Timbers lose close match in Miami
Published on May 12, 2006 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Portland Timbers News Release
MIAMI, Fla. - Former World Cup MVP Romario scored twice, including a dramatic 89th-minute game winner, as Miami FC defeated the Portland Timbers 3-2 Friday night in front of 2,433 at Tropical Park Stadium.
Romario got his second goal and the match winner when he headed in a floating cross at the back post to seal the win. The victory was the first in franchise history for Miami (1-1-2, 5pts), who joined the league as an expansion team this year.
The Timbers (1-2-1, 4pts) took the early lead in the sixth minute on a back-pass to Miami goalkeeper Chris Doyle. Forward Mamba Chisoni, who was making his Timbers debut, managed to get in front of the ball and it deflected off Chisoni's back and into the net for the 1-0 advantage.
Miami knotted the score at 1-1 in the 13th minute when a cross from Mario Rodriguez found Romario inside the penalty box. The Brazilian chested the ball down, squared and launched a shot from 12 yards past diving Timbers keeper Josh Saunders.
Sean Fraser increased Miami's lead in the 51st minute when he received a pass near the Timbers' penalty box. Fraser's shot hit the underside of the crossbar and it was ruled a goal by the referee.
Chisoni was taken down in the penalty box in the 84th minute, and midfielder Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar sent Doyle in the wrong direction and slotted the ball into the bottom right corner to even the score at 2-2.
Next, the Timbers travel south to take on the Puerto Rico Islanders on Sunday, May 14. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. (Pacific).
HEAD COACH CHRIS AGNELLO ON THE MATCH: "Romario is a world-class player and we have a very young team. We came out sluggish and looked like we didn't travel well. We never looked like we were in the game; of the four matches we've played so far, this is the only one where I felt that we weren't in the game at all."
"As far as positives from the match, I felt that Josh Brown came on for the last 10 minutes and played very well. We'll assess things tomorrow, see who's healthy and we'll go from there."
USL First Division Stories from May 12, 2006
- Timbers lose close match in Miami - Portland Timbers
- Thunder heads Northwest in search of points - Minnesota Thunder
- Mother's Day with the Mariners - Virginia Beach Mariners
- Battery hosts Montreal Saturday night at Blackbaud Stadium - Charleston Battery
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