Portland, OR – There is a new team bottoming the Western Conference.
The Portland Timbers have been in the cellar for much of the season, but they swapped places with the Colorado Rapids on Friday after Bright Dike handed the Rose City club a 1-0 win in front of a 31st consecutive sell-out crowd at Jeld-Wen Field.
Portland (7-13-6) has managed to put together a small winning streak, claiming back-to-back victories to improve to 27 points on the season.
Colorado (8-17-2) has endured some abysmal form, going 2-11-1 over its last 14 games to go bottom of the West on 26 points.
The two sides traded half-chances until the Timbers bagged the lone goal just before halftime.
Portland caught Colorado on the counter attack with Sal Zizzo breaking free on the right flank. The winger beat his man and whipped an inch-perfect ball to the top of the six-yard box where Dike was arriving to tuck home his second goal of the season.
The Timbers nearly doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time when Franck Songo'o threaded a perfect pass through the Rapids defense, but Darlington Nagbe was unable to convert the chance, sending his effort just wide of the post.
Nagbe's miss ultimately made no difference as the Timbers kept their first clean sheet since May to ride Dike's goal to all three points.
Portland and Colorado will renew acquaintances in just five days, meeting again at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Wednesday.
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