Timbers top Rapids to clinch MLS playoff berth

PORTLAND — Darlington Nagbe picked the best of times to deliver one of the best performances in Portland Timbers history.

Nagbe scored two first-half goals Sunday and set up a second-half goal to lead the Timbers into the MLS Cup playoffs with a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rapids at Providence Park.

Jorge Villafana and Fanendo Adi added second-half goals to cap the victory.

The Timbers will host Sporting Kansas City at 7 p.m. Thursday in a one-game playoff. If Portland wins that, it will face the Vancouver Whitecaps in the conference semifinals. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday.

Sunday’s win was the third in a row for a Timbers team that seemed to be fading out of the playoff picture with a 1-0 home loss to Sporting Kansas City on Oct. 3. But road wins at Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles, sparked by a change in formation, put Portland in strong position entering Sunday’s regular-season finale.

“Three games ago, these guys were under pressure and we were being questioned for good reason,” Timbers coach Caleb Porter said. “We weren’t getting the job done. But the players answered the call.”

No one answered it as loudly as Nagbe. On the day he equaled the Timbers all-era mark for most matches played at 160, Nagbe was the clear difference-maker.

It started in the fifth minute on a free kick from 25 yards after Nagbe was fouled. Had Diego Valeri (suspension) or Will Johnson been in the game, chances are one of them would have taken the kick. Nagbe’s shot from straight away cleared the defensive wall and caught goalkeeper Zac MacMath stepping the wrong direction as the ball found the center of the goal.

Colorado tied it in the 13th minute after the Timbers misplayed a couple of possible clearances. Dominique Badji’s shot took a deflection off of Liam Ridgewell that left Timbers goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey with no chance.

Nagbe’s second goal, in the 33rd minute, was  a perfect flick header from 12 yards that went inside the left post. Nagbe got inside position on Marcelo Sarvas to meet a nicely placed ball sent into the penalty area from the right by Lucas Melano. Adi sent the ball wide to Melano in space to set up the sequence.

The goal that gave Portland some important breathing room came in the 63rd minute and was another example of Nagbe’s skill. He won control of the ball and weaved his way through traffic near the top of the penalty area. After quick give-and-go with passes with Melano and Rodney Wallace, Nagbe pushed the ball to Villafana in space on the left side of the penalty area. Villafana said all he wanted to do was strike the ball solidly. His shot deflected off of a defender and into the goal.

It was the kind of fortunate bounce the Timbers were seldom getting for much of this season. But it was Nagbe’s move through traffic that made it happen.

“Oh man, he’s good. He’s good every game. He’s good every training. He’s a special player,” said Porter of Nagbe’s play. “He’s taking ownership. He’s stepped up. He’s not waiting for things to happen, he’s making it happen himself.”

Jack Jewsbury said it is great to see Nagbe scoring goals, but it’s his defensive play that really stands out.

“Everyone will look at the score sheet tonight and say Darlington carried the team, and he did,” Jewsbury said. “But for me, the past two or three weeks the things I see are the defensive work. … That has been tremendous and helped us so much going forward. It’s nice that he gets rewarded with a few goals. He deserves a lot more. Hopefully they’ll keep going in.”

Nat Borchers gave credit to Porter for moving Nagbe to a central role when the coach shifted from two defensive midfielders to only one for the critical road wins at Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles.

“You can see (Nagbe) is more comfortable playing in the center of the pitch,” Borchers said.

Playing a central role on Sunday, Nagbe made sure the Timbers were comfortably above the playoff line for the second time in their five MLS seasons.

Notes from the pitch

Where they stand: The Timbers (15-11-8, 53 points) finish third in the Western Conference. They are tied with Vancouver at 53 points, but the Whitecaps have 16 wins so they get the second seed and the bye into the conference semifinals.

Adi on the mark: With his tap-in goal in the 86th minute, Fanendo Adi finished with a MLS Timbers record 16 goals (in 30 appearances) this season. He scored four goals in the last three games. Darlington Nagbe finished second on the team with five goals, scoring three times in the last two games.

Chara update: Coach Caleb Porter said midfielder Diego Chara, who left with an injury early in the second half, would probably be OK. Jack Jewsbury, out two weeks with a foot injury, replaced Chara.

Lineup notes: With Diego Valeri suspended, Porter inserted George Fochive into the lineup as a holding midfielder, reverting to the 4-2-3-1 formation Portland has played for much of the season. … Playing in his 160th match for Portland, Nagbe tied NASL-era winger Willie Anderson for the most games played for the Timbers in any era.

Up next

Portland vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7 p.m. Thursday at Providence Park.

Tickets: Timbers.com or 503-553-5555. They go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday

Season series: March 21 at Kansas City, 0-0 draw; Sept. 9 at Portland, 0-0 draw; Oct. 3 at Portland, SKC 1-0.

SCORING SUMMARY: Timbers 4, Rapids 1

Colorado 1 0—1

Portland 2 2—4

First half—1, Portland, Nagbe 4, 5th minute. 2, Colorado, Badji 2, 13th. 3, Portland, Nagbe 5 (Melano), 33rd.

Second half—4, Portland, Villafana 1 (Nagbe, Melano), 63rd. 5, Portland, Adi 16 (Asprilla, Fochive), 88th.

Goalies—Colorado, Zac MacMath; Portland, Adam Kwarasey.

Yellow Cards—Powell, Portland, 24th; Powers, Colorado, 40th; Pittinari, Colorado, 44th; Melano, Portland, 53rd.

Referee—Baldomero Toledo. Assistant Referees—Greg Barkey. Mike Rottersman. 4th Official—Edvin Jurisevic.

Lineups

Colorado—Zac MacMath, Axel Sjoberg, Sean St Ledger, Maynor Figueroa, Marlon Hairston, Dillon Powers (Juan Ramirez, 70th), Lucas Pittinari, Marcelo Sarvas, Dominique Badji, Kevin Doyle, Luis Solignac (Vicente Sanchez, 79th).

Portland—Adam Kwarasey, Alvas Powell, Nat Borchers, Liam Ridgewell, Darlington Nagbe (Maximiliano Urruti, 87th), George Fochive, Rodney Wallace, Jorge Villafana, Diego Chara (Jack Jewsbury, 50th), Fanendo Adi, Lucas Melano (Dairon Asprilla, 64th).