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Thunder Break Three Game Winning Streak with 5-1 Loss to Portland Timbers

June 20, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Minnesota Thunder News Release


Portland, OR (Tuesday, June 16, 2009) - Minnesota lost to the Portland Timbers 5-1 after three Thunder players were given red cards. Frustration is putting it lightly when it came to the attitude of the Minnesota Thunder tonight. The officials made some calls that were debatable and some are not but either way, at the end of 90 minutes Minnesota was playing three men down. The Timbers scored first and early in the fourth minute and everything went down hill from there. The Thunder get a chance to shake off this game with a friendly against Inferno 95 on Thursday, June 25 at 11:00 a.m. and they are back to USL First Division play on Saturday, June 27 at 7:35 p.m. when they host the Rochester Rhinos in a double header with the Lightning.

The fourth minute was just the first of Portland's five goals. Chris Clements attempted to clear the ball away by heading a lob pass but it went directly to the Timbers. Brian Farber centered the ball where Brian Kallman was in position but before he could clear it George Josten got his foot on the ball to redirecte it into the net for the first goal of the game.

In the 13th minute, Minnesota nearly evened the score. Rod Dyachenko collected a loose ball and headed straight for the goal. He was sandwiched between two defenders so just before he reached the penalty box he took his shot. The ball was looking good and Steve Cronin had to dive just to get a hand on the ball but the side post did his work for him as Dyachenko's shot ricocheted off the post and the Timbers cleared it and maintaining the lead.

In the 32nd minute, Portland struck again with their second goal of the game. Josten drew in the defenders that kept Taka Suzuki open on the left side of the box and wide open to take a shot. Just before the Thunder defense took the ball away, Josten dumped it off to Suzuki with nothing but Nic Platter in front of him. Suzuki's shot was low and to the far side but Platter could not reach the ball as it curled into the net. This extended the Timber's lead to two.

Ricardo Sanchez deflated Portland's lead in the 38th minute. There was a foul seven yards on side the box and Sanchez took his place behind the ball. Despite the fact that everyone was in position, Sanchez went for the goal and Cronin got a hand on the shot but is was not enough to knock the ball off course. Minnesota was on the board and looking to make a comeback.

At the end of the half, Portland led by two but the Thunder did not let that dishearten them because they played as if the game was still tied at zero. The score did not effectively represent how the first half was played.

In the 61st minute, Portland was awarded a penalty kick when Julius James fouled him inside the box. James was given a red card for this play. David Hayes stepped up to the ball and drilled one into the back of the net. Platter was ready and very electric when Hayes shot the ball but his dive was just short and the Timbers reclaimed their two goal lead.

The referees had to break up an impending bench clearing brawl when Sanchez tackled Alex Nimo in the 86th minute. Andres Arango spoke up on Sanchez's behalf but Nimo rebuttaled by throwing the ball ar Arango. He pushed Nimo but that stunt earned him a red card and Minnesota was forced to play two men down for the small remainder of the game.

The Timbers extended their lead in the 88th minute. From a corner kick by Hayes, Mandjou Ketia managed to get his head on the ball and knock it into the net for the fourth goal for the Timbers.

Melvin Tarley was the third Thunder player to be sent off this game. He came in for a tackle with no intention of going for the ball and although the game was in stoppage time Tarley still was given a red card.

Portland put one last nail in the coffin in the 90th minute. Scot Thompson was fed the ball by Josh Cameron and snuck a fifth ball past Platter. Tempers flared again on this play and the Thunder keeper was given a caution card.

The second half did not go as well as the first half for the Thunder. Tempers raged on both teams but Minnesota got the blunt end on most of the calls. Portland walked off their home field with the dominating 5-1 win and Minnesota returns home looking forward toward their next game.

The Thunder takes a break from official matches when they play Inferno 95 in an exhibition game on Thursday, June 25 at 11:00 a.m. at the National Sports Center. On Saturday, June 27, the Thunder are engaged in a double header with the Lightning when they host the Rochester Rhinos at 7:35 p.m. Minnesota is back to Lamar Hunt US Open Cup play on Tuesday, June 30 at 7:05 p.m. when they host the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer.

Tickets for the game against Kansas City are available now and they will start as low as $10. For individual tickets, please visit www.ticketmaster.com or for group tickets call the Thunder office at 651.294.4664.

The Minnestoa Lightning concluded their first road trip of the 2009 campaign with a 0-4 loss to FC Indiana. Before the Lightning left for their away games, they had an undefeated record and were even sitting in first place in the Midwest Division for a while. But now, their record is 2-2-1 and the Lightning is in third place. Thursday's 0-2 loss to Chicago Red Eleven started the disappointed trip and tonight's game was not any better.

This was another tough game for the Lightning. They went into the house of the second place team and the home field advantage was definitely a factor. The fatigue of playing back to back games also played a part. The Lightning did have chances on goal but the Indiana goalkeeper did not permit any ball to pass.

"We had a tough back to back road trip against two of the top teams," said Lightning defender Megan Almanzo. "We had some chances on goal, more than last game, but we are improving on the little things. That is all you can hope for from a game like tonights."

The Minnesota Lightning returns to Blaine where they are still undefeated to take on the Cleveland Internationals. This will be the first game in a double header with the Thunder when they play the Rochester Rhinos. The Lightning play at 5:05 p.m. and the Thunder follow immediately at 7:35 p.m. One ticket gets fans into both games. For individual tickets, please visit www.ticketmaster.com or for group tickets call the Thunder office at 651.294.4664.



USL First Division Stories from June 20, 2009


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