MLS Team of the Week: Portland Timbers Trio Shines in Rivalry Win over Seattle
The biggest stars on the winning team shone in Major League Soccer's premier rivalry match on Sunday as the Portland Timbers downed the Seattle Sounders 3-1.
Thanks to the stellar performances of a few Portland players, Caleb Porter's side dominates our Week 19 Team of the Week.
In addition to the trio of Timbers, a resilient defender and a masterful winger were added as top stars in Week 19.
We shaped our team into a simple 4-4-2 formation, and the midweek set of matches were taken into consideration for selection when applicable.
Continue reading to see who made the Week 19 Bleacher Report MLS Team of the Week.
GK: David Ousted, Vancouver Whitecaps
1 of 12
David Ousted produced a bevy of impressive denials in both of the Vancouver Whitecaps' matches at BC Place in Week 19.
The Danish netminder made four saves and held onto a clean sheet on Wednesday despite a frantic late flurry from Real Salt Lake. The 2-0 win marked Ousted's fourth shutout of the season.
Three days later, against Orlando City, the 31-year-old made a terrific left-handed save on a David Mateos header to preserve the Whitecaps' 2-2 draw with the visiting Lions.
The four-point week kept the Whitecaps above the red line in the hunt for the Western Conference playoffs. Carl Robinson's men sit fifth with 29 points.
RB: Cordell Cato, San Jose Earthquakes
2 of 12
Cordell Cato was a part of one of the gutsiest performances in recent memory on Saturday night.
The right-back was one of nine men left on the field for the San Jose Earthquakes in the second half as they tried to hold onto a 2-1 lead against Toronto FC.
Thanks to the efforts of everyone in a blue shirt at Avaya Stadium, Dominic Kinnear's men pulled off a miraculous win in front of their home crowd.
In addition to making four tackles, four interceptions and four clearances, the 24-year-old also handed out an assist on Simon Dawkins' game-winner in the 70th minute.
CB: Aaron Maund, Real Salt Lake
3 of 12
Aaron Maund recovered from a decent showing Wednesday night in Vancouver with a stellar 90 minutes at center-back for Real Salt Lake in their 0-0 draw with the New England Revolution on Saturday.
The 25-year-old defender won six aerial duels and limited the dangerous Revolution attack to one shot on goal. He also totaled six interceptions and three clearances in the Claret and Cobalt's sixth tie of the 2016 campaign.
Saturday's result left RSL 10 points behind Western Conference leaders FC Dallas, but Jeff Cassar's men have two games in hand on the top team in MLS.
CB: Axel Sjoberg, Colorado Rapids
4 of 12
The Colorado Rapids continued their phenomenal defensive season in Week 19 with a shutout of Sporting Kansas City.
Defensive rock Axel Sjoberg, who was one of the biggest snubs for the MLS All-Star Game, once again held firm in the middle of Pablo Mastroeni's back four.
The 23-year-old Swede won seven aerial duels and recorded six interceptions as well as five clearances while holding the Sporting KC attack to three attempts on target.
The 1-0 win helped the Rapids keep pace with FC Dallas in the Western Conference and the race for the Supporters' Shield. Colorado sits three points back with three games in hand.
LB: David Romney, LA Galaxy
5 of 12
The Houston Dynamo experienced difficulty attacking down the right wing on Friday because of the play of LA Galaxy left-back David Romney.
The 23-year-old kept Houston's right-sided midfielder, Andrew Wenger, in check, with the winger failing to contribute a shot or key pass on 27 touches.
By winning 1-0 at StubHub Center, the Galaxy moved over the 30-point threshold in their quest to reach the top of the Western Conference. Bruce Arena's men sit third on 32 points after 19 matches.
AM: Lucas Melano, Portland Timbers
6 of 12
The much-maligned Lucas Melano finally gave Portland Timbers fans a consistent performance worth applauding on Sunday in the club's 3-1 victory over rival Seattle.
The Argentinian attacking midfielder helped set up a pair of goals at Providence Park, starting with Diego Valeri's opener in the 44th minute.
In the 64th minute, Melano charged through the center of the pitch to find Fanendo Adi for the third Timbers strike of the contest.
Although he didn't contribute to a goal in Wednesday's 1-1 draw with the Montreal Impact, Melano was active in the final third and wasn't wasteful with his chances like he has been in the past.
CM: Diego Valeri, Portland Timbers
7 of 12
Valeri announced his return to the Timbers lineup in tremendous fashion on Sunday with a brace against his club's biggest adversary.
The Argentinian powered the Timbers into the lead in the 44th minute with a curling effort from distance that swerved into the bottom-right side of the net.
Five minutes into the second half, the 30-year-old earned his ninth goal of the season from a ridiculous angle on the right side of the penalty area.
If plays like he did on Sunday for the rest of the season, Valeri could make a late push to be in the Landon Donovan MVP Award conversation.
CM: Sacha Kljestan, New York Red Bulls
8 of 12
For 60 minutes on Sunday, the New York Red Bulls appeared to be on their way to three points.
However, Jesse Marsch's side couldn't withstand a surge of pressure from the Philadelphia Union, and the match ended in a 2-2 draw at Talen Energy Stadium.
During the impressive first two-thirds of the match, Sacha Kljestan bagged a brace for the third-place side in the Eastern Conference.
The goals were the third and fourth of the season for the newly elected MLS All-Star, and they marked the first time he played a role in a strike since May 28.
AM: Fabian Castillo, FC Dallas
9 of 12
Fabian Castillo delivered the pass of the year and maybe even the pass of the decade in MLS on Saturday night at Toyota Stadium.
The dynamic Colombian perfectly executed a rabona on the left wing to find Maximiliano Urruti in the center of the penalty area.
The phenomenal assist helped FC Dallas open the floodgates in their 3-1 win over the Chicago Fire that came three days after a depleted starting XI dropped a 5-0 result to the Sounders at CenturyLink Field.
FW: Masato Kudo, Vancouver Whitecaps
10 of 12
If Week 19 is any indication of what Masato Kudo can bring to the pitch when healthy, the Whitecaps might have found the striker they've been looking for to complete their attack.
Kudo's best match of the week came in the 2-2 draw with Orlando on Saturday, when his effort helped set up Nicolas Mezquida's 35th-minute strike and he powered in a go-ahead goal in the 43rd minute.
The 26-year-old Japanese forward, who missed seven games with a concussion, was also active on the wings in search of the ball, stretching the opposition defense to create holes for his teammates to run into.
FW: Fanendo Adi, Portland Timbers
11 of 12
The 153-minute wait to find the back of the net in Week 19 was worth it for Adi, as he sealed Portland's victory over Seattle in the 64th minute on Sunday.
The Nigerian forward was active in the final third in the 1-1 draw with Montreal on Wednesday and in the win over the Sounders four days later.
Adi, who moved into double digits in the scoring column on Sunday, placed five of his seven attempts on target in Week 19.
Bench
12 of 12
GK: Luis Robles (New York Red Bulls)
LB: Joevin Jones (Seattle Sounders)
AM: Mauro Diaz (FC Dallas)
CM: Steven Gerrard (LA Galaxy)
LM: Chris Pontius (Philadelphia Union)
FW: Cyle Larin (Orlando City)
FW: Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders)
Joe Tansey covers MLS for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from MLSSoccer.com and WhoScored.com.
