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Craig Mitchelldyer/Portland Timbers

It's going to be some year.

The Portland Timbers had the honor of raising the curtain on MLS' 22nd season on Friday night at Providence Park, and they took to the occasion with aplomb β€” pouring in a nickel's worth of goals on the league's brand-new 22nd club Minnesota United in a thunderous 5-1 opening night victory.

Diego Valeri and Fanendo Adi both had braces, and if the feeling around this team before yesterday was cautious optimism, the feeling now is loud optimism.

There's no getting past it. This Timbers team is the big leagues. Attacking wise, it's the most talented group the club has ever had. Portland's front six is so good, that against teams like Minnesota, the quality of its back five isn't even going to matter.

This was game one of 34. There's a long way to go, and that defense is still very much a concern. But if you're not crazy excited about this Timbers team, it's time to find a new hobby. The 2017 season is off to a fantastic start.

The Timbers were, of course, aided by the opponent. Minnesota United was making its MLS debut, just as Portland did seven years ago next weekend in Colorado, and while Adrian Heath's team had several stretches of competency, Jermaine Taylor starting at right back was a dead giveaway: The Loons weren't ready for what hit them.

And while Portland's two biggest offseason signings David Guzman and Sebastian Blanco both had excellent debuts, it was the club's third debutant on the evening β€” one-time Timber USL center back Lawrence Olum β€” who got the scoring started early by bundling home a Valeri free kick after Blanco's bulldog work won a foul in the corner.

For the rest of the first half, the Timbers hardly got out of first gear. With Guzman sweeping up in front of the backline, and an insipid MNUFC midfield unable to penetrate the attacking third, Portland went into the break 1-0 up and on cruise control.

They'd double their advantage just two minutes after the resumption of play with a truly excellent goal. The Timbers worked the ball wide off a Minnesota turnover, Alvas Powell hit Adi, Adi fed Blanco, and Blanco's cross was headed in by Valeri.

It was superb team play, but the goal was made by Blanco β€” who looked right at home as Valeri, his childhood teammate, ran into his arms in celebration.

The game could have quietly wound down from there, and for a time, it looked like it would. Then, ten minutes from time, Minnesota substitute forward Christian Ramirez received an entry pass on the top of the box, turned, and fired past Jake Gleeson for the club's first ever MLS goal.

It was an ugly moment for center backs Olum and Liam Ridgewell, with both players failing to close Ramirez down as Ridgewell stood still and appealed for offsides.

But just when the Loons pulled themselves back into the game, the wheels came off. Less than two minutes after the Ramirez goal, Adi was pulled down in the box by the hapless Vadim Demidov, and Valeri converted the resulting penalty.

Portland would make it four one minute into stoppage time. A loose touch by Mohammad Saied was pounced on by Darlington Nagbe, who led a four-on-three Timbers break that ended with Adi dancing around Minnesota goalkeeper John Alvbage, letting Demidov fly by him, and slipping the ball into the open net.

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Craig Mitchelldyer/Portland Timbers

Adi wasn't done. Two minutes later, he gathered the ball on the wing and took over β€” leaving Demidov for dead, slamming the ball past John Alvbage, leaping over the advertising boards, high-fiving a security guard, and leaping into a home plate-style mass of Timbers subs and staff.

After a dominant performance during which he picked up a secondary assist, won a penalty, and should have won another, it was no more than the big man deserved. A couple more nights like this one, and Adi will never want to leave. He was having too much fun.

Too much fun, certainly, for the United captain Demidov, who was turned into a pumpkin on his MLS debut. Adi was unplayable. Dominant in the air, dominant on the ground, and dominant in every phase of the game.

Dating back to preseason, Adi has now scored eight goals in his last seven games. If he doesn't win the Golden Boot this year, something has gone wrong.

Preseason gave you a good sense of why the Timbers' organization from Merritt Paulson on down have been so bullish about this season, but this was a head-turner. There are very few teams in the league who are going to be able to beat the Timbers in midfield and keep them in check going forward.

Minnesota hung on gamely for eighty minutes, but they came undone in the end. They were hurt by an unusually conservative team selection from Heath, who started the game without a natural striker or a true shuttler in midfield.

The Loons need to find some fullbacks β€” Justin Davis gave plenty but was badly overmatched on his wing, while, unsurprisingly, the aforementioned Taylor had a torrid night on his β€” but better days are ahead. The nucleus of a competitive team is there.

The Timbers, meanwhile, are well past that point. They weren't even all that sharp for most of Friday's encounter, and they still put together several stretches of irresistible soccer.

With Guzman freeing Chara to get up the field, and the ball security of Nagbe and Blanco inviting Vytas and Powell into the attack, this team is set up to keep pouring in the goals. Not only that, but Porter seems intent on getting back to the swashbuckling style that won him Coach of the Year in 2013.

The Timbers should run everyone in the lower half of the league over. Don't be surprised if they run some teams in the upper half of the league over too. This was the first time Portland has scored five goals at home in their MLS history, and the first time they've done it at all since that famous 5-2 win in LA in the buildup to the 2015 Cup run.

This may have been day-one Minnesota United, but this was a statement. No one at Providence Park on Friday night β€” including U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena β€” could have missed the message. The Timbers are back.

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Craig Mitchelldyer/Portland Timbers