MLS Standings: Dynamo and Timbers Scoreless Through 16 Minutes in Portland
"MLS standings" is the most-searched term in America on Sunday night, and the match driving it is scoreless early: the playoff-bound Dynamo, fifth in the West on 51 points, and a Portland side that needs a third straight win to stay alive were 0-0 through 16 minutes at Providence Park.
PORTLAND, Ore. - The table is the story on Sunday night. "MLS standings" sat at No. 1 on the Google Trends board in the United States as the regular season's penultimate weekend wound down, and the match at the center of it - Houston Dynamo at the Portland Timbers, at Providence Park - was scoreless through 16 minutes, according to VAVEL's live match coverage, which listed the score at 0-0 at its last update.
Houston (14 wins, 9 draws, 9 losses, 51 points) clinched its playoff place on Oct. 17 and arrived unbeaten in five: four straight draws, then Wednesday's 1-0 win at Seattle - the club's first victory in 18 visits there - on Lucas Halter's 26th-minute goal. The Dynamo have tied the club record with 13 clean sheets, and a win in Portland would strengthen their hold on a top-four seed and the first-round home match that comes with it when the playoffs open on Nov. 18. Vancouver leads the West on 61 points, with FC Dallas second on 55.
Portland's math is harder. The Timbers (40 points) sat 11th in the West entering the weekend, three points behind the wild-card line, after back-to-back 3-2 wins over Charlotte and St. Louis ended a seven-match winless run - and the preview coverage counted six scenarios in which they could be eliminated this weekend. They need a third straight win to stay alive heading into the Nov. 8 Decision Day finale at already-eliminated Austin.
The clubs' last meeting finished the way this season has gone for Houston in the late minutes: a 3-2 Dynamo win at home on March 14, decided by Mateusz Bogusz's goal in the 15th minute of second-half stoppage time. This story is the live file for Sunday night's match; the desk will file the final score and the updated standings when the match ends.
