Alex Bonetig scored his first career MLS goal in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage to lift the visiting Portland Timbers to a 2-1 victory over reeling San Diego FC on Saturday night.
Kevin Kelsy also scored his second goal of the season much earlier for Portland (3-5-1, 10 points), which earned its first away points of the season in a fifth attempt.
James Pantemis made only three saves in the victory, but two were crucial interventions: a 79th-minute denial of Lewis Morgan when the match was still tied, and another stop of Anders Dreyer in the final minutes of second-half stoppage time after Bonetig’s winner.
That was enough to secure a satisfying win for a Timbers side that was eliminated by San Diego from the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs in a tightly contested first-round series.
Dreyer scored from the penalty spot for his team-lead-tying fifth goal before halftime, but he couldn’t prevent SDFC (3-5-2, 11 points) from falling to a club-record fifth consecutive defeat.
San Diego captain Jeppe Tverskov departed in the 81st minute with an apparent injury.
Portland may have thought it missed an opportunity in the 83rd minute when Antony somehow missed wide on an open net after goalkeeper Duran Ferree rashly sprinted off his line in a poorly timed challenge outside the penalty area.
But the visitors kept pushing and were eventually rewarded for their resilience on a corner kick.
The initial delivery failed to reach a Timbers attacker, but the hosts couldn’t clear. Bonetig eventually reached it in a frenetic scrap, and he powered in a low finish past Ferree from about 8 yards.
Kelsy created the turnover that led to his 26th-minute opener, pressuring Tverskov into a giveaway inside his own half.
From there, he slalomed past defender Christopher McVey before dragging a low finish past Ferree into the bottom right corner.
San Diego FC received their route back into the game only five minutes later when referee Jon Freemon spotted a handball in the penalty area on defender Brandon Bye.
Dreyer stepped up and dispatched his PK into the bottom right corner as Pantemis dove in the opposite direction.
–Field Level Media
