Postgame: Another Tough One, Timbers Lose to Montreal 1-0

In what's becoming an ugly pattern for the Portland Timbers, the team dominated possession, controlled the pace of the match, and created a plethora of threatening opportunities but once again failed to convert those chances into goals. The Timbers outshot the Impact 17-5, however, it was Montreal that was able to capitalize and make the most of the few scoring moments they had. In the 31st minute, Montreal would catch their break on a quick striking play as midfielder Tony Donatelli scored his first goal of the season, taking a pass then weaving past the Timber's backline and firing a shot past keeper Steve Cronin.

"We didn't come out with the right intensity, especially in the 1st half." said starting defender Quavas Kirk. "We went down a goal and that's what punished us. We had to crawl back out of a hole and that's tough to do against a good team like Montreal."

"It's frustrating." said Ryan Pore. "Not being able to wrap up 3 matches at home, dropping points in all 3 of them, and we know that's not good enough. I thought we played well in spurts, but it wasn't enough, so give Montreal credit."

Portland has yet to play their best soccer this season, struggling to find the right chemistry and put together a full 90 minute match. Early in the season the team was able to play their way through the rough patches and still find ways to win, but in the last 3 matches their problems have finally caught up to them. Although the slow start could be pinned on the many new additions to the roster and the inevitable gelling process that's required, bad luck has certainly played a role as well. Portland had many near goals, including the 76th minute when returning defender Josh Cameron put a nice cross on the money to Brian Farber who missed a header just inches wide of the far post. In the 85th minute, Pore sent a long pass inside the box which found the head of a leaping Stephen Keel, his shot fell short, but James Marcelin was there to intercept the loose ball and send his own header towards the goal, hitting the underside of the top crossbar, again missing the equalizer by mere inches.

"It's part of the game, you know." said Kirk. "Sometimes you're lucky, sometimes you're unlucky and it seems like we keep hitting that post, so it's just that sometimes you need to be lucky and it hasn't been our day yet."

At one point in the 2nd half the Timbers were able to earn three consecutive corner kicks, relentlessly putting pressure on Montreal's defense. Already one of the the league's best defensive squads and up one goal, the Impact were able to pack it in and essentially play 9-10 guys behind the ball, making finishing in the final third an even tougher challenge. The Impact have also only allowed 4 goals all season.

"Each team is gunning for us and I don't think we'd want it any other way." said Pore. "I mean, they're showing respect for us, so I think everybody needs to take a look in the mirror and analyze how they can individually bring something to the team and I think if everyone does that we have enough talent on this team that we'll eventually come through and prevail."

The positives for Portland? Many players who've struggled with consistency lately played well against Montreal. Johan Claesson and Brian Farber lead the team with 3 shots a piece and defender Quavas Kirk was noticeably active, perhaps playing his best game of the year. Josh Cameron, a starter for much of last season, returned to the field to see his first action of the year and performed well on both sides of the ball. Searching for the good in all the ugly isn't the ideal situation, but right now Portland doesn't have a choice.

"It's a good opportunity for us to find ourselves a little bit..." Said Cronin. "I'd much rather have (the struggles) happen now and we get our legs under us and we're able to find those wins within ourselves. It's better in some ways to have that happen now and then we're strong at the end of the year."

The mood after the game was somber and the players were visibly dejected, many hanging their hands as they headed into the locker room. With coach Gavin Wilkinson away on a scouting trip in Ghana, assistant Amos McGee lead the way and he quickly took the team to the back upon the conclusion the match for a short closed-door meeting.

"Usually when we have a bad result we'll go in (to the locker room) and we'll have a talk in there and then come out, but tonight we kinda went in and tried to take a step back and take a deep breath. We have a game in four days and we need to get things turned around, so its an opportunity for us to get ourselves going again."

To say the Timbers aren't struggling would be misguided. Expectations heading into the season were at an unprecedented level. Portland is considered a favorite to win the league championship and with many experts pointing to the Timber's "easy" opening schedule with 6 0f their first 7 matches at home, including matches against lesser talented teams, the pressure on the players to win has been building with each disappointment.

"Expectations are deservedly high," said team-owner Merritt Paulson. "There's no question that the team isn't performing to its capability right now which is disappointing, especially at home where we should own our house and we have owned it (in the past)."

Portland is currently in a 3 way tie for 2nd place in the USSF overall standings, now 3 points behind 1st place Austin. And although the 6573 in attendance left disheartened and the opening of this season hasn't gone the way many would have hoped, the loyal Timber fanbase will surely stick around to support the team whether the results are good or bad.

"We're going to be in the playoffs this year, I'll guarantee that 100% and we need to have a good run in the playoffs and that's what we're focused on." said Paulson. "(The fans) deserve entertaining soccer."

Added Paulson jokingly, "Our fans don't need a refund to come back either."

Portland will now have 2 days to think things over, regroup, and attempt to find a solution to their scoring woes. The team will then head to Baltimore on Saturday, a chance to not only right some of their wrongs, but an opportunity to avenge a 1-0 home loss to last place Crystal Palace earlier this month.

"I don't think it's time to hit the panic button." said Pore. "It's still early in the season, obviously we need to make some changes because what we've been doing hasn't been getting it done. So guys can't be complacent with their spots right now, we have a lot of depth, but we need to figure out something fast and get some better results."

Said Cronin, "Obviously something needs to change."

- Full Box Score -

Match Ratings are up.  Click here to rate

* Picture provided by Allison Andrews @ Timber Mill

Defending League Champions Stroll Into Town

Portland Timbers

vsMontreal Impact

Wednesday, May 19th
7pm @ PGE Park
Live online at PortlandTimbers.com
Radio on 95.5 The Game

Photo: Jeremy Olson / digitalgopher.net

The Portland Timbers will face last year's USL Champions when they take on the Montreal Impact Wednesday evening at PGE Park. Portland (3-1-2) is currently tied for 2nd place in the USSF with 11 points, 2 points behind first place Austin, and 3 points ahead of Montreal (2-1-2) who's tied for 5th in the overall standings. Coming off a pair of disappointing performances against bottom dwelling teams, the Timbers should be find extra motivation to come out focused, play well, and put the past behind them.

Wednesday's game will be last time Portland will face Montreal this season. The Timbers played L'Impact to a 1-1 draw earlier this season at Saputo Stadium, but the outcome of the match was not without controversy. In the 81st minute, defender Quavas Kirk reached out to stop Montreal attacker Roberto Brown, who instantly flopped to the ground, exaggerating the contact. Portland was called for a penalty resulting in a PK kick for Montreal, who knotted the match at 1-1. A tough call to stomach.

For Portland to pull out 3 points this time around it'll be imperative that they finish their chances offensively and score goals, something they've struggled to do for much of this season. Putting runs together and getting the ball into threatening positions hasn't been the Timber's issue. Portland has taken 33 shots in their last 2 matches, but have only 1 goal to show for it. To counter Montreal's more defensive style on the field, Portland will need to focus on being patient, keeping control of possession, and playing mistake free soccer. Montreal has one of the more experienced keepers in the league in Matt Jordan and they've only allowed 4 goals all season. The Impact, who are on a 4 game undefeated streak, have only scored 4 goals themselves which is simply a sign of what an efficient soccer team the Impact truly are.

Unfortunately, the Impact are a good team that's kept themselves in the news for the wrong reasons. The Impact had another ugly player altercation this season when forward Roberto Brown punched a Toronto FC player in the face during a Canadian Championships match late last month. Brown has been suspended indefinitely by the team.

Montreal was of course 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
Rocco Placentino - The aggressive and offensive minded Canadian is key cog in the Montreal attack, taking 33 shots in 27 appearances last season. Placentino has shifted to forward to help fill the void left by Roberto Brown's absence and is leading the team with 2 goals and 14 shots this year, the next closest player with only 6 attempts.

Stephen Deroux - In his 2nd season with the Impact, Deroux has quickly become a valuable and reliable defensive commodity, the only player on the roster to play every minute of every game this year. Deroux is smaller in stature, but is speedy, physical, and aggressive out on the field.

Leonardo Di Lorenzo - A very offensive minded midfielder, Di Lorenzo isn't necessarily the guy taking the shots, but he'll certainly make his presence felt by putting pressure on opposing backlines and creating opportunities for teammates. A Montreal veteran, Di Lorenzo will be making his 100th appearance for the Impact this Wednesday and is in his 5th season overall with the franchise.

22 Days Left: World Cup Preview - Ghana

Ghana

World Cup
Appearances 1 (First in 2006)
Best result Round 2, 2006
African Nations Cup
Appearances 17 (First in 1963)
Best result Winners, 1963, 1965, 1978, 1982

Ghana will be making their second appearance after an impressive first World Cup in 2006. Ghana surprised a few in 2006, especially the heavily favored Czech Republic, by beating them 2-nil. The was a pleasure to watch as the intensity built through out the match. Petr Cech had some brilliant saves, but it was not enough and Ghana was the winning underdog.
Ghana will have a tough road to repeat their 2006 success, as they are in Group D, with the Germans, Australians and the Serbs.



Ghana's Greatest World Cup Moment
Official Site
Ghana on fifa.com

Portland Timbers U-23 Match Day

The stadium was loud today, but it wasn't your average Timbers crowd. The next generation of Timbers Army filled PGE Park with screams and jeers, as local elementary school kids came to learn about the benefits of exercise and healthy diets while taking in a good match that the Timbers U-23 team seemed to dominate. The Timbers played host to Health and Fitness Soccer Day, presented by the good people at Providence Health & Services, today at PGE Park as the Timbers took on the Tacoma Tide. The official attendance was 2247, making it the largest crowd to ever see a Timbers U-23 match.

Paul "Bim" Ogenyemi scored the first goal in the 28th minute and the Timbers was dominating the field by holding possession and making solid attacks. The Timbers out shot Tacoma 21-9, but it started to feel like Saturday, as Tacoma seemed to start to attack. In the final ten minutes a Timber was pulled down in the box, it seemed to be an obvious PK to no avail. Then in the final minute of the game in a the opposite box a Tide player was pulled down to the turf and a PK was awarded. The kids booed and began to riot as they pulled apart the seats and searched for any available missile to fire towards the pitch. Tear gas filled PGE Park as riot police tried clam the very aggressive crowd. Ok, I'm kidding, the kids did not break or throw anything but their boos were as loud as a regular game day. Rory Agu lined up to take the PK and did his best Baggio impression sending the ball well over the cross bar and at the people in the MAC Club balcony ducking it was so high. The kids erupted in cheers as the final whistle blew moments later.

Timber Joey was in full force as the kids loved his chainsaw antics and followed him as he led them in chants. For those who were worried that the Army may not be loud or louder in the future, there is no chance of that, as it was obvious by way the kids hung unto the action on the field. Many players from the regular squad were there signing autographs all over the stadium and even as the kids filed out. If I was a kid on this field trip, I would have considered it the best field trip ever, especially for kids who may never get a chance to attend a match. The Timbers organization and Providence Health Systems put together an excellent match and educational experience for local youth. I am happy many future TA, were born today.


-we had some technical glitches with the first post. So I had to try and rewrite the first report.

23 Days Left: World Cup Preview - Germany

Germany

World Cup
Appearances 16 (First in 1934)
Best result Champions, 1954, 1974, 1990
European Championship
Appearances 10 (First in 1972)
Best result Champions, 1972, 1980, 1996
Confederations Cup
Appearances 2 (First in 1999)
Best result 3rd, 2005


The Germans enter every World Cup as a dangerous team that could spoil the party for any nation they face. The "Nationalmannschaft" (the national team) has came up just short lately as they placed second in 2002 and third in 2006.

Official Site
Germany on Fifa.com

24 Days Left: World Cup Preview - France

France

World Cup
Appearances 12 (First in 1930)
Best result Winners, 1998
European Championship
Appearances 7 (First in 1960)
Best result Winners, 1984 and 2000
Confederations Cup
Appearances 2 (First in 2001)
Best result Winners, 2001 and 2003

Winning your first World Cup is a sweet thing, but it is so much sweeter when you win your first World Cup at home as France did in 1998. France will be bringing their top goal scorer from that Cup, Thierry Henry, who is also France's all time leading scorer in international competition. A surprising first round exit in 2002, was replaced with a trip to the finals in Germany 2006, in which they lost in pks to Italy.

France's provisional squad:

Goalkeepers: Cedric Carrasso (Bordeaux), Mickael Landreau (Lille), Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille)

Defenders: Eric Abidal (Barcelona), Gael Clichy (Arsenal), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Rod Fanni (Rennes), William Gallas (Arsenal), Marc Planus (Bordeaux), Adil Rami (Lille), Anthony Reveillere (Lyon), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla)

Midfielders: Abou Diaby (Arsenal), Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid), Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Yann M'Vila (Rennes), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon)

Forwards: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Hatem Ben Arfa (Marseille), Jimmy Briand (Rennes), Djibril Cisse (Panathinaikos), Andre-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse), Sidney Govou (Lyon), Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille).

Official Site
France on Fifa.com

Postgame: Timbers Must Settle For a Draw Against St. Louis

The Portland Timbers dropped 2 points in the final 2 minutes of their match Saturday evening, allowing AC St Louis to score a goal in stoppage time and tie the game at 1-1 moments before the final whistle. Instead of coming away with 3 points in the standings from a victory, Portland (3-1-2) will have to settle for just 1 point instead with the disappointing draw. In the 66th minute, the Timbers would take the lead on Madjou Keita's first goal of the season - a steal by Ryan Pore, a pass to Keita near the top of the box, who would gather then turn and fire a skimming shot past St Louis keeper Alec Dufty. However, after dominating the action and controlling possession for a majority of the match, in stoppage time AC St Louis forward Mike Ambersley would stumble upon an intended shot by a teammate in the box then quickly blast his own shot past keeper Steve Cronin, eliciting groans and murmurs of disbelief from the 10, 057 in attendance at PGE Park. A costly slip by the Timbers.

"We're frustrated." Said leading scorer Ryan Pore. "We dropped 5 points in the last 2 games at home at that's one thing we wanted to do was make sure we get 3 points for every home game, so frustration level is high, but we have to keep going."

"I think the guys were tired." said defender and team captain Ian Joy. "You have to not forget that we played 2 games in 3 days. I think that the motivation, the energy from the guys coming out from the very first whistle was fantastic and we really pushed it. When you get to the last 5 minutes of a game there should be that extra motivation to actually walk away with a win. Maybe you lost your concentration in the last 5-10 minutes and then they put a lot of pressure on and they've got nothing to lose, they go for it and luckily for them they get the break."

"I thought we played well." said midfielder Alex Nimo. "I thought it was a great 1st half and 2nd half, a great game, we worked hard. The last 5 minutes (there was) a lack of concentration and we need to pick that up....we should have scored more goals...I think a couple of the guy's legs got tired, we need to push through that. I think the biggest part is we need to stay more focused until the whistle is blown.... we really needed that win."

Portland has yet to play up to their full potential, still trying to come together and find the right chemistry after adding many talented and new pieces to their roster this off-season. After a stunning 1-0 loss to bottom dwelling Baltimore at home on Thursday evening, coupled with tonight's heart-sinking draw, fears and anxieties about this team living up to its lofty expectations are starting to build. Coach Gavin Wilkinson took the team immediately into the locker room upon the finish of the game for a closed door meeting.

"We outplayed them from start to finish, minus one opportunity that they received." said a fiery and intense Wilkinson after the game. "We ask again that a player win individual battles and have a level of determination and work ethic to deny opportunities, it just didn't happen that way. I think most of the chances we had were very good chances. It could have been 5 zero. It's just that...this game again (sigh)....

Added Wilkinson, " We cannot go into the last 5 minutes and not hang on to a 1-0 lead, that's mentally an issue."

When asked what was said to the team and why he felt the need to talk to them privately so soon after the end of the match, Wilkinson replied, "Just trying to create a mentality on the field where we're going to work for every single ball, that we're going to give a level of respect for anything that's thrown at us. That's a team that left the stadium tonight that doesn't deserve a single point and we gave it to them. And that's the way I looked at it, they didn't create it, we gave it to them.....It's was fresh in our minds and it needed to be spoken about...it's easier to address it and think about it when it's this fresh. "

The hardest part to swallow was that the Timbers played well for almost the entire match. They out-shot AC St Louis 14-3 for the game and 7-1 in the 1st half. Portland was creative, aggressive, and moved the ball around the field efficiently. Not only did they dominate offensively, but on the defensive side they were solid as well, shutting down St Louis' attacks before they could evolve into anything seriously threatening.

"I thought this was our most complete game." Said Pore. "Unfortunately for us we conceded in stoppage time, so we didn't put the full 90 together but like I said it was maybe our most complete game we've played so far, so we just have keep improving."

"I think you have to look and take the positives from this game." said Joy. "It's very hard to do right now after a letting a goal in during the last 5 minutes, but you know, for 85 minutes we dominated that game. We played with a little bit more direct football and put a lot of pressure on them from the very first minute....Unfortunately, we're not taking our chances, if you don't score goals you're not going to win football games. 1-nil wasn't good enough at home with this crowd and with the motivation that all the guys have we should be taking our chances. The confidence in front of goal maybe just is not there at the moment, although one positive that's coming from it is that we're getting in fantastic positions, we're creating those chances and as long as we keep creating those chances the goals will eventually go in."

After Friday's practice, the team was determined to come out with more focus and bring an intensity and aggressiveness right from the start. They pushed the issue offensively against St. Louis creating chances steadily throughout the evening, often one-on-one situations against defenders deep in the final third. However, similar to Thursday's loss the team couldn't convert on their opportunities against St Louis' defense.

"It's hard to play a team like (St Louis) and play pretty football against a team like that," said Joy. "Becuase you can continue to keep the ball for 90 minutes of the game in the back and midfield, keep passing it back and forward, and it would look beautiful, but unfortunately you're not going anywhere. When you play against teams that defend for the whole game you gotta break you down in some way."

Certainly the outcome cannot be blamed on an overall lack of effort. The team worked hard for most of the match, spreading shots all around the field. Seven Portland players fired shots on goal with OJ Obatola leading the way with 6 and Pore adding 5 chances.

"We looked for our strikers as soon as possible." said Joy. "The strikers did an excellent job of holding up the ball and fighting for the ball because they were playing against some big boys back there, so it wasn't very easy for them. But today we decided we were going to go a little more direct, which means that we're trying to hit out strikers early and try to work of them, get luck bounces, get into the box, and put pressure on them....it's very hard to beat teams when you're playing pretty football and they got 10 guys behind the ball."

There were a few changes to the lineup Saturday evening, including Alex Nimo and OJ Obatola being placed into the starting rotation. Nimo played especially well, making his presence felt from end to end, defensively being a pest and on the offensive side making sure he was active and involved on the attack. Doug DeMartin, Rodrigo Lopez, Bright Dike, and Tony McManus would each be subbed into the match at different times to try and spell starters who were likely worn down. Depth is considered a strong point of this club and Wilkinson tried to use it to his advantage.

"I didn't make one substitution for poor performance," said coach Wilkinson. "It was players that worked hard, players that had exhausted themselves. When you bring players in off the bench you expect them to have a positive impact. You expect them to win challenges, you expect them to work a little bit harder, and you don't expect them to let down the other players."

"We have a great squad," added coach Wilkinson."And if the players aren't going to come in and do their jobs, then we have another great player that will do their job. And again if we have to create a sense of urgency and a sense of desire to be on this team, and its the little things that add up, then we'll do it."

A match with a plethora of close Portland scoring chances, the team will have to put the sting of this draw behind them and focus on finding a way to finish plays. To put things further in perspective, St Louis keeper Alec Dufty was forced to make 5 saves on 14 shots, while the Timber's Steve Cronin had no save on the night, an incredible statistic. Still, with Rochester inactive this past week, Portland is currently tied for 1st in the league standings with 11 total points. The Timbers will have 3 days to think about this result and will resume play on Wednesday evening at home against Montreal. The Impact are one of the tougher teams in the league and played Portland to draw back in April, so the Timbers better get it together and get it together quickly.

"We've got a fantastic fan base here," said Joy. "(They) really support the team through thick and thin and that's what I call a real football fan, a soccer fan, you know, actually sticks by the team no matter what's going on, and this team does that and this team has that."

- Full Box Score -

* Photo provided by Allison Andrews @ Timber Mill