided Saturday's winner with a perfectly-placed header. Gordon has a knack for getting in position in the box to redirect crosses, which was the case on Saturday. Gordon's header stunned Columbus Crew SC in the 86th minute on June 3, and he can count the number of stoppage-time goals in his career on two hands.
- LINEUP NOT VALIDATED: The Timbers saved their best lineup for the MLS regular season clash in Colorado, deploying reserves and USL club callups for the U.S. Open Cup match they played at Seattle earlier in the week. Turns out even the top 11 couldn't get the job done against a side with 11 points fewer than them in the standings when the match kicked off.
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