Real Salt Lake emerged victorious against their rivals, winning the match that counted for week 21 of the MLS. Diogo Gonçalves was the hero for Real SL, scoring the only goal in the 37th minute of the second half.
Gonçalves stood out as the most valuable player of the match. The midfielder not only scored but also attempted to find the net with four shots.
Defensively, Justen Glad played a crucial role, clearing five dangerous balls from his area and helping to maintain the clean sheet.
Portland Timbers’ head coach, Phil Neville, set his team in a 3-6-1 formation with Maxime Crépeau as the goalkeeper; Finn Surman, Dario Zuparic, and Jimer Fory in defense; and Juan Mosquera, Omir Fernández, Diego Chará, David Ayala, Santiago Moreno, and Kevin Kelsy in midfield with Felipe Mora leading the attack.
On the other hand, coach Pablo Mastroeni opted for a 4-5-1 formation for Real Salt Lake, featuring Rafael Cabral in goal; Bode Hidalgo, Justen Glad, Brayan Vera, and Samuel Junqua in defense; Noel Caliskan, Pablo Enrique Ruíz, Diogo Gonçalves, Zavier Gozo, and Diego Luna in midfield; and William Agada as the sole forward.
The referee for the match, held at Providence Park, was Alexis Da Silva.
Looking ahead, the Timbers will visit Vancouver Whitecaps FC in their next match, while Real SL will host Los Angeles FC.
Substitutions for Portland Timbers
54’ 2T – Omir Fernández out for Ariel Lassiter
70’ 2T – Felipe Mora out for Gage Guerra, Juan Mosquera out for Eric Miller
85’ 2T – David Ayala out for Cristhian Paredes
Bookings for Portland Timbers
23’ 2T Felipe Mora (Unsporting behavior)
Substitutions for Real Salt Lake
71’ 2T – Samuel Junqua out for Alexandros Katranis
72’ 2T – William Agada out for Ariath Piol, Pablo Enrique Ruíz out for Emeka Eneli
79’ 2T – Justen Glad out for Philip Quinton
89’ 2T – Diego Luna out for Dominik Marczuk
91’ 2T – Diogo Gonçalves out for Jesús Barea
Bookings for Real Salt Lake
44’ 1T Brayan Vera (Unsporting behavior), 6’ 2T Pablo Enrique Ruíz (Holding an opponent to prevent a forward advance), 21’ 2T Bode Hidalgo (Holding an opponent to prevent a forward advance), and 52’ 2T Rafael Cabral (Delaying the game).