Picture Credit Gerrit Te Hennepe
The Vancouver Whitecaps’ dominance paid off with a win at home over a jaded Portland Timbers not showing anything offensively and it is becoming alarming after posting no shots on goal in either half.
The Caps were on their game and governing the match with 57.6 % possession over the course of the game after coming strong in the first half with a whopping 64.5% possession versus 35% for the Timbers.
Still, nothing was negative after seeing Timbers keeper Aljaz Ivacic rising to the occasion after a one-of-a-kind performance delivering with a game high eight saves!
Ivacic in the early stages of the game made a couple of saves, one on a Pedro Vite missile of a shot that was saved in the fourth minute as well in the seventh on Mathias Laborda.
The Timbers also had some sort of luck a couple of times when Ranko Veselinovic was called offside in the 30th minute and later on having a goal disallowed in the 51st minute when he was called for a foul over Dario Zuparic.
As Giovanni Savarese made some moves to try to step up his attack, in the end nothing changed when Niezgoda came for Ikoba on 46 minutes, Boli came in for Moreno in the 66th minute and Fogaca for Mosquera in the 81st.
Saturday’s result puts the Portland Timbers with a record of (1-4-2, 5 points) and still inoperative on the road lacking positive results, as Gio stated that they will survive with the players he still has available.
The moves done by Gio never became game effective for his Timbers, and without a productive and creative midfield, get ready for a long season, as the returns of Yimmi Chara, Cristhian Paredes, and Sebastian Blanco are not due to return anytime soon.
So, what’s left for the Timbers as Diego Chara is not an offensive midfielder, but a defensive one and occasionally can make a play or two? Santi Moreno is struggling to find his game and is on a slump and Diego Gutierrez couldn’t convert any play into a dangerous one.
With Ikoba, Mosquera, and Aspirilla in the attack, still the Timbers numbers couldn’t lie with both halves not showing any shots at goal and in the end only two shots made in the entire game.
In the 79th minute, Mosquera created the only opportunity at goal with a shot that became just an intent at goal and the shot going to the stands, as the Colombian is becoming the Timbers’ number one option in attack.
Next week, the Cascadia Derby at its best when the Timbers face off their up-north foes the Seattle Sounders at home, but in the end away or at home they need to be much more effective in their offensive game.
Defense wins games for sure, but for how much time the defense can hold when a team becomes aggressive in its attack and despite the efficacy these shown, in the end Ivacic couldn’t do anything on Brian White’s goal of the game in the 74th minute.
Goals
Brian White 74’ VAN
Man of the Match
Aljaz Ivacic
Picture Credit Gerrit Te Hennepe
(Editor’s Note: For more of Gerrit Te Hennepe’s photos from Saturday’s match, please click the link.)
Portland Timbers
