In a return to Houston for three current Timbers, the team fell in a deep hole early only to claw their way back in the second half and fall short at the end.
Coach John Spencer, who came over to coach the Portland side in the off season after having spent the last 5 years in Houston as an assistant for his close friend, fellow Scot Dominic Kinnear, took his team into Robertson Stadium, desperate to keep their playoff hopes alive in the crowded table and left wanting more after leaving with a 2 to 1 loss. The visit was a homecoming of sorts not only for Spencer but newly-acquired players Lovel Palmer and Mike Chabala, who’ve gained new life as starters for the expansion side boys in green.
The game started well enough for the visiting side with a few shots on goal even with Houston holding a commanding 70 to 30 percent possession number for the first 30 minutes or so. The turning point in this match happened in the 17th minute when Dynamo player Adam Moffat, he of the aforementioned trade between the two sides, hit a beautiful shot from more than 35 yards away that fooled goalie Troy Perkins and hit the upper right corner. The dagger in this game happened 10 minutes later when Brian Ching took a nice pass from Colin Clark and went far side past Perkins to put the home side up by 2 goals.
The two sides came out in the second half much like the first with Houston playing their usual physical game and Portland trying to string some passes together and get deep in the opponents side.
Portland showed flashes of good play when in the 55th minute; Captain Jack Jewsbury took a shot from top of the box and buried it in the back of the net to give the Timbers some hope.
Throughout the second half, the Timbers attacking Mid Sal Zizzo tried to get Portland back into the game without much luck with Kenny Cooper unable to turn any chances into points. Zizzo spent most of the game running up the Houston left side getting past Defender Corey Ashe and crossing passes in front of the box. A few last chance shots on goalie Tally Hall by Cooper; one a near goal off Kenny’s head on a cross were turned away and Houston played keep away for the last few minutes to seal the three points at home.
Team Notes:
- Portland travels to Kansas City for a mid-week game against Sporting that finishes up their longest road stretch of the season of three games against all teams fighting for the last couple of berths in the playoffs.
- Jewsbury returned to the starting XI after having missed two games with a strained hamstring.
- Portland forward Eddie Johnson left the game with his second concussion in two weeks after a collision in the 40th minute. Jorge Perlaza replaced him in the lineup.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
