Dorsey brace leads Dynamo to win and home-field advantage in first round of MLS Cup Playoffs
With the fortress that is Shell Energy Stadium, the Houston Dynamo knew finishing as a top four seed in the Western Conference and having home-field advantage in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs would be huge. Other results could help achieve that feat but a win in Portland would leave no doubt. And leave no doubt is exactly what the Dynamo did, with Griffin Dorsey scoring a brace in a 3-1 road win against the Timbers.
Houston jumped in front early, thanks to another assist from their captain Hector Herrera. The Mexican whipped a corner in to the near post where Dorsey made a run and perfectly re-directed the header, with pace, on frame and past Portland goalkeeper David Bingham. The Dynamo would lead 1-0 just 11 minutes in.
Corey Baird would put the ball in the back of the net in the 26th minute but the flag went up for offside. Steve Clark made a couple of saves to deny the home side and the Dynamo took the 1-0 lead into halftime.
Just minutes into the second half, Houston would double their lead. Herrera laid the ball to Coco Carrasquilla on the right side of the box and the Panamanian tried to play it back across goal. The ball was deflected back to Carrasquilla and Coco smashed it into the roof of the net to make it 2-0 in the 48th minute.
Nelson Quinones had a couple of chances to make it three for the Dynamo. He had a shot saved by Bingham in the 57th minute and then put the ball in the net in the 68th minute, only to be denied by the offside flag in the build up. Minutes later, Houston would find their third and put the game to bed.
In the 71st minute, Carrasquilla once again found himself on the ball in the box. He laid off to Dorsey this time and the right back strided forward and stung his shot past Bingham to make the game 3-0 and send the Dynamo players into more celebrations.
Felipe Mora pulled a goal back for Portland in the 80th minute after a great ball in from Evander. The Timbers pushed hard for the final ten minutes, with their playoff lives on the line, but the Dynamo defense stood tall. Referee Rubiel Vazquez blew the full time whistle and the Dynamo had their first regular season win in Portland since 2011, and their first win there since the 2017 playoffs.
The victory secured fourth place for the Dynamo, meaning they will take on the number five seed Real Salt Lake in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The first round is a best-of-three, meaning Shell Energy Stadium will host the first game and third game, if necessary. We’ll have more details on those matches when they are released.
