It would be the visitors who would have the first shot on goal, in the 3rd minute when Angel Landin’s shot from 25 yards was right into the chest of Timbers goalkeeper Brad Knighton and easily saved. The Timbers would get their first chance four minutes later when Chris Bagley hit a low shot that was smothered by Morelia goalkeeper Moises Munoz and allowed no rebound for Timbers striker Takayuki Suzuki who was only feet away looking for a rebound.

The teams would exchange shots in the 11th and 14th minutes, with Aldo Ramirez putting a shot right at the Timbers keeper, then Leonard Griffin responding for the Timbers with a blast from 35 yards out that was a few yards wide left.

But the visitors would break through in the 16th minute when Ever Guzman made a nice run down the right side and crossed into the box to Landin, who fought off Timbers defender Scot Thompson to get a foot on the ball, and redirected it into the net to give Morelia a 1-0 lead.

Three minutes later they nearly doubled their lead when Elias Hernandez was able to made a run deep into the Timbers box right at goal and crossed the ball across the crease of the goal but barely eluded a charging Guzman and the threat was ended.

In the 24th minute, the visitors would be on the attack again when Guzman was able to get to the Timbers endline and got a cross off, but the ball was snared by Knighton on the cross. Three minutes later, Knighton would get a spectacular kick save when Hernandez had an open shot from 15 yards out, but the good save kept Morelia from widening their lead, but not for long.

Just one minute later, Morelia would get that second goal when Jaime Duran jumped on a loose ball in the Timbers end of the pitch, then made a nice move and cut across to the top of the box before beating Knighton to the upper right corner to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.

After Morelia got two more open looks in the 36th and 37th minutes, by Ramirez and Horacio Servantes respectively, that were both right at the Timbers keeper, the home side nearly pulled a goal back just before the half when a flick-on header by Suzuki had Chris Brown with an open run to the top of the box, but the ball was just a bit too far ahead and Munoz smothered the ball just as Brown stretched out to get a toe poke, and the half would end with Morelia holding a 2-0 lead.

Just after the half, off a Timbers free kick, Neil Dombrowski would get a good look from the top of the box, but his shot hit Suzuki on the way to goal and was deflected well wide. Eight minutes later, Moreila had another good chance when Ignacio Carrasco made a deep run down the left side, and crossed to Ramirez, who attempted a backheel that Knighton was able to smother.

In the 57th minute, the Timbers would come very close to pulling back a goal when a free kick by Brown from just outside the Morelia box would require a good reaction save from Munoz as it appeared headed just under the crossbar. On the ensuing Suzuki corner kick, Justin Thompson’s header at the far post would be blocked just wide by a Morelia defender.

One minute later, a long ball intended for Morelia’s Ramirez would force Knighton to come well out of his box to clear the ball just before the striker could get toe on it, but was able to do so without playing the ball with his hands.

In the 64th minute, the visitors would be forced to play the rest of the match a man down when Mauricio Romero was sent off after getting his second yellow when he tackled Suzuki from behind after the Timbers striker had stolen the ball deep in the Morelia end. Ten minutes later, the Timbers would get another good look when a header from Suzuki off a free kick was snared by Munoz near the far post.

In the 83rd minute, the Timbers nearly got an unusual goal gifted to them when a clearance kick by Munoz was low and right to Timbers midfielder Andrew Gregor, but his attempt at hitting the briefly open net from 40 yards out did not have enough on the shot and was easily saved.

The Timbers would have a flurry of late chances when Benjamin Totori came on after missing the last month injured, with the best chance being in the 89th minute when Totori stole the ball just outside the Morelia box and played a soft pass to a charging Suzuki, whose low blast from 15 yards out was kept out only by a spectacular diving save by Munoz. But the Timbers were never able to break through and would have to settle for a good performance against a very good Morelia side, but not enough to get on the scoreboard and would fall 2-0.

Moises Munoz had six saves for Morelia in the winning effort, while Brad Knighton had five saves in his Timbers debut.