The last time that the Los Angeles Galaxy lost a match was on May 1. That is with the exception of Wednesday night when they took their 14-match unbeaten streak to JELD-WEN Field and were absolutely torn apart by an inspired Portland Timbers team, 3-0. The Timbers came out with energy and never slowed up, getting goals from Mike Chabala, Jorge Perlaza and Eric Brunner to down the best team in MLS in front of a thunderous home crowd.
Portland Timbers Vs. LA Galaxy: Portland Snaps LA’s Unbeaten Streak With 3-0 Win
Right from the start, Portland worked harder than LA. The Galaxy back line was watching the ball while Timbers strikers were making runs. Juan Pablo Angel was a traffic cone up top while the Timbers defenders were there to snuff out any LA attack and in the midfield Portland just ran circles around the Galaxy. The scoreline was every bit as indicative of the Timbers' dominance.
Portland took every opportunity to go forward and they always did so with great pace. It paid off in the 24th minute when Darlington Nagbe and Diego Chara combined on the left side to break down the LA defense. Chara then cut the ball back for Chabala who ripped a shot to the near post that, with the help of a slight deflection, left Josh Saunders helpless. The Timbers had a 1-0 lead and it would only get better from there.
In the 33rd minute it was Perlaza who got in the act. To be fair, he was always in the act, giving the Galaxy fits from the start, but this time he did the goal scoring. The Colombian cut across the field, leaving A.J. DeLaGarza in his wake before striking hard and low for a good goal that doubled Portland's lead.
LA looked like they might have some interest in playing in the second half, but it was just a tease. Portland still outplayed them and their final goal of the match was symbolic of the entire match. Eric Brunner attacked a corner kick like his life depended on it, charging at the ball before leaping and nodding it home. Meanwhile, Sean Franklin, who was supposed to be marking him, might as well have bought a ticket because he just grabbed the best seat in the house and watched Brunner go.
It wasn’t tough for Portland to see out the rest of the match. Their fans cheered, the team played with confidence and the Galaxy just chased them around, two, three and four steps behind, just as they had been all match long.
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