In a match that would feature two of the league’s best defenses, the first half would not feature too many good chances as both teams looked to play a slightly more conservative game. The first good chance for either team would come in the 15th minute, when a Cameron Knowles header from about six yards out off an Andrew Gregor free kick was over the crossbar.

In the 17th minute, the Impact would have their first good look when a run down the right side by Frederico Moojen was crossed to Martin Fabro, but Timbers goalkeeper Josh Wicks came off his line to get to the ball just before Fabro could catch up to the ball on the fast PGE Park surface.

Two minutes later, Moojen made another good run, deep down the right side, and crossed to Charles Gbeke, who shot across the goal face and over the endline from close-in.

The Impact would get another good chance in the 32nd minute when Fabro’s cross to Gbeke just off the Timbers touchline went begging when Gbeke was not able to turn on the ball quick enough and knocked the shot harmlessly wide.

In the 39th minute, the Timbers would get a good look of their own when a free kick deflected out to Neil Dombrowski, whose quick shot from 25 yards out was wide to the left when he probably had more time to take the shot. One minute later the Impact came very close to taking a lead when a pass from Gbeke found Moojen deep in the box, but his shot from close-in was blocked over the crossbar by Timbers defender Scot Thompson. The half would end scoreless.

The Impact nearly took a lead very early in the second half, when Marcina made a deep run down the right side, but his shot was saved by the Timbers keeper on a short hop. Two minutes later, the Impact had an even better chance, when Gbeke headed a pass back out to Moojen at the top of the box, and his blast was only stopped by a diving save to the right by Wicks.

The Timbers had a great chance of their own in the 56th minute when a pass from David Hague found Dombrowski wide open at the top of the box, but his show was right at Montreal goalkeeper Matt Jordan and easily saved.

One minute later, the Impact had a great free kick chance 28 yards out, but though the shot by Leonardo DiLorenzo got around the wall, it was right at Wicks who smothered the shot.

In the 69th minute, the Impact would have a great chance when a high chip into the run of Fabro had him in behind the Timbers defense, but his shot from only 6 yards out was wide to the right.

Five minutes later, only a spectacular save by Jordan kept the Timbers from scoring when a long crossing ball from Luke Kreamalmeyer was one-timed by Hague from 10 years out, with Jordan barely tipping the ball past the right post.

The Timbers were now controlling most of the run of play, and their fitness and late substitution of Bryan Jordan was paying off, and in the 83rd minute, the Timbers had another good scoring opportunity when Justin Thompson’s point-blank header off a Gregor free kick forced another reaction save from Jordan.

But three minutes later, the Timbers pressure finally paid off when the Impact were unable to clear a Hague cross, and Dombrowski stopped the clearance at the top of the box, and Dombrwoski buried the shot into the left side of the net to give the Timbers a 1-0 lead.

But the lead would be very short lived, as mere seconds later, a ball deep into the box by Simon Gotti could not be cleared by a punch from Wicks, and a shot from Ze Roberto deflected directly to Marcina, who had a nearly open net and scored easily to draw level at 1-1.

For the last four minutes of stoppage time, all the action was in front of the Montreal goal with several dangerous free kicks and corner kicks that could not find the Impact net. On one of the final plays of the match, a free kick from Gregor was tipped but not stopped by the Impact goalkeeper, then cleared off the line by Mauricio Vincello just before the final whistle for the 1-1 final.

Josh Wicks recorded three saves for the Timbers while Matt Jordan had four for the Impact.