The Portland Timbers would get their first win of the Chris Agnello era on Saturday night at PGE Park, but it took a second half goal from Troy Ready to secure the win as the Timbers beat the Minnesota Thunder 2-1 in front of 4,449 at PGE Park. Alejandro Gutierrez had the other Timbers goal, while Nathan Knox had the lone Thunder goal.

Forward Drew McAthy would get his first start for the Timbers, and two minutes into the match, he nearly gave the Timbers an early lead when off a corner kick, his header from eight yards out was just over the bar. The Thunder pushed the ball deep into the box on their first good chance four minutes later, with goalkeeper Josh Saunders smothering the ball just before forward Melvin Tarley could get his foot to the ball.

In the eighth minute, McAthy would have another good chance for the Timbers when he had the ball on his feet near the penalty box, but was unable to turn and his shot was blocked off his feet by the Thunder defense. Timbers midfielder Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar got another good look for the home team five minutes later, when he took a pass from Luke Kreamalmeyer and had an open shot from the top of the box, but hit it just wide right.

The next good scoring opportunity would come in the 30th minute, when McAthy dribbled into the Thunder box, and when the ball was knocked off his feet by the Thunder defense, Timbers forward Chad Bartlome found himself with a good scoring chance of his own, but put the shot wide right from 10 yards out.

But one minute later, the Timbers would get their chance to take the lead when Thunder defender Brett Branan fouled Bartlome in the box and referee Ben Chouaf pointed to the spot. Timbers midfielder Alejandro Gutierrez, who had only come on the pitch as a substitute four minutes earlier, stepped up and put the shot into the right side of the net, with Thunder goalkeeper Joe Warren going the wrong way, and the Timbers had jumped out to a 1-0 lead.

The next good chance would come for the Timbers in the 39th minute, when a shot by Mike Randolph from 25 yards out actually rebounded off his own teammate when it hit Kreamalmeyer's hip, but the potentially dangerous rebound went directly into the hands of Warren, who saved easily.

The last five minutes of the first half would be the only stretch of the match when the Thunder really threatened to score, with two of their three shots coming during this time, and one would level the score just before the half.

In the 42nd minute, a long diagonal cross into the box by the Thunder had midfielder Leo Gibson wide open at the post, only seven or eight yards out, but Gibson's shot at the nearly open side of the net was badly hit, going wide left.

But in first half stoppage time, the Thunder finally did get their equalizer, in what would be their only shot on net of the night. In a play very similar to a mistake that would cost the Timbers a goal the previous evening against Vancouver, the Timbers gave up the ball on a bad pass deep in their end, and Thunder forward Nathan Knox had plenty of time to size up his chance from just outside the box, to the Timbers keeper's right, and he placed it perfectly into the far side of the net, just inside the post, and the Thunder had drawn level at 1-1 just before the half.

The first good chance of the second half would be for the Timbers, when in the 60th minute, a cross from Scot Thompson was headed just wide left by Troy Ready from 10 yards out.

In the 69th minute, McAthy just missed with a spectacular effort as he scissored a shot just wide right after some fancy footwork from Gutierrez had set up the cross from the corner.

One minute later, Ready would make the next chance pay off, when a cross from Kreamalmeyer was controlled by Byron Alvarez, who turned and shot but put the shot off the left post. Ready jumped on the rebound and put in past Warren, who was still on the turf and got a piece of the shot, but not enough to keep it out of the net, and the Timbers had a 1-0 lead.

The only scoring threat the Thunder had in the second half would come in the 81st minute, when a throw in deep in the Timbers end by Brett Branan was not controlled by Saunders, and fell directly to the feet of Kevin Friedland, who was not able to put a shot on net and the ball was eventually cleared by the Timbers. The Timbers would hold on for their first win of the season, and should feel pretty good about getting four points of out six on back to back nights.

Joe Warren had three saves on the night for the Thunder, while Timbers goalkeeper Josh Saunders was not credited with a save on the night.