Austin FC vs Portland Timbers: 4 takeaways as Verde claim another road win

Austin FC seems to have an edge to itself the last month.

Whether that can spur it to a run over the final stretch of the season to qualify for the MLS playoffs will be fascinating to watch, but Saturday's performance at Portland continues the recent trend that the Verde and Black are on the upswing .

In a game the club probably wouldn't have won before the World Cup break, Austin FC overcame an 89th-minute equalizer by the Timbers and produced a 2-1 win at Providence Park on Oleksandr Svatok 's stoppage-time goal.

"Our guys believe they can get results against any team in the league," Austin FC interim coach Davy Arnaud said. "That's a credit to our guys."

After going 0-8-3 on the road across all eight competitions to start the year, Austin FC has now won two straight MLS road games.

Here are four key takeaways from the match as the Verde and Black (6-10-6, 24 points, 14th West) return home Saturday to host San Jose.

Torres seems to be finding his stride over the past two weeks. As he was Aug. 19 in the win at Seattle, he was excellent Saturday. His goal midway through the first half was a nice, quick shot off a brilliant one-touch pass from Joseph Rosales . Austin FC needs Torres to continue this type of performance to give it a shot at making the playoffs.

Austin FC was the far better side for most of the match, and it would have been a cruel result if the Verde and Black had only gotten one point from the contest. (Portland's goal came on a penalty that was awarded following a shot hitting Brendan Hines-Ike in the arm in the box, which was a stroke of bad luck for Austin FC.)

Austin FC played one of its better 45 minutes of the season in the first half, where it had more possession, dictated the run of play and allowed Portland no scoring chances. Though it wasn't as dominant in the second half, it was still the better team.

"We were really good with the ball tonight and we did a good job of recognizing what we have game-planned for," Arnaud said. "We had such control of the game, which is a collective thing. That adds to the spirit of the group, and there's nothing more important than spirit."

The Verde and Black also didn't crumble mentally when the Timbers tied the game. They were aggressive in stoppage time, which resulted in Svatok's goal inside the six-yard box that came shortly after a corner kick.

"Unbelievable emotions," Svatok said. "I know how important the win is for Austin. It's a great night. … Today we showed how determined we are."

Any overall criticism of the team would be nitpicking, but it was another somewhat quiet performance by forward and designated player Brandon Vazquez .

Moments before Svatok's goal, he missed a cross that would have been an easy tap-in to score. (Though one also has to give credit to Vazquez, as his aggressiveness on the corner kick and positioning on Svatok's shot probably helped throw off Portland goalie James Pantemis on the game-winning score.)

Vazquez wasn't bad, but he still hasn't scored this season, and the club isn't paying him more than $3 million to simply be a solid contributor.

It's another good performance and result for Austin FC, which is now five points out of the ninth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 12 games to play.

Winning at Seattle and Portland is difficult, and to do both in an 11-day span is impressive.

The Verde and Black dug themselves a gigantic hole the first half of the season and have a very tough schedule the rest of the way, so if they actually do make a run up the standings, it will be well-earned.