PORTLAND—Hailed by Portland Timbers head coach Caleb Porter as “difference makers,” both Sebastián Blanco and David Guzmán wasted no time on Friday showing exactly why they were worthy of such lofty designations during the Timbers' 5-1 victory over expansion debutant Minnesota United FC on Friday.
Though their contributions to the traditional box score were perhaps limited, Porter – ever aware of the importance of analytics – found much to be happy about with his offseason acquisitions.
Blanco was every bit the two-way player as advertised, making plays up-and-down the right channel.