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PORTLAND, Ore. -- The semifinal victory over the rival Seattle Sounders was barely over when Portland Timbers supporters started chanting "Beat Salt Lake!" Making their first trip to the playoffs, the Timbers held off the late-charging Sounders 3-2 Thursday night to advance to Major League Soccers Western Conference final. The Timbers, who won the semifinal series against the rival Sounders 5-3 on aggregate, will face Real Salt Lake in the first of the two-leg conference final on Sunday in Salt Lake. RSL defeated the two-time defending MLS Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0 Thursday night to win the series 2-1 on aggregate. "Now were locked in," Timbers midfielder Will Johnson said. "Were in the zone." The victory extended Portlands winning streak at Jeld-Wen Field to 16 games. The Timbers went 11-1-5 at home in the regular season with their lone loss on March 9 to Montreal. They had an MLS record 11 shutouts at home this season. Portland pressured Seattle goalkeeper Michael Gspurning from the start. Rodney Wallace booted a shot that went just wide in the third minute, and Darlington Nagbe came close but went wide again in the 15th. Portland broke through when Johnson converted a penalty kick in the 29th minute to go up 1-0. Diego Valeri, who had appeared to injure his shin when he was fouled hard by Seattle defender Marc Burch, came back a few minutes later to score from a seemingly impossible angle just before the break. Valeri, who blew kisses to the crowd after his goal, was Portlands top scorer this season with 10 goals and 13 assists. "We were hoping to get out of the first half at 0-0," Seattle coach Sigi Schmid said. "That one coming right before halftime, the goal right before halftime, the goal right after halftime, is what killed us at the end of the day. For the first 45 minutes, hats off to them, they were much better than us." Futty Danso added a header for Portland in the 47th minute. The Sounders put up a fight, and DeAndre Yedlins goal in the 74th minute avoided the shutout. Eddie Johnson added another three minutes later to close the gap. The Sounders have been to the playoffs in each of the last five seasons. The Timbers, who joined MLS in 2011, are making their first trip. "Were getting closer," Portland coach Caleb Porter said. "And this team genuinely believes we have a realistic shot at this." The intense rivalry between the two clubs dates to 1975 when both were part of the North American Soccer league. For nearly a decade the teams have battled with the Vancouver Whitecaps for the supporter-created Cascadia Cup. While it was sweet to defeat the Sounders, Johnson said the Timbers didnt pay much attention to the hype. "To us, it was just another team that was in our way of getting to the next round," Johnson said. In the opening game on Saturday in Seattle, Ryan Johnson flicked in a header early in the first half and Nagbe added a goal in the second for the Timbers. Osvaldo Alonso scored late for the Sounders, who needed to win Thursday by at least two goals to become the fourth team to accomplish the comeback since the league went to the two-leg, aggregate-goal format for its conference semifinals in 2003. Seattle was without forward Lamar Neagle due to yellow card accumulations, but Yedlin started despite an ankle injury and forward Obafemi Martins was listed as a reserve after struggling with a groin injury. The Timbers finished the regular season in first place in the Western Conference at 14-5-15 overall. Their 23-point improvement from last season is the biggest turnaround in MLS history. The Sounders, who were 15-12-7, defeated the Colorado Rapids in the knockout round to advance to the semifinals. Schmid said he was aware that some Seattle supporters were calling for a coaching change. "I dont want to walk away. I know theres probably people out there that would like me to walk away," he said. "I think theres a good base of talent, theres a good base of people we can work with next year, but theres improvements, and theres changes we have to make." Air Max Pas Cher Suisse . Louis Blues have returned to the top spot in the TSN. Chaussure Air Max Pas Cher . Lynchs attorney, Ivan Golde, told The Associated Press on Thursday of the plea deal that was reached with the Alameda County District Attorney Office. The plea will be formally entered in court in Oakland, Calif. http://www.airmaxsuisse.ch/ . Week 2s biggest games include Florida facing Miami and Notre Dame travelling to the Big House to conclude their rivalry against Michigan in primetime on TSN2 and TSN 1050. Chaussure Nike Air Max Suisse . -- The Los Angeles Clippers chose not to speak publicly about owner Donald Sterling before they faced the Golden State Warriors for Game 4 of their first-round series Sunday. Air Max Pas Cher Livraison Rapide . They named Mark Washington as their defensive co-ordinator on Thursday and appear to be closing in on an offensive co-ordinator.COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Jadeveon Clowney believes hes the NFLs No. 1 draft pick and says he took a big step toward that goal during South Carolinas pro day workouts Wednesday. The 6-foot-5, 266-pound defensive end did position drills in front of dozens of NFL personnel, including Houston head coach Bill OBrien and Jacksonville head coach Gus Bradley. And Clowney thinks he elevated his already elite status during the 40 minutes or so of running through cones, jumping over hurdles and catching tennis balls in workouts he passed on at the NFL combine in February. "Yes, I do feel like I should be the first pick," Clowney said after the session. Clowney did not lift weights or run the 40-yard dash, standing on his combine showings when he did 21 reps at 225 pounds and clocked a 4.53-second time. He also felt he eased anyones concerns about his work ethic. He was considered by many the No. 1 pick after his sophomore season in 2012, when he had 13 sacks and closed it with his helmet-jarring hit on Michigans Vincent Smith in the Outback Bowl. The footage of the hit was seemingly shown daily on highlight shows and Clowney immediately became a Heisman Trophy favourite, analysts projecting record-setting sack numbers. But Clowney couldnt live up to the expectations as injuries and opponents schemed him out of plays. He finished with a disappointing three sacks. A midseason tiff with coach Steve Spurrier -- Clowney pulled himself out of the Kentucky game with a rib muscle strain without following proper protocol -- intensified questions about Clowneys work habits and going hard every play. "I think my work ethic is pretty good. I think I proved that today, but Ive still got a lot of proving to do," he said. There were 30 of 32 NFL teams represented with Tennessee and Cleveland opting to pass on South Carolinas pro day. Clowney spent Tuesday night at dinner with the Texans, including OBrien, defensive co-ordinator Romeo Crennel and general manager Rick Smith. Clowney thought the visit went well and he answered their questions about what hed bring to the Texans iff they took him with the top selection in Mays draft.dddddddddddd Houstons leaders liked what they saw of Clowney on the field. "I thought he had a good day. He worked hard and did a bunch of different drills, which was good to see," said OBrien, the Texans first-year coach. Smith was happy to see Clowney move easily in space should the Texans draft him and use him at outside linebacker spot. Clowneys got a quick first step that lets him fly past offensive lineman, but hes also got sustained speed that allows him to chase down opponents other defensive lineman cant. "He could absolutely play outside linebacker for us," Smith said. Clowney wasnt the only former Gamecock player working out. Leading receiver Bruce Ellington, offensive lineman Ronald Patrick and quarterback Connor Shaw -- all projected to go in the draft -- also worked out for NFL scouts and leaders. But the show, as its been since he packed a high-school auditorium on Valentines Day 2011 for his college selection, was the easygoing, hard-charging Clowney. Several hundred fans that turned out cheered his every move and gave him a loud farewell when the defensive linemen wrapped up their portion of drills. "I just wish I had pads on and could hit somebody," Clowney said with a smile. Clowney has individual workouts scheduled with the St. Louis Rams and Atlanta Falcons. Houstons Smith says Clowney will also visit the Texans complex before next months draft. While OBrien said his teams draft plans were still wide open -- the Texans traded starting quarterback Matt Schaub this off-season -- Clowney hopes hes made himself a bit harder to pass up. Clowney thought a defensive line that included himself and All-Pro end J.J. Watt would be unstoppable. "Id be great, a great fit for them," Clowney said. Clowney acknowledged it was a point of pride for him that he arrived at South Carolina as the No. 1 high school prospect and leaves as the NFLs top choice. "Im just going to keep on pushing," he said, "all the way to the draft." ' ' '