MLS Game 10– Providence Park
05/11/2014: Sunny, 18C/64F
Attendance: 20,814
Pre-game records: Portland Timbers (W1-D5-L3) vs. LA Galaxy (W2-D2-L2)
Starting Line-ups:
Portland Timbers – GLK Donovan Ricketts, DEF Jack Jewsbury, DEF Futty Danso, DEF Pa Modou Kah, DEF Michael Harrington, MID Will Johnson, MID Diego Chara, MID Diego Valeri, FWD Darlington Nagbe, MID Steve Zakuani, FWD Gaston Fernandez. Formation: 4-3-3.
LA Galaxy – GLK Jamie Penedo, DEF Dan Gargan, DEF Kofi Opare, DEF Leonardo, DEF A.J. DeLaGarza, MID Juninho, MID Landon Donovan, MID Baggio Husidic, MID Stefan Ishizaki, FWD Robbie Keane, FWD Rob Friend. Formation: 4-4-2.
Preview:
A truly stunning Spring-time day greeted the LA Galaxy as they visited Providence Park on Mother’s Day and they must have thought they were actually in Los Angeles with blazing Sunshine and temperatures well into the 60s. The sun had finally shone on the Portland Timbers last week as they grabbed their first win of the season in a nail-biter against D.C. United thanks to a last minute goal by substitute Maximilliano Urruti at Providence Park lifting a big weight off the Timbers shoulders. The Timbers and their adoring fans were hoping that this would kick-start their season and start to see them climb the league.
Portland had the better of the meetings last season with 2 victories (2-1 and 1-0) at home and a 0-0 draw in Los Angeles. The Galaxy had started this season indifferently with 2 wins, 2 draws, and 2 defeats the last of which coming against Real Salt Lake last week by a goal to nil. Bruce Arena felt that his team should have won that match saying “We just blew this game. There’s no excuses for us. We should’ve won this game, at very least get a point”. Both sides will feel that they should be doing better at this stage of the season with the squads that they have at their disposal although the Galaxy might argue that they are in a transitional process this season.
For the Portland Timbers, their line up remained unchanged from the side that got its first victory last week and Urruti and Alhassan remained on the bench as potential game changers.
Match Highlights:
1st Half
The opening 3 minutes saw the LA Galaxy start the brighter with a free kick half chance that was not cleared well by the Timbers and some neat interplay between Robbie Keane and Rob Friend that almost saw Keane through on goal but for some good defending by Kah and Danso. Then with only 5 minutes on the clock Michael Harrington went off with an injury that, if serious, will dent any slim hopes he has of making Jürgen Klinsmann’s 30 man US preliminary squad to be announced tomorrow. Alves Powell came on as a replacement as the Timbers were struggling to get a foot on the ball in the opening exchanges.
Portland soon began to get into the game and some lovely work by Jack Jewsbury almost set up an opener from the left hand side and from the resulting corner, Alves Powell floated in a tempting cross from the right hand side that Kah and Danso. The Timbers almost carved out another opportunity when Diego Valeri had the quick presence of mind to slide the ball up the left to Darlington Nagbe who slipped between two defenders and got to the by line but his cut back could not be met by the oncoming Gaston Fernandez. The game was beginning to open up for the home side halfway through the first half but they were still being very cautious and Landon Donovan was being given too much time on the ball in midfield winning free kicks in some promising positions.
On 29 minutes Rob Friend went very close after some neat interplay in midfield from the Galaxy and his fierce shot from 25 yards barely cleared the top of the crossbar as the Galaxy began to have the better of the play once again and look more like the home side with their high quality passing. Chara was beginning to get into the game and on 39 minutes he stole the ball beautifully on the edge of the 18 yard box as Landon Donovan was about to strike. One minute later, Robbie Keane had the first clear cut chance when Donovan put him through but his low angled shot was saved but Ricketts in the Timbers goal.
As the first half drew to a close, both teams will have settled for a 0-0 score line and hope that more clear chances were to come in the second half as legs tired.
Half Time Score: Portland Timbers 0-0 LA Galaxy
Shots: Portland Timbers 2-7 LA Galaxy
Corners: Portland Timbers 7-4 LA Galaxy
Possession: Portland Timbers 47.6%-52.4% LA Galaxy
2nd Half:
After some early pressure from the LA Galaxy, Steve Zakuani squared the ball to Diego Valeri whose low shot was parried out by Jaime Penedo in the Galaxy goal and Darlington Nagbe’s thunderous follow up was well collected this time by the keeper as the game had a more open feel to it early in the 2nd half. On 59 minutes, a whipped in free kick by Diego Valeri found Futty Danso in plenty of space but his header slammed onto the far post with Penedo well beaten. Futty will have been very disappointed to have missed that opportunity.
On 70 minutes, some excellent play between Darlington Nagbe and Gaston Fernandez ends with a delightful ball slipped through for Zakuani who tumbles and there is a loud call for a penalty but the referee gives nothing as the Timbers look to open the scoring in an entertaining game to watch possession-wise but clear cut chances were few and far between. The Galaxy were also getting half chances and on 74 minutes Baggio Husidic’s shot from 8 yards was blocked out for a corner and then 2 minutes later, Juninho tried a curler from 25 yards off a corner and the ball fizzed past the far post. Not sure that Ricketts would have gotten to that one.
With 15 minutes left on the clock, Caleb Porter made a tactical change and brought on Maxi Urruti for Gaston Fernandez in the hope that his introduction would have the same impact as it did last week, scoring the winner. With 9 minutes to go, some nice work by Robbie Keane picked out Landon Donovan on the edge of the 18 yard box and his lot shot was neatly saved by Ricketts and then 1 minute later, Robbie Keane looked to lob one over Ricketts from 25 yards out by the big Portland keeper was able to tip the ball out for a corner kick.
Goal 92 mins: From out of nothing, a long throw comes in from the right hand side and nobody from the Timbers defense goes to meet it, it bounces up off the turf and still no Timbers defender meets it and in rushes Robbie Keane to slot the ball home in a smash and grab scenario and there almost went the Timbers amazing home unbeaten record in a flash through careless defending. Portland Timbers 0-1 LA Galaxy.
Goal 94 mins: As if the Galaxy goal had woken up the Portland Timbers, they then proceeded to head onto the attack and after some brilliant hold up play in the penalty area by Will Johnson, his cute back heel flick finds Diego Valeri who hammers the ball past Peneda to tie it up and maintain the Timbers unbeaten home record! Portland Timbers 1-1 LA Galaxy.
Summary:
Well, both teams will probably be happy with a point here. The LA Galaxy edged possession and often looked the more dangerous of the two sides as again at home, Portland found chances few and far between in a game that had a lot of intricate passing but little in the way of penetration. The game came to life in the last 3 minutes of injury time when first the Galaxy and then the Timbers scored to make for a thrilling finish, even if the rest of the game wasn’t all that exciting and more like a chess match. There are rumors going around that Portland may try to bring a certain Didier Drogba to the club and he is most certainly the kind of player that they need up front with real presence and the ability to dominate opposing defenders. The Timbers home unbeaten record remains intact but they will look to win next Saturday against Columbus Crew in their 3rd game in a row at home.
Shots: Portland Timbers 10-21 LA Galaxy
Corners: Portland Timbers 10-8 LA Galaxy
Full Time Score: Portland Timbers (Valeri 94 mins) 1-1 LA Galaxy (Keane 92 mins)
World Football Daily
