The Portland Timbers struck early and held on late to take a 1-0 win at home against Real Salt Lake. Portland may have only scored once, but they looks dominant throughout. Aside from this one attack it was a fairly straightforward 1-0 match.

RSL tried coming back with a series of crosses and free kicks late, but the Timbers wouldn't bend. Overall, it was the boring, defensive type effort that Portland needs to win consistently if they want to make it into the Playoffs this year.

Darlington Nagbe's dominance

Player of the game is tough tonight. It should probably go to Diego Chara, who was a true box-to-box midfielder and got things done on every part of pitch and played a complete 9- minute game. However, Darlington Nagbe just barely edges him out with a dominant performance first half performance.

Tonight's first half is what Timbers fans have long known Nagbe is capable of. It's why he's Portland's most important player. In the 12th minute Nagbe found himself with the ball at the top of RSL's box, put a move on Kyle Beckerman, and then tried a shot from distance. The ball was blocked and fell right to the feet of Portland striker Fanendo Adi. Adi switched the ball to his right and put it right past Nick Rimando and into the back of the net, 1-0 Portland.

It wasn't the most special of plays to cause this goal, but it's what can happen when Nagbe is willing to take players on and shoot. The more aggressive he is, the better he looks and the better the Timbers play. Aside from the goal scoring play, Darlington was all over the pitch. He tracked back for defense, shuttled the ball from the defensive third to the attacking, and consistently spun around Sunny and Beckerman to keep possession. If the young US international player can find this level of play on the national stage, it won't be long until he's a household name.

Current standings

This win solidifies Portland's hold on sixth place in the west. Thankfully, the Seattle Sounders and San Jose Earthquakes drew 1-1, keeping the teams six and five points behind respectively. The closest team to the Timbers at the moment is Vancouver, who are four points behind. Having more than a game's hold on sixth place has got to be a comfort to fans, especially with PDX's terrible road record this season. 

Real Salt Lake falls to third in the West following their loss and Colorado's 1-0 win over first place FC Dallas. RSL is now tied with the LA Galaxy, but ahead of them by two wins for the tiebreaker. 

Next up

Portland now faces a busy week with a trip to Costa Rica where they face Deportivo Saprissa in the CONCACAF Champions League. Following that game on Wednesday, the club will immediately fly home to Portland to prepare for a Saturday afternoon match against the Philadelphia Union. 

Salt Lake now heads back home to Utah where they'll prepare for a Saturday night fixure against the Houston Dynamo.