In the final game of the 2015 regular season, the Timbers still had everything left to play for. Nothing, not even the team's spot in the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs, was secure. More than that, the Timbers were playing for seeding and the chance to host as many matches at Providence Park as possible.
All that stood in the Timbers' way was the Colorado Rapids, a team that finished a distant 10th place in the Western Conference.
The Timbers started the game brightly, with forward Fanendo Adi putting a header on frame in just the second minute of the match and midfielder Darlington Nagbe burying his 25-yard free kick only three minutes later.
However, the Rapids managed to climb back into the game as forward Dominique Badji pounced on a 13th minute defensive mistake to level the game at one goal apiece.
The Timbers, though, would not be denied.
In the 33rd minute, Lucas Melano sent a perfect cross onto the head of Nagbe, who put his gently headed effort past Colorado goalkeeper Zach MacMath. Nagbe's second goal of the match gave the Timbers a 2-1 lead and one they would not relinquish. The home side scoring two more goals from Jorge Villafana and Adi, respectively, in the second half and the club solidifying their place in a playoff run that would eventually culminate in an MLS Cup triumph.
