Diego Chara and Jorge Perlaza each scored a goal and the Portland Timbers beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 to pick up their first Cascadia Cup victory of their MLS existence on Saturday. Chara scored in the 2nd minute off an assist from Perlaza, who then pushed the lead to 2-0 with a goal in the 33rd minute.
Chara, who became the Timbers' first Designated Player this year, had not scored a MLS goal before this game and had only one assist. He made a nice first touch to control the ball and then beat Joe Cannon.
The Whitecaps cut the lead in half when Camilo Sanvezzo scored his eighth goal of the season. But the 88th minute strike proved too little too late.
Since beating the Los Angeles Galaxy 3-0 on Aug. 3, the Timbers have gone into a bit of a slide and were in danger of falling out of the playoff race. This was their first win in four matches and leaves them just three points behind the final playoff spot.