Portland Timbers 2 San Jose Earthquakes 0: Valeri brace ends slump

Portland Timbers finally gave their fans something to cheer about after holding on to beat 10-man San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 in MLS.

The Timbers had gone five matches without a win – a streak that included three defeats, including back-to-back losses to reigning champions Seattle Sounders and Montreal Impact.

But fan favourite Diego Valeri ensured the Timbers ended their slump with a brace at Providence Park on Friday.

After a scoreless first half, which saw San Jose's Darwin Ceren sent off for bookings, Valeri broke the deadlock in the 50th minute in Portland.

Played through by Zarek Valentin, Valeri chested the ball down before slotting his shot underneath Earthquakes goalkeeper David Bingham.

Valeri made sure of the points in the 94th minute, when he converted the rebound after Fanendo Adi's shot hit the post.

The Timbers are third in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Earthquakes.