The Portland Timbers beat the LA Galaxy 1-0 in Friday night’s U.S. Open Cup match, advancing to the quarterfinals on the strength of a Sebastian Blanco goal and a well-earned clean sheet.
The Timbers’ first chance came in the 11th minute as they put the visitors under early pressure. With the Timbers pushing forward, striker Samuel Armenteros received the ball at the edge of the LA box and turned to square up his defender. A quick juke and a step-over gave Armenteros the room he needed to touch the ball into the box and clip a shot toward goal, only for Galaxy keeper David Bingham to get just enough of the ball for his defenders to clear it away as it bounced through the box.