After back to back draws against the New England Revolution and LAFC to start the year, the Portland Timbers claimed their first victory of the season with a 1-0 win over Austin FC.
Claudio Bravo’s suspension against LAFC last week saw the Timbers’ rookie draft pick Justin Rasmussen make his club debut at left-back, despite a return to the matchday squad for Dario Zuparic, Larrys Mabiala, and Pablo Bonilla.
The opening 15 minutes of the game were relatively cagey, with both sides unable to retain possession for any sustained period of time.