Daniel Pereira scored his first MLS goal since 2022 and Austin FC stayed alive for the MLS Cup playoffs with a 1-0 win at the Portland Timbers on Wednesday night.

Brad Stuver made 10 saves to keep himself and Austin clean for the eighth time this season and move the Verde to within six points of ninth-place Portland with two games to go.

Even if Austin (10-13-9, 39 points) won its last two games and Portland (12-11-9, 45 points) lost its last two, the Verde’s chances of overtaking the Timbers for ninth place are slim and reach the finals The Western Conference wild card berths are remote. Austin would also need to overcome its current 18-goal goal difference deficit to Portland.

Portland’s Evander failed to score or register an assist for the first time in 12 games as the Timbers fell at home for the first time all season.

That wasn’t for lack of chances: The hosts led 26-7 in shots and 11-1 in shots on goal, but saw that a 10-game home unbeaten run with an overnight win could have catapulted the Timbers to seventh place Wildcard places.

This dominance of chances was evenly distributed between both halves. In the middle, Austin accidentally took the lead just before half-time thanks to Pereira’s goal in the 42nd minute.

The chance came to Pereira when he grabbed the ball after Kamal Miller’s attempt to clear an earlier Austin challenge ended up just about 10 yards inside the penalty area.

Pereira won the ball against Jonathan Rodriguez, then moved to the left and unleashed a hopeful shot from around 25 meters away.

From there, it hit Miller’s leg and caused a significant change in direction, allowing goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau to watch flat-footed as it shot over the goal line.

Stuver intervened several times after half-time to keep the visitors in the lead, his best success coming when he saved two goals from Rodriguez. Evander also tested Stuver’s goal from distance twice and only forced routine saves.

–Field level media