Lassiter Wins It Late as Timbers Beat Crew 3-2 in Diego Chará's 400th MLS Regular-Season Start

Diego Chará has been doing this for 16 seasons, and on opening night he still found the legs for one more sprint. In the 87th minute, with the score tied, the Portland captain raced back roughly 70 yards to help stop a Columbus counter, according to the Timbers. Moments later, substitute Ariel Lassiter put the ball in the net.

The Portland Timbers beat the Columbus Crew 3-2 on Saturday night at Providence Park, coming from a goal down and then winning it with Lassiter's 88th-minute strike. Felipe Mora and Antony also scored for Portland, while Wessam Abou Ali and Diego Rossi answered for Columbus. Portland opens 1-0-0 with three points in front of 22,210 fans; Columbus starts 0-0-1.

And it all happened on a historic night for Chará, who made his 400th MLS regular season start for the Timbers. The club said he is just the ninth player in league history to reach that milestone and the first to start all 400 with one club.

Four Goals in 44 Minutes

Columbus struck first and fast. In the 6th minute Abou Ali, who the Crew said seized on a sloppy Portland pass, finished left-footed from the center of the box into the bottom right corner. The Crew's own site called it the perfect start to the club's time under new head coach Henrik Rydström.

It lasted eight minutes. Gage Guerra teed up Mora in the 14th minute, and Mora hammered a right-footed shot from the center of the box into the roof of the net. It was the Timbers' first goal of the season and, per the club, Mora's 45th career goal for Portland.

Six minutes later Portland led. Cole Bassett, making his debut in Green and Gold, sprang a fast break and fed Antony on the right side of the box, and Antony placed a right-footed finish into the bottom left corner. The Timbers said that makes it three straight home openers with a goal for Antony.

Columbus lost Dylan Chambost to an injury in the 25th minute, with Amar Sejdic replacing him, but the Crew kept pushing. Abou Ali forced a save from James Pantemis in the 35th minute after a Rossi through ball, and the visitors piled up four corners in eight minutes. Rossi finally broke through in the 44th minute, collecting a pass from Abou Ali and ripping a right-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom left corner. Ridiculous strike. 2-2 at the break.

A Tense Second Half

The second half was tighter and much quieter. After the break, neither goalkeeper had to make a save until the 87th minute. Antony and Chará both fired off target, and Columbus had shots from Hugo Picard, Abou Ali and Sean Zawadzki blocked as Portland's back line threw bodies in front of everything.

Both coaches went to the bench in the 70s. Portland sent on Kevin Kelsy for Mora and Lassiter for Guerra in the 74th minute. Columbus had already introduced Yevhen Cheberko and Sékou Bangoura, then added Jamal Thiaré and Dániel Gazdag in the 82nd. The Crew said Bangoura and Thiaré were making their club debuts.

Rossi nearly won it for Columbus twice. His shot from outside the box in the 74th minute sailed just too high, and in the 79th, on a fast break, he sent one that just missed the top right corner.

The Turning Point

Then came the finish. In the 87th minute Bassett headed a Kristoffer Velde cross at goal from the left side of the six-yard box and Patrick Schulte saved it. A minute later, Portland got its winner. According to the Timbers, Jimer Fory crossed into the box, Kelsy headed it down toward the penalty spot, and Lassiter struck a low left-footed shot past Schulte. ESPN credits Kelsy with the assist.

It was Lassiter's first MLS goal for Portland, per the club, and it came from his only shot of the night.

Rydström did not hide from what went wrong.

"When they scored, 3-2, we let them cross the ball into our penalty box so many times instead of taking a step forward," he said. "It starts there."

The Standouts

Diego Rossi was the most dangerous player on the field: five shots, two on target and a goal that deserves to be replayed for weeks. Columbus' own site described him as last season's leading scorer, and he picked up right where that left off.

Wessam Abou Ali had a goal and an assist. The Crew said the goal was his fourth in six MLS appearances since joining the club last summer.

Ariel Lassiter came off the bench and decided the game. One shot, one goal.

Cole Bassett had an assist on debut, which the Timbers said was his first for Portland and his 24th all time in MLS. Gage Guerra set up the equalizer for what the club called his first goal contribution in MLS regular season play.

Diego Chará was everywhere, and this was his night. The club also said he is the first player in league history to appear in 16 seasons with one club.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Columbus 15, Portland 12.
• Shots on target: Portland 6, Columbus 4.
• Possession: Columbus 54.2 percent, Portland 45.8 percent.
• Saves: Schulte 3, Pantemis 2.
• Fouls: Columbus 6, Portland 5. A remarkably clean game.

What It Means

Portland starts the season with three points and a long list of milestones. The club said this was the Timbers' 500th game in MLS and their 250th at Providence Park, in the stadium's 100th year. Next up is a trip to the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, Feb. 28.

Columbus leaves with nothing and a coach who wants a reaction. Rydström called the performance "really below our standard" and framed it as a mental problem more than a tactical one.

"I hope this game will work like a wake-up call," he said. "We need to step up here."

The Crew stay on the road at Sporting Kansas City next weekend before hosting the Chicago Fire on March 7.

Closing Take

Columbus will look at the stat sheet and see more shots, more possession and a highlight-reel goal from Rossi. Portland will look at the scoreboard. That is the whole story of opening night at Providence Park: the visitors played the prettier game, and the home side made the final scene count.

Defender Rudy Camacho summed up the Crew's mood with brutal honesty.

"We could win this game because I think we are better, but we didn't show it tonight," he said.

In Portland, nobody was arguing. They were too busy celebrating a captain who keeps rewriting the record book.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by the Columbus Crew (columbuscrew.com); club notes from the Portland Timbers (timbers.com).