Kristoffer Velde delivered a standout performance with a goal and an assist as the Portland Timbers defeated San Diego FC 3-1 on Saturday night.
Ariel Lassiter and David Da Costa each added goals to give the Timbers a commanding victory at home, lifting the mood at the club considerably.
Goalkeeper James Pantemis was solid throughout, registering five saves to help Portland secure all three points and improve to a record of 8-9-3.
Velde opened the scoring in the 29th minute on the counter-attack, blasting a shot from 25 yards out that slipped past the outstretched fingers of diving goalkeeper CJ dos Santos.
The strike found the inside of the back post and gave Portland a deserved lead after a disciplined and energetic start to the match.
San Diego FC responded quickly, with Gabriel Pirani cutting back to evade a defender at the top of the box before casually rolling a shot inside the left post in first-half stoppage time to level at 1-1.
Portland restored their advantage in the 51st minute when Jimer Fory ran onto a ball-ahead from Velde and played a first-touch cross to a charging Lassiter for a rising finish from point-blank range.
Da Costa then put the result beyond doubt in the 68th minute with a stunning strike, taking a touch to his right before curling a gorgeous right-footed effort beyond dos Santos from about 22 yards away.
Velde had drawn defensive attention throughout the move, collecting Da Costa’s pass and slaloming into the penalty area before dropping the ball back to set up the finish.
The victory gave new manager Marti Cifuentes a winning start in his home MLS debut, a significant moment for the club as it looks to rebuild momentum.
San Diego, who came into the match on a three-game unbeaten streak, saw that run come to an end as they struggled to recover after falling behind for the second time.
Without assists leader and second-leading goal-scorer Anders Dreyer, who was serving a one-match red-card suspension, the visitors lacked their usual creative spark going forward.
San Diego remain on 6-8-6 and missed a chance to win consecutive league matches for the first time since going 3-0-0 to open the season.
Portland, meanwhile, have now lost only once in six league matches and finished the night holding the ninth and final Western Conference playoff position.
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