Oh the glorious return of matchdays in Portland. The weather was cold but sunny and dry, so the wife and kids joined me for the games. We arrived just shortly after the start of the first game and found a seat in my usual section, albeit a bit farther back than I usually shoot for. The kids were relatively entertained for most of the time, but there were moments of temporary insanity, as two and four year olds are wont to do. They can't really see what's going on, being too short to see over anyone, so it's pretty reasonable for them to get bored eventually. They were actually crazier during the first match before over sixteen thousand Timbers fans turned out. AIK and Chivas USA provided ample entertainment for me and the rest of the early birds, with the Swedish club winning two nil.
Portland and San Jose played to a 1-1 draw, though no Earthquake scored a goal.
Spencer elected to go with his single striker/possession formation, with Jorge Perlaza starting in up front as the lone striker. Kalif Alhassan played high on the right wing with the team on the ball, but tracked back defensively like a midfielder. With only one striker, James Marcelin gets to start as the holding midfielder, and (unsigned, U-23 alum, and Supplemental Draft pick) Ryan Kawulok got the nod at right back with Lovel Palmer working back from an injury and Steve Purdy away on international duty with El Salvador. Hanyer Mosquera and Andrew Jean-Baptiste started in the center, and Troy Perkins manned the pipes. San Jose played a 442, with what seems to be pretty close to a first choice lineup.
Chara was denied a pretty clear penalty when he was taken down in the box, working a give and a go with Perlaza, but the ref waved the appeal away. Alhassan scored a beautiful curling shot that hit the side netting, playing his corner short to Chara, who then returned it to Kalif for his wonder strike. Number Eleven ran straight to Spencer for his goal celebration, giving his coach an extended hug. Captain Jewsbury got into a shoving match in the center circle after a hard tackle and gamesmanship, ending the half with a high intensity.
The second half saw a terrible passing error by rookie centerback Jean-Baptiste lead shortly to an Hanyer Mosquera own goal. It's really too bad; if Mosquera had simply left the ball to roll across the box, Kawulok was right there to pick it up. Darlington Nagbe came in as a substitute for Alexander after an hour, Dike swapped with Perlaza at 73', and Palmer came on for Kawulok at 78'. Nagbe didn't really do anything special, but he did hold onto the ball under pressure fairly well, and pulled the trigger on a shot right away instead of hesitating. Dike hit the post with header from an Alhassan cross that he should have been able to bury. It connected with the top of his head, bounced off the top of the post and back into play, but a defender was there to clear it over the line right away.
Great first night out of the year. I love that this preseason tournament is planning on becoming an annual event, as a soft landing for players and fans can only be another edge for the team. It is also a cheap way to bring the family to a game. Finally, I decided on the name for my website: For You, I Have Sang.
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