Portland Timbers Recap CONCACAF

The first ever CONCACAF Champions League game in Oregon was not one without incident, but it will go down long in the memory of Timbers fans for years to come. Tuesdays encounter with CD Olimpia, the much vaunted Honduran outfit, took place in a packed Providence Park where the fans anticipated a hard-fought match with one of the best teams in the North American club scene.

An array of different goal scorers and incidents puts the game down as one of the best in recent times, and the return of the likes of Darlington Nagbe to the side can only be good news for a Timbers team that is really beginning to find its form, and make use of the collective squad depth that they have created. The game started with a flurry of Olimpia chances, until Max Urruti scored the first goal of the night. Urruti slotted the home in –between traffic to give his team the lead, but it only took Olimpia nine minutes to equalize as Alvarez flicked the ball in from a corner.

The next goal for the Timbers, a long rage drive from Captain Will Johnson, was very much the fault of the keeper as he was found way off his line as the ball deflected off the keeper and into the top corner. Quioto of Olimpia found the equalizer as he handled over the line to put the score at 2-2, the Timbers argued against it but it was not to be.

The second half was far cagier, and it took a brilliant Johnson ball straight through for Urruti, who then took the dink over the back line before chipping it himself over the onrushing Valladares, finishing with aplomb. Gaston Fernandez then put in a vicious corner and McKenzie made no mistake, finishing the game off and giving the Timbers a chance at really putting their ascendency in place over the next few weeks.

With a big weekend match coming up against the Whitecaps, it’s vital that momentum is kept with the team. They have been in great form in recent weeks and this upturn means that a win against the Whitecaps could actually send the club ahead of them in the rankings – a lot of hard work is needed before that can happen, but nothing quite does the same for team morale than a win against a tough opponent in midweek.

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