Timbers take down Dynamo

The Houston Dynamo marched onto Jeld-Wen Field under rainy conditions on Saturday, amid the roar of the Timbers’ 37th consecutive sellout crowd. The packed house was eager to see the Portland squad notch its first win in 2013 after three ties and a loss to start the year.

Portland started strong, moving the ball around with ease and dictating play in the early going. The team suffered a setback on the field in the 16th minute when David Horst, who had recently returned to the active roster after recovering from a nagging groin injury, went down with a severe knee injury and was carted off the field.

The injury bug bit the Timbers again in the 24th minute, as Diego Valeri came down from an attempted header and took a shot to the face from Dynamo defender Jermaine Taylor. The contact resulted in a laceration above Valeri’s eye, forcing him to head to the locker room for further treatment.

Going into the half with the score knotted at 0-0, the crowd erupted to voice its collective displeasure with the officiating team after a series of calls went against the Timbers. Houston held Portland to just one shot on goal while racking up five opportunities of their own, despite the Timbers maintaining possession for 61 percent of the first half.

Portland came out strong in the second half, putting constant pressure on the Dynamo defense. That pressure paid off in the 55th minute, when Diego Chara streaked down the left side and placed the ball perfectly across the middle to Ryan Johnson, who booted it in for his second goal of the season.

“I think we’re starting [games] good, we just need to come out with energy,” Portland’s Darlington Nagbe said. “Once we come out with energy, we can play with any team in this league.”

Houston seemed rattled after the goal, and the Timbers kept up the pace, getting several more shots on goal. In the 73rd minute, an unmarked Johnson broke out into the open field to catch a pass from Nagbe and placed the ball past Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall for his second of the night.

Portland ran down the clock over the remaining minutes as Johnson, who earned MLS Player of the Week honors for the two-goal effort, left the game to a standing ovation.

When asked what made the difference in Portland’s breakthrough victory, Johnson said, “Just believing in our team, and knowing that we’re going to create chances and we’re going to score. [Getting] the first goal today was what really pushed us to win the game.”

After the game, head coach Caleb Porter attended the press conference soaked from the rain but with a rare smile on his face.

“I thought it was a comprehensive performance on both sides of the ball,” Porter said. “I think you saw tonight what can happen when we get up on teams: We kept playing and pushed the game.

“We’re going to enjoy this one,” he continued. “Then we’ll get back to work and get ready for San Jose.”

The Portland Timbers will welcome the San Jose Earthquakes at home on April 14, with a scheduled start time of 7:30 p.m.