Timbers down Atlanta United 2-1, making it three wins in a row

The Timbers are officially on a roll.

The Portland Timbers (10-8-12, 42 pts) earned their third straight win, defeating Atlanta United FC 2-1 at Providence Park on Sunday afternoon. Santiago Moreno and Darion Asprilla each converted penalty kicks in the match as Portland extended its home unbeaten streak to eight matches. The goal was Moreno’s sixth of the campaign, while Asprilla tallied his seventh goal of the season.

Winning at Providence Park

The Timbers have not dropped a result when playing at Providence Park since May 22 against Philadelphia Union, posting a record of 5-0-3 across their last eight matches. Since then, the Timbers have secured four wins against Western Conference opponents, including Colorado, Houston, Seattle and San Jose, while earning draws against Vancouver, Nashville and FC Dallas. Portland has just two losses at Providence Park in 2022, which is tied for the third-fewest home losses in MLS this season.

Pushing for Playoffs

With the win, Portland will conclude Week 29 sitting in the seventh and final playoff position in the Western Conference. The Timbers have won three straight matches, recording their longest winning streak of the 2022 season. Portland is one of four teams in the league with an active winning streak of three or more games along with Philadelphia, Nashville and Orlando. Today’s win was the Timbers 10th of the campaign, marking the team’s 10th consecutive season with double-digit wins.

Converting from the Spot

Moreno scored his sixth goal of the season today, becoming the fifth player on the team to score six or more goals this season, which is a league best. Moreno’s goal is his third scored as a penalty kick this season. Asprilla tallied his seventh goal of the campaign. It was Asprilla’s fourth penalty-kick goal of the season—the most of any player on the team in 2022. Asprilla and Moreno have combined to score seven of the club’s 11 attempts this season. Portland has converted 10 out of 11 penalty kicks attempted with the only one missed by Marvin Loría being scored by Loría as a rebound. The Timbers’ 10 penalty kick goals are the most in the league this season, making Portland just the fourth club in MLS history to score 10 or more penalty goals in a single campaign.

Goal-Scoring Plays

POR: Santiago Moreno (penalty kick), 38th minute: Santiago Moreno converted his penalty kick attempt after being fouled in the box.

POR: Dairon Asprilla (penalty kick), 82nd minute: Diego Chara made a run into the right side of the box and was fouled after receiving the ball. Dairon Asprilla stepped to the penalty spot and converted.

ATL: Josef Martínez (Marcelino Moreno), 88th minute: Off a corner kick, Marcelino Moreno whipped the ball into the center of the box for Josef Martínez, who sent a header inside the left post.

Notes

• Portland has won three consecutive matches and is one of four teams in MLS with an active winning streak of three or more matches, joining Philadelphia, Nashville and Orlando City SC.
• The Timbers three-game winning streak is their longest since a six-game run spanning from Oct. 28-Dec. 4, 2021.
• Portland is unbeaten in its last eight matches at Providence Park, posting a record of 5-0-3 during that span. The Timbers have not suffered a loss at home since May 22.
• Today’s win marked Portland’s first in the all-time series against Atlanta.
• Before today’s victory, Atlanta was the only team the Timbers have faced multiple times in MLS play without a win.
• Santiago Moreno scored his sixth goal of the season today.
• Five different players for Portland have scored at least six goals, which is the most in the league.
• Moreno’s goal marked his third goal scored as a penalty kick.
• Dairon Asprilla tallied his fourth penalty-kick goal of the season – the most on the team in 2022.
• Asprilla has successfully scored his last eight penalty-kick attempts.
• Asprilla’s goal was his seventh of the campaign. His seven goals are tied for second-most on the team with Sebastían Blanco.
• Asprilla and Moreno have combined to convert seven of Portland’s 11 penalty kicks this season.
• The Timbers have scored 10 goals as penalty kicks this season, the most in the league so far.
• Portland became just the fourth club in MLS history to score 10 or more penalty goals in a single campaign.
• Portland has scored in its last 16 games, tallying 29 goals during that run.
• The Timbers have scored in 26 of their 30 matches in 2022, the most games of any team in MLS this season.
• Portland has won 11 penalties this season, which is more than any team in the league.
• The Timbers are unbeaten in their last 13 matches when leading at halftime with a record of 11-0-2, and a mark of 7-0-2 in 2022.

Next Game

The Timbers are back in action next weekend when they host Minnesota United FC on Saturday, Sept. 10 at Providence Park. The match kicks off at 7 p.m. (Pacific) with a local broadcast on FOX 12 PLUS with radio broadcasts on 750 The Game (English) and La GranD 1150AM/93.5 FM (Spanish).