Tag: Carlos Vela

Categories
Soccer

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 2, LAFC 0

Photo Taken by the Amazing Matthew Wolfe

International duty made a mark on this game for both teams.

Five Los Angeles FC players missed the match due to international duty: Denis Bouanga, Stipe Biuk, Denil Maldonado, Christian Torres, and Cristian Olivera.

Three Portland Timbers got call-ups for their countries: Juan David Mosquera, Miguel Araujo, and Bryan Acosta. However, the most notable absence was Dario Župarić, who was out due to yellow card accumulation.

If you play against LAFC, you never know which stars will show up—even on the road.

Unfortunately for Will Ferrell, who is a member of the LAFC ownership group and made the trip up to Portland for the match, a shorthanded LAFC had no answer for the home side.

Interim head coach Miles Joseph led the Timbers to a 2-0 statement win over one of the best sides in MLS.

Although LAFC is struggling as of late, this takes nothing away from how tough of a season it has been for Portland, and how big of a victory this was.

LAFC goalkeeper John McCarthy misplayed two balls in a span of two minutes that allowed the Timbers to strike first.

In the 28th minute, Larrys Mabiala had his biggest moment of the season with a headed goal off the corner kick.

 

In the 53rd minute, Claudio Bravo finished one of the best-worked goals of the season for the Timbers.

The home side were absolutely dominant in the second half and could have scored even more.

But Portland’s backline was the key. Defenders scored both of the goals and kept the clean sheet.

“I was really pleased with the performance from the start of the game all the way to the end. It was really a complete game for us,” Joseph said. “We even came in at half time and spoke a little bit about some adjust[ments] and showed a little bit of video again, and we came out an scored a goal in that exact way. It was pretty impressive.”

Photo by Matthew Wolfe
No Župerman? No Problem!

Larrys Mabiala filled in for Župarić and Araujo in both of their absences. Did he deliver? Absolutely.

His first half goal set the tone for the Portland Timbers.

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Mabiala led the team in shots and shots on goal and was third on the team in possession won.

“The back line was shorthanded, but those are the same guys that are going out every day on the training ground,” Mabiala said. “We know what we have to do; the instructions are very clear from the coaching staff, and we all try to make a positive point. We are trying to show the coaching staff and everyone that the guys that are not playing that much, we can have a chance, and they can count on us whenever they need us. […] It doesn’t matter who’s playing just as long as we’re all targeting the same thing, which is getting the wins on the weekend to qualify for playoffs.”

His partnership with Zac McGraw and with fullbacks Eric Miller and Claudio Bravo helped preserve a rare shutout for the team.

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Bravo, in particular, was brilliant. It doesn’t get much tougher than Carlos Vela as a defensive assignment, but Bravo met the challenge head-on. He also led the team in tackles, tackles won, possession won, shots on target, and tied for one goal.

Offense! Attack!
Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Joseph has led a resurgence for the Timbers in the attack.

In his four games at the helm, they have scored two goals in each.

Joseph said scoring was something Portland has been focused on in the postgame presser.

If he can somehow lead the team into the top nine of the table, does the interim title get removed for a permanent one?

Don’t say it

Could this Portland Timbers side really make a late season push? Joseph and the team are giving themselves a chance and making things very interesting.

McGraw put everything in perspective.

“It’s known to everyone we haven’t won two games in a row yet this season all year,” he said. “We need to build off this. Obviously, last year we went on a similar run winning games at the end, but it came down to decision day, and ultimately, we didn’t make the playoffs.

“All we can do is really go into Austin, which is not an easy place to play by any means, and push for three points,” McGraw said. “LAFC is a great team; they’re defending MLS champions, and it’s a big morale booster for the team.”

Matthew Wolfe
Photo by Matthew Wolfe
Photo by Matthew Wolfe
Photo by Matthew Wolfe
Photo by Matthew Wolfe
Categories
Soccer Timbers

Timbers Rescue a Point at the Death with 1-1 Draw at LAFC

The Portland Timbers snatched a point in the final minutes of Sunday afternoon’s match at Banc of California Stadium, drawing LAFC 1-1 in the final match of the 2020 regular season.

The Timbers’ point and results from around the rest of the league mean that they finish the year in third place in the Western Conference and will face off against FC Dallas in the opening round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.

LAFC started the match with a high, hard press that tripped up the Timbers from the opening whistle. Trying to work the ball out of the back, the Timbers were swarmed on the ball and any poorly controlled touch was pounced on by the hosts.

In just the fifth minute, LAFC were able to take advantage of a mistake from Eryk Williamson just outside the Timbers box. Receiving a pass from Larrys Mabiala and looking to turn out of pressure, Williamson was instead bodied off the ball by Diego Rossi and coughed it up to Latif Blessing in space. The little Ghanaian fired off a shot that Steve Clark parried away, but Carlos Vela was in the right place at the right time to slam home the rebound, giving LA a 1-0 lead.

The home side kept up the pressure, keeping the Timbers off balance and mostly unable to get down the pitch in a coherent fashion. What few attacking moves the Timbers were able to put together fell apart as anything less than a perfect pass was picked off by the LAFC defense.

After the half, the Timbers came out of the locker room looking more composed, but still unable to put together much in the attacking end. Although the Timbers were able to venture forward much more readily in the second half, they could not find an opening in the LA backline to put a shot on goal.

The Timbers finally managed a shot on goal in the 80th minute. A ball down the right played Yimmi Chara into space and the Colombian cut a square ball into the box for the run of Diego Valeri. As his path met Yimmi’s cross, Valeri struck the ball first time, sending a fizzing ball directly at Kenneth Vermeer that the LAFC keeper snagged and held.

The Timbers managed a second chance on goal in the 88th minute, when Dairon Asprilla brought down a ball wide on the left and sent a chipped ball into the LA box. The ball fell to the head of Felipe Mora who flicked it on to the back post where Yimmi was crashing toward the goal. Throwing himself toward the ball, Yimmi got a boot to it and put a low-angle shot on goal, but Vermeer made himself big and blocked the ball away.

With the chances coming their way now, the Timbers finally made one count in the 90th minute of the match. On a quick break down the pitch following an LA chance, Valeri hit a long, diagonal cross into the box. Valeri’s ball sailed over Mora and Asprilla in the box, dropping instead for Jorge Villafana, cutting in from the left wing. As the ball fell to him, Villafana put a head to it, sending a shot bouncing off the turf and into the back of the net to draw the sides even at the end of regulation.