Underdog City Stars Defeat First Place Portland 1-0
Published on September 13, 2009 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Cleveland City Stars News Release
PORTLAND, Oregon - The Cleveland City Stars defeated the Portland Timbers on Sunday in a 1-0 upset. Midfielder Jason Hotchkin scored the only goal of the match to beat the first-place Timbers. Goalkeeper Evan Bush contributed to the win with 8 crucial saves to preserve the shutout.
Portland dominated the beginning of the first half and applied heavy pressure on the City Stars goal. After Stars center defender Ibrahim Kante was injured and subbed out in the 7th minute, the Timbers took advantage of Cleveland's unstable defensive line. In the 8th minute Portland midfielder Ryan Pore took a long range shot that goalkeeper Evan Bush to make a leaping punch. The rookie keeper's punch was misplaced and went straight up, but was eventually cleared by City Stars defenders.
The City Stars retaliated in the 10th minute when midfielder Arsene Oka beat several Portland players and made a strong run up the side. He crossed the ball to fellow midfielder Jason Hotchkin, but despite the good buildup Hotchkin's shot was wide of goal.
In the 18th minute the Timbers had another dangerous attempt on the City Stars goal when forward Mandjou Keita's shot was bobbled into the goalpost by Bush. The ball bounced forward off the post into the box where it was poorly cleared directly to Timbers midfielder Johan Claesson. Claesson took a shot but it was wide of the City Stars net.
Portland kept up the unrelenting pressure and in the 20th minute Keita was involved in another opportunity on goal. In a breakaway run, midfielder Brian Farber overlapped to receive the ball from Keita. Farber took a left-footed shot directly in front of the goal that forced Bush into a low dive to make the save.
The City Stars changed the pace of the game in the 24th minute when forward Kolby LaCrone was brought down right outside the Portland box. Hotchkin set up to take the shot with midfielder Ryan Stewart and LaCrone forming a screen in front of the ball. The screen created enough confusion that goalkeeper Steve Cronin was unable to save the powerful shot that deflected off of one of his defenders and into the back of the net for a City Stars 1-0 lead.
The Timbers lost momentum after the City Stars goal and 10 minutes went by before a solid chance on the Cleveland goal. In the 34th minute a poor header from defender Anthony Stovall went directly to Keita at the top of the City Stars box. Bush came out aggressively and managed to get in the way of Keita, who sent the ball out wide for a goal kick. Two minutes later Keita had another shot but it also went wide of the goal. Despite several other chances from both sides, the half ended at 1-0.
The second half began slowly for both squads, with neither team getting any viable chances. The Stars first real opportunity came in the 63rd minute when Oka played a good ball across the face of the Portland goal. The cross was perfectly placed for forward Teteh Bangura, but he lost his footing and did not make contact with the ball. Oka tried again in the 68th minute, this time playing the ball out wide to Bangura who crossed the ball back into the box. Goalkeeper Cronin intercepted the give-and-go and made an easy save.
Portland continued to make runs at the Cleveland goal without much success. After using up all of their substitutes due to repeated injuries by the 61st minute, the Portland players seemed to grow tired. Claesson and Keita pushed hard offensively however and had several good buildups. In the 71st minute Claesson played a ball into the box to a perfectly placed Keita, but he headed the ball over the goal.
After several injuries and 3 yellow cards issued to City Stars players, 6 minutes of stoppage time were added in the 90th minute. Although the City Stars dropped back to play defense and preserve the lead, late substitutes Leo Gibson and Ricardo Pierre-Louis pushed up to continue to pressure Cronin and the Portland goal. During stoppage time City Stars defender Anthony Peters came out with his knee up and hit a Portland player in the stomach, earning him an immediate red card. With only 10 players on the field, the City Stars stuck in and focused on tight defense. Cleveland was able to hold the lead and finished the game 1-0 for the 4th win of the season.
The City Stars will rematch the Timbers in Portland on Thursday at 10:15 p.m. in the second game of the west coast road trip. Cleveland will continue on to take on the Vancouver Whitecaps on Friday in the last game of the 2009 season.
USL First Division Stories from September 13, 2009
- Timbers Handed 1-0 Loss By City Stars - Portland Timbers
- Whitecaps Storm Back for 2-1 Win - Vancouver Whitecaps
- Underdog City Stars Defeat First Place Portland 1-0 - Cleveland City Stars
- Miami Draws its Last Road Game of the Season - Fort Lauderdale Strikers
- Final Thunder Away Match Ends in 1-1 Draw with Montreal Impact - Minnesota Thunder
- Impact Earn Late Tie - Montreal Impact
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