Portland Timbers came away with a gargantuan win this afternoon at home against longtime I-5 rivals, Seattle Sounders. The sellout crowd of 20,438 experienced a real show this afternoon whether it was 2 red cards in a last minute scrum, Seattle’s neon “cyan” kits, or the proudly loud Timbers’ Army. As everyone expected, the match was a gritty, hard-fought physical battle.
PTFC came out flying in a way we have not seen all season. Perhaps a glimpse of their early energy was witnessed during last match against Los Angeles. However, this time ‘round the finishing touch was all but absent. Both Portland goals resulted from services into the box just as most Portland goals tend to be – regardless of how few there have been this season. The first came in the 16th minute from a low, left-footed service by Steven Smith whose overlap of Franck Songo’o enabled the full back to find eons of space down Seattle’s right flank. Smith’s was a textbook ball that kept Seattle GK Andrew Weber from coming off his line while getting in behind the Seattle line of defense. Kris Boyd met Smith’s cross six yards from the goal line having only Weber to beat for a cool and clean finish. With this in mind, Boyd did not have an excuse but to find the back of Weber’s goal, which, to the elation of the Timbers’ Army, was right in front of their seating section. It was a dream start for Timbers who, before this game, found themselves tied in points for last place in the Western Conference.
The afternoon became even brighter for Portland in the 25th minute. After powering a header off the crossbar nine minutes earlier, David Horst learned his lesson when he met Songo’o’s corner to double Portland’s lead. On this attempt, Horst headed the ball into the ground for a bounce that Weber could not keep out. It was Horst’s first ever MLS goal and a memorable one at that. He was quoted saying, “It’s got to be one of the great moments of my life. To score against Seattle in front of all these people, especially with the way we’ve been playing lately, it’s great to get a win for the organization. I couldn’t be more proud of the team today.”
From that point on, it was up to Portland’s defense to withstand pressure from Seattle for the rest of the game. Many agree that two-nil up is the most dangerous lead in soccer, but Perkins and his backline were relentless in ensuring their side kept the lead. Eddie Johnson, however, did break through the Timbers’ defense with a stunning display of individual talent. In the 58th minute, Johnson took advantage of an aggressive and unnecessary challenge from Horst whose recovery run wasn’t enough to stop Johnson’s left-footed curler.
Timbers did well to neutralize and apparently frustrate Seattle’s young star Freddy Montero who was ejected in the 91st minute for pushing Horst down outside the run of play. Horst went to ground fairly easily for a defender of his size but it was enough to draw the attention of the assistant referee and spark the passion that fuels these Cascadia rivalries. Center official Ricardo Salazar gave out 6 yellow cards and showed 2 men red – Montero and Palmer – by the time he whistled for full time. Such is evidence of the physical nature of today’s match.
Portland Head Coach, John Spencer knew exactly what won his city the game today. It wasn’t tactics. It wasn’t talent. It was heart and the passion that is so prevalent in Soccer City, USA. Some call it the X Factor. Today, Spencer’s squad showed they can win the big games, even with soccer fans watching around the nation (Thank you ESPN 2). Yet, as the season continues, every game needs to be approached in this way if Portland has a shot at making their playoff debut. The Timbers faithful hope that this win – like the one against L.A. last year – could trigger more victories to follow. With a road match at Colorado on Saturday, the opportunity is there for the taking. The Rapids are just three points above Portland in the standings, which is prime time for Timbers to earn another 3 points.
Of course, the road into the post season is long and arduous, yet it is never too early to begin developing winning habits. The Timbers will need more performances like today’s from Kris Boyd who has been lack luster as of late. His tenacity to create space for himself was a relief to watch. Also, hats off to David Horst who may have played the best game of his life. Troy Perkins performed valiantly and so did the rest of the squad on the defense. Needless to say, today was a great day for the Timbers and Portland as a whole. It makes any PTFC supporter proud and hopeful. In the words of the Timbers’ Army, “We are the Rose City, you can’t stop us!”
(image courtesy of Craig Mitchelldyer)
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