COLUMBUS, Ohio --
After 40 years, the Portland Timbers could not wait another second. They scooped up their first piece of silverware from the podium and marched off en masse to the south end zone. More than 2,000 Timbers fans traveled to Columbus in pursuit of this precious moment. That precious scene -- the sight of their beloved team holding a trophy aloft after claiming MLS Cup with a 2-1 victory over Columbus -- almost made the wait worthwhile.
Portland finally delivered through sheer commitment and will. Those qualities manifested in the stunning start and paved the way for that victory. Diego Valeri opened the scoring inside 30 seconds simply by chasing down Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark and pressing him into a catastrophic error. Rodney Wallace received some help from the assistant referee in the buildup of the second goal, but he took his opportunity well to double the advantage after seven minutes.
In the tortured and lengthy history of the Timbers, those moments often led to a subsequent downfall. Not this time. Not with this group. Not with this performance. Not with these stakes. And not against a Columbus side unable to pierce that resolute core.
Caleb Porter and his players spent most of the season to figure themselves out going forward, but they always relied on that defiance. The performance of the back four -- and central defenders Nat Borchers and Liam Ridgewell in particular -- vindicated all of that high pressure at the outset. They were compact in the face of chaos. They were determined to thrive at the point when the Timbers usually faltered. They were superior in just about every facet on this day.
For the first time in their history, they mustered all the pieces to see it through. It wasn't easy. It wasn't straight forward. But no one ever expected this sacred moment to arrive easily. It made the celebrations -- stretching from just north of Columbus back into the heart of Oregon -- all the more special.
