The Portland Timbers picked up their first win of the 2015 season Saturday night against previous first place FC Dallas in fine fashion with a 3-1 win at Providence Park. Portland forward Maximiliano Urruti, buzzing throughout the match, found the game-winner in the 62nd minute. Meanwhile, on defense, Nat Borchers scored his first goal in a Timbers uniform while fellow defender Jorge Villafana put in strong work to close out the game. Both earned spots on the TOTW bench.
Elsewhere in MLS, Vancouver beat the defending MLS Cup champions 2-0 behind standout performances from two of their youngest players, Kekuta Manneh and Russell Teibert. Manneh provided the opening salvo, scoring the game's first goal in the 56th minute, while Teibert controlled the midfield throughout the game.
Read on to find out who else made the team:
GK: Bill Hamid (D.C. United) - Credited with five saves against Orlando City, the D.C. ‘keeper kept his team in the game all night, and it paid off with a very late winner.
D: Tony Beltran (Real Salt Lake) – Was his usual sturdy self at right back, effectively shutting down Quakes Designated Player Innocent in Real Salt Lake's 1-0 victory.
D: Chad Marshall (Seattle Sounders) – At the center of a gritty defensive effort – Marshall was essential in shutting down aerial threats and turned away everything in the Sounders' 1-0 win over Houston.
D: Aurelien Collin (Orlando City SC) – Rendered Jairo Arrieta moot and was his usual strong self in the air. The former Sporting Kansas City man is starting to round into form in Florida.
D: Joevin Jones (Chicago Fire) - The young Trinidadian was aggressive and energetic down the left flank, topping off one of his efforts with a great goal in Chicago's 3-2 win against Toronto FC.
M: Benoit Cheyrou (Toronto FC) – Showed why he was such a stalwart in Ligue 1, attacking spaces in midfield, displaying smart passing and finishing superbly for his first MLS goal.
M: Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake) – Morales' excellent start to the season – he's scored or assisted on all but one of RSL's goals in 2015 – continued on Sunday, when he produced a magical game-winner and added the type of defensive work rarely seen from any attacking mid, let alone one who's already 35.
M: Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) – Set his team's tempo and played a main role in locking down Robbie Keane. Anyone still wondering if he's best-suited for a role in deep midfield?
F: Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution) – Scored his first goal of the season and was generally dangerous for the Revs as they snagged their first win in Colorado since 2002.
F: Maximiliano Urruti (Portland Timbers) – Kept all of his chances on target in a good shift against Dallas, and was rewarded with the winning goal on an audacious flick (see above).
F: Kekuta Manneh (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) –Sliced, diced, scored, and took more shots than the entire LA team. His potential remains enormous.
Coach: Carl Robinson (Vancouver Whitecaps) –The Welshman has his team on a four-game winning streak and has shown willingness to rely on young players to produce.
Bench:Bobby Shuttleworth (New England Revolution), Jorge Villafana (Portland Timbers), Nat Borchers (Portland Timbers), Luke Mulholland (Real Salt Lake), Shaun Maloney (Chicago Fire), Pedro Morales (Vancouver Whitecaps), Dom Dwyer (Sporting Kansas City)
