POSTGAME: Timbers Celebrate End of Season with a 2-1 Victory

The Timbers finished the regular season on a high note and gathered some valuable momentum heading into the postseason, as they beat the Cleveland City Stars 2-1 in front of a boisterous and jubilant PGE Park crowd. Despite the outcome being mostly meaningless, over 12,000 Timber fans turned out for the match to show their appreciation for their team's outstanding efforts and accomplishments this season. The Timbers were able to return the favor, playing an inspired and exciting match of soccer, providing their fans with the proper occasion and atmosphere to celebrate such a historic year. After the match, many of the players climbed into the front rows of the stands to personally thank them for their support. And in perhaps the ultimate gesture of admiration, the Timber's Army created each of the player's images in the likeness of Simpson characters. Talk about cool.

What did Coach Wilkinson say to these guys in his pregame speech? The Timbers came out of the gate firing tonight - Claesson finding Josten with a nice lead pass, who then deftly lobbed it over the Star's keeper, Gilstrap, to put the Timbers ahead 6 minutes into the match. The 1st half belonged to Portland, outshooting the Stars 11-8, and forcing Gilstrap to make 4 saves on night. The 2nd half was mostly the same. It was a fast paced, up-and-down game with the Stars getting their share of opportunities, finally breaking through for their only goal in the 63rd minute. However, it was George Josten's night, as he scored 2 goals for the game. His second coming on a pass across the box from Keita, Josten gathering it in, turning, and blasting a low shot past two defenders and the keeper for the score.

Momentum and focus have been the lingering concerns following the Timbers recent poor play, but it seems Portland has answered many of those doubts with their solid performance tonight. Much like its been all year, Portland's attack was relentless against Cleveland tonight, outshooting them 19-15 overall. With the exception of Mcmanus, every Timber starter took a shot on goal, Keita and Josten attempting 4 shots a piece. In their last match, Portland found their opportunities, but couldn't get quality shots on target. Not the case this time, as they looked much more patient and passed the ball efficiently, finding creative ways to get into attacking situations. Mostly, they looked like they were having fun out there tonight.

It was great to see Johan Claesson on the pitch playing well again. Claesson, recently returned from injury, looked sharp as ever and ready for the playoffs. He was aggressive with 2 shot attempts and of course, the assist to Josten. Just in time to give this team even more added depth as it gears up for the upcoming playoffs. The Timbers needed to be playing their best soccer down the stretch and with plenty of chance for rest before the postseason, Coach Wilkinson pretty much stuck with his core rotation (Danso and Pore sat) and gave this team a chance to find their chemistry on the field again. Hopefully, it will pay off.

The Commissioner's Cup winning Timbers will get a 1st round bye in the playoffs, their semi-final matchup is expected to start on October 1st. With the USl regular season finishing its games up this weekend, the final seeding for the playoffs has not been completely finalized. Therefore, the Timbers potential opponent remains to be determined, let's hope it's not Puerto Rico. We'll keep you posted.