Caleb Porter and the Timbers’ coaching staff look on as their team falls 1-0 at home to Sporting Kansas City. He said after the game that a loss like this is “devastating.”
We’ve reached the time of the season when, with both recent and not-so-recent results weighing on the team, both the team and some among the fan base are counting points and mapping routes into the playoffs. Soccer math.
Points dropped early in the season, “deserved” wins that didn’t materialize, missed opportunities now combine with watching the results of the teams above and below the Timbers in the table. Soccer math.
Frustrations are mounting. Not finding results, Porter said after last night’s game, is “really hard to swallow. You leave the game empty-handed, you leave the game thinking to yourself you don’t know how you are empty-handed.”
With the 1-0 loss to Sporting, the Timbers sit in seventh place, tied on points with San Jose but with a game in hand. With just three games left in the season, and two of those on the road, the Timbers are still in playoff contention but will need to remember that every point counts, especially those dropped early in the season.
Scoring Summary
SKC: Nemeth (Zusi), 83
Misconduct Summary
POR: Adi (Caution), 70
SKC: Feilhaber (Caution), 74
POR: Valeri (Caution), 80
SKC: Melia (Caution), 88
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Kwarasey, D Powell, D Borchers, D Ridgewell ©, D Villafaña (Urruti, 84), M Chara, M Jewsbury (Asprilla, 80), M Nagbe, M Valeri, M Wallace (Melano, 62), F Adi
Substitutes Not Used: GK Gleeson, D Paparatto, D Peay, M Fochive
TOTAL SHOTS: 17 (Valeri, Nagbe, Melano, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Nagbe, 3); FOULS: 15 (Chara, 3); OFFSIDES: 5; CORNER KICKS: 6; SAVES: 3
SKC: GK Melia, D Abdul-Salaam, D Ellis (Palmer-Brown, 80), D Besler ©, D Dia, M Feilhaber, M Lopez, M Quintilla, M Hallisey (Zusi, 46), M Añor, F Peterson (Nemeth, 73)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Kempin, D Anibaba, M Okugo, F Dwyer
TOTAL SHOTS: 8 (Añor, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Four players tied, 1); FOULS: 14 (Lopez, 3); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: 6
Referee: Ismail Elfath
Assistant Referees: Eric Boria, Adam Garner
4th Official: Baboucarr Jallow
Attendance: 21,144
