Timbers Shine in the Rain, Beat Chivas 2-0 for First Win
The 2011 MLS Portland Timbers got their first official win of the year, as they pulled out a 2-0 victory over Chivas USA in an US Open Cup First Round Qualifying match. Despite a chilly, rain-soaked evening, over 5,000 rowdy supporters packed the University of Portland’s Merlo Field on Tuesday, as the Timbers poured on the offense, outworking and outshooting Chivas for 90-plus minutes. Although the match didn’t count towards the MLS regular season standings, the positive result is an early momentum builder for the team.
“It’s important for confidence,” Head coach John Spencer said. “We did some good things tonight and some not so good things tonight, but at the end of the day the best team came out with the victory.”
“We have that monkey off our back,” Defender Eric Brunner added. “It’s good, now we have (a win) under our belt.”
On a dampened pitch and under the constant downfall of rain, the Timbers forced the action right from the opening kick-off, nearly scoring in the first minute, when a cross from forward Jorge Perlazza was inches off from allowing fellow striker Kenny Cooper to really get his head behind the shot, and Chivas keeper Dan Kennedy easily made the save. Still, Portland was able to dominate most of the action in a ragged first half, earning a 13-3 advantage in total shots, including a 5-2 advantage in shots on frame overall.
Portland’s aggressive and physical play perhaps got under the skin of an already beaten up Chivas club, as the Timbers drew a number of fouls in the first half. Cooper in particular was able to draw numerous fouls around the edge of the final third, setting up multiple set piece opportunities, none of which unfortunately, the Timbers were able to capitalize on.
“We created some good chances,” Spencer remarked. “Still, in the final third I think we can add a little bit more quality to our service in the box at times and give us a better chance to score more goals.”
The game-changing moment of the match came in the 43rd minute, when Chivas defender Andrew Boyens was tossed from the game, a result of being booked for his second yellow card after shoving a streaking Cooper to the ground near midfield. The Timbers would finish the match with a crucial man-up advantage.
“That’s what (Copper) is there to do,” Spencer said. “He’s 6-foot-4, he’s paid to score, he’s paid to draw fouls, he’s paid to bash guys around. The front-two (Perlazza and Cooper) worked extremely hard tonight.”
Although the Timbers controlled possession and created the more dangerous chances, the score was still scoreless as the teams headed into the half.
“We went into halftime confident,” Brunner said. “We knew if we kept putting pressure on them we’d get a goal.”
“You’ve got to stay true to the game plan,” Spencer emphasized. “Keep doing the things (we) do well, attacking from wide, getting people forward…patience is the key.”
In the second half, Chivas packed in their short-handed defense to try and prevent a Portland game-winner, but eventually, the Timbers attack came through. In the 83rd minute, a breakdown in Portland’s backline allowed Chivas striker Justin Braun to get a one-on-one chance against Timbers rookie goalkeeper Jake Gleeson, but the 20-year old Gleeson perfectly timed a leap out of box to make a sliding tackle and end the threat.
Portland was able to quickly clear the ball and soon found midfielder Jack Jewsbury cutting up the middle of the field. Jewsbury, who had just subbed into the match less than ten minutes prior, blasted a low shot from about 35-yards out that skimmed across the pitch and rattled into the far left corner of the goal to give the Timbers the 1-0 lead.
“I turned, took a touch, and I had some space,” Jewsbury recalled. “I have a decent shot from distance, so I decided to pull the trigger.”
“It was a great goal by Jewsbury,” Spencer said. “That’s what the team needed. The energy in the stadium tonight was fantastic, and that goal just lifted the whole group.”
Portland rode the momentum of the first score and continued to force the pressure. The substitutions of midfielder Jeremy Hall for Ryan Pore and Jewsbury for midfielder Adam Lowry in the second half, helped the Timbers keep up their high-intensity pace and further wear down a tiring Chivas side.
“I wanted to makes sure we continued to bring the energy and continued to press,” Jewsbury said. “Because I don’t think anybody involved wanted to play another 30 minutes of overtime.”
In the 86th minute, the Timbers would strike again. This time off a corner-kick taken by Jewsbury, which lead to a header-shot by Hall that was saved by the keeper. However, the deflection would fall to the feet of Brunner, who knocked the ball into the back of the net to give Portland a commanding 2-0 lead.
“It’s icing on the cake,” Brunner said of his score, “We got a shutout, and that’s the main goal for me.”
Portland’s defense stayed firm and avoided giving up an early goal, something they couldn’t manage in their first two outings of the season. Center-back David Horst started in the middle over defender Kevin Goldthwaite, who had struggled recently, and partnered well along-side Brunner, who was given the captain’s armband for the match. Although the Timber’s backline had a few breakdowns, ultimately, they were able to recover when needed and kept a clean sheet.
“If (Spencer) looks at me in that role,” Brunner said about the honor of sporting the band. “That’s great that he has the confidence in me and I’m going to try to lead by example.”
“Brunner and Horst in the middle we’re unbelievable.” Gleeson added. “They just ran their heart out, they tracked back, they moved, they made every tackle they needed. We stepped up to another level today.”
Gleeson, in his first official start, showed the ability to raise his game, as he recorded the first shutout of his career with the Timbers, including the breakaway stop that was in many ways, the turning point of the match. With the number one and two keepers, Troy Perkins and Adin Brown, both out with injuries, Gleeson’s outstanding play will make Spencer’s eventual decision on who to place in goal a much more difficult one.
“If (Gleeson) plays the next ten games I have no problem,” Spencer said. “He’s a kid that can play the highest of highest levels and anything he does, it doesn’t surprise me.”
“Against Toronto, Gleeson had a presence the moment he stepped on the pitch,” Brunner remarked. “And tonight, he made some great saves. There’s definitely no hesitation with him back there.”
“You get lucky in games and I managed to get lucky a couple times with the ball hitting me,” said the humble Gleeson. “But it was definitely good to get a couple nice saves under my belt.”
Hopefully, a bit of Gleeson’s good fortune will rub off with the rest of the team and Portland can carry the momentum from this win forward. With losses to Colorado and Toronto in their first two MLS games, the Timbers’ league record still stands at 0-2-0 with zero points, but the win against Chivas sends Portland into the second round of US Open Cup play, which will be played in San Jose sometimes in April.
“We have to make sure we’re not satisfied with this win,” Jewsbury cautioned. “We want to continue to build.”
Although the Timbers understand they have to keep improving and that there’s a lot more soccer left to be played in the long season ahead, the team is confident that their hard work will pay off sooner than later.
“I feel that a good win is coming along the way,” Spencer said. “A (game) where we’ll score multiple goals and we’ll give a team a real good bashing because we’re creating the chances, we just need to finish them off.”
Portland will get their chance to score some more goals this Saturday at 4:30pm, when the team travels to Foxborough, Massachusetts to take on the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium in an MLS regular season match. With their first win behind them, the team seems eager to get back to business.
“It’s a good victory to take that pressure of your back,” Spencer admitted. “I think the guys are a little relieved, but now it’s back to work tomorrow and focusing on the New England game.”
Game Notes:
Timbers lineup – Jake Gleeson, Eric Brunner, David Horst, Steve Purdy, Rodney Wallace, Kalif Alhassan, Petery Lowry (Jack Jewsbury), James Marcelin, Ryan Pore (Jeremy Hall), Kenny Cooper, Jorge Perlazza
Chivas lineup – Dan Kennedy, Andrew Boyens, Seth Owusu (Ante Jazic), Heath Pearce, Ben Zemanski (Tristan Bowen), Nick LaBrocca, Michael Lahoud, Francisco Mendoza (Jorge Flores), Justin Braun, Victor Estupinan, Marcos Mondaini
Scoring summary – Jewsbury goal (unassisted) 84 min, Brunner goal (unassisted) 86min
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