Photo Diego Diaz
Saturday, September 10, 2022
Providence Park was shrouded in a smoky haze that gave the stadium a very ominous feel as the Portland Timbers hosted Minnesota United in one of their final home matches of the regular season.
Minnesota dominated the first half of tonight’s match out shooting Portland 13 to 4. The Timbers started off with Yimmi Chara attempting a header in the 5th minute that went just high of the goal. The Loons responded with four shots in the 10th minute starting with a missed attempt by fullback Alan Beítez then Mender García immediately followed with a shot that was saved by Timbers keeper, Aljaz Ivacic. Minnesota continued to play on with a blocked close range header by Luis Amarilla followed by a missed shot by midfielder Wil Trapp.
The Timbers continued to be forced to play on the defensive when Minnesota’s forward, Mender García, had a missed shot in the 15th minute and a shot saved in the 17th. Minnesota’s Kervin Arriaga’s free kick in the 27th minute was too high to find the net. The Timbers’ best chance of the first half came from Dairon Asprillia’s high header off a cross by Sebastian Blanco in the 34th minute.
García had a close chance with a right footed shot from the center of the box that went just wide in the 36th minute and Arriaga had a missed shot in the 42nd minute. The Timbers ended the first half with a yellow card going to fullback Claudio Bravo in the 43rd minute.
Living up to the reputation that they are a second half team, the Portland Timbers came out of the locker room after the half with a different energy than they had in the first. Their attacking midfielder, Eryk Williamson, had a close attempt on goal in the 59th minute with the assist by Sebastian Blanco. In the 60th minute the Timbers earned a corner kick that led to a cross by Santiago Moreno and finished with a textbook header by Dairon Asprillia. This time the ball found its way to the back of the net putting the Timbers on the scoreboard.
Minnesota continued to fight with a shot by Wil Trapp saved in the 65th minute and another shot by Robin Lod saved in the 71st. García came close to an equalizing goal in the 76th minute but missed just to the right of the goal.
Lod had another shot saved in the 85th minute followed by Timbers’ defender, Zac McGraw, being shown the yellow. He will have to sit out the next match due to yellow card accumulation. Portland’s Diego Chara drew a foul in the 88th minute that resulted in Minnesota’s Kemar Lawrence getting a yellow card.
The Timbers pushed forward into stoppage time with a missed attempt by midfielder Christian Paredes, who was substituted in for Williamson in the 84th minute, followed by a missed attempt by Moreno in the 90 +4 minute. The final whistle blew with the Timbers beating Minnesota United 1-0. With the win, the Timbers currently sit in 5th place in the Western Conference standings.
