The result against Sonoma was expected, but it was still a relief to many fans after a season of disappointing finishes. It was looking for a while like the Timbers might be leaving with a 1-0 win, which wouldn't have met with pregame expectations, but two late goals sent the Timbers fans home happy. Portland dominated possession for the entire game, even the scoreless first half, and was able to move around on offense at will. Many of their shots went off the crossbars, including a powerful free kick by Rodrigo Lopez as well as multiple headers-- so the score could have been even higher. The Timbers also beat the Sol 3-0 last year on the road.
The Timbers will now face the winner of the Kitsap Pumas and the Bay Area Ambassadors. If they are able to advance past that round, they will be matched up against an MLS team, widely expected to be the Sounders. This would be a rematch of last season's Portland-Seattle Open Cup match. In order for the Timbers (or any other giant-killer) to pull off the miracle of winning the cup, they would have to face as many as four MLS teams in a row.
See the full US Open Cup Bracket.
Lower Attendance
Even with an $8 ticket price, fan attendance was sparse. Season ticket holders still had to buy a ticket for this match, which was probably the main reason for a smaller crowd. The Timbers Army was much smaller than usual, and there were very few fans outside the North end. The match being on a Tuesday and not on the usual schedule were other possible factors.
Timbers Army Protests Change to Badge
The Timbers Army staged a protest against the Timbers new logo during the match. After their usual raucous chanting, they sat down as a group at the 25th minute and remained silent in their seats (minus a few golf claps) until the 35th minute, when they stood and resumed cheering. Small papers were handed out to notify the fans that the silence was meant to respect the old logo, and protest the new logo. A sign was also held up reading "Respect the Badge". Ian Joy was notified before the game so the players would know it was not related to the team.
Make our Silence Deafening:
In honor of our club’s crest and it’s 35 year history, please observe 10 minutes of silence from the 25th through 35th minute of the first half – regardless of the play on the pitch.
Please look to the capos for further instruction during the 25th minute.
Taka was beasting all game. Good to see him score. F people who talk smack about Taka, dude scored in a world cup, you can't touch him.
ReplyDeleteI think the weather hurt attendance a bit too. A hot sunny day would have easily brought double that, in my opinion. I also thought the silent protest was a classy way to address the concerns of the fans.
ReplyDeleteIt seems odd to me how in our non-league games we get contributions from all kinds of guys on scoring: Nimo,Taka, Marcelin, Keel, Lopez, Pore, and Dike all contributed in the last 3. In league games it's been pretty much Pore or nothing,with a couple exceptions.
ReplyDeleteNice write up. The Timbers won 3-0. I predicted the score, thank you, thank you... pure soccer genius! Portland looked pretty sharp last night, should have scored a couple more goals, two headers on goal only seconds apart, both off the top of the woodwork.
ReplyDeleteI thought the silent protest was cool too, although it would have been nice to see more fans at the game, but hopefully the turnout will be much bigger tomorrow night.