FC Dallas Beat Timbers 2-1 as Farrington and Valiente Strike for Third Straight Win

Portland had the ball. FC Dallas had the goals. Only one of those shows up in the standings.

Logan Farrington snuck a finish in from a tight angle on the stroke of halftime, Joaquín Valiente added the clincher in the 87th minute, and FC Dallas beat the Portland Timbers 2-1 on Saturday night at Toyota Stadium while holding just 39.3 percent of possession. Ariel Lassiter's stoppage-time goal made the final minutes far tenser than anyone in red wanted, but Dallas held on for a third straight win, its first three-game winning streak since 2020, according to the club.

Portland Pass, Dallas Punish

The first half looked like a Portland home game that happened to be played in Frisco. The Timbers moved the ball patiently and kept knocking: Kristoffer Velde had a long-range effort blocked in the 11th minute, Cole Bassett had one blocked in the 14th and pulled another wide in the 27th, and Velde slid a fast-break chance just past the post in the 30th. Dallas mostly defended in a compact 3-4-2-1 and waited. Its best early look came in the 20th minute, when Bernard Kamungo let fly from outside the box and forced James Pantemis to make a save.

Then the half ended exactly the way Portland feared it might. Antony forced Daniel into a save in the 44th minute. Within a minute, Kamungo had a shot blocked at the other end, and moments later Shaq Moore slipped Farrington in down the right. Farrington hit it first time from a difficult angle and found the middle of the net. One goal from almost nothing, and the Timbers went into the locker room trailing a team they had outplayed for 40 minutes.

Portland came out hunting. Joao Ortiz fired wide a minute after the restart, Lassiter came on for him in the 56th, and four minutes later Lassiter's long-range drive forced Daniel into another save. Bassett and Antony both had shots blocked. Dallas, meanwhile, nearly put it away on the counter in the 74th minute, when Farrington raced onto a fast break and smacked a left-footed shot off the right post.

Dallas' changes paid off quickly. Petar Musa came on for Farrington in the 77th minute and immediately made himself a problem, forcing saves from Pantemis in the 83rd and 87th minutes. Moments after the second, Musa played the ball back into the area from the right side of the box, and Valiente swept a left-footed finish into the bottom left corner for 2-0.

It should have been over. It was not. Eight minutes of stoppage time went up, and in the 93rd minute Lassiter pounced on a loose ball after Gage Guerra got his head to a cross and steered it home with his left foot. Two minutes later, Lassiter had a shot from the left side of the six-yard box saved by Daniel, and Guerra headed a corner wide from point-blank range. Antony also missed twice late. Dallas survived, barely.

Farrington Opens, Valiente Closes

Farrington's night was compact but loud: two shots, one goal, one post. Per the club, it was his ninth goal of the season and his 18th in MLS for Dallas, and Dallas is now 6-1-1 this season when he scores. He also committed three fouls, which is about right for a striker who spent most of the night as the lone pressure point against a Portland side that had the ball.

Valiente scored with his only shot. Dallas also credited him with a hand in the opener, though ESPN's data lists Moore as the lone assist, and the club says he now has goal contributions in four straight matches, the longest run of his MLS career. Musa, off the bench, put both of his shots on target and set up the second goal.

Daniel finished with three saves in what the club called his home debut, back in goal after missing seven regular-season games.

On the other side, Lassiter was Portland's spark. He put all three of his shots on target after coming on, and the Timbers say his goal was his fourth of the season, tying his career high. Bassett and Antony took four shots apiece but managed just one on target between them.

The Insurance That Paid Out

Valiente's 87th-minute goal looks like a footnote until you watch what came after it. Portland scored in the 93rd minute and then created two point-blank chances inside the next two minutes. Without that second goal, Dallas is probably taking one point home from its own building. Musa's double effort and Valiente's finish were the difference between a nervy win and a deflating draw.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Portland 60.7 percent, Dallas 39.3 percent.
• Shots: Portland 18 (4 on target), Dallas 9 (5 on target).
• Passing: Portland completed 482 of 563 passes; Dallas completed 288 of 366.
• Clearances: Dallas 26, Portland 19.

Dallas Rolling, Portland Stalled

FC Dallas moved to 12-7-6 with 43 points. The three-game run now reads 4-3 over Sporting Kansas City, 2-1 at Minnesota United and this one, and the club notes Saturday also opened a three-game home stretch. Austin FC visits Toyota Stadium next Saturday, Sept. 19.

Portland fell to 9-5-11 with 32 points and, per the club, stayed eighth in the Western Conference. The Timbers have now scored in 15 straight matches across all competitions dating to May 23, according to the club, and the club counts their 47 goals as the third-highest total in the West. That attack is real. Converting 18 shots into four on target is not going to win many road games, though. Portland returns home to host Atlanta United at Providence Park on Sept. 19.

The Ocean's Eleven Special

This was a heist movie. Portland spent 90-plus minutes counting the money, completing 482 passes to Dallas' 288, and FC Dallas walked out the back door with the bag. The Timbers will rewatch this one and see chances everywhere. Dallas will rewatch it and see three straight wins. Only one of those tapes is fun.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Club records, milestones and standings as reported by FC Dallas (fcdallas.com) and the Portland Timbers (timbers.com).