Portland Timbers took a big step towards reaching the MLS playoffs after comfortably beating Vancouver Whitecaps to leapfrog them in the Eastern Conference shakeup.

The hosts took the lead on 28 minutes when Jorge Villafana played in Diego Valeri and the Argentine midfielder calmly beat David Ousted.

It could have been a different story as Sebastian Fernandez squandered two opportunities to put the away side in front before Erik Hurtado had an effort saved midway through the first half.

Portland nearly made it two before half time when Alvas Powell unleashed a shot from a tight angle that Ousted needed to be equal to.

On 66 minutes, the Timbers did doubled their advantage after a swift counter saw the ball arrive at the feet Fanendo Adi, and the forward duly slipped the ball into the net.

Three minutes later, Darlington Nagbe played in Adi and the Nigerian frontman netted his second of the game to cap off a 3-0 victory.

The result leaves Portland two points ahead of Vancouver as the race for the playoffs intensifies.