Having put a couple of significant check marks on their to-do list, the Portland Timbers now will face the task of maintaining momentum.
FC Dallas, last season’s MLS Cup runner up, visits Jeld-Wen Field for a 3 p.m. match on Sunday. Given the quick turnaround, the Timbers certainly will welcome the energy boost their fans provide.
“It’s definitely up there with some of the best experiences I’ve ever had, just a magical atmosphere,” said Kenny Cooper, who has played in some of soccer’s European cathedrals. “It was a great privilege to be on that field.”
In addition to the energy from the crowd, one of the highlights of Thursday’s 4-2 win over the Chicago Fire was getting two goals from Colombian forward Jorge Perlaza.
The first goal was the result of a perfectly-timed run to get behind the defense, but also required patience to elude Chicago goalkeeper Sean Johnson and a Fire defender. His second goal came when Johnson bobbled the ball early in the second half.
“I’ve said it time and time again that this is a difficult league for foreign players to come and do well in,” Timbers head coach John Spencer said. “I think he’s clicking on to it, his pace in the first half at times was magnificent and he showed tremendous composure.”
“It’s an indescribable feeling and I hope I can keep working to the best of my ability with the great opportunity that they’re giving me here,” Perlaza said through an interpreter. “I just need to take advantage of every opportunity I get.”
Cooper would have gone down in history as the first goal scorer at Jeld-Wen Field if not for a rare decision by the assistant referee who ruled that Jack Jewsbury’s corner kick bent behind the goal-line before finding Cooper’s head.
That decision might have been controversial had the game unfolded differently. Besides, Cooper probably should have been called for a handball in the scramble that led to Portland’s important fourth goal.
Bottom line, Portland was the more opportunistic team on Friday. The speed of the Fire forwards did cause some trouble for the Timbers, but for the most part Portland’s defense played smart and simple and avoided trouble by surrendering 13 corner kicks.
The result was frustrating for the Fire, but the atmosphere at Jeld-Wen made a positive impression on the visitors.
“It’s a top notch stadium, the fans are fantastic,” Fire captain Logan Pause said. “They definitely put a lot of emotion and energy into this game in opening a new stadium, a new expansion team in the MLS, they did enough and more to win and get three points.”
Looking ahead, Spencer said the Timbers’ defensive play needs to improve.
“Don’t give goals up,” Spencer said. “If you win 3-0 or you win 4-0 and walk away it’s a complete game. But to give two goals up in the manner that we did, I think you’ve got to keep clean sheets and win games.”
Thursday’s win, the club’s first in MLS, won’t be forgotten soon.
“It’s a great win, it’s a historic win,” said Rodney Wallace, who scored Portland’s second goal on Thursday. “Being in the first year as an MLS club, it’s an amazing feeling to be in front of the fans that came out. We’re really happy to be in this situation, but we can’t dwell on it because we’ve got to look forward to Dallas on Sunday.”
