Unbeaten in eight straight, the Columbus Crew looked to extend the run to nine games against a very hungry Portland Timbers team on Saturday night. Wthout head coach Wilfried Nancy and forward Cucho Hernandez, the Black & Gold had to rely heavily on midfield maestro Lucas Zelarayan, who scored twice but was not enough in a 3-2 road loss.

The home side came out of the gate with intensity and jumped on Columbus early. A high-pressing team such as the Timbers who were itching to score goals, pinned the Crew deep into the team’s defensive half early in the match.

Portland got the team’s first good look in the 17th minute when fullback Claudio Bravo had a one-time shot from a corner kick that went high over the crossbar.

The Black & Gold started to find some rhythm after the attempt, but couldn’t string together passes consistently to create a promising attack.

In the 27th minute, Columbus had its first good look at beating Timbers goalkeeper David Bingham when Zelarayan found left wing back Yaw Yeboah wide open on the wing. Yeboah dribbled into the penalty box and had a shot on goal, but the attempt was blocked resulting in a Crew corner kick.

The home side found the breakthrough just minutes later when forward Dairon Asprilla pounced on a loose ball that was pin-balled around inside the penalty area, ripping a shot into the top left corner past Black & Gold keeper Patrick Schulte.

Just two minutes later, Columbus was caught out of position on a counter attack by Portland from a throw-in. Franck Boli found Asprilla running through the middle, all alone with an outside-the-foot pass. Asprilla was able to settle the pass and slot the ball home past Schulte, who came off his line, doubling the Timbers lead to 2-0.

Portland had a chance to put the game to bed in the 37th minute when attacker Marvin Loria was able to get behind the Crew defense and dribble toward the goal. With numbers inside of the 18-yard box, Loria was dispossessed by former Timber midfielder Darlington Nagbe, resulting in a corner kick.

In the waning minutes of first half stoppage time, Zelarayan put on an individual effort to bring life into the Columbus squad. While having his jersey pulled by midfielder Diego Chara, Zelarayan was able to spring free and find Crew forwarded Jacen Russell-Rowe at the top of the penalty box. Russell-Rowe returned the favor to Zelarayan who found himself one-on-one with Bingham, rounding the outstretched Timbers netminder and hammering home the ball to make the score 2-1.

In the second half, the Black & Gold came out of the locker room with a little more authority.

With Portland playing simple and centralized to start the second half, Columbus had to find a way to stretch the opposition and that’s what they did. Doing this allow the Crew the possession the team wants and the ability to generate goal scoring opportunities.

Those opportunities almost led to a second goal in the 47th minute when Russell-Rowe took a shot with his weak foot, but Bingham was there to make the save.

The Timbers almost extended their lead in the 58th minute, but the shot from distance by midfielder Evander just missed the target.

Columbus found their equalizer in the 65th minute after center back Steven Moreira laid off a pass to Zelarayan who had a hit a first-time strike from distance, bending it into the top corner past Bingham to make it 2-2.

The defensive struggles continued as Portland pressed on again, forcing the Crew into costly mistakes. Those paid off for the Timbers in the 80th minute when midfielder Sebastian Blanco roofed home a loose ball into the back of the net to give Portland a 3-2 lead and all three points to the Cascadia side.

Chemistry broken

With Hernandez suspended for the game against the Timbers, the chemistry in th attack was not what it has been in recent games. While Hernandez hasn’t scored many goals this year, he does lead the Black & Gold in assists and his absence was clearly felt. The Leagues Cup break comes at a good time for the Crew and Hernandez’s return when MLS play resumes will be crucial to the final push in the season.

Zelarayan masterclass

Zelarayan joins former Crew striker Gyasi Zardes (2018-20) as a player who has scored 10 goals in three straight seasons. The individual performance put on by Zelarayan is a testament to his ability that should continue to put the league on notice.

What’s next

The Black & Gold begin Leagues Cup action on Sunday, July 23 against MLS expansion side St. Louis CITY at Lower.com Field.