'Perfect' night, result for Timbers

A 4-0 win over Miami improves Portland's playoff hopes

By Steve Brandon

The Portland Tribune, Sep 4, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

It was their biggest margin of victory in four years.

And without much question, it was their biggest victory, in terms of significance, of this year.

The Portland Timbers pelted Miami FC 4-0 at PGE Park on Thursday night to throw themselves more seriously into the playoff picture.

"This sends a message to the rest of the league that we're for real," Portland defender Cameron Dunn says.

The victory moved Portland into an eighth-place tie with Minnesota – both teams have 31 points and four games remaining in the regular season.

The seventh and final playoff spot belongs, for now, to Atlanta, which has 32 points but only three games left, all on the road.

Miami stayed at 28 points and has just three games to go. Carolina has 27 points with four games remaining.

"Our entire team's mentality is that we're going to make it (to the postseason)," Portland forward Byron Alvarez says.

The Timbers can put themselves into great position with a win or two on their next road trip, which has them playing at Rochester on Saturday and at Montreal on Monday. Then comes the Sept. 11 home finale versus Charleston and a closing Sept. 20 match at Carolina.

On Thursday, before a crowd announced as 8,219, the Timbers looked like a team that will be playing beyond Sept. 20.

The Timbers knew how important it was to get a victory over Miami. They didn't have to look beyond their locker room before the game to get that message – as coach Gavin Wilkinson had posted a few motivational quotations, including Vince Lombardi's famous, "Winning isn't everything – it's the only thing."

The players took it from there.

Alvarez and Cameron Dunn scored on first-half headers, and Chris Brown struck twice in the second half, first on the rebound of his penalty kick and then straightaway on a PK.

Goalkeeper Chase Harrison did the rest, posting his second shutout and first victory in two starts.

Alvarez's score came as many fans were just settling into their seats, in the third minute. He found ample space in front of the net, and defender Scot Thompson found him with a sizzling, accurate cross.

Alvarez sharply headed the feed into the corner of the net, beating former Timber keeper Josh Saunders in the third minute.

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