Quotes: Portland Timbers at Houston Dynamo
Portland Timbers Quotes
Head coach John Spencer
On the match:
“I was disappointed for 15 minutes. I think we had an opportunity to score a goal. We had a great chance by Eddie Johnson from a back pass that could have put us one-nil up. I keep telling the guys that chances win goals, and goals win games. They then go 2-0 up, and then I think from then we get in at half-time, we reorganize a bit, and we have a chat. In the second half, I don’t think I’d be too far away from saying that we had some great chances to possibly tie the game, if not win it. I think we were very unlucky to not come away with something tonight.”
On playing in Houston:
“I think it’s a very difficult place to come and play. Not just with the climate, but Robertson Stadium is a real fortress and they make it very difficult for the opposing players on the team. Tonight, I don’t think we were out-played. I think we matched them stride for stride, and I was really disappointed.”
Midfielder Jack Jewsbury
On the match:
“Yeah, I think we knew coming into the game that both teams were going to have to face the heat. It’s not just hard on us; it’s also hard on them. I think it’s more mental than it is physical coming in here, and I thought as a group we did a good job. We had a little spell there in the first half, a 15-minute spell where they got their two goals, that maybe we weren’t as sharp as we would have liked. Overall, we thought we had a pretty good performance and if we finish a few more chances on the offensive end, I think we at least get one and maybe even three points out of the game.”
Defender Mike Chabala
On the match: “I think for 60 minutes we took it to them, and I think they could agree with that, too. I think as the game went on, it was going to open up. There was a stretch of about 15-20 minutes where we let those two goals in. You know you can’t rest with that team. Brad Davis, Brian Ching, Colin Clark, all guys we highlighted coming into the game; we didn’t stay with runners and we were punished for it.”
Houston Dynamo Quotes
Head coach Dominic Kinnear
On the match:
“I’m happy. This is another good win for us. We scored two great goals. It was a great goal by Adam Moffat and good team play for the second goal. Overall, I’m happy with the effort. We have leapfrogged some teams in the Eastern Conference and put ourselves in a pretty good spot. We will move on from this one and move on to Wednesday’s match.”
On the impact of Adam Moffat’s goal:
“We came out pretty well, and then we had a little bit of a miscommunication where Eddie Johnson got through. I think that changed the momentum a little bit, but then after Adam scored, I think the guys really got a boost and knocked the ball around a bit.”
On playing against former assistant coach John Spencer:
“It’s great to see him. You always know his teams are going to give a great effort, because his players play for him.”
Forward Brian Ching
On the game:
“We started off extremely well. We were all over them. I fault myself for not putting the game away in the first half. If I score that third one, it’s not that close in the end. I thought it was over the line, that I saw some green between the ball and the line, but there is no way the refs could see that. It was a good start, but it was a humid night. The first 60 minutes took a lot out of us, but a win is a win. We have a tough week ahead, and we don’t want to pat ourselves on the back, yet, but we are climbing the charts and that’s where we want to be.”
On the team’s level of play:
“This is the way we should have been playing all year, especially at home. We are playing some good soccer, and this is going to be a test of our character with the games coming up back-to-back-to-back and ending with arguably one of the best teams in the league in Real Salt Lake. It’s a good test to see where we are at the end of this week, and hopefully we continue to play well and put our stamp on the Eastern Conference.”
Midfielder Adam Moffat
On tonight’s game:
“It’s a big game for us. First and foremost, it was a chance for us to get three points, and we did that. Personally, I’m happy to score against my old team.”
On playing against his old club:
“When you are out there against your old teammates, you want to get stuck in. I had a couple challenges to let them know I was there as well. It was a good strike that went in. I was happy and delighted, but like I said, it was the three points that mattered.”
Notes:
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Timbers head coach John Spencer made his first return to Houston to face his former club. Spencer was an assistant coach under Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear from 2006-10 before being named the Timbers’ first MLS head coach on Aug. 10, 2010.
- The Timbers’ Starting XI featured two former Dynamo players – defenders Lovel Palmer and Mike Chabala. Both were acquired by the Timbers in a trade on July 21, the same trade which sent Moffat to Houston.
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Forward Eddie Johnson made his return to the Portland starting lineup after missing the last two games due to a concussion on Aug. 3. He would leave the match in the 40th minute after being knocked to the ground during play. Johnson then was transported to a local hospital at halftime for observation for a possible concussion.
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Jewsbury’s second-half goal marked the first time this season in which the Timbers have scored in consecutive road games. Portland played San Jose to a 1-1 draw last weekend.
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Palmer was booked with a caution in the second half and, as a result, will serve a one-game, league-imposed suspension for caution accumulation. He will miss the Timbers’ match at Sporting KC on Wednesday.
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The Timbers are 0-10-3 in 2011 when conceding the first goal of a match.
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Portland allowed two goals in a game for the sixth time this season.
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Returning to the Timbers’ Starting XI was captain Jack Jewsbury, who had missed the club’s last two matches due to a hamstring strain.
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Entering the 2011 season, Jewsbury had scored 14 MLS goals. In 21 games this season, Jewsbury has tallied a team-high seven goals – a new career high.
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The Timbers opened their only multiple-match road swing of their inaugural MLS season Sunday in Houston. The club remains in the Midwest to face Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday.
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On the road, the Timbers are 1-7-3 in 2011.
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The Timbers wore their all-green kits (jerseys, shorts, socks) for just the fourth time this season and remain winless (0-4-0) when wearing that uniform combo.
- With a goal in the 56th minute, the Timbers scored their eighth goal of the season during the first 15 minutes of a second half (minutes 46-60). That total is more than in any other 15-minute interval of a contest.
