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APRIL 11, 2026 – PORTLAND, OR: Kristoffer Velde, with a goal and an assist, man of the match for the Portland Timbers (Photo by Diego G Diaz).
Portland got a much-needed win over a very gray LAFC that played without its star player, Son Heung-min, to the disappointment of many Korean Americans who gathered for the game. Portland had its best man in Kristoffer Velde, author of the first goal. Kristoffer Velde scored the opening goal for the Portland Timbers against LAFC in the 32nd minute. He received the ball on a counter-attack near the right edge of the penalty arc, carried it forward as the LAFC defense scrambled, and fired a low, driven shot that skipped past goalkeeper Cabral Carter and into the bottom left corner of the net.
LA reacted in the second half, equalizing in the 49th minute with another great goal from outside the box. A lovely curled shot by Jude Terry. The back-and-forth of opportunities peaked in the last minutes of the match, with a disallowed goal by Ryan Porteous due to offside in the buildup. Portland responded with a goal opportunity by Alexander Aravena.
The resolution of this thrilling second half had to wait until the last minute of stoppage time, when wing back Brandon Bye headed back to the center of the box a great cross by Velde, where it found an opportunistic Kevin Kelsey, who headed in a much-needed three points for the Timbers.
