A 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake sent Portland Timbers to their third MLS Cup final in seven years. Thanks to the higher number of points obtained in the regular season than both Eastern Conference finalists, Portland will host the MLS Cup final at Providence Park for the first time in the club’s history.
It took Felipe Mora only five minutes to open the scoring, then Santiago Moreno doubled Timber’s advantage as the game reached the hour mark. Portland’s win ensures that the Pacific Northwest’s era of dominance in the West goes on. It was either Timbers or their rivals at Sounders in the MLS Cup every year since 2014.
OMG! SANTIAGO MORENO WITH A GOLAZO! 💥#PORvRSL // @Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/fGeMDrizcW
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) December 5, 2021
Second-seeded Union and fourth-seeded NYCFC face each other in Philadelphia. The hosts will have a mountain to climb following a COVID outbreak which could potentially see 11 players miss out on the Eastern Conference final on Sunday.
The Timbers won the MLS Cup in 2015, finishing second in 2018. They are the bookies’ favorites to triumph in 2021, at +170. Union were second before the COVID outbreak at +210, while NYCFC stood at +260.
The moment @TimbersFC won the West! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/aPxY3nmaG0
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) December 5, 2021
