Timbers share honors with Whitecaps
Photo by Galo Legarda, El Hispanic News
By Galo Legarda
El Hispanic News
Portland, OR — On a rainy, stormy, and thunderous Saturday night, the Portland Timbers let go of a victory against the Vancouver Whitecaps with the final score of 1–1.
The first half that did not provide many clear scoring chances for either team, but the Timbers had control of the game with eight attempts on goal versus one from the visiting team. Near the end of the first half, a lighting storm and heavy rain that sent fans in the uncovered sections of Jeld-Wen Field running for shelter.
The second half was delayed about 30 minutes due to the weather and kicked off at 8:35 p.m. The officials considered it unsafe to play during the thunder storm.
The second half started with the best play of the season by the Timbers. They were dynamic and created a lot of danger in the Whitecaps goal area.
At the 50th minute, Darlington Nagbe had the clearest chance so far, when he received a pass from the right by Jorge Perlaza inside the 18-yard box. Nagbe’s light touch on the ball went barely over the crossbar of goalkeeper Joe Cannon.
The goal came at the 68th minute with a bicycle kick in slow motion by Krys Boyd after the goalie deflected a cross-loft ball by Timbers’ captain Jack Jewsbury. Jewsbury received the ball after Kalif Alhassan recovered it after a throw inside the Withecaps’ 18-yard box.
The Timbers kept attacking and were close to scoring again but were out of luck.
The equalizer came at the 84th minute by Darren Mattocks. Mattocks received a ball at the top of the box from Eric Hassli, dominated it with his chest, and shot to goal for the final 1-1 score.
Alhassan made in play in which he drove the ball in the 18-yard box past two defenders and got taken down with a foul, but the referee, Jorge González, did not made the call. The Timbers’ players and coaching staff were not happy about the referee’s decision.
After the game Timbers coach Jon Spencer said he’s noticed that there are important calls in “key moments of the game” that are going against the Timbers.
“I am absolutely astonished that we never got a PK [penalty kick],” Spencer said about the foul on Alhassan. “I’ve watched it time and time again and it’s a reckless challenge, two-footed challenge, off the ground, inside the box, and he never gets a piece of the ball at all.”
“It was a penalty,” player Diego Chará said. “There are many games in which [the referees] have not made calls [in our favor] that were very clear, and we are worried about that because we have been called on childish fouls, but in the end you cannot fight it and we just have to get ready for the next game.”
The next game for the Timbers is this Wednesday, May 30, against Cal FC for the Open Cup at 7:30 p.m. at Jeld-Wen Field. Team’s will then play in in L.A. against the Galaxy on June 17 at 4 p.m. at the Home Depot Center.
Este artículo también está disponible en / This post is also available in: Spanish
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