Portland Timbers defender Jorge Villafana: ‘We showed it on the field’

Portland Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri scores a goal against Columbus Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark during the first half in the 2015 MLS Cup championship game at MAPFRE Stadium.

Just 10 minutes later, Jorge Villafana arced a cross to Fanendo Adi, who headed the ball while moving back and to his left, sending the ball into the right post.

You’d have to go back to Pele’s last game – in Portland – and Steve Hunt’s robbery of Tony Chursky for the Cosmos against the Seattle Sounders in Soccer Bowl 1977 to find a similar goal in an American final like the goal Diego Valeri scored after 29 minutes. “We tried to be aggressive and pressure them”.

Portland is unbeaten in eight consecutive matches (5-0-3), including five consecutive road matches (4-0-1), dating to a 2-1 win on the road against the Crew on September 26.

Columbus coach Gregg Berhalter said he did not see the play, but knew one thing, “In professional sports you play to either the ball is out of bounds or to the whistle”. Portland, which found form just at the right time to climb into the playoffs and surge past Sporting KC, Vancouver Whitecaps and FC Dallas in the playoffs, celebrated becoming kings of MLS for the first time and the first team from the Pacific northwest to land the crown.

In the 18th minute, the Crew pumped a cross into the Timbers box, only to see the ball knocked down in front of Timbers keeper Adam Kwarasey. We were humble. We never talked that we were the best team.

It was anarchy in the early going as the Timber jumped out to a quick two goal lead.

“The way we shut down that second half defensively (was great)”, Timbers coach Caleb Porter said.

While Portland impressed on the pitch, the real fun started after the match, when the team returned to their dressing room.

The Timbers just executed better. I’m proud of these guys, I’m proud of the season they had and it’s a good group.

Clark held himself accountable for the goal after the match: “This is completely on me”, he told reporters. “None of us envisioned us starting the game like that”.

“When we started the year, we wanted to get into the playoffs and win a trophy”, he said, reports Reuters.

“All I could think about [at the final whistle] was sharing that moment with my players”, he said.

The victory capped a three-year mission for Porter, who led the University of Akron to an NCAA title in 2010 before leaving in August 2012 to join the Timbers.

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The Crew fullbacks, Waylon Francis and Harrison Afful, didn’t get forward into the attack as much as they usually do, and Afful in particular was guilty of much of the game’s rough play.