PORTLAND, Ore.
– Defender Ross Smith scored the go-ahead goal and goalkeeper Steve Cronin logged seven second-half saves to earn his fourth consecutive shutout as the Portland Timbers defeated the Miami FC Blues 2-0 before 12,189 at PGE Park on Saturday.
Smith scored his first goal in league play to lift the Timbers to a 1-0 lead early in the second half. Cronin recorded all seven of his saves in the second period to help Portland fight of Miami FC’s attempt at the equalizer. Midfielder Ryan Pore then capped the scoring on the night with a late breakaway goal in the 90th minute to seal the Timber’s third win in their last four games.
Cronin has recorded four straight shutouts in league play and has not allowed a goal since the match against the NSC Minnesota Stars on June 17; he has seven shutouts overall on the season. Pore scored his 10th goal in 16 games, Smith tallied for the second time in this season and midfielder Alex Nimo recorded his first assist on the campaign as the Timbers (6-5-5, 23pts) extended their unbeaten streak in league play to four games.
Forward Paulo Araujo, Jr., took a team-high four shots to pace Miami FC’s attack, which totaled 15 shots on the night. Goalkeeper Caleb Patterson-Sewell recorded five saves in the loss for Miami FC (2-5-8, 14pts) as it opened a two-game road trip to the Northwest. The Blues are winless in their last four league contests.
Smith broke the deadlock in the 48th minute off a free kick by Nimo. From the right side of midfield, Nimo sent a long ball into the box just beyond the near post. Forward Bright Dike nearly got to the ball first, but it fell on to an on-rushing Smith, who knocked it into the back of the net for a 1-0 Timbers lead.
Cronin made several key saves down the stretch and had a ball cleared off the goal line by Smith help Portland maintain its one-goal advantage. Pore then added the insurance goal as the match reached the 90th minute. He beat former Timbers defender Mike Randolph to earn a one-on-one with Patterson-Sewell and slipped a shot past the goalkeeper for his league-leading 10th goal on the campaign.
Once the match settled in, the Timbers held the better share of scoring chances in the first half, out-shooting the Blues 7-5. After setting up Portland’s first scoring opportunity of the night, Pore nearly broke the stalemate himself in the 29th minute.
With space inside the left side of the box, Pore pulled the trigger on a bouncing shot aimed at the far side of the goal. His shot slipped by Patterson-Sewell and hit off the far post. The rebound landed at the feet of forward Bright Dike, but he couldn’t get the ball out from under his feet and the Blues were able to clear the ball away.
Midfielder Derek Gaudet had a couple of close calls in the late stages of the second half. In the 40th minute, he slipped by his defender at the top right corner of the box and hit a shot from 15 yards out that floated just over the crossbar.
The match opened up in the second half, seeing a combined 20 shots from the two clubs. Miami FC defender Euzebio Neto ripped a shot from the right side in the opening minutes of the second period, forcing Cronin into his first save of the night.
After Smith scored in the 48th minute, the Timbers forced Patterson-Sewell into a series of saves as Dike and forwards George Josten and Doug DeMartin peppered the goal with shots over a five-minute span.
Araujo, Jr. had a point blank shot from the left side smothered by Cronin in the 56th minute, but the buildup leading up to that shot spurred Miami FC’s momentum down the stretch.
Blues defender Kyle Veris, who scored the game-winning goal against the Timbers in June, had a chance to level things in the 78th minute off a corner kick. The ball landed on the right side and Veris put a shot on frame, but Smith was stationed on the goal line to turn the equalizing effort away.
Two minutes later, Cronin made two quick saves on point blank shots from inside the box by Miami FC’s Araujo, Jr. and forward Bryan Shriver to keep the home side’s lead intact.
In the final minute of the match, Pore received the ball along the left side and went to work. He slipped through the Miami FC backline and beat Randolph up the middle of the park to earn a quick breakaway. From 15 yards out, he picked his spot and lifted a shot over the charging Blues goalkeeper to lock up the 2-0 victory.
The Timbers return to action Sunday as they play host to Mexico’s Club Deportivo Atlas in an international friendly at PGE Park, presented by Tecate, at 6 p.m. Tickets start at $15 in advance and are available through the PGE Park box office, area Ticketmaster locations, online at
www.ticketmaster.com
or by phoning (800) 745-3000. A portion of the proceeds from the exhibition benefit the Jardin Portland Foundation.
Notes:
Goalkeeper Steve Cronin made his 45th consecutive league start for the Timbers … Saturday’s attendance with the Timbers’ fifth crowd of 10,000-plus in 2010 … Pore’s last goal in the run of play was June 6 against the Carolina RailHawks at PGE Park … The Timbers current four-game unbeaten run matches their longest unbeaten streak this season … Portland improves its all-time record against Miami FC to 6-4-2.
Lineups:
POR: GK Cronin, D Joy, D Smith, D Danso, D Purdy, M Pore, M McManus, M Gaudet (Marcelin, 67), M Nimo (Suzuki, 60), F Dike (Keita, 81), F DeMartin (Josten, 53)
MIA: GK Patterson-Sewell, D Neto, D Kirby, D Dias (Cameron, 62), D Veris, M Rodrigues (Dominguez, 79), M Gomez, M Cabas (Randolph, 81), F Thompson (Shriver, 45), F Santeliz (Jerome, 84), F Araujo, Jr.
Scoring Summary:
POR: Smith (Nimo), 48
POR: Pore, 90
Timbers player ratings (as submitted by members of the Portland media; scale of 1-10):
Starters
GK – Steve Cronin – 9, D – Ian Joy – 7.5, D – Ross Smith – 9, D – Mamadou Danso – 8, D – Steve Purdy – 8, M – Derek Gaudet – 7, M – Tony McManus – 7, M – Alex Nimo – 7.5, M – Ryan Pore – 8, F – Doug DeMartin – 7, F – Bright Dike – 7.5
Subs
F – Mandjou Keita – 7, M – James Marcelin – 7.5, F – George Josten – 7, F – Takayuki Suzuki – 7
