Report:
Three Cascadia Cup clashes into the season and three games I would gladly watch all over again from start to finish.
Vancouver Whitecaps made history in Portland on Sunday evening with their first ever win against the Timbers in MLS action, putting an end to Portland’s 22 match unbeaten home game streak in the process.
The Caps came through it all 4-3 in the end in a barnstorming and heart stopping encounter that saw them fall behind to a third minute effort from Maxi Urruti before hitting four unanswered goals to take a 4-1 lead.
Two penalties from Pedro Morales and a goal either side of half time from Erik Hurtado and Jordan Harvey did the damage but a stirring late fightback from the Timbers had the Caps’ “sweating”, but they held on in the end for a massive three points.
Carl Robinson went for an unchanged starting line up to last week, but whilst it was the Caps who came out of the traps quickly last Saturday against Seattle, this week it was Portland who bombarded the Vancouver defence early on.
The difference being, the Timbers made it count and got the breakthrough just three minutes in. And what a goal it was.
Darlington Nagbe showed some great control in his own half and found Diego Valeri, who played the perfect ball inside to Maxi Urruti. The Argentine ran in on goal and with the Whitecaps defence pulled out of shape, he fired home past David Ousted and into the top left corner from the edge of the box.
Portland nearly doubled their advantage four minutes later when Nagbe again showed nice footwork, this time in the box, and played the ball back to an onrushing Will Johnson who brought a great save out of Ousted and the danger was cleared.
The Timbers onslaught continued and they had a couple of other half chances, but from nowhere the Whitecaps found themselves back level in the 15th minute after Diego Chara clipped Erik Hurtado in the box and referee Kevin Stott pointed to the spot.
Pedro Morales stepped up to coolly hit it down the middle and it was back to all square.
The goal turned the game and the momentum changed. Vancouver now had their tails up, but it was Portland who nearly retook the lead in the 19th minute when Pa Modou Kah glanced a header off the bar, with Ousted beaten.
It was the visitors who got the next goal and once again it was through a penalty after Jorge Villafana brought down Sebastian Fernandez just inside the box and Morales hit home again from the spot in the 26th minute.
Portland weren’t getting any calls in their favour it seemed and the referee waved away penalty appeals when Valeri went down in the box.
Morales had a great chance to grab his hat-trick in the 37th minute when he had time and space just inside the box, but fired well wide.
With three minutes of the half remaining Hurtado fired narrowly over from close range before finally putting Vancouver 3-1 up two minutes into stoppage time when he forced a point blank stop from Donovan Ricketts six yards out and the rebound hit off his knee and into the net.
Thoughts that Vancouver might sit back and protect their two goal lead were soon dismissed four minutes into the second half when Jordan Harvey hit a trememendous low strike into the bottom right corner after Morales took time to find him with a precision pass.
The Whitecaps were seemingly comfortable but did start to sit back a little and they were punished in the 77th minute when Valeri floated an inch perfect ball into the box and over the head of Jay DeMerit and it allowed Gaston Fernandez to head home past Ousted.
Portland now launched an attacking onslaught and after a couple of close calls they made it a one goal game again after Fenando Adi showed great skill in the box before playing in Will Johnson to rifle home.
The Timbers pushed hard and the Caps’ failed to trouble an injured Ricketts in stoppage time as the final whistle finally game and signalled jubilation for those of a blue and white persuasion both on and off the pitch.
It was back to back away wins for Vancouver and they will be going for the hat-trick at Philadelphia next Saturday.
FINAL SCORE: Portland Timbers 3 – 4 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 20,814
PORTLAND: 1.Donovan Ricketts; 13.Jack Jewsbury, 31.Rauwshan McKenzie, 44.Pa Modou Kah, 19.Jorge Villafana (11.Kalif Alhassan 77’); 21.Diego Chara, 4.Will Johnson; 6.Darlington Nagbe, 8.Diego Valeri, 7.Steve Zakuani (9.Fanendo Adi 57’); 37.Maximiliano Urruti (10.Gaston Fernandez 66’) [substitutes not used: 33.Andrew Weber; 5.Michael Harrington, 17.Michael Nanchoff, 25.Danny O’Rourke]
VANCOUVER: 1.David Ousted; 20.Nigel Reo-Coker, 40.Andy O'Brien, 6.Jay DeMerit, 2.Jordan Harvey; 28.Gershon Koffie,15.Matías Laba; 7.Sebastián Fernández (17.Omar Salgado 78’), 77.Pedro Morales, 23.Kekuta Manneh (31.Russell Teibert 45’); 19.Erik Hurtado (11.Darren Mattocks 66’) [substitutes not used 70.Paolo Tornaghi, 16.Johnny Leverón, 22.Christian Dean, 29.Nicolás Mezquida]
Reaction:
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Quotes
Vancouver Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson
On the result:
“It was a great game today. I think we took our chances and they took a few of their chances, missed a couple. We’ll take it. I think it was a very good performance. Showed a lot of character. We’ve never beaten Portland. I made the guys aware of that before the game. I think the effort and determination shown by [Vancouver] was fantastic.”
On Erik Hurtado’s performance:
“He really has been fantastic. I keep using fantastic. He’s been superb. His confidence level is sky high at the moment and his work rate is phenomenal. He’s done that in front of his family. I was a little worried before the game that he had a lot of family here. When you do that as a young player, you go away from the things you’re good at. He didn’t do that. I thought his movement was excellent. He got his reward with a goal. His holdup play was excellent. So overall a fantastic performance by Erik.”
On the game’s opening 20 minutes:
“They’re a good team. They probably out-possess most teams. I don’t know the possession stats. I’m sure they probably out-possessed us today. They’re very well organized. Caleb’s a super coach. He won the Western Conference last year, so he’s got his team very organized. In possession obviously I think we’re very good. We need to work on that, our possession. It’s the same for them as well. They cause you problems because they’re a good team.”
On Pedro Morales’ performance:
“Two goals, two assists. I brought him here to be a difference maker and he certainly is a difference maker. Prior to tonight’s match and certainly tonight, he enjoyed the occasion. He slowed it down when we needed to. A bit like Diego Valeri. He runs the show for them. It’s great to watch. As a young coach who wants to learn and wants to watch exciting players, today there were a few exciting players on the pitch.”
On the speed of Vancouver’s offensive players:
“If you look at it, predominantly throughout the league, most teams have quick attackers and not very fast defenders. That’s a reality. I’ve got a luxury with more than two or three. Same with Portland. They’ve got Zakuani and they’ve got Darlington [Nagbe] who are excellent running with the ball. If you’ve got them, you have to use them in the right way. You have to find a system that fits those players. It works with Pedro [Morales] in the team because he’s able to pick passes at will. It’s about movement as well. There’s no point being a fast player if you don’t know where to run and don’t know where to move. That’s what we’re working with in this young group, to make them better.”
On Portland’s offensive pressure in the second half:
“If you had said to me before the game would I take a 4-3, I would have. I know we’re a team in there that can score goals. What I’ve got to work on is the defensive side of this group. That’ll take time. The goals are great. I’ve said all along that I’d like to win 4-3 rather than 1-0. We’ve got to tighten up defensively. We were very comfortable in the game at 4-1. They’re a good team. They get back in it at 4-2, then they go 4-3 and suddenly I start sweating.”
On what Vancouver wasn’t doing correctly in the last 15 minutes:
“I wouldn’t say it’s nerves. When you’re tired, your mind stops functioning, your legs stop functioning. You start going away from the things you were doing. Obviously with [Fanendo] Adi coming on and giving a different dimension to [Portland] caused us some problems. They’re hitting long balls, diagonal balls onto him and we weren’t set correctly. We were spread out as a back four and that’s something we need to work on.”
On talking with Caleb Porter after the final whistle:
“We shook hands and things like that. I’ve got a huge amount of respect for Caleb. I’m a young coach. He’s got more experience than me. The way we’re playing, I want to learn from Caleb. The system he plays is what I want to do. I’m sure we’ll argue now and again and that’s what happens, but the respect I’ve got for him is very big.”
On Jay DeMerit’s performance:
“He, along with the back four players, were excellent. You’re going to come under pressure when you come to Portland. They’re one of the top teams in the west, they really are. When they got a little bit of momentum, which they do, they do very well, and they did. It’s important you put your body on the line and the guys put their bodies on the line.”
On the emotions of the match:
“It’s a derby game. We had one last week with Seattle and I was ranting and raving in a game which I thought we should have won. It’s exciting for the coaches, exciting for the players who want to play in big games, exciting for the supporters, both sets today. Our guys traveled down and that’s credit to them. We put on a performance for them and every time you come to Portland the supporters are brilliant.”
Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Erik Hurtado
On scoring in front of friend and family in Portland:
“First of all, the win felt great, on the road, in Portland. All of our fans coming on the road was amazing, and then just to score in front of my family and friends at home where I grew up, just icing on the cake.”
On what Jordan Harvey told him after he won the first penalty:
“He was just telling me keep going at them because I’m faster than them, they can’t handle me. That’s what he told me, so I was just trying to do that.”
On where the ball hit him on his goal:
“My knee. He had a good first save, but I was running towards the rebound and it hit off my knee and went in, or my knee hit the ball and went in.”
On how the team responded after the Timbers scored first:
“No matter what, we’re going to attack, you know. Whether we’re home, whether we’re away, whether we’re down, whether we’re up, we’re going to try and score goals. That’s the kind of team we are, and I think it showed today.”
On the quality of passes coming from Whitecaps FC midfielder Pedro Morales:
“He’s a great passer. He’s really intelligent, you know. When he’s got time on the ball he can pick players apart, you know, and he moves off the ball really well so he creates space for himself so when he gets the ball he has more time than usual.”
On Whitecaps FC’s fan support at the game:
“The fan support was amazing. It’s unreal to see fans travel via a six-hour drive, or an hour flight, which is a lot of money to come down here just for an away game. That shows the support, and shows how much soccer is becoming a big sport in Vancouver, and we’re so appreciative of it. They really helped us throughout the game, and we couldn’t have done it without them.”
On the halftime talk from head coach Carl Robinson:
“Don’t stop. Keep going. Do the same thing we did. We don’t want to change anything. Like I said, if we’re up 3-1, we want to win 6-1, 7-1.”
Vancouver Whitecaps FC defender Jordan Harvey
On Morales’ pass on Harvey’s goal:
“Both teams commit players forward and I took my chance. Tried to get forward and I wasn’t tracked. Obviously, Pedro [Morales] found me back post. I was debating hitting it first time, but I think it would have ended up in the bleachers. So I’m glad I took a touch, before I hit that one.”
On scoring against Portland:
“It’s an amazing atmosphere. Our fans come in such great numbers and obviously [Portland] has some great fans. Everybody raises their level. I think, with that said, everyone does a bit extra and that’s why I take some chances to get forward and good things happen.”
On responding to Portland taking the lead:
“We’ve been doing it all season. We’ve been down and we’ve come back. We knew we could. I don’t think anything needed to be said after [Portland] scored. We knew we were in for a battle. We knew we needed to score a goal or two to win the game so when they scored that first one, we just rolled up our sleeves and played a little bit harder and obviously it worked out.”
On Portland’s offensive pressure in the second half:
“Obviously when [Portland] scored that second one in that second half, you know they’re coming. If you’ve seen them play, I feel like they turn on in the 75th minute on. They really start pushing forward. I think [Fanendo] Adi made a big difference, lumping it in. We need to handle that a little bit better. So we’ll have to look back. They were just lumping balls into the box and we need to do better with that.”
On getting a first win over Portland in Portland:
“It’s amazing. Obviously it means a lot to us. You saw us. We were pretty excited afterwards. We’re working hard for the fans and they really push us forward. It’s a great victory and three points and we’ll carry this into next week.”
On how withstanding Portland’s offense helps confidence:
“Absolutely. We had a three-goal cushion and so we don’t want to give up that many goals in a half ever again. I thought it was just hard work and I thought Jay [DeMerit] did an amazing job in there, getting his head on the ball. Especially after last week and the penalty call. I think he came back and had an amazing performance. I thought Andy [O’Brien] did a great job and David [Ousted] made some great saves to keep us in the game. It was huge.”
On whether Vancouver let up after going up 4-1:
“I think we did a little bit, take our foot off the pedal. We kept the ball, kept possession, but I think you still need to keep going to goal, start creating more chances. The game opened up and we were content with just keeping the ball. We need to go to goal and create stuff. We’ll look back and see what we can do better, but it was enough. We’ll take the three points and run.”
Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Pedro Morales (Translated from Spanish)
On his two penalty kicks:
“I usually just go by feel and I kind of just decide at the moment where I want to go and that’s what I did today.”
About the nerves toward the end of a close game:
“A little bit. You think they could tie it up but in reality I wasn’t that nervous. We did really well and had a great game against a rival team.”
How he felt about the atmosphere in a big Cascadia derby match on the road:
“It was a great atmosphere. I love playing in front of a crowd like this where they get behind their players like that.”
On what he saw on Jordan Harvey goal:
“The defense was quite narrow at that point so I knew if I played it to Jordan (Harvey) he’d have a lot of time.”
On his ability to play creatively and open in tonight’s game:
“I think it has a lot to do with work ethic and a ridiculous amount of running opens up space for me. I’m just happy with the way the team performed today.
Portland Timbers Quotes
Timbers head coach Caleb Porter
Overall thoughts on the game:
“I don’t like losing, neither do my guys. We’re not happy because we didn’t win. We’re not happy at some things that happened in the game. I will credit Vancouver because I thought they scored a couple great goals today. For me, the third goal and fourth goals, fair goals. We weren’t good enough in those situations either, but you’ve got to credit them. They’re a good team. Very good team, they’ve got good players, and we knew that going in. I told my guys before the game, I thought they were one of the best teams in the league, so they deserve credit. But the result was unfair in my opinion.”
On the PK calls for Whitecaps FC:
“For me it’s less about the PK calls, it’s about the ones that weren’t called. I don’t have a problem. Refs make calls, but if you’re going to make a call, you better do it the same both ways, plain and simple. There were some calls that we didn’t get, I thought. The Valeri play — if you’re going to call a PK the other way, then you have to call that one too. Later, handball. Hit his arm. If you’re going to call a PK, two of them, I’ll accept that, but you better give them on the other end, too. That’s where I have a problem, not the calls that were made, but the ones that weren’t made. It has to be consistent the way a ref calls the game.”
On the continued resiliency of the club, despite trailing by three goals:
“This team has never lacked intensity, never lacked spirit, and they didn’t lack it tonight.”
On the reason for the shift in the game after the strong first 10 minutes:
“We gave up two PKs. We absolutely dominated the start of the game, anyone watching saw we dominated and scored a fantastic first goal and then hit the post on another to go 2-0. The first time they got close to our goal was the PK. Then 10 minutes later there's another and the game is turned on its head. We could have responded better. Thought the third goal was tough as it gave them cushion going into dressing room. Then they score the fourth right away after halftime so the timing of those two goals made it difficult. But the two PKs definitely were a major factor in the game."
On moving on from the game:
“We’re moving on, simple. This game’s over. This game’s done. I’ve said that since I got here about our process win, lose or draw we file it away and move on. If we would have won the game, there’s still another game around the corner. We lose the game, there’s another game around the corner. It doesn’t change a thing. Obviously it's been a long week and tough to lose this last one at home but the reality is we still got six points out of this three-game stretch, so it's not all bad."
On the play of forward Fanendo Adi late in the game:
“Yeah, it’s late in the game. We’re down three goals, we needed to get balls in the box, obviously he’s a guy who can flick things on. He’s a load in there in the box, and I thought obviously late in the game we made an aggressive push. We played three in back. We can’t play like that the entire game, but I thought it obviously it helped us pull two goals back. Thought we should have gotten the fourth to level, too."
Portland Timbers defender Jack Jewsbury
On the team being able to move on from tonight’s loss:
“Absolutely. It’s on to the next game. That’s the way we’ve approached it all year, whether we would have won this game or not.”
On the second-half comeback:
“At the end of the day, we didn’t want to rally like that as much as we’ve had to so far. We know we can do it. This group has got that mentality to come back once we give up the lead. We started the game well, especially the first 15-20 minutes getting the goal. I thought we were on the front foot and really put them on their heels. A couple goals go against you, all of sudden the game’s turned and maybe we lost our way a little through the middle of the first half, but this group kept fighting until the end.”
On the team’s mentality during this busy stretch of games:
“We realized our goal going into an eight-day stretch with three games was to get nine points. When you look back on it the first two on the road, some people would say we did the hard part. Then coming back here we felt very confident. I think everyone on this team for the past week has shown that they belong; we used a lot of guys in different roles. It’s just disappointing the last step of that process was to get three points today and we fell a bit short.”
On the result:
“I’m disappointed. Anytime we score three goals at home we assume we’ll get three points. Defensively, we’ve got to do better. Whether the two PKs were or not, I will have to look at them again, they seemed pretty light. At the end of the day on the defensive side we’ve got to be better.”
Portland Timbers forward Darlington Nagbe
On the non-penalty kick call on Diego Valeri:
“It is what it is on our home field. We played well and we gave them a chance. The calls didn’t go our way. It is what it is.”
What’s the feeling of the team after the match:
“We know if we can just eliminate individual mistakes. We scored three goals so if we limit those two PKs. We keep playing, that’s it.”
On how the match ranks when it comes to frustrating games:
“Probably top two. We still feel the hurt.”
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