SAN DIEGO (AP) — Onni Valakari and Anders Dreyer scored in the first half and top-seeded San Diego FC held on for a 2-1 victory over the Portland Timbers on Sunday night in a best-of-three first-round opener of the MLS Cup playoffs.

San Diego, which won the Western Conference in its first season, grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute when Valakari scored off a Manu Duah shot that hit the right post. Valakari had four goals in the regular season — his first.

Dreyer used an assist from 19-year-old defender Luca Bombino to send a header into the net for a 2-0 lead seven minutes later. Dreyer had 19 goals and 19 assists in his first season in the league. Bombino had four assists in 26 appearances as a rookie.

Portland cut it to 2-1 in the 36th minute on first-year defender Kristoffer Velde’

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