After an unexpectedly long break, the Portland Timbers were back in action on Wednesday night and were clearly determined to make up for lost time against the LA Galaxy. Despite a Galaxy side who were up for a fight, the Timbers went off, beating LA 6-3 on the road.
From the outset of the match, it was clear that the Timbers were on ten days of rest and the Galaxy a mere three as the Cascadian dominated the opening minutes with smart runs, quick passes, and suffocating defending. While the clear standouts in the opening minutes were Diego Valeri, Diego Chará, and Yimmi Chará, the whole got touches on the ball as the Timbers worked it around the pitch.
In the 14th minute, the Timbers made their runs and passes count when D. Chará received the ball off a throw-in in the attacking end and played a perfectly weighted through ball in behind the Galaxy backline for his brother. Y. Chará burst away from his defender and caught up with the ball before it could run out over the end line. As Yimmi collected the ball the Galaxy defense collapsed on him, leaving Felipe Mora alone and open at the penalty spot. With a simple pass, Yimmi picked out his striker and all Mora had to do was finish (which he did), slotting the ball into the back of the net with ease.
As the Timbers pressed forward, looking for another, the Galaxy managed to find a dangerous chance in the 19th minute on a counterattacking move down the pitch through Cristian Pavón. The Galaxy designated player burst through the center of the pitch before playing the ball forward for the run of forward Ethan Zubak. Beating Dario Župarić for pace, Zubak took the ball toward goal only to be met by Steve Clark rushing off his line. As Clark closed him down, Zubak was forced to turn away from goal. Having taken a step away from the Timbers keeper, Zubak turned and tried to squeeze a shot on frame, but Clark stayed big and stayed close, saving the attempt with his chest.
The Galaxy chance seemed to queue the normal Timbers retreat into defense. As the first half continued, they looked to control the ball less and look to hit out on the break instead.
The shift in approach paid off for the Timbers in the 23rd minute when a long ball forward to Mora was knocked down by the hand of Galaxy defender just outside the eighteen-yard box. On the ensuing free-kick, Valeri and Jeremy Ebobisse stood over the ball. After a long pause, Ebobisse confidently strode up to the ball and smashed a near-side on goal that gave David Bingham no chance to react as it blew past him and into the back of the net.
The Galaxy were given life in the 34th minute when a corner kick from Efraín Álvarez was cleared out of the box, but only as far as Julian Araujo in space, 25 yards from goal. The Galaxy defender stepped up to the ball and hit a scorching shot along the turf that blew through the traffic in front of goal and evaded Clark’s dive on its way into the back of the net to bring the scoreline back within one.
The Galaxy nearly pulled even in the 40th minute when Álvarez got in on goal following a scramble at the top of the Timbers box. The Galaxy homegrown chipped Clark as the Timbers keeper rushed out at him, but as the ball bounced toward goal Pablo Bonilla was there to clear it away. His first attempt at the save only went as far as the chest of Larrys Mabiala before bouncing back toward goal, but Bonilla was again on top of things and successfully got the ball away with his second attempt.
After stumbling through the final minutes of the first half, the Timbers were able to start the second half strong and regain their two-goal lead in just the 47th minute. After a string of passes across the top of the Galaxy box, Mora touched the ball forward into the path of Valeri. The pass took a reflection on the way, but the bounce that it gave to the ball was just enough for the Maestro to work a little bit of magic, hitting a looping chip up and over Bingham, who could only wave at the ball before it dropped over the end line to put the Timbers up 3-1.
Valeri’s goal could have taken the Galaxy out of the game but instead, the floodgates opened for both sides.
In the 55th minute, Pavón collected the ball off a throw wide on the Timbers right. Juking around a defender, the Argentine winger hit a whipped-in cross that found Zubak in between the Timbers’ centerbacks for a nodded on header that skipped past Clark and into the back of the net.
The Timbers answered again in the 60th minute after working the ball around the periphery of the Galaxy box and finding Jorge Villafaña making an overlapping run down the left. Villafaña hit a square ball across the face of goal and found Mora for a sliding finish at the back post.
Three minutes later the Timbers scored again, this time off a free kick. First Župarić met Valeri’s in-swinging ball with his head, forcing a save from Bingham. The Galaxy keeper popped the ball straight up into the air and as it fell Mabiala rose up to meet it and hit a simple header into the now-open net to put the Timbers up 5-2.
Hope briefly flared up for the Galaxy in the 70th minute when Pavón collected a missed clearance wide on the Timbers’ right, cut inside, and fired a ferocious shot at the near post. Clark was able to get a hand to the ball, but could not keep it from slipping past and into the net.
Just as quickly, however, it was extinguished when, in the 80th minute, the Timbers passed the ball into, out of, and through the Galaxy box before Eryk Williamson touched the ball forward to put Ebobisse in on goal. After a dip of the shoulder and a cut around the keeper, Ebobisse smashed home his second of the night to give the Timbers a six-goal lead and close out the match.