The Portland Timbers will host MLS Cup for the first time in club history after defeating Real Salt Lake 2-0 in the Western Conference Final at Providence Park on Saturday, driven by Felipe Mora's early opening and Santiago Moreno's second-half dagger. As a result of their superior regular-season point total against Eastern Conference rivals New York City FC and Philadelphia Union, Portland advanced to their third-ever MLS Cup on Dec. 11 and gained hosting rights. The last two MLS Cup appearances for Portland were both on the road.

Portland got off to a flying start, scoring the game's first goal after only five minutes. Yimmi Chara started the move with a right-wing cross that RSL right-back Aaron Herrera attempted to clear but instead found Mora, who rolled the deflected finish past David Ochoa. In the 33rd minute, RSL squandered a fantastic opportunity to equalize. Damir Kreilach had a clear header off a precise cross from Herrera, but Portland goalkeeper Steve Clark made a critical reaction stop.

The Timbers scored the game-winning goal immediately after the hour mark, thanks to Kreilach's squandered opportunity. In the 61st minute, Moreno scored with a spectacular long-range strike that ricocheted off the post, back off Ochoa, and into the net. Portland pressed for a third goal and came close in the 68th minute thanks to a pair of golden chances from replacement Jaroslaw Niezgoda, who saw his initial effort saved off the line and a rebound opportunity sail just over the crossbar. It was a moot issue, as Real Salt Lake finished the game with ten men after Herrera was sent off in the 79th minute after receiving his second yellow card, thereby ending the visitors' chances of a late comeback.

Despite their achievements since joining MLS in 2011, the Timbers have never hosted MLS Cup, having played as the road club in victories over Columbus in 2015 and Atlanta in 2018. They've crossed that off their bucket list, and now they'll try to win a title in front of their home fans in one of MLS' most electrifying arenas.

[Photography by ICONIC photographer Scott Boldt]