All good things must come to an end and last Sunday the Columbus Crew handed Portland their first road loss of the season. Bernardo Anor scored the only goal of the game in the fifth minute to end the Timbers’ 15 match unbeaten run. This loss moves Portland into fourth place in the West, just one point ahead of the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Portland started off sluggish and it cost them immediately in both goals and players. Columbus scored off a corner in the 5th minute due to poor marking and build up play from the Timbers’ defense. Bernardo Anor was left wide open in the box and pounded a Federico Higuain cross past Donovan Ricketts. This is typically the time that Portland begins imposing their will on the game. Instead, a series of defensive blunders put the Timbers down a man for 79 minutes.
Pa Modou Kah received two cards over a five minute span causing him to be sent off the field in the 11th. Kah was yellow carded in the sixth when he took down Dominic Oduro to prevent him from pouncing on a loose back-pass. Minutes later, Oduro played a ball into the box that fell between Kah and Aaron Schoenfeld. Kah mishandled the ball, allowed Schoenfeld to get in front of him, and in a moment of desperation kicked high and cleared Schoenfeld’s face instead of the ball.
Referee Jorge Gonzalez showed Kah a straight red and awarded Columbus a penalty kick. Federico Higuain walked up to take his sixth penalty kick of the season and put the ball wide left. In 2013 he has buried four of six penalty kicks for a 66% conversion percentage.
Playing with 10 men really hurt the possession and passing based game that Portland likes to play. Kalif Alhassan was immediately replaced by Mamadou Danso in the 13th to compensate for the loss of Kah. The rest of the half was made up of Portland’s defense passing between itself and Donovan Ricketts.
The Timbers’ first real attacks came in the second half and for a while a comeback was in sight. Andrew Jean-Baptiste and Diego Valeri both had great chances but neither put their attempts on frame. Valeri received the ball at the top of the box from Jose Valencia and put a first-touch shot over the crossbar. Darlington Nagbe struck Portland’s first and only shot on goal of the game in the 86th minute. He cut inside from the wing and tried to bend the ball past Columbus keeper Matt Lampson. Lampson dove to his left and deflected the shot out for a Timbers throw.
The referee gave an extra six minutes of play but it made no difference. Portland was able to hold steady while down a man, but the lack of Will Johnson in the midfield and speed on the wing was too much to overcome.
Game Notes:
● Will Johnson is more than just Portland’s captain, he is their director in the midfield. Johnson’s ability to move the ball forward is vital to keeping possession and creating attack. He has just been released from international duty by Canada due to sickness. While it’s slim, there is a chance he could play this Saturday.
● This loss puts Portland just three points ahead of Colorado and a single point in front of Vancouver. While the Timbers are third in Points Per Game, taking any points from LA on Saturday is important.
● I can’t wait for Jamaican international and new Timber Alvas Powell to join the club in Portland. A young, promising player in a position of need (fullback and defensive mid) excites me. With Nanchoff out on loan, Portland has room for another player too.
(image courtesy of Alex Holt/Dispatch)
