PORTLAND
, Ore.
– Forward Antouman Jallow scored his first goal of the season and rookie goalkeeper Brian Visser recorded the shutout as the Portland Timbers defeated German club Bayern Munich II 2-0 in an international exhibition match Thursday before 9,340 at PGE Park.
Visser recorded five saves to pick up his first shutout, midfielders Alex Nimo and Shaun Higgins each logged assists and Jallow scored the insurance goal to lead the Timbers to the exhibition victory. Portland guest player Kevin Forrest, a native of Edmonds, Wash., also tallied a goal.
Midfielder Mehmet Ekiki, a member of the German National Team that won the 2007 U-17 FIFA World Cup, took a team-high five shots, while midfielder Stefan Riess had three of his own as Bayern Munich II recorded 15 shots on night, but could not covert any of their chances.
The Timbers were one of two Northwest opponents for Bayern Munich II, the up-and-coming stars of top German club Bayern Munich, while on an eight-day preseason training tour in Oregon.
The Timbers took control of the game and the first half early, scoring in the eighth minute on a header by Forrest. Nimo played the ball up field to Forrest all alone on the left side of the box. Bayern Munich II goalkeeper Maximilian Riedmueller left his line to challenge the play which left just enough space for Forrest to loop a header over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net from 15 yards out.
Jallow, making his first start of the season, appeared to add to the Timbers lead in the 28th minute following a string of passes inside the Bayern Munich II box. A free kick by midfielder Ryan Pore rattled off Forrest, Mamadou Danso and a bicycle kick by Stephen Keel before falling to Jallow, who knocked in a shot on the right post. But the goal was waived due to an offside call by the referee.
In the 33rd minute, forward Nazif Hajdarovic took a shot from a tight angle on the right side that nearly leveled the score. With a diving effort, Visser got a hand on Hajdarovic’s low curling shot but the ball continued to twist its way toward the goal line. But Danso was in position on the back post to clear the ball from danger.
Making his first professional start, Visser recorded all five of his saves in the first half, including a stop on an open shot by Riess from the top of the box. Bayern Munich II put five of its eight shots in the opening stanza on frame.
The Timbers put Bayern Munich II under pressure early in the second half. In the opening minutes of the period, Forrest, who played his collegiate career at the University of Washington, delivered a shot on frame that forced Riedmueller to punch the ball clear.
Jallow finally had his chance in the 55th minute and doubled the Timbers lead 2-0 on a low drive from inside the box. Higgins stripped a Bayern Munich II player at midfield and slipped a pass up field between two defenders tracking back to Jallow. With only the goalkeeper in front of him, Jallow chased down the ball and blasted a shot past Riedmueller for the goal.
Bayern Munich II nearly broke through on two close chances in the second half. In the 62nd minute, Visser left his line to challenge a run into the box by forward Dominik Rohracker. Under pressure from Visser, Rohracker pushed his shot wide of the near post.
Midway through the second half, Higgins committed a foul just outside the top of the box, setting up a 20 yard free kick for Bayern Munich II. Ekici curled a shot over the Timbers wall deep in the box and off the left post and Visser was there to cover the ball and halt Bayern Munich II’s best chance of the night.
The Timbers nearly added to their lead late in the match, but Nimo and second-half substitute Scot Thompson skied their open looks over the crossbar.
Portland continues their busy stretch Saturday against the Minnesota Thunder on the road; kickoff is slated for 5:05 p.m. (Pacific). A live broadcast will be available on 95.5 The Game, with a live video webcast available through USL Live – now a free service at www.usllive.com.
Notes:
Jallow made his first appearance with the team since May 2 … The Timbers are now 8-1-1 at home this season in all competitions, including 2-0-0 mark in exhibitions … Pore played his first minutes Thursday after missing the Timbers’ last seven games due to injury.
Lineups:
POR: GK Visser, D Higgins, D Keel (Dunn, 33), D Danso, D Nishimura, M McManus (Cameron, 45), M Nimo, M Savage (Poltl, 45), M Pore (Thompson, 80), F Jallow, F Forrest
BM II: GK Riedmueller, D Stierle, D Saba, D Haas, D Kopplin, M Riess, M Duhnke (Kuru, 62), M Ekici, F Saer, F Hajdarovic (Yilmaz, 52), F Rohracker
Scoring Summary:
POR: Forrest (Nimo), 8
POR: Jallow (Higgins), 55
