Story byAssociated PressSun, February 22, 2026 at 5:55 AM UTC·1 min readPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Ariel Lassiter had the only goal of the second half and Portland beat the Columbus Crew 3-2 in a season opener on Saturday night, topping off a record-setting night for the Timbers' Diego Chará. Lassiter scored the winner in the 88th minute on a night when Chará became the first field player in league history to make 400 starts with one club. It was the 500th MLS match for the Timbers and Chará has appeared in 427 of them as he begins his league-record 16th season with one team. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementKevin Kelsy and defender Jimer Fory had assists on Lassiter's 13th goal in 171 career appearances. Wessam Abou Ali scored unassisted in the sixth minute to give Columbus an early lead. Felipe Mora tied it with a goal in the 14th minute and Antony Alves Santos put Portland ahead with a goal six minutes later.
