Pregame: Adi and Uruti starting together up top again, with Fochive starting next to Chara in the holding midfield. After last week, I’d have been happy to see Asprilla given another shot at the start, but Porter must be taking the “not broken, don’t fix” school of thought. Which would be a lot better if there were more goals being scored, but I digress. Also, apparently Nagbe scores a lot against Dallas. Thanks television graphics!
1st Minute: I’m a little disappointed Perez isn’t starting for Dallas. There aren’t many opponents who don’t wear a Sounders jersey that I enjoy rooting against more. For better or worse, you can’t take your eyes off him and he’s always good for at least one card-worthy play per game.
6th Minute: Borchers and Ridgewell look so good working together, it’s like they’ve been playing together years. Which only makes last week’s inexplicable gaffe in the 90th minute even more astounding. And yes, I’m still bitter, thanks for asking.
8th Minute: Fochive with a really bad giveaway that led to a dangerous run for Dallas. I’ve liked what I’ve seen so far from Fochive this year on the whole, but he’s had a nasty habit of giveaways that lead directly to good chances for the opponent. Luckily for Portland, Powell bails him out here with a solid tackle.
10th Minute: Apparently Portland leads the league in corners taken; this is a shame, since they seem to have no real idea of what to do with them. Come back soon, Mr. Valeri.
13th Minute: Rodney Wallace leads the Timbers with 11 shots so far this year. On a totally unrelated note, Wallace has scored exactly 0 goals this season. More Wallace drives and crosses, less Wallace shooting please.
15th Minute: Ugh, Ridgewell takes a nasty elbow to the face and is staying down so far. Caleb Porter sees Paparatto warming up and doesn’t know whether to yell or cry.
21st Minute: Ridgewell back on. Porter turns his attention back where it belongs: the refs.
23rd Minute: NAT BORCHERS GOAL!!! Of course it comes on a corner kick not 15 minutes after I complain about a lack of corner kick goals. How in the world was Borchers that open? Was Dallas mesmerized by the beard?
25th Minute: Adi takes a shot that is saved, Uruti finishes the rebound but is called off. Uruti needs to have better awareness on that play. I get being caught offside, but Wallace was trailing and could have come in if Uruti leaves it alone, and Uruti knew he was off.
26th Minute: God, Akindale is terrifying. He’s huge, fast, and controls the ball well. He’s already had two good runs, and the second really should have made Kwarasey work with an open shot at the top of the box.
30th Minute: FC DALLAS GOAL – Right on cue, Akindale goal off a corner. That was a great set piece by FC Dallas, with Zimmerman winning a header and flicking perfectly to Akindale’s foot. That’s three goals this season the Timbers have given up off set pieces, out of 5 total. Yeah, I’d say it’s a problem.
40th Minute: Nagbe’s turns and overall ball control are an absolute thing of beauty. Of course, this just makes the long stretches of games he disappears even more frustrating.
43rd Minute: Uruti goes to ground clutching his ankle and looking for any referee to roll towards. Call me an optimist, I think he’s going to be OK.
45+1: Does anyone else get the impression that Powell is secretly bitter he doesn’t have the finishing skills to be an attacker, so he’s been stuck at left back? He draws a dangerous free kick right outside the 18 yard box, but Wallace puts it over the bar. 0-12!
HALFTIME: Tied up 1-1, which is probably fair. Portland held slightly more possession, but both teams had multiple chances. Adi and Nagbe need to be more involved in the second half.
46th Minute: Uruti’s touch fails him after a great move and cross from Darlington Nagbe. Uruti has a knack for finding open space in the box, but he needs to finish those chances to have any kind of value to Portland. He’s been off the mark so far this year, and it’s hurt the Timbers.
48th Minute: Alright, I’m going to say it – Kwarasey makes me nervous. I’m not sure what that whole hand/knock-on/hand sequence was, but it wasn’t exactly confidence inspiring. He hasn’t had a lot to do so far this season, and I’m slowly becoming terrified as to what might happen if he does.
50th Minute: Now that’s more like it Adi! He wasn’t able to finish, but that’s the strength and skill the Timbers need to see on a more frequent basis. For such a big and strong guy, he seems to get beat in the air a lot.
55th Minute: The game has definitely opened up. I’m not sure this benefits either team, as Adi and Nagbe are certainly dangerous, but Castillo and Akindale are equally terrifying for Dallas. Borchers and Ridgewell might have more to do here in half #2.
56th Minute: 0-13! You do you, Rodney.
59th Minute: Nagbe is worth the price of admission alone. Jurgen Klinnsman is probably counting down the days until he can unleash him on the US Men’s National Team later this year.
61st Minute: Rodney Wallace coming off for Darion Asprilla. This should be interesting, particularly if Asprilla keeps up the quality he’s had the past two matches.
62nd Minute: Texeria coming off for Blas Perez. Yes! Bring on the boos!
62nd Minute: GOAL MAXI URUTI! How on earth did that get in the net?? Nagbe again breaks down the defense on the dribble, lays off for Asprilla, who hits Uruti’s foot with a cross that Uruti guides into the net. And once again, my criticisms are almost immediately addressed. Should I start complaining about how long Johnson and Valeri have been out? I’m certainly willing to try.
66nd Minute: Portland seems to think they are down 2-1, with Ridgewell having shots blocked in the box and a constant attacking presence. I’d say the Asprilla substitution has worked.
69th Minute: Blas Perez hits Ridgewell in the face, then blows up when the foul is called on him. He’s the best.
75th Minute: Portland really has looked like a different team since Asprilla came on. They are attacking more directly, and all attacking dribbles seem to have more purpose and threat to them. I’m not astute enough to explain exactly why, but it’s fascinating to watch.
80th Minute: The last 10 minutes or so, Portland has given up a lot of the possession and settled into a defensive posture, content to try and hold on to the 2-1 lead. This should make any reasonable Portland fan incredibly nervous.
81st Minute: And just to confirm that last thought, Uruti comes off for Jewsbury, putting a 3rd Defensive Midfielder in the game for Caleb Porter’s men.
84th Minute: Fabian Castillo just outdribbled the entire Portland team to earn a corner. Powell is the one guy on the Portland team who can run with Castillo, so if he could go ahead and stop making foolish runs forward that put him out of position, that would be great.
86th Minute: Kwarasey makes a critical save off a header, just getting enough of a touch to deflect the ball off the bar and out. I’m 3 for 3!
87th Minute: GOAL DIEGO CHARA!!! FC Dallas is pressing for the equalizer, and has looked dangerous the last 10 minutes. So naturally, Chara catches them on the counter and executes a clinical finish to give Portland a commanding 3-1 lead as we head towards extra time.
93rd Minute: Gaston Fernandez is making a token appearance in relief of George Fochive. This wasn’t Fochive’s best game, but he still played relatively well especially considering his inexperience.
FINAL WHISTLE! Portland earns their first victory of the season, defeating FC Dallas 3-1. And apparently Caleb Porter and Oscar Pareja got a little chippy, with Pareja trying to hand Porter what looks like a tissue or piece of paper and Porter tossing it away. Stay classy, Dallas.
It’s a great (and badly needed) win for Portland. The defense was again stout, holding Dallas to limited chances and the finishing was often clinical, for the first time this season. It all adds up to 3 points for Portland, and a ticket out of the Western Conference cellar. Next week, Portland hosts Kaka, former goalie Donovan Ricketts, and expansion Orlando FC.
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