Portland Timbers route LA Galaxy 4-0 heading into the All Star Break
In the week leading up to tonight’s Galaxy versus Timbers matchup, there was a bit of controversy with the Angelino team. Many spectators wondered if leading Galaxy goal scorer, Zlatan, should’ve been suspended for the elbow on Mohamed El-Munir in their 3-2 win over LAFC last week. With no suspension coming from the MLS Discipline Committee, Galaxy hoped to enter the All Star Break on a two-game winning streak.
Portland came into tonight’s game having lost 5 out of their last 7 home games. Diego Chará was suspended and would not suit up; of the Timbers last 25 games without Chará, they haven’t managed to win a single one. The Timbers could count on former Necaxa player, Brian Fernandez, who came into tonight having scored nine goals in seven matches.
From the beginning, Galaxy showed flashes of sloppy play. In the fifth minute, after Jonathan Dos Santos lost the ball in the midfield, Brian Fernandez received the ball at the top of the 18 yard box and put it wide to alert LA’s defense. Just a few minutes later, Antuna got a ball in the air, stoped it with his chest, brought it down then proceeded to beat his defender down the left line and put it into play for Zlatan but the Lion put too much on it sending it over the crossbar.
Galaxy kept on attacking creating chances trying to open up the scoring. In the 12th minute of play Zlatan filtered a through ball to Antuna leaving him one on one with the keeper. Uriel took one too many touches allowing Portland’s defense to recover and force a corner. At the 21st minute, Diego Valeri of Portland stole the ball from the Galaxy yet again, taking a shot on Bingham, but he was able to stop it, keeping the game leveled. Just a few minutes later Fernandez got a nice ball down the left line, taking a shot on goal with LA’s defense closing in but Bingham saved it once more to keep the scoreboard at zero.
The game would not stay leveled for long. Jorge Moreira got the ball and put a nice cross into play behind Galaxy’s defense in the 37th minute where Cristhian Paredes, on loan from Club America, headered it in, opening up the scoring. Just four minutes later, in the 41st minute, Sebastian Blanco sent Diego Veleri on a run where he took the ball down the left side, then taking it down the line, nutmegging his defenders and putting the home team up 2-0. Both goals came from a counter attack after Galaxy’s back-to-back shots on goal.
By the half, Portland controlled 53 percent of possession with eight shots on goal, five of them being on target. Portland seemed the more eager team from start to finish. Everything that seemed to be working for the Galaxy last week was not falling through today.
Los Galácticos looked like the more eager team entering the second-half but struggled to get anything going. For their part, Portland kept trying to take advantage of the Angelinos through their counter-attacks.
In the 65th minute, the LA Galaxy looked to take advantage of a corner. The ball landed in front of Right-Back, Rolf Fletcher, as he tried to back heel it into goal, but it was nothing Portlands keeper couldn’t handle. Just ten minutes later in the 75th minute, Zlatan put a ball into play for Antuna who tried to first touch it but Steve Clark, Portland’s keeper, met him halfway and kept the clean sheet for the home team.
Los Angeles kept looking to bring the deficit down to a goal, while the Timbers looked for their insurance goal. They would get that goal in the 81st minute. Jorge Villafaña took the ball down the left line, put it into play for Paredes who curled it in making it 3-0. A few minutes later in the 88th minute, Villafaña put the ball into play for Bobassi to header it in for the 4-0.
Steve Clark deserved Man of the Match honors, as he single handily changed the outcome of this game that could have easily gone the other way around. Behind a brace from Cristhian Paredes, the Portland Timbers have managed their sixth straight game without a loss and put themselves, for now, in playoff contention.
The LA Galaxy had their chances but could not seem to convert and open up the scoring. This season we have seen two different teams in the LA Galaxy; a team that when they play well is one of the most difficult to beat and the one that seems to not be able to get anything to go right. Zlatan has put it best, it doesn’t matter if you come in as the favorites, when you do you lose and when you don’t you win.
LA Galaxy will visit Atlanta United next Saturday and be without Diego Polenta, who received a red card in 90’ 4+ minute of play and Efrain Alvarez, who also received a red in the 84th minute, the first of his career. For their part, Portland who only has two road games left for the remainder of the season, will visit Minnesota after the All Star break.
