If this is how the Timbers plan on playing the rest of the season, count me in. On a hot night at Jeld-Wen Field, Portland played their best game of the season by far in scoring two first half goals to put the Galaxy on their heels and finishing it off in the second half with a header on a corner kick.
To say that the Pacific NW’s hatred for all things Southern California is strong would be a severe understatement. The local NBA team has been battling the Lakers for supremacy for years and now that the up-start Timbers are a new MLS team, that vitriol has carried over to the pitch. That hatred was again on display last night when the Timbers Army serenaded the boys in green from gates open to well after the final whistle.
From the get go, the Timbers controlled possession (which has been their biggest strength since the mid-season additions of Mike Chabala and Lovel Palmer from Houston) from the whole game while out shooting the Galaxy 9 to nil in the first half alone (15 to 8 overall). The stellar play by the Portland midfield along with the stout defense lead by center backs David Horst and Eric Brunner gave the LA players fits all night while delivering deep balls into the upper third for long runs by Jorge Perlaza.
The scoring got started in the 26th minute when newcomer Chabala score on a strong shot from the top of the box that surprised LA goalie Saunders. Perlaza followed up 7 minutes later with an excellent hustle across the box by beating the defender on a nice assist from Diego Chara that was started on a thrown-in. The scoring finally ended when early season super sub Sal Zizzo, now a starter in Coach John Spencer’s lineup, placed a corner kick high enough for Brunner to head into the top left for the final dagger. Late in the game, Beckham, Dononvan and company tried to mount a lackluster run late in the game but never really tested Portland goalie Troy Perkins.
Team notes:
- Portland has a busy week, traveling to San Jose to face the Earthquakes for an important game to put them back in the playoff hunt. Wednesday night’s 3 points leapfrogs the Quakes in the table.
- Captain Jack Jewsbury was held out of the game for what the team called a “strained hamstring”.
- The Timbers embark on their longest road stretch with games at San Jose, Houston and Kansas City before heading back home to face Cascadia rivals the Vancouver Whitecaps.
- Portland’s announced crowd of 18,627 is their 12th straight sell-out of the season.
(image courtesy of Craig Mitchelldyer)
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