THE PORTLAND TIMBERS eased into the Western Conference final with a 2-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps Sunday night. After a goalless draw in Portland, the second leg in Vancouver provided the only seeding upset so far in the playoffs.

Caleb Porter’s side, which will be short of some key players through suspension and possibly due to injury, next faces FC Dallas for the right to play in the 2015 MLS Cup.

WHITECAPS LOST A MANNEH

Kekuta Manneh was the spark in Vancouver’s offence from the opening whistle and gave the Portland backline all sorts of trouble with his pace and skill. The Gambian almost put the Whitecaps ahead in the 9th minute with a shot from distance that beat Timbers goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey but struck the left post.

Unfortunately for Vancouver, Manneh injured his ankle soon after and could not continue, switching out for Mauro Rosales. With his departure Vancouver lost its attacking edge and no one stepped up to fill the voide. Despite making the starting XI, the Whitecap’s talismanic captain Pedro Morales seemed hobbled and never caught up with the pace of the game. Only when Robert Earnshaw—who attempted an audacious bicycle kick within his first minute of action—came on in the 82nd minute did the Vancouver offense get into gear, by which point it was too little too late.

PORTLAND JUST GOT IT DONE

Woody Allen famously said that 80 percent of success is showing up. Portland was helped even further by its opponent not really showing up. A closely contested thriller it was not.

Diego Valeri teed up Fanendo Adi to wallop the ball past Whitecaps goalie David Ousted in the 31st minute to put Portland ahead. The away-goal meant that Vancouver needed two goals to advance and the urgency of this situation didn’t seem to sink in. Portland were able to go into cruise control against what is usually a bitter Cascadia rival.

Diego Chara, who had missed out on the previous postseason games due to injury, scored in the 94th minute on a breakaway with Adi to rub more salt into Vancouver’s wounds.

TIMBERS WILL BE WEAKENED

As easy at it seemed for Portland, the team did suffer some losses ahead of its showdown with Dallas. Both Valeri and Rodney Wallace have picked up suspensions for accumulated yellow cards. Jorge Vilafaña also had to be substituted due to injury.

The Nov. 22 first leg will be played in the Rose City, with the second leg on Nov. 29 in Dallas.