Brian Fernandez scored twice in his first MLS start as the Portland Timbers completed their season-opening 12-game road stretch with a 3-1 victory against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night.

Diego Valeri scored an insurance goal in the 87th minute for the Timbers (4-6-2, 14 points), who are spending the first three months of the season on the road while their home stadium is undergoing renovations. Portland finished the trip with a flourish, going 4-1-1 in its past five matches after an 0-5-1 start.

Kacper Przybylko got the lone goal for the Union (7-4-3, 24 points), who fell one point behind D.C. United -- who drew with New England on Saturday -- for first place in the Eastern Conference.

Fernandez, a 24-year-old Argentine who just arrived from Mexican club Necaxa for a reported seven-figure transfer fee, also scored in his Timbers debut after coming on as a second-half substitute May 15 in a 1-1 draw at Houston.

Fernandez scored twice in a five-minute span in the first half, giving the Timbers a 2-0 half-time lead.

On the first goal, in the 31st minute, Andy Polo's cross from the right wing found Fernandez behind a defender at the far post, and he put a header into the back of the net before Union goalkeeper Andre Blake could scurry across the netmouth.

In the 36th minute, Fernandez created a 3-on-1 with some nifty dribbling near midfield. He passed to Valeri on the left wing, who fed Diego Chara on the opposite wing. Chara dribbled into the penalty area, where he dropped off a pass for Fernandez in the center of the field, and his 12-yarder found an open net.

The Union pulled within 2-1 in the 47th minute, as Przybylko took a cross from Fabrice-Jean Picault and nearly whiffed on a shot from less than 5 yards. The left-footed strike glanced off Przybylko's right leg, bounced off the left post and spun over the goal line as Timbers goalie Steve Clark was left flat-footed.

Valeri capped the victory on a give-and-go with Sebastian Blanco, blasting a low shot from 25 yards just inside the right post.

SEVILLA, Spain -- Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu says Ernesto Valverde should not carry the blame for the surprise Copa del Rey final defeat to Valencia, while the coach insists he feels "fine" despite his side's disastrous end to the season.

Barca wrapped up a fourth league title in five years in April but have seen their hopes of winning the Treble go up in smoke over the last 19 days. They gave up a three-goal lead in their Champions League semifinal against Liverpool on May 7, losing 4-0 at Anfield in the second leg, and then lost the Spanish cup final to underdogs Valencia, 2-1, on Saturday.

- Marsden: Valverde must take blame for Copa humiliation

Bartomeu and team captain Lionel Messi gave their support to Valverde after the debacle at Liverpool and the president says that the club's stance will not change following the failure to beat Valencia.

"Valverde has a contract, he's the coach," Bartomeu told Spanish television. "The [Valencia] defeat is not the manager's fault. We had a lot of chances but the ball wouldn't go in. Sometimes you have all the shots, but what counts is scoring goals."

Valverde declined to answer a journalist asking him if his "credit has run out" as Barca coach after recent results, but did confirm he's keen to continue to lead the team forward.

"I feel fine," Valverde said in a news conference. "When you win, obviously you feel much better, much happier -- but this is a different feeling to [Liverpool], even though we've lost again.

"We have not been able to fulfill the expectations that we've created throughout the season. A month ago, we celebrated the La Liga title thinking about winning a Treble and we've been knocked off that path at the decisive moment. We're here to win trophies, nothing else.

"But I am fine, I am fine [...] When managers lose, we always want to make amends and turn things around. There is no doubt about that. I know losing is tough. Something was lacking. That responsibility [I have] is difficult, but you have to accept it."

Regardless of what happens with Valverde, changes are expected at Camp Nou this summer. The club have already confirmed the signing of Ajax's Frenkie de Jong and sources have confirmed to ESPN FC that they remain interested in his teammate Matthijs de Ligt and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann.

"We've been thinking about next season for a while now, but it's not the moment to explain what will happen," Bartomeu added. "There are always new signings, but now is not the moment to talk about it.

"Every year, new players come in. So far we have confirmed De Jong's signing and now we will work on bringing in others and moving some players on, as is the case every summer. Now is not the moment to do anything, though."

Messi's second-half goal wasn't enough to get Barca back into the game against a Valencia side who led 2-0 at half-time thanks to efforts from Kevin Gameiro and Rodrigo.

The loss saw the Catalans miss out on back-to-back domestic doubles, while the 30-time Copa del Rey winners also passed up the chance to win the competition for a fifth successive season, something never previously done in Spain.

"I wouldn't say the season's been a failure, but it's not been excellent, either," Bartomeu admitted. "Each year, we want to get to the final stage of the campaign with the best chance of winning everything and in the end we've lost two games, at Anfield and here, and we've missed out on two titles."

Wayne Rooney scored a late penalty to earn D.C. United a draw with New England after keeper Matt Turner took him out earlier in the match.on Saturday night.

Rooney scored his eighth goal of the season after the penalty was awarded due to a hand ball in the Revolution box.

Midfielder Juan Agudelo scored in the 61st minute for New England. The Revolution (3-8-4, 13 points) played the last 43 minutes -- 34 regulation, nine stoppage -- with 10 men after keeper Matt Turner took Rooney out.

Mike Lapper served as Revolution interim coach for the third straight game. Recently hired Bruce Arena will take over coaching duties early next week.

New England is 1-0-2 over the three games, allowing just two goals during the stretch after giving up 30 in its first 12 matches.

D.C. (7-4-4, 25 points) moved into first place in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Philadelphia Union, who lost 3-1 to Portland.

D.C. United took 21 shots, with five being on target. Only two of New England's 14 shots were on goal.

Agudelo's goal came five minutes after a red card left the Revolution playing with just 10 men. Midfielder Cristian Penilla had possession on the left flank and he sent the ball into the box to Agudelo, who easily headed it past D.C. goalkeeper Bill Hamid.

New England lost goalkeeper Matt Turner to a red card in the 56th minute when he crashed into Rooney. That left the Revolution playing a man down for the remainder of the contest.

Rooney was chasing a ball toward the box and Turner was initially slow to move forward before closing ground, leaping and aggressively crashing into Rooney, who was attended to for a couple minutes before getting up.

Brad Knighton entered as goalkeeper and his welcome was seeing Rooney line up for a free kick at the top of the box. Rooney sent a blistering right-footed shot on goal and Knighton was up to the challenge and made the stop with his left hand.

New England didn't have a shot on goal in the first half but had a major opportunity in the second minute of the second half.

Cristian Penilla sent a slow-moving pass from the left to the right and defender Brandon Bye approached to unleash a powerful right-footed blast that was stopped by Hamid.

SEVILLE, Spain -- Barcelona missed the chance to end the season with the double as they went down to a surprise, 2-1 defeat against Valencia in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday at the Benito Villamarin. The result will lead to more questions about Ernesto Valverde's future despite the backing he received from Lionel Messi and other players ahead of this game.

Valencia raced into a two-goal lead in the first half through strikes from Kevin Gameiro and Rodrigo. Barca rallied after the break and pulled a goal back through Messi but were unable to complete the comeback, missing out on the chance to win the cup for a historic fifth successive year. Valencia, instead, won their first trophy since 2008.

Positives

There weren't many. Malcom's impact off the bench was one. Some may also suggest losing was a positive: There's an argument that Messi's brilliance has papered over the cracks for too long now. This loss, which comes so soon after the humiliating Champions League collapse at Liverpool, could well lead to a summer shake-up.

Negatives

The first-half performance was horrid. Messi said on Friday that it's unacceptable for this Barca team to fail to compete with their opponent, but that's exactly what happened here. There was a long list of bad performances: Semedo, Arthur, Ivan Rakitic, Philippe Coutinho. Not many players will escape criticism after this.

Manager Rating out of 10

4 -- Valverde got it wrong with his initial lineup once again, as he did in Rome last year and at Anfield earlier this month. He left Messi isolated in attack, and there was no pace. He did react at half-time, but it was too late. Questions will now flood in surrounding his future.

Player ratings (1-10; 10=best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Jasper Cillessen, 6 -- Could do little about either of the Valencia goals but simply doesn't offer the presence back there that Marc-Andre ter Stegen does. This may well have been Cillessen's last game for the club ahead of a summer move.

DF Nelson Semedo, 4 -- Recovered from a knock to the head last weekend but lasted only the first half. The opening goal came down his flank, and he didn't do enough to track Rodrigo's run for Valencia's second. Paid the price by being removed by Valverde at half-time.

DF Gerard Pique, 6 -- One of the few Barca players that did seem to play with real heart. Made a brilliant, goal-line clearance from Rodrigo and a couple of other key interventions at the back. Also looked to drive forward with the ball whenever possible.

DF Clement Lenglet, 5 -- A second successive cup final defeat after forming part of the Sevilla side that was drubbed by Barca last season. Started the evening with a misplaced pass, was spared a Valencia goal by Pique but struggled to find his best football from then on.

DF Jordi Alba, 5 -- The left-back made his 300th appearance for the Catalans, but it was a milestone to forget. For some reason, he insisted on crossing the ball despite Barca's lack of presence in the box. Was also roasted for pace by Soler for the second Valencia goal.

MF Sergio Busquets, 6 -- The pick of the Barca midfield, which hasn't happened often this season. Made some key interceptions and started some decent moves. Was booked for a late challenge on Rodrigo just outside the box.

MF Ivan Rakitic, 5 -- Kicked some water bottles when he was taken off in the second half out of frustration at being unable to deliver on the pitch. Save a loose shot straight at Jaume just before the break, he did not offer enough going forward.

MF Arthur Melo, 4 -- Didn't do enough to justify his selection ahead of Arturo Vidal. Was too slow and predictable in the final third having just returned from an injury and was substituted after 45 minutes.

FW Sergi Roberto, 5 -- Didn't offer enough protection for Semedo in the first half before dropping back in the second half to right-back, where he gave the ball away and struggled to keep his position.

FW Lionel Messi, 7 -- Completely let down by his teammates. Was a menace every time he got the ball, but Valencia were often able to deal to him due to the lack of a presence elsewhere in attack. Despite that, still forced Jaume into several saves, hit the post with after an amazing solo run and strike, and then got the goal that gave Barca life inside the last 20 minutes.

FW Philippe Coutinho, 4 -- Another limp performance in attack. A couple of efforts were either deflected or easily saved as he failed to end a disappointing season on a high.

Substitutes

FW Malcom, 7 -- Made positive impact off the bench at the break. Ran at Valencia, won free kicks in dangerous areas and set up chances for Pique and Messi. Hasn't had enough chances this season.

MF Arturo Vidal, 6 -- Didn't offer his best performance but added something Barca had been lacking: a presence in the box. Was a willing runner between the lines but missed the best chance which fell his way.

MF Carles Alena, NR -- Came on for the final 15 minutes in place of Rakitic to offer a more attacking threat from midfield.

Former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb continues to be of the belief that he deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

"Absolutely," McNabb told TMZ Sports. "I'm not hesitating on that. I am a Hall of Famer. My numbers speak for itself. ... My numbers are better than Troy Aikman, but he has Super Bowl rings and he's played with Hall of Famers as well."

It is not the first time that McNabb has said he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame and has compared his numbers to those of Aikman, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback who won three Super Bowls.

McNabb spent 11 of his 13 NFL seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 167 career games, he completed 59 percent of his 5,374 pass attempts for 37,276 yards and 234 touchdowns.

By comparison, Aikman threw for 32,942 yards and 165 touchdowns.

McNabb was asked again if his statistics were good enough to warrant Hall of Fame induction and why he thought it hasn't happened.

"When they look at my numbers, yeah," McNabb told TMZ Sports, "but then they always want to add other stuff into it. 'Was he an All-Pro? Was he this? How many Super Bowl opportunities?' But people don't realize how hard it is to get to the NFC Championship. And to get there five times, then make it to a Super Bowl? It's tough."

MILWAUKEE - A young and eager Giannis Antetokounmpo sat down to clack out a tweet.

"I'll never leave the team and the city of Milwaukee till we build the team to a championship level ...," he wrote.

It was the summer of 2014, and Antetokounmpo was a gangly, doe-eyed 19-year-old who spent the year videotaping himself drinking smoothies for the first time and building muscle. He had finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting.

Fast forward five years: Antetokounmpo has blossomed into a physically imposing player and MVP favorite who led his team to the best record in the NBA.

The Bucks had lived a charmed existence most of the 2018-19 season. They waltzed out to 60 wins, secured the one-seed and bulldozed the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs.

Milwaukee's first real trial was supposed to come against the Boston Celtics in the semifinals. Instead, the Bucks -- after dropping Game 1 -- rattled off four consecutive wins to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2001.

Then came the Raptors.

After jumping out to a 2-0 series lead in the conference finals, the Bucks crumbled. Milwaukee lost four consecutive games and fell in six.

In what would be their final game of the season Saturday, the Bucks led most of the game before unraveling late in the third quarter. The Raptors tied the game on a Serge Ibaka dunk with 10:31 left in the fourth quarter while Antetokounmpo was on the bench.

Brook Lopez hit two free throws with 29.6 seconds remaining to make it 97-94, but the Raptors finished it out at the free-throw line to pull out a 100-94 victory and advance to their first NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

Now, Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry and general manager Jon Horst are headed into an extraordinarily busy summer. The contracts of three starters -- Khris Middleton, Lopez and Malcolm Brogdon -- need to be addressed. And they'll have to decide on the futures of George Hill and Nikola Mirotic, two key bench players, as they attempt to construct an even better team around their superstar.

This week, Antetokounmpo qualified for a five-year, $247.3 million supermax extension, the largest in NBA history, by earning All-NBA honors for the second straight season. He can't accept that agreement until next summer, once he has seven years of NBA experience, a timeline that clearly puts Milwaukee on the clock this summer.

Antetokounmpo has consistently made public proclamations of his love for Milwaukee, as he grew up and became acclimated to American culture in Cream City after moving from Greece. Antetokounmpo adores the Bucks medical staff. His mother moved to Milwaukee. But he is all about winning. In more concrete terms, a source close to Antetokounmpo said that getting to the NBA Finals is not just an ambition, it could tip the scales as he weighs his contractual future.

And if they can reach the NBA Finals next season, the Bucks can improve their chances of signing Antetokounmpo to the supermax in the summer of 2020.

This season, the Bucks were built to win.

Horst hired ex-Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer on May 17, 2018. Horst upgraded the center position by replacing Thon Maker and John Henson with Lopez, a 3-point shooting 7-footer who could space the floor. He also signed Pat Connaughton, another shooter who could add depth to the Bucks' bench.

At the Bucks coaches' summer retreat, Budenholzer laid out his vision for the season: Do everything to accentuate Antetokounmpo's strengths. Nix Middleton's long 2s in favor of 3s. Instruct Bledsoe and Brogdon to shoot more 3s. Maintain spacing on the perimeter to allow for Antetokounmpo's dominance in the paint.

"We really drilled that stuff," Lopez told ESPN in April. "Our offense is predicated on shooting."

Horst also traded for Hill and Mirotic -- shooters with playoff experience.

The Bucks finished the regular season No. 1 in defensive rating and No. 4 in offensive rating. They attempted and made the second-most 3-pointers per game in the league, and Antetokounmpo led the league in dunks.

The Bucks didn't lose back-to-back games until March 2 and 4. They lost a close game to the Jazz in Utah, then dropped a game on the road to the Phoenix Suns. The locker room was glum after both losses, but Antetokounmpo vowed that his team would be better.

Determined not to lose three games in a row, the Bucks bounced back against the Pacers in Indianapolis on March 7.

Antetokounmpo was issued a technical foul early on for being uncharacteristically vocal with the referees. Antetokounmpo credited his teammates with keeping control of the game when he lost his cool.

"That's the guys you want to play with," Antetokounmpo said. "They know their role, and they try to do the best job they can every single night. You could feel it, we didn't want to lose a third game in a row."

But which teammates will continue with Antetokounmpo in the Bucks' quest for a Finals appearance that could impact whether they keep their superstar when he's eligible for free agency in 2021?

The Bucks likely will pay Middleton. After signing Eric Bledsoe to a four-year, $70 million contract in March, retaining Brogdon would come with a hefty price that could send the Bucks into the luxury tax. Milwaukee also will need to choose between Mirotic, Hill and Lopez. It is unlikely that all three will be retained.

Re-signing Lopez, league sources said, is a priority.

Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals was the team's first real test of the playoffs. The series was tied. The Bucks were back on their home court. It was a crucial game.

After the Bucks squandered a 12-point lead with 7:43 left in the third, it came down to the final two minutes.

Trailing by three with one minute and 12 seconds to go in the game, Antetokounmpo rolled his ankle and Budenholzer pulled him from the game. Rather than take a seat on the bench, Antetokounmpo leaned up against the scorer's table and watched as Kawhi Leonard went to the line and split two free throws.

This would have been a logical time for Budenholzer to call a timeout and reinsert his franchise player. Instead, the game went on without Antetokounmpo.

When Antetokounmpo checked back in, the Bucks trailed 100-97 with 34.7 seconds left, and it wouldn't get any closer.

A deflated Antetokounmpo exited the court with a towel draped over his head. He sat in front of his locker munching on a postgame snack. Twenty minutes later, he explained that he was "pissed" and "frustrated" but vowed this wouldn't be the end for the Bucks.

"We're the best team in the league," Antetokounmpo said. "We are not going to fold."

The Bucks may have been the best team in the league during the regular season, but the Raptors were right behind them and ultimately proved to be superior in the postseason.

Milwaukee made major strides this season and still has time to reach a Finals with Antetokounmpo. Even so, given Antetokounmpo's intense desire to win and his looming contract decision, the expectations and pressure are bound to increase next year.