The first scoring chance of the match would be a good one, when in the 7th minute, Seattle’s Ciaran O’Brien had a shot towards the upper left corner from 20 yards out that Timbers goalkeeper Brad Knighton had to push past the left post. Three minutes later the visitors would have another good chance when Jason Cascio had an open look from 15 yards out at a tight angle, but his shot was right at the Timbers goalkeeper and easily saved.

In the 12th minute, the Timbers would have a good chance go begging when Takayuki Suzuki made a nice run down the left side, and his cross found the head of a diving Lawrence Olum, but he was not able to put the shot on frame from 6 yards out.

But at the stroke of 20 minutes, Seattle would get the break they needed when Nikolas Besagno was on the ground in front of the Timbers goal, but put a shot off the right post from his seated position that rebounded right back into the run of Sebastian Le Toux, and it was an easy finish into an open net, and the visitors had a 1-0 lead.

A few minutes later, Le Toux had another good chance at a tight angle from only six yards out, but his shot was over the bar.

In the 28th minute, the Timbers would have a good chance of their own when a nice pass from Suzuki set up Olum with an open shot from the top of the box, but it was well wide left and posed no threat.

A minute later, in a sign of things to come, a rather strange play resulted in Le Toux being down on the turf when he appeared to stumble and grabbed onto the shirt of Justin Thompson as he went down, who attempted to yank away from the grab but the Timbers defender ended up with a yellow, with the call coming from the assistant referee.

In the 33rd minute, the Timbers would have another good chance when Byron Alvarez made a nice run to the top of the Seattle box, but his shot was blocked on the way to goal. Then less than a minute later, this historic match would change what appeared to be a leg-to-leg foul (though a late one) by Scot Thompson on Josh Gardner as he made a pass near the touchline, but center referee Jason Anno pulled an immediate straight red and sent him off with no hesitation.

In the 40th minute, the visitors had another good chance a dangerous low cross by Youssouf Kante required Knighton to smother the dangerous ball near the near post. Shortly afterwards, the Timbers would come close to tying when a header by Justin Thompson from 10 yards out was just past the left post.

In first half stoppage time, the Timbers would have another good scoring chance when the ball fell to the foot of Suzuki near the Seattle penalty spot, but his quick shot was just past the left post, and at halftime the visitors would have a 1-0 lead.

The Timber would star the second half with a few good runs deep into the Seattle box but they would not result on any shots on goal. In the 52nd minute, it appeared that the match was going to be 10 on 10 as Seattle’s Cascio elbowed Portland’s Leonard Griffin in the left eye, resulting in a cut below the eye and the eye swelling halfway shut, and ending Griffin’s match. But the center referee judged that the elbow to the face only deserved a yellow, and Seattle maintained their man advantage for the rest of the match.

But the Timbers would control much of the play in the second half, despite still being down a man.

Seven minutes later, Bryan Jordan made a nice run into the box but was taken down hard by defender Michael Rodriguez, but no foul was called on the play. In the 78th minute, the Timbers thought they had finally leveled the score when new signee Cameron Dunn made a cross from right on the endline that was then headed into the Seattle goal past goalkeeper Chris Eylander, but Dunn was judged to have not kept the ball in play, and the goal was waved off. In another odd situation on this strange night, Eylander protested the call and was given a yellow by the center referee.

In the 81st minute, Seattle would have a good chance to widen the lead when Le Toux dropped a pass to Kante, but his shot hit the post and was smothered on the line by Knighton.

Just entering stoppage time, the Timbers had another great chance to equalize when Jordan had a quick turn near the penalty spot (after appearing to receive the ball well offside), but his shot was right at Eylander and easily saved. The Timbers would have one final chance in stoppage time as Jamil Walker had a good look from near the top of the box, but his shot was once again right at Eylander, and it would be the final chance as the visitors would hold on for the 1-0 victory.

Chris Eylander had two saves in the winning effort, while Brad Knighton had four saves for the Timbers.