Marvin Loria scored and earned a penalty in his MLS debut, and the Portland Timbers pulled away to an emphatic 4-0 victory over the visiting Houston Dynamo on Saturday night.
Diego Valeri converted the spot kick and had two assists, Brian Fernandez continued his streak of scoring in all of his MLS appearances so far, and Jeremy Ebobisse added a stylish strike to help Portland to its first league win at the renovated and expanded Providence Park.
Steve Clark required only one save to keep the Timbers' first clean sheet of the season, on a night they excelled despite missing suspended playmaker Sebastian Blanco.
With Alberth Elis, Romell Quioto and Maynor Figueroa all at the Gold Cup with the Honduras national team, Houston manager Wilmer Cabrera started a lineup that had scored only three goals combined in the 2019 MLS campaign.
The Dynamo conceded more than twice for the first time this season.
Goals
- 39' - POR - Marvin Loria | WATCH
- 61' - POR - Diego Valeri (PK) | WATCH
- 63' - POR - Brian Fernandez | WATCH
- 75' - POR - Jeremy Ebobisse | WATCH
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Fernandez continues to be a revelation in his early Timbers career. He has five goals in his first four MLS fixtures, and has hit the back of the net eight times so far in six matches in all competitions.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Loria's goal, on a scissoring side volley, completed a blistering counterattack from the Timbers following a Dynamo corner, and will be a moment the 22-year-old Costa Rican never forgets.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Marvin Loria. The Saprissa academy product was everywhere, hustling to get in position for his goal, earning a penalty with some veteran awareness, and contributing a defensive clearance that sparked the break culminating in Fernandez's goal.
Up Next
- POR: Wednesday, June 26 at Montreal Impact (7:30 pm ET | TVAS, MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in the US)
- HOU: Wednesday, June 26 at San Jose Earthquakes (10:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in the US, MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)
