Match Review; Timbers v. Islanders 4/17

I have to admit, I haven’t been homesick for the green land of Oregon since my move; that changed, however, when I could hear the most beautiful sound on planet earth, the Timbers Army, through the speakers of my computer… it was then I realized how far Portland is from me.  That emotional garbage aside, I have to say tonight’s scrappy match was filled with questionable calls, a show stopping goal, promising play and a genuine “WTF?” moment.

The game started off with Puerto Rico in control but didn’t last long, the two squads swapped possession and in the 5′ minute Suzuki set up a beautiful attempt with Brown who missed.  The Islanders didn’t let it go unanswered and sent a header themselves over the bar in the 8th.  Brown was the man upfront but showed some of the early season rust when he took multiple chances, 11′ and 15′, which couldn’t find the back of the net. 

Suzuki showed us all what his job will be when he assisted both Brown multiple times as well as Gregor’s chance in the 40th minute.  Shortly after Gregor’s chance the officiating went Portland’s way when Thompson got elbowed by Atieno which resulted in Red.  The Timbers also got their share of disciplinary action before the end of the half when Suzuki got nailed for delay after he was fouled in the 45′.

The second half was exciting in that it provided us with the first goal but was dull in that the play was stopped so often.  Brown continued to show his potential as he took the first shot of the half in the 47th which didn’t materialize.  The Timbers took control of most the half despite the slower pace caused by the 10 man Islanders.  Brown continued to let himself be known as he headed a cross in the 53′ which was a bit offmark, shorty after the cross Puerto Rico answered back and moved the ball down the field when Scott Thompson stopped the chance.  After the challenge, Thompson got booked for a questionable foul after Noel sold the contact to the already delusional ref.  The Timbers got their share of horrible calls in the second half but all would be forgotten in the 71st. 

Brown gave us all a shot of excitment as he snuck the ball inside the left post in the 71st minute from about 25 yards out with the assist from Potl.  From that point on the game was the Timbers who continued to pick apart the disadvantaged Puerto Rico with the Timbers Army, that found their voice again after the TJ retirement ceremony, providing the soundtrack.

The most hilarious part of the night resulted in us all collectively asking ourselves “wtf?”  How else could we react when in stoppage time one of the assistance for Puerto Rico decided to run out onto the pitch to take the ball from Shaun Higgins who he felt was delaying the game.  The foolish act resulted in some “argy bargy” as they say in the land of tea and powdered wigs.  In the most accurate call of the night, the assistant was sent off; honestly, who does that? 

What did I get from tonight’s match?  I can see Brown becoming the leading scorer this season especially with Suzuki’s assisting ability.  The match wasn’t the high scoring affair I was hoping for but there are plenty of other matches this season and as these cobwebs get removed the 4-0 wins will begin to appear.

This is what I got after realizing Andy McNamera is the USL equivalent of Joe Morgan. 

Portland Timbers		Puerto Rico Islanders
1; Brown(Potl) 71′	Goals	0
10	Shots	7
15	Fouls	11
5	Corners	4
2; Suzuki (Yel. 45′), S. Thompson (Yel. 56′)	Bookings	2; Atieno (Red 41′), (Yel. 58′)

Puerto Rico: Gaudette, Ojeda (Ortiz, 68), Henry, Arrieta, Jones (Delgado, 73), Miranda, Telesford, Villegas, Delgado, Atieno, Noel

Portland Timbers:Burse, Griffin, Thompson, Thompson, Knowles, Potl, Higgins, Olum (Little, 78), Gregor, Brown and Suzuki.

I’ll add and correct information as it’s released, I missed the name of Puerto Rico’s yellow card and can’t seem to find their lineup as of yet.