Felipe Mora's first-half brace halted an extended dry spell and helped lift the Portland Timbers to a 3-1 victory over visiting Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference wild-card game on Wednesday night.

Kamal Miller's late header gave eighth-seeded Portland some insurance as the Timbers sealed a first-round series meeting with West No. 1 San Diego FC. The best-of-three set will begin Sunday in Southern California.

James Pantemis made six saves to preserve the victory, just Portland's second in its past 11 games.

Justen Glad's header late in the first half gave RSL a lifeline. However, Salt Lake saw its winless playoff streak extended to eight matches (three losses, five draws) after sneaking into the ninth and final West spot via results on the final day of the regular season.

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