Marvin Loria decided to join the Portland Timbers’ lower division club, T2, in 2018 after struggling to prove himself over five years with Costa Rican club Deportivo Saprissa. Loria hoped he could grow in a new environment in Portland and ultimately go on to represent the Timbers at the MLS level.
He finally got his opportunity Saturday night. He made the most of it.
Loria scored in his MLS debut to help the Timbers (5-7-2, 17 points) earn a 4-0 win over the Houston Dynamo (7-4-3, 24 points) in front of 25,218 fans at Providence Park Saturday night.
“I’m very happy,” said Loria through an interpreter. “I thank God for the opportunity I had. I’m enjoying the moment and I just want to keep building on this.”
After falling 3-2 to LAFC in their highly-anticipated home opener on June 1, the Timbers posted their first MLS regular season home win of the year Saturday. Portland started the season with 12 straight games on the road due to construction at Providence Park.
“It was a good night,” Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese said. “There was a lot of things that happened tonight that were important. The energy, the way the players entered into the match, the mentality was very good. That allowed us to have a clean sheet, which was something we were looking for, and we found the goals in the right moments.”
The Timbers thoroughly outplayed the Dynamo in the first half Saturday, but it looked as if Portland might head into the locker room at halftime without a goal, until Loria found the back of the net following a perfectly-executed counter attack in the 39th minute.
Timbers captain Diego Valeri sent a cross into the box for Jorge Moreira who headed the ball back to Loria. Loria fired a left-footed shot past Houston goalkeeper Joe Willis at the near post to give the Timbers a big 1-0 lead.
“It was a dream come true," Loria said. "I’m thankful.”
Loria was instrumental in setting up Portland’s second goal as well. The Timbers were awarded a penalty kick after DaMarcus Beasley pushed down Loria in the box in the 61st minute. Valeri buried the penalty kick to give Portland a 2-0 lead.
Loria impressed the Timbers during his first season with T2 in 2018, tallying six goals and a team-leading seven assists with the lower division side. The Timbers inked Loria to a contract ahead of the 2019 season, but the 22-year-old winger didn’t get his opportunity at the MLS level until Saturday.
“We felt that it was the right time for him to come in and play," Savarese said. "Thank God, Loria had a very good match because when you play your first match, you always want it to go the right way. He’s been working very well to deserve what he had today.”
Timbers midfielder Sebastian Blanco was suspended Saturday due to yellow card accumulation, while midfielders Andy Polo and Andres Flores missed the game due to international duty. The absences opened the door for Loria to make his first MLS start.
Houston was also missing key players Saturday due to international duty, including star forwards Alberth Elis and Romell Quioto. Mauro Manotas, who has scored seven career goals against the Timbers, started the game on the bench.
Timbers striker Brian Fernandez put the match to bed with a goal in the 63rd minute to extend his goal scoring streak to six games. Fernandez got on the end of a long pass from Valeri before slotting a shot into the corner of the net to give Portland a 3-0 lead.
Fernandez has scored in each of his six appearances for the Timbers, netting an incredible eight goals across all competitions since joining the club from Liga MX side Necaxa in May. Fernandez has scored in four straight MLS regular season games to begin his Timbers career, which ties an all-time league record.
“As long as I can, I’m going to try to keep scoring,” said Fernandez through an interpreter. “There’s a lot of work every day, not only with me, but with all my teammates. It is reflected on the field. We work throughout the week to accomplish these results. It’s a team effort.”
Timbers forward Jeremy Ebobisse received a pass from Valeri and fired a shot into the corner of the net in the 75th minute to put Portland up 4-0. Valeri finished the game with a goal and three assists. Along with earning their first home win of the year Saturday, the Timbers also secured their first clean sheet of the season in MLS play.
“Overall, it was a very good night in all senses,” Savarese said. “Now, we have to remember this is only one match. We have to enjoy it, but we also have to focus on what’s coming next, which is a game against Montreal in three, four days.”
-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com
503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg
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