Portland Timbers Quotes
Head Coach John Spencer
On Sounders FC pressing to start the second half:
“Obviously they are going to start and go after it. We were ready for it to start the first half but got complacent. I gave them a good positive team talk at halftime. I told them how happy I was with them and the effort they were giving. The good thing we regrouped being a goal down. I felt they were terrified with us during every set piece. They were worried about giving up a goal.”
On his impressions of the Timbers’ goal:
“Jack Jewsbury has been fantastic for us, that is why we brought him here and made him captain. He has lived up to everything and more. Jorge Perlaza has to be given credit. The runs he makes are on par with some of the top strikers of the world. We need to try to get him some more service throughout the match.”
On the environment surrounding the match:
“It is always great to come up here. Everybody will realize when they leave JELD-WEN that it is more authentic. This environment is more close and connected to the team and the playing field. To be fair it is two great experiences. It is wonderful for MLS soccer to have two great setups first in Portland and second the Seattle Sounders.”
On his view of the Seattle goal:
“It hit the back of the net. I can’t really remember the goal. A couple of times the ball got into the box that we didn’t pick up properly. Eric [Brunner] and [Jeremy] Hall challenged for the ball but Fernandez was able to find it in the back and finished it well. He is a high quality player. We showed a lot for coming back tonight.”
On leaving this match with a tie:
“We take a lot of confidence with us. Sigi Schmid has done a tremendous job here and the whole organization is fantastic. They are a good team and we have come up here four months old and played well. We have to start showing that belief we have at home on to the road. I think we showed that tonight.”
Goalkeeper Troy Perkins
On coming up to Seattle and matching their performance:
“We wanted to come on up here and prove we belonged. I think all the guys were committed to do that.”
On the goal Seattle scored:
“Both defenders went for the same ball, a little bit of a miss communication. The ball just fell right to him and he made a good play.”
On the weather causing any problems during the match:
“Typical Northwest weather. A little bit of rain, the field played incredibly fast. Our FieldTurf is a little bit different. It doesn’t play as fast when it is wet.”
Defender Mamadou Danso
On being satisfied with the draw:
“We came here for the win. We didn’t come here for the tie.”
On coming through with a goal:
“I’m very excited to get the goal. I have been here for two seasons and I understand the rivalry. We just wanted to win here and it is really an over-the-top feeling. We have been practicing free kicks all week. The ball was really just a fifty-fifty ball and I was able to make a play on it.”
Forward Kenny Cooper
On the importance of getting a draw in Seattle:
“I think some teams find it difficult to come on up here and play. They get amazing support and the crowds support them really well. To be down and come back I think we showed great character. It was a great point for us.”
On the game living up to the hype:
“I think this is a game that fans have starting circling their calendars when the schedule comes out. The lead up to the game was a lot fun. As a player you crave to play in these games.
Seattle Sounders FC Quotes:
Sigi Schmid – Sounders FC Head Coach
General Comments:
“Not pleased from the standpoint that we had the lead and we gave them a goal back. Their game is predicated around free kicks and set pieces. That’s what their danger is. That’s what they live for. The referee gave them quite a few. It seemed like our fouls happened for us on our (defensive) end of the field and theirs happened on their (offensive) end of the field. At the end of the day, we have to defend those things and we have to take care of that business. Losing a player like Evans changes it and losing (Erik) Friberg as we prepare for the game certainly changes things as well for us. You add it up and you have Friberg, (Brad) Evans, O’Brian White, (Mauro) Rosales, (Steve) Zakuani, that’s a lot of pieces to be missing where they’re not really missing any pieces.
“I thought we scored a good goal and at the beginning of the second half we got ahold of the game based on what we talked about; settling the game down a little bit. It’s hard in this weather and I think the weather suited them a little bit more in the sense that they go direct and try to knock it up to their big men and they were a bit better at that than we were. At the start of the second half we did a decent job. That’s the reason I thought we got the goal and we were around it a couple of times, but we need to finish it off.”
On game atmosphere:
“The atmosphere was great. You had their fans, which is something you normally don’t have, a loud group from the opposing team, so that added to the pageantry of the game. But at the end of the day, we’re at home and we need to get three points at home.”
Forward Nate Jaqua
On the match and if it felt like a rivalry:
“Yeah, there was definitely a little bit more to it. I think everybody was kind of flying around a little bit more. I think they did a good job the first half of letting us not get into a good rhythm. In the second half I thought we started playing well. We got the goal. We were kind of getting after them and had a couple of pretty good chances to put it away. We weren’t able to do that and they were able to get a little bit of momentum. They’re dangerous on free kicks.”
Goalkeeper Kasey Keller
On the match:
“Yeah, it’s a little disappointing. The first half was pretty even. They had some shots, we had some shots. I agree with what Nate (Jaqua) said; I thought the first 10 or 15 minutes of the second half we came out and played some good stuff. Got the reward, got the goal. Then we just kind of messed it up a little bit, which is frustrating. We know they’re a dangerous team on set pieces. We talked about it all week. They started winning a few more set pieces in dangerous positions and Jewsbury hits a great ball in and they have some big bodies in there. We’re a little frustrated because we all thought we dropped our line a little bit too quick and let them get on top of us. You get a big kid like Danso in there, he’s going to win stuff. Unfortunately he kind of just beat me to the ball. I couldn’t get there quite quick enough, which was frustrating.”
On if the draw is more frustrating because of the rivalry factor:
“It’s a combo. Of course we would have loved 500 fans to drive home disappointed and wet and frustrated. We would love for our fans to be celebrating tonight. You get the 1-0 lead, and can we fight like hell to keep that? Unfortunately they are very dangerous on set pieces. They’ve scored over 70 percent of their goals on set pieces and there’s a reason for that.”
Midfielder Alvaro Fernandez (via translator)
On the goal:
“When I saw the play shaping up I started yelling and calling the play, especially when I saw the two defenders going after Fredy (Montero). After the flick I was one on one with the keeper and I was able to finalize.”
On if it felt any different going up against a rival in Portland:
“It was a derby. I’m lucky that I’ve had the chance to play many of those in my career. They are sort of similar. Sometimes the teams don’t start playing very well, but it’s not only about that, it’s also about the will and how much you really want it and how much effort you put in it. Thankfully we started ahead, but unfortunately we wound up giving up the lead.”
Notes:
·Saturday marked the first match in the Cascadia Cup – a fan-based derby between the three Northwest clubs Timbers, Sounders FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
·The Timbers and Sounders first met on May 2, 1975, as members of the NASL and have competed against one another as rivals in the NASL, Western Soccer League, United Soccer Leagues and now Major League Soccer.
·The pairing of Jewsbury and Danso has led to goals for the Timbers in back-to-back games. Jewsbury has been involved, either scoring or assisting, in five of the Timbers’ last six goals scored in league play.
·Portland has scored a league-leading eight goals off of set pieces this season.
·Danso has not committed a foul in 540 minutes of MLS action this season. His run of play without a foul continues to be the longest among MLS players without a foul this season.
·Entering the match, Timbers goalkeeper Troy Perkins had recorded shutouts in back-to-back matches. His run of play without allowing a goal ended at 255 consecutive minutes when Seattle’s Fernandez scored in the 52nd minute.
·The matchup against Seattle was the Timbers’ only road match during the month of May.
·Timbers defenders have contributed four goals this season – two from Danso and two from Rodney Wallace. Both Wallace and Danso are the only two players for the Timbers who have scored in back-to-back league games this season.
·The match was the first this season for the Timbers in which neither team received a caution.
·Tonight’s attendance of 36,593 set a new MLS attendance record at Qwest Field.
·Cooper was whistled for being offside against Seattle, and now shares the league lead with having been called offside 14 times this season.
