PORTLAND
, Ore.
– The Portland Timbers kick off a series of three straight matches against the California Victory on Saturday at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco at 7 p.m. Saturday’s match marks the Timbers’ final trip to California this season. A live broadcast will be available at on
www.portlandtimbers.com
.
In their last meeting at Kezar Stadium on June 28, the Timbers defeated the Victory 1-0 on an 89
th
-minute goal by forward
David Hague
. Saturday’s match is the third of five regular-season meetings between the two clubs. The Timbers are 2-0-0 against the expansion Victory.
Portland (6-2-3, 21pts) and California (2-6-5, 11pts) wrap up the 2007 season series at PGE Park on July 13 and July 15.
The Timbers are coming off a 1-0 win against Miami FC over the weekend. Rookie midfielder
Lawrence Olum
scored his first league goal of the season in the 90th minute off of a 55-yard free kick by
Andrew Gregor
.
Led by goalkeeper
Josh Wicks
, the Timbers defense has allowed the fewest goals in the USL First Division – seven in 11 matches. Playing just their fifth match on the road, the Timbers are 2-2-0 away from PGE Park in 2007.
ABOUT CALIFORNIA VICTORY
The Victory return home for two matches this week, hosting Miami FC on July 4 and the Timbers on Saturday. California, currently ranked 12th in the USL First Division, is coming off of a 2-0 shutout win on the road against the Montreal Impact. Montreal’s Mauricio Vincello was sent off in the 43rd minute, allowing California forwards Josh Hansen and Yuri Morales to score second-half goals with a one-man advantage. It was the first win for the Victory since June 7.
Both Morales (3g, 2a), who played six matches for the Timbers in 2006, and Hansen (4g) lead the Victory with eight points each. Eric Reed has quickly joined the league’s leading goalkeepers in shutouts (4), goals-against average (0.90) and saves (41). He has started the last 10 matches for the Victory.
