Whitecaps FC Blanked by Timbers 2-0
March 26, 2010 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Vancouver Whitecaps News Release
Vancouver Whitecaps FC suffered their third defeat of the pre-season after falling 2-0 to Pacific Northwest rivals Portland Timbers in Tukwila, Washington, on Friday morning.
First-half goals by new Timbers signing Doug DeMartin and trialist striker Bright Dike gave the Oregon outfit victory in this friendly meeting between two USSF D-2 Pro League clubs at the Starfire Sports Complex.
A cool and windy Washington State morning greeted both sets of players, with both Vancouver and Portland in the midst of preparations for their final seasons at the North American second division level before moving to Major League Soccer in 2011.
The first half proved a disappointing one for the Blue and White, who struggled to match the performances of previous pre-season friendlies with their display during the opening 45 minutes.
The Timbers, who have had a solid pre-season campaign to this stage, opened the scoring on 12 minutes. Portland midfielder Ryan Pore struck a forward ball over the top of the Whitecaps backline to the edge of the Vancouver box. The ball allowed striker DeMartin to get in between the 'Caps defenders and the onrushing Jay Nolly, where he claimed possession and slipped a shot into an empty net for a 1-0 lead.
Teitur Thordarson's side looked to reply and had opportunities to equalize before the break. Dever Orgill was unable to make the most of a half chance, while on 35 minutes, Timbers goalkeeper Steve Cronin was forced to punch clear Ricardo Sanchez's free kick into the Portland box. The 'Caps then came even closer when winger Ansu Toure hit the post with a goal-bound strike.
The missed chances proved costly to the outcome of the contest, as the Timbers doubled their lead on 41 minutes. Pore was again the Portland provider, as he found trialist striker Dike with a forward ball from the halfway line. Having pulled away from his Whitecaps marker, Dike took advantage of Nolly coming off his goal line by lobbing his finish over the Vancouver number one's head and into the empty net for a 2-0 halftime lead.
Having endured a difficult first 45 minutes, Thordarson introduced Zourab Tsiskaridze and Chris Williams into his backline for Blake Wagner and Justin Moose, with Wes Knight moving from right fullback to the right-hand side of midfield for the start of the second half.
The changes brought new resolve to the 'Caps, who were far improved as a side after the restart. Marlon James had the first real chance after play resumed, but Cronin was equal the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines international, as he denied the big striker one-on-one in the Timbers box.
Further Whitecaps chances fell to Orgill and second-half substitute Randy Edwini-Bonsu, while on 70 minutes, Portland centre back Stephen Keel did well to clear away a dangerous inswinging corner from Whitecaps captain Martin Nash.
The Whitecaps were then reduced to ten men after Nolly was sent off for a professional foul on Dike near the end of the match. Williams misjudged his back pass to the Vancouver keeper and forced Nolly to commit a professional foul on the Portland striker just outside of the Whitecaps box. The sending off meant back-up keeper Dan Pelc had to come on for second-half substitute Alex Semenets to see out the remaining moments.
After a slow start, Thordarson felt his side finished Friday's game in a strong fashion. "I thought it was a tight and even game, actually," he told whitecapsfc.com. "Other than the two goals that they scored, Portland didn't create that many chances, while we didn't manage to score on our opportunities. The two goals we conceded in the first half were individual mistakes on our part, and overall, we didn't play as well in the first half, as we had been doing during pre-season. However, we were better in the second half, and so much so, that the match looked a very different type of contest altogether."
Friday's defeat took the Whitecaps pre-season record to 2W-3L-1D. Thordarson's side now return home for their final pre-season friendly match, as they visit the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds on Wednesday afternoon. Kick off is set for 5:30 p.m. PT. Portland, meanwhile, remain undefeated in the pre-season with a record of 3W-0L-1D. The Timbers are back in action on Saturday versus the University of Portland Pilots.
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North American Soccer League Stories from March 26, 2010
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