Timbers Win in St. Louis 1-0

Behind another goal from forward Bright Dike, the Timbers (8-7-7, 31pts) hung-on to a 1-0 1st half lead and ended their 4 match winless streak Saturday night at Anheuser-Busch Park. Portland scored just before halftime, this time in the 41st as Dike received a pass from Keith Savage near the top of the box. With defenders all around him, Dike quickly turned and fired a low shot through traffic, which whipped past St Louis keeper Alec Dufty and into the left corner for a goal. The goal is Dike's 4th of the season and his 2nd score in as many games.

Despite the adventurous conditions of the evening - including muggy conditions and heavy heat, less than ideal lighting of the field, and smoke bombs that often hung on the pitch like a thick fog - the Timbers were able to survive a late 2nd half charge by St. Louis. After controlling most of a ragged and physical 1st half (outshooting St. Louis 10-3), the Timbers settled into a more defensive and conservative mindset. St. Louis took advantage and had many close scoring chances, outshooting the Timbers in the 2nd half 7-3. Portland's defense came up with big plays all night, including a late-game, goal-saving tackle by Ross Smith and a handful of clutch saves by keeper Steve Cronin. Cronin tallied 6 totals saves for the game, and recorded his 8th shutout for the season.

Forward Ibad Muhamadu received his first start of the year in only his 2nd appearance with the team. Ibad lived up to his reputation as a scorer, launching shot after shot in the first half, leading the team with 5 shots total. Any chemistry concerns were muted after Saturday night's performance, as Ibad and Dike combined for 8 shots and were a handful for St. Louis' backline. Although, it remains to be seen how successful the pair can co-exist against tougher, stingier, and more disciplined defenses around the league, their first outing together was certainly promising.

With 8 games left in the season, Portland now finds themselves sitting alone in 4th place and with a bit of breathing room as they attempt to build momentum heading into the playoffs. The team is 3 points ahead of Puerto Rico, Minnesota, and Carolina (who are all tied at 28pts in the overall standings), but trails Austin(who would currently occupy the 3rd seed if the playoffs were to start today) by 10pts in the USL division. The Timbers will now ready themselves for a return match at Minnesota this upcoming Saturday, August 21st @5pm.

== Box Score ==