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Timbers Fall 2-0 to Impact in Montreal

April 28, 2012 - Major League Soccer (MLS) Portland Timbers

MONTREAL - A penalty-kick goal by forward Bernardo Corradi and a strike from substitute Sinisa Ubiparipovic late in the second half helped the Montreal Impact to a 2-0 win over the Portland Timbers in front of 19,223 at Olympic Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

After a scoreless first half, the two sides exchanged chances through the early stages of the second half. But the turning point in the match came in the 76th minute, when the Impact broke the stalemate with a penalty kick by Corradi following a handball call inside the box. Ubiparipovic scored six minutes from time to seal the Impact's 2-0 victory.

Corradi scored his third goal in as many games and recorded an assist, goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts made four saves to pick up his first shutout of the season and Ubiparipovic recorded his second MLS goal to help the Impact (2-5-2, 8pts) to their second win of the season and remain unbeaten at home (2-0-1).

Midfielder Darlington Nagbe put both of his shots on goal, midfielder Jack Jewsbury took two shots of his own and goalkeeper Troy Perkins recorded two saves for the Timbers (2-5-1, 7pts). The Timbers have lost five of their last six matches.

Portland was forced to make two substitutions during the match due injuries. Perkins left the match in the 67th minute due to facial lacerations (nose) he sustained while challenging Impact midfielder Sanna Nyassi on a run at the top of the penalty area. In the first half, defender Steve Purdy exited in the 20th minute due to a concussion he suffered during a collision with Montreal's Justin Mapp while going for a ball in the air.

Backup Timbers goalkeeper Joe Bendik, making his MLS debut, was tested soon after entering the match for Perkins. During a spell of pressure by the Impact, midfielder Collen Warner had a shot from eight yards out blocked by Timbers defender Steven Smith, but the ball deflected off Smith's leg and then the underside of his arm. Referee Jorge Gonzalez called Smith for the handball and awarded Montreal a penalty kick. Corradi converted the penalty kick in the 76th minute to put lift the Impact to a 1-0 lead.

Corradi initiated the play that led to Montreal's second goal of the contest in the 84th minute. He found midfielder Davy Arnaud running down the left side just outside the box. Arnaud sent in a cross just beyond Bendik's reach to an open Ubiparipovic running at the back post and Ubiparipovic tapped the ball into the back of an open net.

The two clubs exchanged scoring chances throughout the match, combining for 25 shots, nine of which were on goal. Nagbe forced Ricketts into an early save in the eighth minute with a free kick placed on frame. Ricketts made a diving save in the 38th minute on a shot by Jewsbury from the top right corner of the box following build up by Portland. Montreal had an early chance, but Arnaud skied an open shot from the top of the six-yard box over the goal in the 14th minute.

Before leaving the match, Perkins recorded two saves, including a second-half stop on Nyassi in the 62nd minute on a low, well-hit shot at the base of the left post. Nagbe and Jewsbury teamed up on a one-two, which set up Nagbe for a shot on goal near the hour mark. Montreal forward Felipe Martins put a driven shot on the left post in the 71st minute, forcing Bendik to make his first MLS save to keep the match scoreless.

The Timbers return home to play host to the Columbus Crew at JELD-WEN Field on Saturday, May 5; kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (Pacific). The Timbers-Crew matchup will be telecast live on KPTV, the Portland Timbers Television Network and in Spanish on EstrellaTV. Radio broadcasts will be available on 750 AM The Game and in Spanish on La Pantera 940 AM.

Notes:

* The Timbers and Impact met first time as MLS counterparts Saturday; it is the lone meeting between the clubs during the 2012 regular season. * Portland and Montreal have a decade of history (2001-10) as rivals in the second division. The two clubs last met in the second division May 19, 2010, in Portland. Timbers defender Steve Purdy and Impact forward Eduardo Sebrango, who both played on Saturday also played in that final second-division meeting. * The Timbers are winless through four games on the road in 2012, with a record of 0-3-1. Portland is winless and has been shut out twice in its two games in the Eastern Time Zone this season. * The Timbers wore their secondary Rose City red kits for the second time this season on Saturday. Portland is 0-2-0 in their secondary strips in 2012, but are 2-3-3 overall when wearing their red kits. * Portland moves to 2-2-0 against Eastern Conference clubs this season with the loss to Montreal. * The Timbers finish their April schedule with a record of 1-3-0. The club's all-time MLS record in April is 4-4-1. * The Timbers played in their second day game of the 2012 campaign on Saturday; the other was at New England on March 24. Since joining MLS, the Timbers are 2-5-0 in day games. * Against Montreal, the Timbers allowed both goals in the final 15 minutes of the match. Overall this season, Timbers have conceded seven goals during the final 15 minutes of play, which is more than then they have allowed during the first 75 minutes of play combined (6). * Portland will play three of its next four league matches at JELD-WEN Field, starting next week against Columbus on May 5. * Timbers goalkeeper Joe Bendik and defender Steve Smith made their Timbers and MLS debuts in the match against Montreal. Bendik entered as a sub in the second half, while Smith started at left back. * Bendik's substitution appearance for the injured Troy Perkins marked the second time in the Timbers MLS history in which the club has had to make an in-game change at the goalkeeper position. The other was March 26, 2011, when Jake Gleeson came on for an injured Adin Brown at halftime. * Timbers captain Jack Jewsbury and Impact captain Davy Arnaud were teammates for eight seasons with the Kansas City Wizards from 2003-10. * Portland defender Eric Brunner made his 75th career MLS start on Saturday at Montreal; 39 of his MLS career starts have come as a member of the Timbers. * Defender/midfielder Freddie Braun made his second consecutive MLS appearance on Saturday, entering the match for the injured Steve Purdy in the 20th minute. * Forward Jorge Perlaza was called offside four times on Saturday, matching an individual season high for the Timbers; Kris Boyd was whistled offside four times at LA Galaxy on April 14. * Impact midfielder Collen Warner played for the Portland Timbers U-23s during the team's inaugural Premier Development League season in 2009. He played his collegiate career at the University of Portland.

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Major League Soccer Stories from April 28, 2012


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