Football
2018 Major League Soccer, Regular Season
VAN 
2
FT
 POR
1
Reuters 5y

Alphonso Davies' brace leads Vancouver Whitecaps over Portland Timbers

Alphonso Davies scored two goals in his final Major League Soccer game Sunday as the host Vancouver Whitecaps beat the Portland Timbers 2-1.

Davies, a 17-year-old Canadian international, dominated as he prepares to head to German powerhouse Bayern Munich in January on an MLS-record $22 million transfer.

The Whitecaps, who missed the playoffs, finished their 2018 campaign with a 13-13-8 record and 47 points. The playoff-bound Timbers finished the regular season with a 15-10-9 mark that was good for 54 points and fifth place in the Western Conference.

Andres Flores, with his first MLS goal in the 90th minute, helped the Timbers avoid the shutout. With the loss, Portland missed a chance to move up in the standings when FC Dallas lost to Colorado, and now must visit Dallas for a mid-week sudden-death playoff on Wednesday or Thursday.

With his team having little chance of avoiding a knockout-round game, Portland coach Giovanni Savarese elected to rest co-top scorer Diego Valeri, striker Fanendo Adi, and captain Liam Ridgewell. They were kept off the game-day roster, while co-leading scorer Sebastian Blanco began the game on the bench.

Jeff Attinella made his first start in goal for the Timbers since separating his shoulder on September 29.

Davies gave the Whitecaps a 1-0 lead 28 minutes into the game as he fired a shot from the top of Portland's 18-yard box off Attinella's outstretched hands. Three minutes later, Davies notched his second goal by capitalizing on a blatant giveaway by Timbers defender Marco Farfan a few yards out from the Portland net.

The Whitecaps held a commanding edge in ball possession in the first half -- 66.2 per cent to 33.8 percent -- and also controlled play in the second. Davies came close to completing a hat trick but was denied by Attinella on one occasion and a Timbers defender on another.

The game was dubbed a Farewell to Phonzie as Davies ended his brief tenure in North American pro soccer after joining the Whitecaps at the age of 15. Fans gave him a standing ovation and raucous cheer in the 68th minute. They also booed heartily as he received a yellow card for taking down Farfan in midfield.

Davies received another standing ovation as he subbed out in the 86th minute for another teenager, Simon Colyn, 16, who had two scoring chances in his MLS debut -- and was denied a third by the final whistle.

Before the game, the Whitecaps played a video feature in which Davies thanked Vancouver fans for their support.

"You'll always be in my heart," he said.

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