Antony scored a brace Sunday and the Portland Timbers made it back-to-back wins, stopping the visiting Houston Dynamo 3-1.
Felipe Mora added a goal and two assists for Portland (3-2-1 10 points). The Timbers had possession for only 43 percent of the match, but they made the most of their chances, outshooting Houston 16-12 and putting 10 shots on frame to the Dynamo’s one.
That included Antony’s clinching marker in the 71st minute, his third in two matches. It came after a clearing pass by Jack McGlynn toward goalie Blake Gillingham went awry. Mora deflected it away toward the Houston net, and Antony only had to angle the ball from the left side into an empty net.
That mistake sealed the loss for the Dynamo (0-4-2, 2 points), despite excellent possession numbers and seven saves from Gillingham.
Antony got all four of his shots on net, while Ezequiel Ponce squeezed off three shots for Houston.
Portland and Houston arrived at this match in opposite frames of mind. While the Timbers were coming off their best performance of the year in a 3-0 blanking at Colorado on March 22, the Dynamo were still seeking a spark after a scoreless draw at Seattle in which they were outshot 16-6.
Portland needed just six minutes to initiate scoring. A failed clearing attempt by Daniel Steres wound up on Santiago Moreno’s foot in the 18-yard box. He fed Mora, who slotted the ball past Gillingham.
Houston equalized in the 12th minute via a brilliant free kick by McGlynn. He lofted a long ball to Franco Escobar, who got an unmarked run toward the right post, and Escobar drilled it to the left of goalie James Pantemis.
The Timbers took the lead for good in the 23rd minute when Antony, who scored last week at Colorado, deftly chipped Mora’s pass just inside the right post to complete a quick counterattack.
–Field Level Media
