PORTLAND, Ore. - In 2011, the Philadelphia Union scored first in just five of 17 regular-season road games.
In their 2012 Major League Soccer season opener Monday night, on the road, the Union took an early lead but couldn't hold on to it.
The Portland Timbers ran roughshod over the Union after Gabriel Gomez' 51st-minute free-kick goal, dealing the Union a 3-1 defeat.
Backed by a raucous sellout crowd of 20,438, Portland controlled most of the possession in a scoreless first half.