Quotes: Portland Timbers vs. Philadelphia Union
Portland Timbers Quotes
Head Coach John Spencer
Overall feelings on the game: “A lot of teams in the Western Conference this weekend got three points, so it’s important for us to get off to a good start and show that we’re ready to play. After the disappointment of not making the playoffs last year, obviously I thought that we were good enough to get there. So this was important now. I don’t think there was a game last year that we came back from a goal down and won the game, so it’s a good first for us tonight.”
On coming back from 1-0 down: “You could hear a pin drop when they [Philadelphia Union] scored, the place went silent. I was just hoping it was a good response, and I think getting back into the game as quick as we did let people know that we’re not going to lie down, especially at home. And as I say, I thought it was a good performance all around.”
On Kris Boyd’s goal: “I think he’s going to end up building a house with all the logs that he will get. I’m hoping that he can go on, stay healthy, go on to score a lot of goals and become a legend here. He definitely has the goal-scoring ability to do that, that’s why he’s here.”
On keeping momentum going forward: “We’ve now got to go down to Dallas to play a very good team that got off to a very good start like ourselves this weekend. We’ve got to play well on the road. I think we’re a little bit more mature this year, hopefully, and I’d like to see us go down to Dallas and put on a similar type of performance.”
Forward Kris Boyd
On the team’s performance: I think we came out in the second half and put on a better performance, even though we fell a goal behind. We showed determination to come back from that. It was a good result to end up.”
On scoring his first MLS goal: “It’s always good to get your first goal, because that’s always the hardest one to get, to get off the mark. I enjoyed tonight. I got my first MLS goal in front of the fans out there. Hopefully, in the next two weeks I can start scoring on a regular basis.”
On the atmosphere at JELD-WEN Field: “It was magnificent from start to finish. I think the biggest compliment you can pay, the fans were, even when we went a goal down, even though it wasn’t for long, they were still behind us. They were still singing. They helped to get us back on level terms, and then we went on to win the game.”
Midfielder Kalif Alhassan
On earning the win in the season opener: “I would say it’s about hard work. We worked hard all preseason. We were ready for this game, and I’m glad we got three points.”
Philadelphia Union Quotes
Head coach Peter Nowak
Overall thoughts on the match: “I don’t’ think we did that poor. We made it difficult on ourselves; be disappointed and we need to go back and work. We should of pressured harder. If we can hold up more we can get a different game. This is still a learning process for us.”
On learning from the result: “I feel that with preseason it’s helped us come together and learn to understand each other. I think it’s going to take though and we look to work on our mistakes in the next four days before our next game. There is still 36 weeks in front of us and our players will take time and get to know one another better.”
Defender Danny Califf
On the match: “The game was back and forth. We opened it up with a goal but then just gave the momentum right back to Portland. We just ended up chasing the game after that. We did a great job of keeping the crowd out until they scored the goal, but once they scored the goal they came right back into it.”
On taking away positives from the match: “There are certainly a couple goals where it is unfortunate situations. Overall if you look at the game it wasn’t so poor. There were positives both offensively and defensively. It’s their home opener and they brought it.”
Goalkeeper Zac MacMath
On the pressure by the Timbers: “They brought it in the second half. We might have been a little tired, but overall once we let in the first goal we lost our confidence a little.”
On the Timbers’ goals: “The first one was a good header that came quick and I didn’t get a chance to react to it. The third one I was just unlucky that he got it over me.”
Notes:
- Due to ticket demand the Timbers increased capacity at JELD-WEN Field in 2012 to 20,438, and Monday’s capacity attendance was the largest for a home match in Timbers MLS history.
- Prior to kickoff, the Timbers Army, the Timbers’ supporters group, sang the national anthem. It marked the second consecutive season in which the Timbers Army sang the anthem for the club’s home opener.
- With the win, the Timbers improved their record in First Kick matches to 1-1-0 and have recorded wins in each of their two MLS home openers at JELD-WEN Field.
- During First Kick weekend around MLS, Western Conference clubs posted a 5-1-0 record over their Eastern Conference opponents. Only two First Kick matchups featured in-conference clubs.
- The Timbers improve to 2-0-1 all-time against the Union; Monday’s match was the only regular-season meeting scheduled between the two clubs in 2012.
- With two assists Monday, Jack Jewsbury has three career assists against the Union. He also assisted defender Futty Danso’s game-winning goal over the Union on May 6, 2011.
- The Timbers’ three second-half goals matched a club record for goals scored in a half. Portland notched three goals in the second half of a 3-3 draw against the New York Red Bulls on June 19, 2011, at JELD-WEN Field.
- Andrew Jean-Baptiste, who was selected No. 8 overall in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, became the first rookie to start both a home and season opener for the MLS Timbers.
- Goalkeeper Troy Perkins played in his 129th career MLS regular-season match and also made his 129th career MLS start. He is just one win shy of reaching the 50-win mark in his MLS career.
- Earlier in the day, Timbers goalkeeper Jake Gleeson was called up by the New Zealand U-23 National Team for the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Olympic qualifying tournament March 16-24. He departs for New Zealand, where the tournament will be held, Tuesday.
