Well, that got a little awkward at the end there.
The Timbers messed with Texas for pretty much all of Sunday’s 3-2 victory over FC Dallas, riding the Hoops cleanly around the pitch for the first 83 minutes with a newfound aggression and growing cohesion that looked doggone inspired.
But then, Dallas bucked, and the Timbers messed with their fans a bit, showing some grit to gut out a victory that suddenly gave them a sole claim on fourth place out west. Gallop past the jump for SO MUCH MORE on Portland’s perfect first MLS homestand, including the full (subsequently shaky) video of coach John Spencer‘s post-game presser, genuine audio interviews with man-of-the-match Kalif Alhassan, Captain Jack Jewsbury and keeper Jake Gleeson and, of course, EXTRA TIME links you’ll need to keep you warm out on the prairie until Saturday’s game at Los Angeles.
Go on ahead. I reckon you’ll like what you see.
It took 83 minutes for Dallas to show up (Horse-parking near the stadium is a bitch), but when they did, it was like a new sheriff had suddenly rode onto Jeld-Wen Field.
For a team whose tendency early in the season (one whole month ago!) was to give up a score on an early defensive slip, the Timbers have found a new (rather bizarro) way to get their fans’ scarves stretched. Late goals with big leads now seem to be the culprit, though in terms of problems, anyone that starts with a three-goal advantage is fairly decent.
Don’t get the wrong impression by all this highfalutin talk: Positives were aplenty.
With victories in its first two home games, Portland (the club) re-set its identity league-wide and showed it can score, defend and play with a physical style that was only hinted at in the first three matches. Portland (the city), meanwhile, eagerly established its reputation nationally—and that burst-onto-the-scene couldn’t have been better orchestrated if Weiden+Kennedy collaborated with Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce on the launch. The atmosphere in the stadium was as advertised, and the constant level of chanting and singing plays very well on TV simply because it’s not often seen in this country. The anthem, of course, was raucous and unique and universally loved. Then, when it suddenly wasn’t universally loved by one old-timer sports writer (who was probably just confused), the chorus of admiration simply grew.
Thursday night was a happening for Portland (the city), pure and simple, and the performance on the field only fed a celebration that was bound to be high-pitched no matter the score.
But Sunday’s win over Dallas was more important for Portland (the club) because it showed its fortitude and signaled to the rest of the league that the Timbers’ first year in MLS may prove to be larger in scope than a cute story about rowdy fans, clever marketing and authentic atmosphere. Winning two games in four days is hard enough, but when both are packed with extra emotion and any hint of “newness,” nabbing six points becomes an even more arduous task. But six points were indeed nabbed, and seven goals in those two matches now ties the Timbers with the most in the league (seriously? yes) with nine.
For Portland (the club), the biggest part of the homestand is that the offense is displaying a new level of comfort and the defense and goalkeeping, at the end of the day, held their own with backs firmly against the wall. And that’s bigger than the numbers and volume of the fans in their ears combined, because it’ll be the only thing able to resonate when they’re on the road again Saturday against Los Angeles.
And speaking of bouncing sound waves and notions of physical prowess, feel free to rest your eyes and listen to these *exclusive* audio interviews recorded live in the locker room post-game, and try to imagine which of the two gentlemen speaking are in better shape. Hint: One’s a soccer player and the other had a breakfast with “Big Farm” in the title earlier in the day.
Captain Jack Jewsbury—Goal.com’s freshly-minted player of the week—on playing in his 200th MLS match, the energy (and chills) he gets from Timbers Army, steps the team has taken and bringing the momentum down to Los Angeles: “The energy has got to be better no matter where you’re at. It’s about us putting in consistent performances.”
Keeper Jake Gleeson on the frantic ending, the defense in front of him and how the team will keep themselves up without Timbers Army in their ears: “It’s not as easy to get hyped up, I guess, without 20,000 people screaming for you, but we do it. And we gotta to start winning on the road. That’s a big part.”
Man-of-the-Match Kalif Alhassan (2 assists, six ankles-broken) on his breakout performance, the team’s mindset and the not-so-secret way to get two straight wins at home: “This is what we’ve been working for.”
And for you videophiles (or Scottophiles) out there, here’s the full motion picture of Coach John Spencer addressing the press post-game with genuine *shaking* to let you know it was indeed, not filmed by a robot. He talks about the wild finish, the team’s doubters and how he’ll keep the club motivated away from the loving glow of Timbers Army.
EXTRA TIME! Home-cooked links that win, win, win no matter what.
• The turf at the House of Pane is like “a magic carpet” according to Paul Danzer of The Columbian, but the Timbers ride “did not come without turbulence.”
• Geoffrey C. Arnold of The O reminds fans that regardless of the unintentional excitement at the end, a win is a win, while Rachel Bachman outlines the Timbers Army’s “showy history.”
• Timbers Insider Kelly McClain said the team has learned some lessons, but not all of them.
• Dallas huffed and puffed, but Portland’s “house of cards” stood tall, according to Stephen Alexander of The Trib.
• The Associated Press reports the Timbers have established a home-field advantage, while the team’s official site has Doug Binder’s story on Alhassan’s emergence mirroring the team’s and a roundup of notes and quotes.
• Ridge Mahoney of Soccer America has high marks for Alhassan and Perlaza, noting the Timbers may not yet be playoff contenders, but they do boast a top game experience.
• Mao of The Offside offers his report of the Dallas match, noting the “complete collapse” is worrying, but offensive improvement is just as promising.
• If you’re the right shooter, glorious sunlight can yield epic photos. There’s no doubt Craig Mitchelldyer is the right shooter.
• Andrea Canales of Goal.com says after two straight wins, nobody should be taking Portland lightly.
• Seattle supporters are put on notice by Don Ruiz of the Tacoma News-Tribune: The Timbers (and their fans) are legit.
• Kevin Hudson of Portland MLS Press says the Timbers “nearly cracked” but held on.
• More pub for the TA’s anthem: The Week magazine features its favorite opinion (and no, it’s not Bob Ryan’s), and Brian Straus of The Sporting News reports Timbers fans again will be called on to perform “The Star Spangled Banner” for “big events (and) national TV games.”
• Jose M. Romero files his first-hand account of the opener for Soccer by Ives.
• Highlights? You want highlights? OK:
My knees can’t handle 2 games in 4 days!
Time for new knees then