Maxi Urruti did his best Damian Lillard impersonation to lead the Portland Timbers over DC United 3-2 last Saturday night. The Argentine striker joined Gaston Fernandez and Futty Danso as one of three Portland players to score. Three points in the bank moves the Timbers up to seventh in the West and four points away from the conference’s last playoff spot.
Things started off with La Gata chipped the keeper and half volleyed the ball home with his back to goal. This one might just win Goal of the Week. Darlington Nagbe started the sequence by stripping the ball off of Christian and finding Diego Valeri running upfield. Valeri played a perfect low-cross to Urruti who struck home the Timbers’ fastest ever goal at the 34 second mark.
Perry Kitchen nearly leveled things in the fifth minute when his powerful header struck the crossbar. He would find revenge at the 21′ mark with an assist to Davy Arnaud. Arnaud took a shot from about 40 yards which deflected off of Diego Chara’s boot and into the top right corner, past keeper Donovan Ricketts. 1-1 all.
Portland would find the net a second time in the 38th minute off of what has haunted them for years, a corner kick. Fan favorite and longtime Timber Futty Danso got his first goal in three years by volleying home a perfect cross. The half came to a close with Portland leading 2-1.
The second half was just exciting as the first. In what may the just be the best referee decision of the year, head referee Ricardo Salazar listened to the assistant referee and revered a penalty call. Salazar had initially called a handball in the box on Danso, who had been struck in the face by the ball. While Fabian Espindola complained furiously, the reversal stood and play restarted.
Futty found his way onto the scoreboard again, in a negative way, on a corner kick in the 77th minute. Christian headed the cross towards goal, but found Futty instead, and the redirected ball ended up in the back of the net. The Timbers Army audibly groaned and found themselves in a very similar spot, tied with under 15 minutes to go.
Desperate for a win, Caleb Porter subbed on Maximiliano Urruti for Jack Jewsbury in the 83rd minute. It paid off to the tune of three points when Maxi set Providence Park on fire in the 94th minute with a game winning goal. Valeri put in a cross which Urruti put on frame, only to be blocked by Bill Hamid. Maxi got his own rebound and one-touched back past the United keeper.
Referee Salazar blew his whistle and the Portland Timbers finally won a match.
