PORTLAND — Nothing was going to be decided on Sunday at Providence Park, so the fact that the Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps played to a scoreless draw could end up being good news for Portland.
The two-leg MLS Western Conference semifinal matchup will conclude on Nov. 8 in British Columbia.
The Whitecaps will have home-field advantage. The Timbers will have the advantage of knowing that away goals are the first tie-breaker. If Portland scores in that match, a draw would advance the Timbers to the conference final.
Timbers coach Caleb Porter called his team’s effort outstanding. Sure, he would have liked to take a lead north next weekend, but the big number was the zero for Vancouver.
“We got a couple chances. Those didn’t fall, but we were outstanding defensively. We were the team that was on the ball,” Porter said.
The Timbers blanked the Caps on Sunday without starting goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey, who had a stomach illness. Jake Gleeson, who hadn’t played in an MLS game since 2011, made three saves for the shutout.
Vancouver goalkeeper David Ousted had to work for his shutout. He was credited with six saves — the best of them preventing a Diego Valeri free kick from putting the Timbers on the board in the 72nd minute — and also had to deal with several difficult crosses and traffic in the box as the Timbers gained momentum in the second half.
In the 89th minute, Maxi Urruti nearly played last-minute hero for the second game in a row. Off a buildup, Valeri pushed a diagonal ball to Urruti whose shot from 8 yards out to the left of goal caught the right post.
“Maybe it evens out from Thursday, with the post hurting us instead of helping us this game,” Porter said with a smile. On Thursday, of course, posts prevented two Sporting Kansas City penalty kicks that would have ended the Timbers season.
Coming off of that physically and emotionally draining game on Thursday, the Timbers seemed to gain energy as Sunday’s match moved along. Portland played its best soccer after halftime, slowing the tempo a bit to maintain possession and limit the counter-attack that the Whitecaps thrive upon.
“(The Whitecaps) put a lot of numbers behind the ball. I think we controlled the game,” Valeri said. “It was good because we were patient and we found some very clear chances to score. We were a little bit unlucky.”
For example, Valeri’s free kick in the 72nd minute from about 28 yards was going into the upper right corner. But Ousted dove and got just enough of the ball to steer it wide.
“It was an amazing save,” Valeri said.
None of Gleeson’s saves was particularly difficult as Portland emphasized possession and positioning in front of him. Gleeson said he enjoyed the opportunity, and said central defenders Liam Ridgewell and Nat Borchers made his job easy. Gleeson said he didn’t need to say much because the Timbers defenders were always in the right spot.
“Everything was so cohesive. It was easy to slide in and just be comfortable back there,” Gleeson said.
Borchers said there were no communication issues.
“Jake’s confident. He played well. He commanded his box very well,” Borchers said.
Portland’s best first-half chance came in the eighth minute when Lucas Melano reached a low cross from Rodney Wallace, but his sliding attempt went right to Ousted.
In the first half, Vancouver had several looks from straight away just inside the 18-yard box, but Gershon Koffie and Octavio Rivero each missed the target once and Rivero squibbed a shot that was handled by Gleeson.
Halfway through this home-and-home battle, the Timbers are looking forward to a bit of rest. And they go to Vancouver knowing that they have won their last three road matches — and that another draw might be good enough.
Timbers 0, Whitecaps 0
What it means: The Timbers need a win or a draw that isn’t 0-0 in the game at Vancouver on Nov. 8 to advance to the Western Conference finals. If that game ends scoreless, an extra 30 minutes will be played, followed by penalty kicks if needed.
Up next: The teams play the second leg of the Western Conference semifinal series on Nov. 8 at B.C. Place in Vancouver.
Lineup notes: Gleeson played in a MLS match for the first time since 2011, when he played in four matches (three starts) for the injured Troy Perkins. He made 12 saves and gave up six goals in those appearances. … Kwarasey trained and spoke with the media on Saturday, but suffered from stomach illness Saturday night and into Sunday morning according to coach Caleb Porter. Goalkeeper was the only lineup change from the starting XI for Portland in Thursday’s knockout-round win over Sporting Kansas City. … Diego Chara was not available for the second consecutive match because of a foot injury, but Porter said he expects the defensive midfielder to be available next week.
