MLS Standings: Dynamo Fall 3-1 at Portland in Their Road Finale as the Timbers Stay Alive
Houston's unbeaten run ended at five in Portland on Sunday night. David Da Costa and Kristoffer Velde built a 2-0 lead, Agustin Bouzat pulled one back with 19 minutes to play, and Vincent Janssen's header seven minutes later closed a 3-1 Timbers win that keeps Portland's season alive into Decision Day - while the playoff-bound Dynamo stay on 51 points.
PORTLAND, Ore. - The Houston Dynamo's road schedule ended with a loss on Sunday night: a 3-1 defeat at Providence Park against a Portland Timbers side playing to keep its season alive, in the match that had "mls standings" sitting at No. 1 on the national search board all evening.
Portland (now 12-14-7, 43 points) struck first and never trailed. David Pereira Da Costa opened the scoring in the 25th minute off a Vincent Janssen assist, and Kristoffer Velde doubled the lead in the 65th, again from Janssen, as the Timbers chased the third straight win they needed after back-to-back 3-2 victories over Charlotte and St. Louis ended a seven-match winless run. Houston answered in the 71st minute - Agustin Bouzat scoring off Duncan McGuire's assist to make it 2-1 - but the comeback lasted seven minutes: Janssen headed in Da Costa's cross in the 78th to restore the two-goal margin, and the match closed at 3-1 after nine minutes of stoppage time.
The numbers matched the urgency gap. Portland outshot Houston 14 to 6 and put seven shots on target to Houston's two; Dynamo goalkeeper Jonathan Bond made four saves to James Pantemis's one, possession finished 51-49 for the hosts, and corners were even at six apiece in a match with 12 fouls on each side.
For Houston (14-10-9), the loss ends a five-match unbeaten run - four draws and Wednesday's 1-0 win at Seattle - but changes nothing about the destination: the Dynamo clinched their playoff place on Oct. 17 and remain on 51 points with the Nov. 8 Decision Day finale still to play. Portland's math stays alive: the win lifts the Timbers to 43 points heading into their Decision Day trip to Austin, where their postseason fate will be settled.
