Minnesota United’s first ever game in MLS got off to a historic start, of a kind.

The Loons’ 5-1 defeat against Portland represented the heaviest defeat by an expansion side making their debut. Before Friday night’s game, no MLS expansion team had lost by more than two goals in their first game.

Diego Valeri and Fanendo Adi each netted twice as the Timbers scored five goals at Providence Park for the first time in their history. Lawrence Olum got the opener and Valeri made it 2-0 just after half-time, but Christian Ramirez gave Minnesota a glimmer of hope when he made it 2-1 with 10 minutes to play.

But then Portland ran away in the last 10 minutes as the MLS newcomers tired. Valeri beat goalkeeper John Alvbage from the penalty spot for 3-1, and Adi, who scored 16 goals last season, capped the Timbers’ victory with two right at the end.

Adrian Heath, the Minnesota coach, wasn’t too downhearted. “It’s been a strange evening, with the way the game ended, because I though we started a little bit apprehensive, but we grew into the game in the first half. And second half, I thought we started to impose ourselves a little bit,” Heath said. “Somebody just said we had the most possession this evening, which surprised me. But I thought we were in the game.”

Ramirez, who earns the distinction of scoring Minnesota’s first ever goal in MLS, said: “I’m just going to take the positives out of it. I just wanted to get us some life, down 2-0. And I thought it gave us a bit, and then the penalty killed it. Growing pains, but it felt nice.”

Caleb Porter said the visitors will be OK. “That’s a good team, Minnesota, they’re going to beat some teams. I thought they showed some real bright spots in their team. To go 2-1, when you look at that margin, it could’ve gone the other way. That was the one thing for me that I said to the guys, at 2-0 we have to go for the jugular and make it three and put the game away.”

The Timbers finished seventh in the Western Conference last season, missing out on the playoffs after winning the MLS Cup in 2015.

Minnesota have taken a slow and steady approach to building their squad, borrowing some players from its NASL roster last season including Ramirez, who had 18 goals last season.

Star forward Kevin Molino played two seasons with Orlando City before rejoining Heath in Minnesota. Molino’s season was cut short by injury his first season in Orlando, but last year he scored in a 4-1 win over the Timbers.

The teams met in 2010 when both were part of USSF Division 2, the season before Portland joined MLS. They also played to a 2-2 draw in a preseason tournament in Portland last month, with John Venegas scoring both goals for the Loons.