MATCH RECAP | Timbers earn first win of the season with 1-0 victory over Austin FC

PORTLAND, Ore. – Defender Bill Tuiloma scored in the 62nd minute and the Portland Timbers earned their first win of the season and extended their unbeaten streak to three games as they defeated Austin FC 1-0 Saturday night at Providence Park.

• MATCHCENTER: Stats and Boxscore

Portland held Austin – the MLS-leading goalscoring team coming into the night – to zero shots on goal as the Timbers and goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic picked up their first clean sheet of 2022.

Match Moments

19' - CHANCE (POR) - On a Timbers corner kick earned by a nice run into the box from Santiago Moreno, midfielder Yimmi Chara curled a ball into the mixer that defender Bill Tuiloma had a good look at but headed just over the bar.

24' - CHANCE (POR) - Forward Jaroslaw Niezgoda picked off a back pass at midfield and fed Dairon Asprilla who took off towards goal. He cut the ball back to his right foot and had his shot blocked. Niezgoda then one-timed the rebound but sliced it wide of the right post.

40' - CHANCE (POR) - Pushed up forward for a Portland corner kick, the ball cycled out to left back Justin Rasmussen who whipped a nice cross into the middle that Tuiloma headed towards goal but glanced just off the far post.

62' - GOAL (POR) - Portland took a 1-0 lead as Tuiloma thumped a header into the back of the net in the 62nd minute. Midfielder Y. Chara earned the assist with a perfect free-kick delivery.

71' - CHANCE (POR) - Tuiloma hit a long 60-yard driven ball forward Moreno on the edge of the box. Moreno fed the ball to Cristhian Paredes who had two shots blocked before Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver scrambled to collect.

76' - BLOCK (POR) - As Austin served in a corner kick and had a flurry of chances, Tuiloma raced to the back post to head a ball away from the near post before standing tall again to block a follow-up shot.

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For their next match, the Portland Timbers travel to Texas to face FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium on Mar. 19 (5:30pm PT, FOX 12 PLUS).

Portland Timbers (1-0-2, 5pts) vs. Austin FC (2-1-0, 6pts)
March 12, 2022 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)

Scoring Summary: 
POR: Tuiloma (Y. Chara), 62

Misconduct Summary:
ATX: Dominguez (caution), 49
ATX: Kolmanic (caution), 50
ATX: Driussi (caution), 50 
POR: D. Chara (caution), 54
POR: Paredes (caution), 57
ATX: Pereira (caution), 60
ATX: Valencia (cautio), 90+4
POR: Blanco (caution), 90+5

Lineups:
POR: GK Ivacic, D Rasmussen, D Tuiloma, D McGraw, D Van Rankin, M Paredes (Ayala, 75), M D. Chara ©, M Asprilla (Asprilla, 75), M Y. Chara, M Moreno, F Niezgoda (Gutierrez, 87)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Bingham, D Larrys Mabiala, D Zuparic, M Bodily, M Fochive

TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Tuiloma, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 1 (Tuiloma, 1); FOULS: 15 (Moreno, 3); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: 0

ATX: GK Stuver, D Lima, D Cascante, D Gabrielsen, D Kolmanic (Gallagher, 66), M Ring ©, M Pereira (Valencia, 66), M Fagundez (Finlay, 66), M Driussi, M Dominguez (Redes, 74), F Urruti (Djitte, 71)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Tarbell, D Keller, M Jimenez, M Martins, M Valencia, F Djitte

TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Lima, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 0 (None); FOULS: 14 (Pereira, 4); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 9; SAVES: 0

Referee: Joe Dickerson
Assistant Referees: Mike Rottersman, Chris Elliot
Fourth Official: Brad Jensen
VAR: Daniel Radford
Attendance: 22,795
Weather: Rainy, 49 degrees  

All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial

Notes

• Portland did not surrender a shot on target in the match, registering its first clean sheet of the campaign.
• The Timbers have gone unbeaten in their last 10 matches in MLS play, scoring a goal in each of those matches, tallying 19 goals during that span.
• Bill Tuiloma scored his fifth career goal for Portland. Three of his five goals have been headed goals.
• Tuiloma made his 80th career MLS regular season appearance in the game.
• Yimmi Chara has tallied two goals and two assists in his first three games this season. 
• Y. Chara has recorded a goal or an assist in five consecutive regular season games (2g, 4a), dating back to Nov. 3, 2021.
• Including playoffs, Portland has an all-time record of 17-3-5 at home against Texas teams. The Timbers have earned consecutive wins at home over Austin FC, posting back-to-back shutouts in those matches.
• Sebastian Blanco appeared in his 110th career MLS match, entering the match as a substitute in the 75th minute.
• Justin Rasmussen made his first career MLS start in the match. Rasmussen is the fourth Timbers MLS SuperDraft pick to start a match in his rookie season, joining Jeremy Ebobisse, Darlington Nagbe and Andrew Jean-Baptiste. 
• Diego Gutierrez made his professional debut for Timbers, entering the match as a substitute in the 87th minute.
• The match featured appearances from players selected by the Timbers in each of the last three MLS SuperDrafts: Zac McGraw (2020), Gutierrez (2021) and Rasmussen (2022).
• Aljaz Ivacic appeared in his 10th MLS regular season match, earning his first career shutout.