#1 Portland Timbers (2-0-1) Barely get the nod over Vancouver with a more impressive showing against St. Louis, and a tie at Saputo
#2 Vancouver Whitecaps (2-0-1) Will have a chance to settle the score with Portland on Thursday
#3 Puerto Rico Islanders (2-0-0) Lost some key players, but are off to a good start
#4 Austin Aztex (2-1-0) Had a big home win over last year's champion Montreal as well as St. Louis
#5 NSC Minnesota (2-2-0) Surprising start for expansion team from same city as last year's bottom-dwelling Thunder. Still not ready to be in the leagues elite, with losses on road to Vancouver and Puerto Rico
#6 Rochester Rhinos (1-1-1) Almost pulled off a tie against Portland, and had big road win against Austin
#7 Montreal Impact (0-1-1) Slow starting impact running on cruise control this part of the season.
#8 Miami FC Blues (0-0-2) Held the Whitecaps to a tie at home. Need to find a way to get some goals.
#9 Carolina Railhawks (1-1-0) Should have started with 6 points after taking on two expansion teams at home
#10 Tampa Bay Rowdies (1-1-0) No real tough competition so far, will be on the road until May 8th
#11 Crystal Palace Baltimore (0-2-0) Only goal so far is off a PK
#12 AC St. Louis (0-4-0) Highlight of the season was keeping Vancouver to 1 goal
(W-L-T in parentheses)
Monday, April 26
Timber Bits - Postgame Fix
- Timbers earn point on the road with draw in Montreal - Timbers website
- Portland 1, Impact 1 - Impact Website
- Game 3: Montréal 1 – Timbers 1 - The Offside
- Impact's late penalty kick ties Timbers - Oregon Live
- A dive is worth two points - The Timber Mill
Check out Donald Productions Youtube Channel for more great Timber Videos.
Sunday, April 25
POSTGAME: Timbers Leave Montreal With 1 - 1 Draw
'
For their first road trip of the season, the Portland Timbers will have to settle for a 1 - 1 draw, as a controversial late foul whistled on defender Quavas Kirk resulted in a PK kick and ultimately the game-tying 80th minute goal by Montreal. The Timbers seemed to be on their way to 1-0 victory, taking the lead on a goal by Ryan Pore in the 67th minute. However, late in the game when Impact forward Roberto Brown tried to cut through the box, he became tangled in the arms of Kirk, and quickly dropped to the ground drawing the call from referee John Oliva. Impact team captain Nievo Pizzolitto then calmly stepped up and blasted a low, skimming PK shot past keeper Steve Cronin.
Although earning a draw against the defending league champions is far from a disappointing outcome, especially on the road. The Timbers still allowed the opportunity to gain 3 points in the standings slip through their fingers and that will surely sting a bit. The question is did the they allow the victory to escape them or did they have it taken away? It's always tough to have a call go against your team late in a match and although Kirk unquestionably placed his hands on Brown, the contact appeared minimal and Brown's fall was likely exaggerated. Still, Portland remains unbeaten on the year with a record of 2-0-1.
Certainly, the Timbers played well enough to leave with a win. Perhaps playing their best game of the year, Portland was patient and efficient offensively, passing the ball well and creating open spaces on the field. Defensively, the entire team was solid as well, aggressively breaking up runs, collectively shutting out Montreal for most of the match, and holding them to only 2 shots in the 1st half. The backline saw a boost with the return of team captain, Ian Joy, who provided some steady play. Defenders Steve Purdy and Mamdou Danso did a great job starting in the center back positions, clogging up the middle and routinely making key tackles. Purdy had multiple goal saving plays on the afternoon and nearly had a goal of his own around the 50th minute, on a header shot off a corner kick that was stopped by the face of Impact midfielder Leonardo Di Lorenzo. Quavas Kirk also impressed again with his athleticism and well-rounded skill set, his presence felt on both sides of the field, one moment tracking back to make a tackle and then turning around to help initiate a run on the other end.
The Timbers will regret not being able to convert on some golden opportunities. Portland applied a lot of pressure early, nearly scoring on a handful of plays, including a chance in front of the net around the 15th minute for forward George Josten that was broken up before a shot could be fired. As the half drew to a close, Montreal would begin to settle down as Portland grew a bit impatient and the match would remain scoreless heading into the locker room.
The Timbers continued playing solid soccer in the 2nd half, making good first touches and playing unselfishly, eventually leading to a breathtaking run by Pore, who took a pass from Doug DeMartin and weaved his way through a handful of Impact defenders to put the ball past keeper Matt Jordan. Pore has now struck for 4 goals on the season and 1 assist, meaning he's been involved in every score for the team this year. The Timbers would find other chances. In the 74th minute, forward George Josten failed to convert, when another nice run through the middle by Pore found Brian Farber cutting to the corner, who then put a perfect cross in place to Josten. Josten would have an open window for the shot, but missed wide. Portland would bring in a slew of subs near the end of the match to try and pull out the win, their best chance perhaps coming in extra time on a free kick taken by Rodrigo Lopez, that crossed across the box, but couldn't find a home.
Portland was out shot by Montreal 7-6 and the Impact also took 5 corners overall to the Timbers 3. Also, although a fairly physical match with 26 fouls called and 8 cautions, I was impressed by Montreal's class on the field. Even on roughly contested plays and in situations when things could have become heated, Montreal stayed cool, opting for handshakes instead of, you know........ well, lets just say nobody got choked today. The Timbers will now play 4 consecutive games at home, with 5 out of their next 6 games at PGE, as well as a friendly on May 1st against Puntarenas FC - a great chance for them to take control of the USSF league standings. Currently with 7 points, Portland is tied for 1st place with long-time rivals the Vancouver Whitecaps. And Portland's next game? This Thursday, at PGE Park, against Vancouver.
Extra notes: Mandjou Keita was out of the line-up again for Portland. Word around is that he's having some travel issues, but hopefully will get them resolved soon.... Doug DeMartin recorded his first official assist as a professional and as a member of the Portland Timbers, subbing into the game around the 60th minute for OJ Obatola...... Referee John Oliva certainly became yellow card happy today, handing out 4 cautions to each team and an almost astounding 6 yellows given in the 2nd half alone..... Attendance was taken at 13,034 in Saputo Stadium, solid numbers for Montreal's home opener.....
Full Box Score
*** And don't forget to help us with our Player Match Ratings. After each game this season, you can log on and rate how you thought each player performed and we'll collect all the data. ***
* Photo credit to Montreal Gazette online website.
For their first road trip of the season, the Portland Timbers will have to settle for a 1 - 1 draw, as a controversial late foul whistled on defender Quavas Kirk resulted in a PK kick and ultimately the game-tying 80th minute goal by Montreal. The Timbers seemed to be on their way to 1-0 victory, taking the lead on a goal by Ryan Pore in the 67th minute. However, late in the game when Impact forward Roberto Brown tried to cut through the box, he became tangled in the arms of Kirk, and quickly dropped to the ground drawing the call from referee John Oliva. Impact team captain Nievo Pizzolitto then calmly stepped up and blasted a low, skimming PK shot past keeper Steve Cronin.
Although earning a draw against the defending league champions is far from a disappointing outcome, especially on the road. The Timbers still allowed the opportunity to gain 3 points in the standings slip through their fingers and that will surely sting a bit. The question is did the they allow the victory to escape them or did they have it taken away? It's always tough to have a call go against your team late in a match and although Kirk unquestionably placed his hands on Brown, the contact appeared minimal and Brown's fall was likely exaggerated. Still, Portland remains unbeaten on the year with a record of 2-0-1.
Certainly, the Timbers played well enough to leave with a win. Perhaps playing their best game of the year, Portland was patient and efficient offensively, passing the ball well and creating open spaces on the field. Defensively, the entire team was solid as well, aggressively breaking up runs, collectively shutting out Montreal for most of the match, and holding them to only 2 shots in the 1st half. The backline saw a boost with the return of team captain, Ian Joy, who provided some steady play. Defenders Steve Purdy and Mamdou Danso did a great job starting in the center back positions, clogging up the middle and routinely making key tackles. Purdy had multiple goal saving plays on the afternoon and nearly had a goal of his own around the 50th minute, on a header shot off a corner kick that was stopped by the face of Impact midfielder Leonardo Di Lorenzo. Quavas Kirk also impressed again with his athleticism and well-rounded skill set, his presence felt on both sides of the field, one moment tracking back to make a tackle and then turning around to help initiate a run on the other end.
The Timbers will regret not being able to convert on some golden opportunities. Portland applied a lot of pressure early, nearly scoring on a handful of plays, including a chance in front of the net around the 15th minute for forward George Josten that was broken up before a shot could be fired. As the half drew to a close, Montreal would begin to settle down as Portland grew a bit impatient and the match would remain scoreless heading into the locker room.
The Timbers continued playing solid soccer in the 2nd half, making good first touches and playing unselfishly, eventually leading to a breathtaking run by Pore, who took a pass from Doug DeMartin and weaved his way through a handful of Impact defenders to put the ball past keeper Matt Jordan. Pore has now struck for 4 goals on the season and 1 assist, meaning he's been involved in every score for the team this year. The Timbers would find other chances. In the 74th minute, forward George Josten failed to convert, when another nice run through the middle by Pore found Brian Farber cutting to the corner, who then put a perfect cross in place to Josten. Josten would have an open window for the shot, but missed wide. Portland would bring in a slew of subs near the end of the match to try and pull out the win, their best chance perhaps coming in extra time on a free kick taken by Rodrigo Lopez, that crossed across the box, but couldn't find a home.
Portland was out shot by Montreal 7-6 and the Impact also took 5 corners overall to the Timbers 3. Also, although a fairly physical match with 26 fouls called and 8 cautions, I was impressed by Montreal's class on the field. Even on roughly contested plays and in situations when things could have become heated, Montreal stayed cool, opting for handshakes instead of, you know........ well, lets just say nobody got choked today. The Timbers will now play 4 consecutive games at home, with 5 out of their next 6 games at PGE, as well as a friendly on May 1st against Puntarenas FC - a great chance for them to take control of the USSF league standings. Currently with 7 points, Portland is tied for 1st place with long-time rivals the Vancouver Whitecaps. And Portland's next game? This Thursday, at PGE Park, against Vancouver.
Extra notes: Mandjou Keita was out of the line-up again for Portland. Word around is that he's having some travel issues, but hopefully will get them resolved soon.... Doug DeMartin recorded his first official assist as a professional and as a member of the Portland Timbers, subbing into the game around the 60th minute for OJ Obatola...... Referee John Oliva certainly became yellow card happy today, handing out 4 cautions to each team and an almost astounding 6 yellows given in the 2nd half alone..... Attendance was taken at 13,034 in Saputo Stadium, solid numbers for Montreal's home opener.....
Full Box Score
*** And don't forget to help us with our Player Match Ratings. After each game this season, you can log on and rate how you thought each player performed and we'll collect all the data. ***
* Photo credit to Montreal Gazette online website.
Saturday, April 24
GAME PREVIEW: Timbers to Play Defending Champions on Sunday
'
Portland Timbers
vs
Montreal Impact
The Timbers embark on their first road trip of the regular season, as they head northward to Montreal for a Sunday afternoon showdown against the defending USL champions.
L'Impact will pose as a serious early test for the Timbers (2-0-0) who remain undefeated on the young season. Portland is coming off two victories at PGE Park, but still has room for improvement as the team continues to familiarize itself with all its new parts. With Coach Gavin Wilkinson returning to the sidelines, literally, minutes before kickoff against St Louis, and a handful of other players recently returning from injury, the Timbers are still scrambling to hit their full stride. The team has experienced some early season jitters, involving moments of sloppy play and complacency in small stretches, but nothing that raises any major concern. The team also expects to see the return of 2009 point leader Mandjou Keita to the lineup, which should provide a nice boost to the offense on Sunday.
Keys to a Portland victory will revolve around their cohesion offensively. They'll have to take care of the ball, maintain possession, and show patience in their attack. Last season, the Timbers found success against Montreal in their two regular season meetings, beating the Impact 4-0 at home and 1-0 at Stade Saputo Stadium. And much like last season, intensity level will again be a major focus. With Sunday being their home opener, Montreal will likely start the game with an emotional lift, so Portland will need to come out and match the Impact's aggression and raised intensity level. Montreal (0-1-0) will also be looking to bounce back from their regular season opener, a 2-0 loss to the Austin Aztecs down in Texas, in which their play was reportedly less than stellar.
Montreal was the "team that choked" in 2009 (the infamous on-field incident pictured above), although ironically enough they were incredibly clutch in the playoffs, overcoming a mediocre regular season (finishing 5th overall) to sweep through the postseason on their way to the franchise's 3rd league championship. Montreal returns almost their entire championship winning club, their only major loss, midfielder Joey Gjersten, who's been replaced by solid, international talent in Filipe Soares and Philippe Billy. Pushing hard for a MLS bid in 2012, the Impact possess a roster stocked full of talent. They're a very balanced team, good in all areas, and very dangerous when they're clicking and completely focused. Expectations are astronomical in Montreal, anything less than another championship would be viewed as a disappointment by the fans. And when it's all said and done, they might indeed be the last team standing when all the dust settles again.
* It should also be noted, to be fair, that the players involved in the choking altercation (Sandro Grande and Mauro Biello) are no longer with the team this season.
Players to Watch
Roberto Brown - The 32-year old forward from Panama City, returns for his 4th season with L'Impact. Roberto has scored 15 goals in 59 career games, leading the club with 7 goals in 2009, and 2 goals in the postseason. Had the final and essentially championship winning goal against Vancouver in 2009.
Tyler Hemming - A Canadian product currently involved with their national team system, Hemming is young prospect with a lot of potential in his 1st year with Montreal. Started and played 57 minutes in their season opener versus Austin.
Rocco Placentino - Rocco is an aggressive and offensive minded player out of the midfield. The 28-year old Canadian had 33 shot attempts in 27 appearances last season and also lead them with 3 shots last week.
Portland Timbers vs
Montreal ImpactSunday, April 25th
11am @ Stade Saputo Stadium
Live online at PortlandTimbers.com
Radio on 95.5 The Game
11am @ Stade Saputo Stadium
Live online at PortlandTimbers.com
Radio on 95.5 The Game
The Timbers embark on their first road trip of the regular season, as they head northward to Montreal for a Sunday afternoon showdown against the defending USL champions.
L'Impact will pose as a serious early test for the Timbers (2-0-0) who remain undefeated on the young season. Portland is coming off two victories at PGE Park, but still has room for improvement as the team continues to familiarize itself with all its new parts. With Coach Gavin Wilkinson returning to the sidelines, literally, minutes before kickoff against St Louis, and a handful of other players recently returning from injury, the Timbers are still scrambling to hit their full stride. The team has experienced some early season jitters, involving moments of sloppy play and complacency in small stretches, but nothing that raises any major concern. The team also expects to see the return of 2009 point leader Mandjou Keita to the lineup, which should provide a nice boost to the offense on Sunday.
Keys to a Portland victory will revolve around their cohesion offensively. They'll have to take care of the ball, maintain possession, and show patience in their attack. Last season, the Timbers found success against Montreal in their two regular season meetings, beating the Impact 4-0 at home and 1-0 at Stade Saputo Stadium. And much like last season, intensity level will again be a major focus. With Sunday being their home opener, Montreal will likely start the game with an emotional lift, so Portland will need to come out and match the Impact's aggression and raised intensity level. Montreal (0-1-0) will also be looking to bounce back from their regular season opener, a 2-0 loss to the Austin Aztecs down in Texas, in which their play was reportedly less than stellar.
Montreal was the "team that choked" in 2009 (the infamous on-field incident pictured above), although ironically enough they were incredibly clutch in the playoffs, overcoming a mediocre regular season (finishing 5th overall) to sweep through the postseason on their way to the franchise's 3rd league championship. Montreal returns almost their entire championship winning club, their only major loss, midfielder Joey Gjersten, who's been replaced by solid, international talent in Filipe Soares and Philippe Billy. Pushing hard for a MLS bid in 2012, the Impact possess a roster stocked full of talent. They're a very balanced team, good in all areas, and very dangerous when they're clicking and completely focused. Expectations are astronomical in Montreal, anything less than another championship would be viewed as a disappointment by the fans. And when it's all said and done, they might indeed be the last team standing when all the dust settles again.
* It should also be noted, to be fair, that the players involved in the choking altercation (Sandro Grande and Mauro Biello) are no longer with the team this season.
Players to Watch
Roberto Brown - The 32-year old forward from Panama City, returns for his 4th season with L'Impact. Roberto has scored 15 goals in 59 career games, leading the club with 7 goals in 2009, and 2 goals in the postseason. Had the final and essentially championship winning goal against Vancouver in 2009.
Tyler Hemming - A Canadian product currently involved with their national team system, Hemming is young prospect with a lot of potential in his 1st year with Montreal. Started and played 57 minutes in their season opener versus Austin.
Rocco Placentino - Rocco is an aggressive and offensive minded player out of the midfield. The 28-year old Canadian had 33 shot attempts in 27 appearances last season and also lead them with 3 shots last week.
Friday, April 23
Dropping Timber Match Ratings
April 22nd vs AC St LouisRatings are on a scale of 1 to 10. 10 being an absolutely amazing game and 1 meaning you could barely kick the ball. It's all very scientific. One interesting thing about soccer is you can't simply check a box score and see how a player, lets say a defensive player, performed that game. So, match ratings are simply another way to try and assess value to a player, their performance, and their contribution to the team.
You can rate the players too, if you want. Give us your own match ratings here. Every week you can rate the players and tell us how you thought they performed, if you want to. Then we'll do some neat data stuff, like show you each players average match rating throughout the season. Okay, on to the ratings in order of most awesome.....
Ryan Pore - 8.5
Pore is having a great start to the season, 3 goals, 1 ast so far. Such a threat whenever he touches the ball, really carrying the load offensively for the Timbers right now.
OJ Obatola - 8
What a difference from game one. Seemed much more active and aggressive, had some really nice touches out there and the nice left-footed goal, also recorded his first official assist.
Brian Farber - 8
Farber was all over the place against St Louis. Defensively he causes so much disruption with his tireless pace and on the offensive side really used his speed to get the defense on its heels.
Steve Cronin - 8
Solid game by Cronin. Got caught a couple times, but fortunately still escaped with the shutout.
George Josten - 8
George really made the most of his first start of the season. Josten played unselfishly, not only assisted on Pore's 2nd goal, but also gave the initial pass leading to the game's opening score. If he keeps it up it'll be tough to take him out of the starting lineup.
Stephen Keel - 8
Watching Keel communicate with the rest of the team is fun.
James Marcelin - 7.5
James played better. Broke up a lot plays and played some physical defense, definitely does a good job using his size to clog up the middle.
Steve Purdy - 7.5
Seemed pretty comfortable out there. Had a couple big break ups and almost scored a goal, nice to know there's a player like him available in the rotation.
Quavas Kirk - 7.5
Like Kirk's well-rounded game. Plays physical aggressive defense and shows a willingness to mix it up on the offensive end. Had a couple really nice saves, including the diving header late.
Scot Thompson - 7
A smart, efficient game by the Timber veteran, didn't try to do too much or play out of his means. Good to see him back on the field, will help to add stability to our backline.
Tony McManus - 7
Played his normal, hectic, style against AC St Louis and has the 4 fouls to show for it. Also had the incredible goal-saving deflection in the 1st half.
Taka Sazuki - 6.5
Great to see Taka back on the field. He's getting old and his playing time could be limited this year, but still managed to fire 2 shots in under 20 minutes.
Alex Nimo - 6.5
Created some nice opportunities while he was out there, had a chance to score late in garbage time, always seems to make the most of his PT.
Matt Pyzdrowski - 6
Shared the shutout with Cronin, but didn't record any saves.
Josh Cameron - 6
Josh adds quality depth to our midfield, logged 17 minutes.
Bright Dike - 6
20 minutes in the 2nd half, first regular season action as a Timber.
Fantasy Standings Update
The Fantasy Contest Standings have been updated. We've got a five way tie for first place. Having Pore on your team is critical at this point, but I'm thinking when Keita comes back into the lineup, it's going to shake up the standings. The Vancouver game on the 29th will be the first chance to earn some bonus Cascadia Cup points.
| Team | Score | Forward | Midfielder | Defender |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BannanaGoalie | 8 | George Josten | Ryan Pore | Ian Joy |
| Cash Money Ultras | 8 | George Josten | Ryan Pore | Quavas Kirk |
| ehsXC2006 | 8 | George Josten | Ryan Pore | Quavas Kirk |
| I, Nerd | 8 | George Josten | Ryan Pore | Quavas Kirk |
| Statistical Gargoyles | 8 | George Josten | Ryan Pore | Quavas Kirk |
Thursday, April 22
POSTGAME: Timbers Blowout AC St Louis 3 - 0
'
The Portland Timbers (2-0-0) continued their winning ways Thursday night with a 3 - 0 victory over league newcomers AC St. Louis in what was the first ever meeting between the two franchises. In front of a modest crowd of 5,893 at PGE Park, Portland put on a dominant performance against the first-year expansion team, earning their second shutout in as many games. After experiencing some out-of-sync moments in their season opener, the Timbers had an offensive explosion in their second match, erupting for 3 goals, 3 corners, and 12 total shot attempts. Often the fear of playing "down to your competition level" can be a concern when facing a newly constructed club such as St Louis. Therefore heading into the game, it was important for the Timbers to maintain their intensity level, to not overlook their opponent, and to really try to get off to a quick start. So, that's exactly what the Timbers did.
Only 17 seconds after kickoff, the Timbers would strike. After some nifty passing, the team found OJ Obatola in front of the box, who deftly drew in the St Louis keeper before dropping off an assist to a streaking Ryan Pore, who blasted in the goal from the left side.
"We wanted to get on them early." said Pore. "And that's exactly what we did. We weren't happy about our performance on Saturday, and we wanted to (come out and play better), fortunately, we were able to do that tonight."
Some of AC St Louis' best opportunities would come in the first half. Perhaps their most threatening scoring chance resulted from a crossing corner in the 30th minute, which was aggressively headed towards an open net by a St Louis midfielder, only to be deflected away at the last moment by a diving Tony McManus. Keeper Steve Cronin earned his second shutout of the year, sharing the honor with sub Matt Pyzdrowski, who saw his first action of the season. Overall, the Timbers were absolutely suffocating defensively, really clogging up the passing lanes, and rarely allowing St Louis anything promising in the final third of the field.
Said Cronin on the performance of the backline, "It was solid. Any problems they gave us, I think we put that on ourselves. But for the most part, we were pretty solid tonight."
Team captian Ian Joy was sidelined with an injury this evening - the word on Joy is that the injury is nothing serious and he's basically considered day-to-day. However, the defense was given a boost tonight by the return of 7 year Timber veteran Scot Thompson. Thompson was inserted into the starting lineup and along with defender Steve Purdy (who made his Timbers regular season debut), helped to offset the loss of Joy.
"It felt great." said Thompson, who is the longest tenured member on the Timbers roster. "It's always fun to get back on the field. Whenever I can play, whether it's 5 minutes or 10 minutes, it's great."
The Timbers would score another goal just before halftime on an intercepted pass by Josten, who found an open Pore across the box, who'd knock in his 2nd goal of the match. Portland would continue their pressure in the 2nd half, finding themselves 9 shot attempts, including strikes for James Marcelin and Brian Farber, both who had excellent games applying pressure out of the midfield. It seemed like it was only a matter of time before the Timbers would score again and indeed, during the 62nd minute, more crisp, efficient passing would eventually lead to Pore finding Obatola, who would then find the back of the net on a low, left-footed blast. For Obatola, the goal would not only be his first on the season, but also his first goal as a member of the Portland Timbers.
The team will now turn their attention towards preparing for their next game, as they head up to Montreal for a Sunday, 11am kickoff. It'll be a good early season test for the Timbers, as the Montreal Impact are currently the defending league champions. Will the Timbers be able to keep up their unselfish play? Will they be able to keep improving their chemistry and maintain their teamwork? And sure, the team's offense looked good against the "new guys", but how's it going to look against a legitimately tough defense?
"We'll keep on working on our attack." said Thompson when asked about what the focus might be in practice before Sunday. "We just have so many options, so many weapons."
"Now, we get Montreal on Sunday." said Pore. "So, we gotta go back to work and we'll see what happens."
Extra notes: Coach Gavin Wilkinson finally made his way back from a recruiting trip to England, his return to the sidelines delayed by the infamous Icelandic volcano eruption...... 33 year old veteran Taka Suzuki saw his first playing time of the year, the fan favorite from Japan returning after a minor injury kept him out of the season opener..... Forward Bright Dike also made his regular season debut with the team, subbing in during the 70th minute.... . Ryan Pore has totaled 3 goals and an assist already this year. He'll surely find some consideration for USSF player of the week honors..... Lastly, it should be noted that people in this city are still very loyal to the Blazers. After a near 16,000 sellout on Saturday, seeing under 6,000 people in the stands tonight was a bit disappointing. However, the atmosphere in PGE was awesome as always, the 5,000+ in attendance had enough spirit for a sellout and the team played great as well. That combined with the fact that the Blazers stunk up the joint, should go a long way towards helping the Timbers earn a few more fans, hopefully.
Full Box Score
Only 17 seconds after kickoff, the Timbers would strike. After some nifty passing, the team found OJ Obatola in front of the box, who deftly drew in the St Louis keeper before dropping off an assist to a streaking Ryan Pore, who blasted in the goal from the left side.
"We wanted to get on them early." said Pore. "And that's exactly what we did. We weren't happy about our performance on Saturday, and we wanted to (come out and play better), fortunately, we were able to do that tonight."
Some of AC St Louis' best opportunities would come in the first half. Perhaps their most threatening scoring chance resulted from a crossing corner in the 30th minute, which was aggressively headed towards an open net by a St Louis midfielder, only to be deflected away at the last moment by a diving Tony McManus. Keeper Steve Cronin earned his second shutout of the year, sharing the honor with sub Matt Pyzdrowski, who saw his first action of the season. Overall, the Timbers were absolutely suffocating defensively, really clogging up the passing lanes, and rarely allowing St Louis anything promising in the final third of the field.
Said Cronin on the performance of the backline, "It was solid. Any problems they gave us, I think we put that on ourselves. But for the most part, we were pretty solid tonight."
Team captian Ian Joy was sidelined with an injury this evening - the word on Joy is that the injury is nothing serious and he's basically considered day-to-day. However, the defense was given a boost tonight by the return of 7 year Timber veteran Scot Thompson. Thompson was inserted into the starting lineup and along with defender Steve Purdy (who made his Timbers regular season debut), helped to offset the loss of Joy.
"It felt great." said Thompson, who is the longest tenured member on the Timbers roster. "It's always fun to get back on the field. Whenever I can play, whether it's 5 minutes or 10 minutes, it's great."
The Timbers would score another goal just before halftime on an intercepted pass by Josten, who found an open Pore across the box, who'd knock in his 2nd goal of the match. Portland would continue their pressure in the 2nd half, finding themselves 9 shot attempts, including strikes for James Marcelin and Brian Farber, both who had excellent games applying pressure out of the midfield. It seemed like it was only a matter of time before the Timbers would score again and indeed, during the 62nd minute, more crisp, efficient passing would eventually lead to Pore finding Obatola, who would then find the back of the net on a low, left-footed blast. For Obatola, the goal would not only be his first on the season, but also his first goal as a member of the Portland Timbers.
The team will now turn their attention towards preparing for their next game, as they head up to Montreal for a Sunday, 11am kickoff. It'll be a good early season test for the Timbers, as the Montreal Impact are currently the defending league champions. Will the Timbers be able to keep up their unselfish play? Will they be able to keep improving their chemistry and maintain their teamwork? And sure, the team's offense looked good against the "new guys", but how's it going to look against a legitimately tough defense?
"We'll keep on working on our attack." said Thompson when asked about what the focus might be in practice before Sunday. "We just have so many options, so many weapons."
"Now, we get Montreal on Sunday." said Pore. "So, we gotta go back to work and we'll see what happens."
Extra notes: Coach Gavin Wilkinson finally made his way back from a recruiting trip to England, his return to the sidelines delayed by the infamous Icelandic volcano eruption...... 33 year old veteran Taka Suzuki saw his first playing time of the year, the fan favorite from Japan returning after a minor injury kept him out of the season opener..... Forward Bright Dike also made his regular season debut with the team, subbing in during the 70th minute.... . Ryan Pore has totaled 3 goals and an assist already this year. He'll surely find some consideration for USSF player of the week honors..... Lastly, it should be noted that people in this city are still very loyal to the Blazers. After a near 16,000 sellout on Saturday, seeing under 6,000 people in the stands tonight was a bit disappointing. However, the atmosphere in PGE was awesome as always, the 5,000+ in attendance had enough spirit for a sellout and the team played great as well. That combined with the fact that the Blazers stunk up the joint, should go a long way towards helping the Timbers earn a few more fans, hopefully.
Full Box Score
* Picture provided by Alison @ Timber Mill
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