The Portland Timbers’ Record-Breaking 2015 Journey from Cascadia to Columbus
By Theo Butler ‘25
Photo by Theo Butler ‘25
The year is 2015, and when I tore into the wrapping paper of the slightly squishy rectangular present under the Christmas tree, I was met with a scarf. While the other scarves in the closet behind me were dominated by the Portland Timbers’ traditional colors of green and gold, this one was mostly blue, red, and white, with just a single Timbers logo on one end. As I lifted it into the air above my head and stretched it out, the reason for these differences and the significance of this scarf became clear.
Instead of the usual Timbers’ slogans like “No Pity”, and “Rose City Till I Die”, this one had the words “MLS Cup” on one side, MLS standing for Major League Soccer, and the words “2015 Champions” on the other. This was no ordinary scarf, as the 2015 season had been no ordinary season for the Portland Timbers.
Entering the 2015 season no one was sure how the Timbers would do. The last two seasons had each told a very different story. They placed first in the Western Conference in 2013, and in 2011, rookie Darlington Nagbe won MLS goal of the year, but in 2014 we placed sixth and missed the playoffs.
Even with this uncertain future, support for the team was higher than ever, given that Portland had hosted the 2014 MLS All-Stars game against historic German side Bayern Munich, and legendary coach Pep Guardiola. The MLS side, led by Portland coach Caleb Porter won this game and, after a controversial moment in which Guardiola refused to shake Porter’s hand, this game had more Portlanders than ever excited about the upcoming season.
The season started off rough with three wins, four ties, and five losses through their first twelve games, including a 1-0 loss against bitter rivals, the Seattle Sounders. Two of their most impactful players, midfielders Diego Valeri and Will Johnson both started the season recovering from injuries, so this start wasn’t totally unexpected, but still unnerving. However, after winning six of their next seven games the Timbers were beginning to turn their season around.
The rest of the regular season was a series of ups and downs containing both winning and losing streaks, capped off with two wins and nine goals in their last two games. They finished the season placing third in the West, even though they were tied on points with second place. Although they had the same number of points, the Timbers were in third place because of the goal differential.
Because soccer leagues are based on points and not winning percentage, their main tie-breaker is goal differential, which is the number of goals the team scored, minus the number of goals scored against them. A higher goal differential is better. This means they made it to the playoffs, but because of the MLS’ unusual playoff system, they had to play one more round than the top two teams.
MLS Cup Playoffs Round 1: Sporting Kansas City @ Portland Timbers
New Players Mentioned:
Krisztián Nemeth - Sporting Kansas City
Kevin Ellis - Sporting Kansas City
Jonathan Kempin - Sporting Kansas City
Dom Dwyer - Sporting Kansas City
Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting Kansas City
Rodney Wallace - Portland Timbers
Maximiliano Urruti - Portland Timbers
Diego Valeri - Portland Timbers
Nat Borchers - Portland Timbers
Adam Kwarsey - Portland Timbers
Alvas Powell - Portland Timbers
The drama of this season really began with the Timbers' first playoff game against Sporting Kansas City. The Timbers’ 3rd place spot meant that they would play this first game at home, and unlike the conference semifinal and final, this was a one-game series, so the home-field advantage was real. Although Sporting Kansas City was placed sixth in the west, they weren’t going to be an easy opponent for the Timbers, as they boasted three US national team players, as well as Krisztián Nemeth, who has formerly played for English powerhouse Liverpool.
Although the first half of the game was goalless, there was some excitement with Kansas City picking up two yellow cards and the Timbers one. The second half started well with Timbers’ midfielder Rodney Wallace scoring in the fifty-fourth minute. The remainder of the half consisted of another yellow card for the Timbers, and two more for Kansas City, until, in the eighty-seventh minute, Kevin Ellis scored the tying goal for Kansas City.
Regular time ended 1-1, meaning that the game would go to extra time. Seven minutes into extra time Nemeth scored to put Kansas City in the lead and things were looking grim for the Timbers.
As they entered the second half of extra time, the Timbers got two more yellow cards, before, in the 118th minute, two minutes before they would have been knocked out of the playoffs, Maximiliano Urruti scored to equalize. This was the latest goal ever scored in an MLS game, and it brought the Timbers back from the brink of collapse. Extra time ended tied 2-2, and the game progressed to penalty kicks.
Team legend (and now recent Timbers’ Ring of Honor inductee) Valeri was taking the first penalty for the Timbers. Valeri’s penalty kick went right into the hands of Jonathan Kempin, who batted it away from the goal. After Kansas City scored their first penalty, Nat Borchers was chosen to take the second penalty for the Timbers.
This was a surprising choice to many fans, as well as Borchers himself because he was a centerback, and traditionally forwards and midfielders take their penalties before anyone else. Nonetheless, Borcher’s kick rocketed into the back of the net and he saluted the Timbers army in the stands behind the goal.
Dom Dwyer stepped up to take Kansas City’s second penalty, and many Timbers fans were distraught, he was an experienced player and had a history of beating the Timbers. He placed his penalty in the corner to the left of Timbers’ goalie Adam Kwarsey, but Kwarsey guessed the correct direction and saved the shot.
After the next three penalties from each team, the score remained tied, and the penalty shootout moved to sudden death. After three rounds of sudden death, Alvas Powell walked up to take the Timbers' next penalty. This was the ninth round of penalties, meaning he was one of the last people on the list to take a penalty, and his, like Valeri’s, was saved by Kempin.
Many Timbers fans, myself included, thought this was it for the Timbers, having already had two lucky breaks in Urruti’s goal, and Dwiers miss. Abdul-Salaam stepped up to take Kansas City’s penalty the shot that would be remembered by Timbers fans forever, even having a bar in Providence Park named after it. In a moment described by Catlin Gabel School (CGS) teacher and Timbers fan, Peter Shulman, as “probably the most epic live sports moment I’ve[he’s] ever seen.”
Abdul-Salaam’s shot went to Kwarsey’s right as he jumped left, before it bounced off the inside of the right post, flying across the face of the goal, then off the inside of the left post, Timbers fans held their breath as the ball ricocheted around, before finally rolling out and away from the goal when the wall of Timbers’ fans behind the goal erupted in cheers.
Two rounds later, after scoring a penalty of his own, Kwarsey saved Kempin’s penalty, putting the Timbers through to the next round.
MLS Cup Playoffs Round 2: Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs Portland Timbers
New Players Mentioned:
Fanendo Adi - Portland Timbers
Diego Chara - Portland Timbers
Because of the MLS’ small league size compared to many other major US sports, the playoff system was abnormal, and the second and third rounds were both two-game series, with one game played in each team’s stadium. While most major US sports leagues have either a one-game, winner-takes-all playoff system or a several-game series where whoever wins the most games advances, The MLS opted for a system that gives both teams a home game but doesn’t tire them out with many games. After both games have been played, the scores of the two games are added together, called the aggregate score, and this is used to determine the ultimate winner.
If the result of this is a tie, then whichever team scored the most goals during their away game is the winner. If they both scored the same number of away goals, then the final game advances to extra time and, if needed, penalty kicks.
The first game of this series against our rival in Cascadia, the Vancouver Whitecaps, was played on the Timbers’ home turf. Vancouver was ranked second in the west coming out of the regular season, but the two teams were tied on points, and both times they had met so far this season the game had ended in a draw.
The first game was a very close match with the Timbers having slightly more possession and shots, but ended in a 0-0 tie. Each team also picked up a single yellow card during the game.
The second game started off looking like a repeat of the first, until, in the thirty-first minute, the Timbers won a throw-in deep in the Vancouver half. The ball was thrown to Valeri who carried it to the end line.
While he was dribbling towards the goal, Fanendo Adi stopped his run towards the goal and moved back to create space between him and his defender. Valeri noticed this and cut the ball back to Adi, who hammered a shot into the top corner of the goal to open up the scoring for the Timbers.
The first half ended with the Timbers up 1-0, but the game was far from over. Throughout the second half, the two teams battled for the ball, with Vancouver getting three yellow cards and the Timbers getting two. They kept fighting until the ninety-fourth minute when after a sloppy touch from a Vancouver midfielder, Diego Chara managed to win the ball in the midfield.
He carried the ball a short ways before playing it through to Adi who brought it to the top of the box and passed it in front of the lone defender then back to Chara.
Chara is a Timbers legend, and still a member of the team, known for his pleasant demeanor and hard defending, especially given his size. He has even committed the most fouls out of any player in MLS history, and he set this record in a little over two-thirds as many games as the previous record holder. Scoring has never been his calling card but in this moment he kept calm, faked a shot on his right, cut the ball back across, and buried it near-post, cementing the win for the Timbers.
MLS Cup Playoffs Round 3: FC Dallas vs Portland Timbers
New Players Mentioned:
Dairon Asprilla - Portland Timbers
Liam Ridgewell - Portland Timbers
Darlington Nagbe - Portland Timbers
Lucas Melano - Portland Timbers
The first game of this series was at home for the Timbers, and while for the other home games, I was in section 111, right next to the Timbers army, I had the opportunity to watch this game from the balcony of the Multnomah Athletic Club.
It started off well in the twenty-third minute when Dairon Asprilla got a light header on Nagbe’s corner kick, and the ball fell to the feet of center-back Liam Ridgewell who placed the ball in the mostly open goal. The first half ended with the Timbers up 1-0.
Eight minutes into the second half, after a dangerous through-ball played by Chara to Adi, Dallas’s center-back made a questionably legal tackle onto Adi to poke the ball away. The ball rolled onto the feet of Asprilla, who, after taking a touch away from his defender just outside of the 18-yard box, launched a shot to the far post.
From my view right above the goal, I watched as the keeper began to shift his feet to try and get in a position to make the save, before stopping and realizing he wasn’t going to be able to save it, and his only hope was for the ball to curve wide.
The ball didn’t curve wide, instead going right into the top corner of the goal, putting the Timbers up 2-0.
Dallas did manage to get a goal back in the 62nd minute, but, again after a Nagbe corner kick, the ball bounced around in front of the Dallas goal, and Borchers again came up clutch, scoring in the dying moments of the game.
Going into the second game, this time in Dallas, the Timbers had a somewhat comfortable two-goal cushion and were looking to solidify their place in the MLS Cup Finals. The first half consisted of a great goalkeeping performance by Kwarsey, but no goals for either team.
Again, eight minutes into the second half, Valeri carried the ball to the goal line before cutting it back to Adi. He turned, with his back to the goal, around his defender, and hit a low, hard shot into the far corner of the goal, putting the Timbers in the lead and making the aggregate score 4-1.
Things were looking good for the Timbers, until two goals were scored by Dallas, within 5 minutes, in the 68th and 73rd minutes, putting the Timbers only one goal in the lead on aggregate.
The Timbers continued to hold onto this lead, with forward Lucas Melano getting substituted in during the 92nd minute. Melano had been a player both loved and hated by Timbers fans. He was young and a great dribbler, but he just couldn’t seem to score and often lost the ball.
In some ways, he proved these opinions right, after (another) ball cut back into the box by Valeri, he made a move around his defender, driving to the end line. After faking a cross into the six-yard box, he took a touch along the line, around the goalie, and barely managed to squeak the ball into the goal with the outside of his right foot. He made the Timbers the Western Conference champions and sent them to the MLS Cup Finals.
MLS Cup Finals: Portland Timbers @ Columbus Crew
New Players Mentioned:
Steve Clark - Columbus Crew
Kei Kamara - Columbus Crew
Similarly to the Vancouver Whitecaps, the Columbus Crew ended the season with the same number of points as the Timbers, and also like Vancouver, they had a better goal differential so they were seeded higher than the Timbers. Columbus’ higher seeding meant that the MLS Cup Final would be played in Columbus.
Even though Columbus had the home-field advantage, the Timbers still felt fairly confident going into this game, as the one time they had played this season, the Timbers won 2-1, in Columbus.
The Timbers opened the game with a high press on Columbus, and this paid off because after 26 seconds of playtime, the ball was played back to Columbus goalie Steve Clark who, when pressured by Valeri, took a touch across the goal. Valeri saw this as his opportunity and made the risky move of slide-tackling Clark when he went to clear the ball.
Goalies are well protected by the rules in soccer, and fouls on them rarely go without a harsh punishment. Valeri understood the risk but decided to take the chance anyway, and was rewarded with Clark clearing the ball directly into Valeri’s outstretched foot, where it ricocheted off of, and into the goal.
This was, and still is the fastest goal in MLS Cup history. This goal quickly silenced the Columbus crowd, and the small Timbers section in the upper corner of the stadium went ballistic.
The Timbers kept up their pressure and attentiveness, but six minutes later a Chara pass to defender Alvas Powell appeared to go out of bounds before Powell got to it. Powell’s attempt to keep the ball in resulted in it rolling to the feet of Columbus Crew forward Kei Kamara, who began to slowly dribble the ball back to the line to take Columbus’ throw in.
Although the ball had pretty clearly gone out, the whistle was never blown, and Nagbe noticed this. He took the ball away from Kamara, who looked confusedly at the referee. He brought the ball up the right side of the field and played it wide to Melano. Melano played a cross with his first touch, and Rodney Wallace made a run from the back post, in front of his defender, and headed the ball into the goal.
He ran to the corner with his arms extended like an airplane to celebrate, where he met his teammates, and were promptly pelted by beer cans from the Columbus fans. The Timbers players quickly moved away from the corner, but were still smiling after the goal.
In the 18th minute after a Columbus cross, Kamara’s run resulted in him falling in front of Kwarsey, causing him to miss his attempt at clearing the ball away from the goal. The ball ricocheted around in front of the Timbers’ goal, and Kamara managed to recover and hit a low shot into the goal.
This meant that the Timbers’ had only a one-goal advantage, with 72 minutes, plus stoppage time, still left to play. The Timbers began focusing more on defending, letting Columbus possess the ball for 61% of the game, but only allowing one shot on goal. This included some great defensive plays from the Timbers like an outstanding block from Borchers on a Columbus shot.
The Timbers' early pressure and late defensive prowess led to their first-ever MLS Cup Championship on December 6th, 2015. As they raised the trophy, Timbers fans across the country cheered at their TVs, and celebrated with their families.
This final game took place on a Sunday, and the atmosphere at school the following Monday was electric. Walking into the barn I could see green jerseys, hats, and scarves everywhere, and I could overhear Timbers-related chatter at every table I walked past.
I have been a Timbers fan for as long as I can remember, and this season was one of the greatest in this team's history. The outstanding work done by the players alongside the endless support of the Portland faithful made this season what it was. The Portland soccer community is one of the best in the US, especially when it comes to supporting the team that they love.
As Peter Shulman said, “It’s a little hard to say that any of those Timbers were unappreciated.”