Quotes & Notes | Portland Timbers 3, San Jose Earthquakes 0 | Oct. 8, 2014

Portland Timbers Quotes

Portland Timbers head coach Caleb Porter
On this being a potential trap game and having it be such a decisive victory:
“These types games can be tricky sometimes. We knew they were going to have some guys out. Then we see the start sheet and there are a few more guys out. Sometimes these are games where you let your guard down and you see it happen in this league, and in leagues all over the world, teams don’t get out of these games with the result they should. I think it just says a lot about our hunger right now, our focus, we weren’t going to let that happen.”

On Valeri’s performance tonight, and quality performances coming at the right time:
“I told you guys before he’s one of the best players in the league and he showed that again tonight. That’s huge. We’ve got guys performing well right now. We need that. If we are going to make a push for the postseason, if we are going to make some noise when we get into the postseason, you need your big players to step up. You see that on the teams that are doing really well. You see Obafemi Martins, Clint Dempsey, guys like Thierry Henry, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane. They’re finding goals right now because their teams need them to find goals. We’re getting that out of Valeri, we are getting that out of other guys at different times. Rodney Wallace scores a big time goal right before half. That was massive, that goal. I said after last game we’ve got a lot guys that are producing and that makes us tough to manage. We’ve got guys who start. We’ve got guys who come off the bench that can produce. We are becoming a very diverse team in the attack.  [Fanendo] Adi didn’t score tonight, but I thought he was one of the best players on the field the way he held the ball. There have been some games where we have good possession, but not enough purpose, not enough penetration. What I like about our team right now is that we’re controlling the play, for periods, but we’re also able to if we need to go big and play off second balls we can and that makes us unpredictable and tougher to manage. Same thing defensively, we are a team that wants to press, but I think we are making a lot of sense out of the game and what’s on. There are times when it’s not on to press. Playing with a low block at times, absorbing and soaking up pressure and playing on the counter sometimes is what’s on. I think we are making a lot of sense out of those things in a game when to press, when to hold, when to possess, when to go a little bit more direct. There have been some games when we have not got that right and we are getting those things right and we talked about that this week. The other thing is our ability to manage games has been much improved. Obviously, Toronto we took a long hard look at ourselves and we had long meeting and we talked about that. If we want to be a team that’s consistently up there at the top, that’s in the playoffs, then we have to be better at that. We can’t unravel at 2-0. I thought we were very mature first half, very mature second half. We shut the game down.”

On the Toronto game galvanizing the team:
“I think there have been a lot of moments that have galvanized us. We’ve been through a lot. We’ve brought some of that on ourselves. It’s not like we’ve been victims. In some cases we have, in other cases we’ve inflicted that on ourselves. It’s been self-inflicted. But it’s been a tough year in terms of things not going the way maybe we think it should. Maybe it’s unfair, maybe it’s fair, but at the end of the day there have been a lot of times where we’ve had to look at ourselves in the mirror and realize and acknowledge, myself included, it’s not been good enough. Maybe it’s because last year went so smooth. I don’t know why that’s been, but this team has fought through it and here we are. And I think we are a team that can make a run, and you’ve seen it, we are a team that can beat anybody. We are team that if we do get in the playoffs we are talented enough to potentially make a run, but we are two steps away. We’re not there yet, we are nowhere close to being there. So we’ve got to keep fighting. We are a team that plays well when we are hungry and our backs are against the wall. So we’ve got to keep in that mindset, that’s key.”

On whether the last home game against San Jose was a turning point with the attack:
“I think if you look back at that game we had more shots in that game they just didn’t fall. That’s soccer sometimes. We could have, I said it, we could have scored 10 goals that game. We were fortunate to get the goal right before half and that changed the game, more than that the biggest change is that we didn’t give up the early goal in this game. We’ve really talked about that. I’ve never seen this team start a game slow. Everybody who watches our team, if anything we start the games at home over eager at times. These guys are up for it, they are ready. I think the fans, the supporters, the Timbers Army, they fuel us, but we haven’t been maybe in some first halves patient enough and composed enough and stayed organized long enough. You saw today starting out we were absolutely battering them. The goal didn’t come, we had a few chances, and they made a few saves. There have been some games this year where all of a sudden the opponent is sniffing our goal and we've look rattled for some reason because all of a sudden they have a chance. Tonight I can remember a couple counters and a set piece where we managed those situations and we didn’t look nervous. We looked composed like we are in control and eventually we found a goal because we were patient and we stayed organized and we didn’t get over eager, and stretched out and reckless. So I think that’s been a huge part of us having more success recently, part of its tactical, part of its mental, but we've done better."

On whether he likes playing earlier than Vancouver in the week and putting the pressure on them:
“I think it’s nice to just go into the game and believe that you have to get three points. I think that’s the way we are approaching it. We are not going to rely on anything other than what we can control. It’s kind of nice because perhaps having that second game if you know you can maybe get a tie and still be OK than I think sometimes psychologically that plays in your mind. But every game from here out is going to be important, the last two are going to be important, it’s going to come down to the last game. I believe. Unless Vancouver slips up in their next two and if they do and we beat Salt Lake, it’s over, we’re in. Regardless we are going to focus on our business and keep putting pressure on Vancouver to follow suit."

Portland Timbers midfielder Rodney Wallace
On the importance of the first goal:
“It was a very important goal to get us started. I thought the whole first half we were hungry and we put together a good performance. All we needed was a goal and we built up a good play and I was able to finish. That got us through the whole game.”

On whether he’s putting in his best performances at the right time:
“I feel like I’m at 100 percent right now. There’s still work to be done. I’m never satisfied with one performance, one game. I’m always striving to get better and so is the team. Especially with this performance, it’s going to carry us on and give us confidence. But it gives us more belief in the long run.”

On the confidence level in the locker room going into the final two matches:
“The team is at a good level of confidence. But at the same time, balanced. We’re not too overexcited by these results, but we know that they’re important. At the same time, we know that we have to get the job done for the next two games coming. This means a lot, but at the same time, we have even bigger challenges coming.”

On how gratifying it is for him to come back from his injury and play well:
“I put in a lot of work, that’s true. But right now, it’s at a point in the season where it’s not so much about individual performances but it’s just about getting the results we need to get ahead.”

On who he’ll be rooting for when Vancouver plays Seattle on Friday:
“You can’t control what happens. We really just have to focus on what we have to do. Hopefully Vancouver will slip up or whatever, but we’re not concerned about that because at the same time we have to take care of our business.”

Portland Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri
On the importance of this result:
“It’s very important. We knew that. At home, we need the points with two games to go. We took the first step of three.”

On Rodney Wallace’s performance:
“Great, great performance. I’m really happy for him because I know how hard it is to get back from the injury. I’m very happy for him because we need everyone and he put in a great performance.”

On whether he felt more energy after missing the last match:
“Maybe yes. The last 25 minutes, I could see people getting tired. I feel good and the most important thing is the result.”

On how the Timbers have improved from the beginning of the season:
“Every game is different. A good point that we learned from the season is that every day we are getting better. We fixed some mistakes. Now we need to stay focused the whole time because we need the points. I think the big difference is at home, we have done a great job every game.”

On scoring a brace and setting a Timbers single-season record for goals:
“Oh, I’m very happy. It’s for the team because every individual step we take is because it’s a team game. If I do that, it’s because the team is a great team because we have great players.”

Portland Timbers defender Liam Ridgewell
On how it feels to put pressure on Vancouver:
“I hope it puts pressure. If you don’t feel pressure in football, you shouldn’t be in the game. I’m sure they know what they have to do. They’re looking to win the game. We’ve done our part and I’ve said it before, the only thing we can do is win our games and put as much pressure on them as possible.”

On Diego Valeri’s performance and contribution to the team:
“He’s been brilliant. Since I’ve come here, he’s been fantastic. You can see how good a player he is and what he means to the team. [Gastón Fernández] coming in last week, he’s done fantastic and Valeri coming in this week. I think it shows a good strength and depth in the squad. Having him in the team is very good for us. He’s a brilliant player, especially on the ball. When I first came to watch the Timbers, you can see him out on the field. He’s a great player and I’m glad he’s in our team rather than against us. Hopefully he can continue that form and hopefully into the playoffs and take us a long way.”

On the importance of the players playing well at this point in the season:
“For sure. It’s obviously time for us all to step up and, like you said, the big players, I think everyone in the team is a big player. The main thing we have to do is keep trying to win the games and put as much pressure on Vancouver as possible and make sure we’re in the playoffs.”

On the team’s confidence after getting two wins:
“It’s huge. I think the Toronto loss maybe hit us at the right time. It was a painful loss and obviously to lose Will [Johnson] as well was painful. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that we lost that game and it was a kick in the teeth a bit. It was a hard one to take and I think we’ve responded well over the last couple weeks.”

San Jose Earthquakes Quotes

San Jose Earthquakes head coach Mark Watson
On the performance he got from his players:
“The only thing I will say is that our guys kept fighting until the end. It’s a tough spot to be in. We did some good things well in the game, but obviously, you lose 3-0, it’s tough to pick positives out. But I will say our guys kept going right to the end. They didn’t stop fighting and that’s a good quality.”

On what went wrong defensively for San Jose:
“I think you look at tonight, we just had some little mistakes. The first goal we let a guy run in behind. We didn’t stay with the runner. The second was a penalty. Those little things, they’ve been hurting us a lot this season. We have to dust ourselves off and see who’s available for Saturday and try to cut out the little things that have been hurting us.”

San Jose Earthquakes forward Adam Jahn
On how he felt he performed tonight:
“Felt great, physically-wise. Been in shape having played so much at Sacramento. It was really fun to play 90 minutes. Just not the result we wanted.”

On playing against Liam Ridgewell:
“It was fun. Playing with a great player like that, you learn a lot. I thought I did well against him. Obviously didn’t put one in, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.”

San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch
On working with a depleted and inexperienced backline:
“It’s no different. We have experienced guys. We have good young players. My job is to organize them and communicate with them. I thought JJ [Koval] did a great job. I thought Tommy [Thompson] did well. But we have enough experience on the field regardless of who’s on there or who we’re missing. We never make excuses. That’s not an excuse. We get on with the job. We didn’t get it done tonight.”

On the chances Portland created:
“They possess the ball. They get opportunities. They’re a dynamic team going forward offensively. No matter if you play them at our place or their place, they’re going to get chances. Yes, last game, two deflections. As we said after that game, that’s kind of the way the season has gone for us right there. Take nothing away from Portland. They’re a good team. Like I said, they’re very dynamic going forward offensively. We knew we would have our hands full and they’ve got some attacking weapons. They had a lot of good looks again tonight.”

Notes:

• With the win, Portland moved above the red line and into fifth place in the Western Conference standings with two matches remaining on the schedule. Portland (45pts) is now two points clear of Vancouver (43pts) for the fifth, and final, postseason berth from the Western Conference.
  
• Midfielder Diego Valeri set the Timbers MLS-club, single-season record for goals (11) with a brace on Wednesday night. Valeri netted his 10th and 11th goals of the season in the match, surpassing his old mark of 10 goals set in the 2013 season.
  
• Valeri also became the first Timbers MLS player to register consecutive seasons with double-digit goals (10 in 2013, 11 in 2014).
  
• Valeri has registered at least one point in 10 of the last 14 regular-season games for the Timbers, including four goals in the last five matches.
  
• Valeri’s brace was the second of his Timbers MLS career and marked the eighth time a Timbers player has netted a brace in 2014. Valeri registered his first brace on Oct. 26, 2013, in a 5-0 win over Chivas USA.
  
• Midfielder/forward Darlington Nagbe added to his individual single-season career high in assists with his seventh of the season. Nagbe’s previous single-season high for assists was four (set in 2013).
  
• Nagbe made the 125th appearance of his Timbers MLS career, moving into sole possession of seventh place on the Timbers all-time appearances list across all eras since 1975.
  
• Midfielder Diego Chara made the 116th appearance of his Timbers MLS career, moving into the top 10 in all-time appearances across all eras for the club since 1975.
  
• Wednesday’s shutout marked the second straight clean sheet at home for the Timbers and their third consecutive home shutout in all competitions.
  
• With a capacity crowd of 20,814, Portland registered its 67th consecutive sellout at Providence Park. The Timbers have sold out every regular-season home game at Providence Park since 2011.
  
• Portland did not allow a shot on goal against San Jose on Wednesday, marking the first time in 2014 that the Timbers have not allowed a shot on goal to an opponent and the first time since Oct. 19, 2013, in a scoreless draw against Real Salt Lake at Providence Park.
  
• Wednesday’s match marked the 32nd all-time meeting between the two teams in all competitions, across all eras. Since 1975, Portland is 16-10-6 overall against San Jose.
  
• The Timbers and Earthquakes met for the 11th time in MLS regular-season play as Portland improved to 4-1-6 overall.
  
• Portland increased its MLS-club single-season record in goals to 59 with three goals on Wednesday against San Jose. Portland is on pace to register 62 goals this season.
  
• The Timbers rank third in MLS with 59 goals. Only two teams, the LA Galaxy (66) and Seattle (61) have scored more goals this season.
  
• Portland has scored 33 of its 59 goals in the final 30 minutes of matches this season.
  
• The Timbers are 18-3-9 overall when scoring the first goal since the start of the 2013 season.
  
• Portland has tallied two goals or more in eight straight league games (nine consecutive matches in all competitions).
  
• The Timbers are unbeaten in five consecutive matches (3-0-2) against Western Conference opponents.
  
• With the win, Portland finished the 2014 regular-season series against San Jose with a 2-0-1 record.
  
• Portland is 16-4-13 at home since the start of the 2013 season.