Evander scores 2 goals as Timbers take down LA Galaxy 4-2

PORTLAND — Evander scored a pair of goals and the Portland Timbers remained in play for the postseason with a 4-2 victory over the LA Galaxy on Wednesday night at Providence Park.

Jonathan Rodriguez and Felipe Mora also scored for the Timbers (12-10-7), who are currently in eighth place in the Western Conference conference with five games remaining.

The Galaxy (16-7-7) remained atop the top spot the conference standings. The team already clinched a playoff spot, becoming the West’s first team to make the post season, with a 4-2 El Trafico victory over LAFC last weekend.

The teams that finish eighth and ninth in the conference will play a single-elimination wildcard match on Oct. 23. The first round of the playoffs starts Oct. 26.

Rodriguez scored in the 18th minute on a header off a cross from Evander to give the Timbers an early lead.

Evander nearly added another goal in the 33rd minute but his shot went just wide. He was just a step too slow on another chance in the 37th before finally breaking through two minutes later to put the Timbers up 2-0.

Gabriel Pec scored for the Galaxy in fist-half stoppage time.

Evander scored a second goal in the 51st to make it 3-1. He leads the league with 32 goal contributions.

The Galaxy closed the gap with Joseph Paintsil’s goal in the 59th that was originally ruled offside but awarded after video review.

Mora pulled down a ball from Antony with his chest at the far post and scored to make it 4-2 for Portland in the 80th. It was the Timbers’ conference-leading 60th goal of the season.

————

TIMBERS 4, LA GALAXY 2

LA Galaxy          1             1             —           2

Portland            2             2             —           4

First Half—1, Portland, Rodriguez, 14 (Evander), 17th minute; 2, Portland, Evander, 13 (Moreno), 39th; 3, LA Galaxy, Pec, 12 (Berry), 45th+3.

Second Half—4, Portland, Evander, 14 (Rodriguez), 51st; 5, LA Galaxy, Paintsil, 9, 58th; 6, Portland, Mora, 14 (Alves Santos), 80th.

Goalies—LA Galaxy, John McCarthy, Novak Micovic; Portland, Maxime Crepeau, James Pantemis.

Yellow Cards—Zuparic, Portland, 13th; Crepeau, Portland, 45th; Brugman, LA Galaxy, 45th+2; Ayala, Portland, 52nd; Yoshida, LA Galaxy, 82nd.

Referee—Tim Ford. Assistant Referees—Cory Richardson, Stefan Tanaka-Freundt, Jose Carlos Rivero. 4th Official—Mathew Corrigan.

Lineups

LA Galaxy—John McCarthy; Jalen Neal (Carlos Garces, 85th), John Nelson (Mauricio Cuevas, 68th), Miki Yamane, Maya Yoshida; Gaston Brugman, Marky Delgado (Marco Reus, 62nd), Joseph Paintsil (Diego Fagundez, 85th), Gabriel Pec, Riqui Puig; Miguel Berry (Dejan Joveljic, 62nd).

Portland—Maxime Crepeau; Miguel Araujo, Kamal Miller, Juan Mosquera (Eric Miller, 86th), Dario Zuparic; David Ayala (Eryk Williamson, 67th), Diego Chara, Evander, Santiago Moreno; Felipe Mora (Cristhian Paredes, 85th), Jonathan Rodriguez (Antony Alves Santos, 79th).