Portland Timbers quotes
Portland Timbers head coach Caleb Porter
On the response of the team to come from behind…
“I thought it was a great result. I thought the last 70 minutes we played extremely well on both sides of the ball against a desperate team. A team that needs results, and sometimes those are the trickiest games to play when you play a team that is a bit desperate, a bit wounded, and they certainly came out strong in that first 25 minutes. I thought our guys’ mental strength to respond after giving up a goal on the road, played some really good football in that last 20 minutes of that first half. We pulled the goal back and then obviously in the second half I thought we were the better team."
On how the Timbers opened up the game…
“I thought in the first 20 minutes, we gave the ball away too much. We were a bit sloppy in possession and when you give the ball away in bad spots it creates a funk in your team and it gave them a little bit of life. Once we conceded the goal, we started breaking their pressure and we found a lot of space. Obviously, we found the first goal and that was big for momentum and I thought from there on out we managed the game really well. It’s great in that second half, we talked a lot about it, being able to close the game out. Darren (Mattocks) comes in and helps create the third goal to kind of put the margin to two, and Amobi (Okugo) came in and just battled. So, sometimes if you feel the tide turning you have to make a few subs and lock the game down, and I thought the players that came in did a nice job.”
On Fanendo Adi becoming the Timbers all-time leader in goals scored…
“Plain and simple, Adi is one of the best strikers in the league. He doesn’t get enough credit. I don’t know why he doesn’t get enough credit. He’s starting to get a little bit more. But when you look at how many goals he’s scored and how he’s played in his three-plus years in this league he should get more credit and more respect. He should be mentioned among the top strikers in this league. He’ll keep scoring goals. Hopefully some more people realize just how good this kid is.”
On Nagbe scoring in the first half…
“Yeah, it’s big. Obviously it helps when you get that first one out of the way. It opens the floodgates often times and (Diego) Valeri and Adi got the flood gates open long ago and you see what happens. So, it’s great getting that first goal and it was a huge moment in the match. I thought that turned the entire momentum of the game."
On what Roy Miller has meant to the team…
“We thought this was a guy that could be a great center back for us. We thought he’d be a cover guy, but with (Liam) Ridgewell out for the last five games, our best defender and our captain. So, that’s why we signed him, to be able to step in. He's left sided, he knows the league. He knows Guzmán to help him transition. He knows every stadium. Those are really important things. He’s been really solid."
On Marco Farfan’s performances so far…
“You guys all saw, he looked comfortable and he’s only going to get better. This is only his third game and every single game he’s played in he’s put out a seven or an eight, which is what you look for in a player. He's put in a solid shift over 90 minutes, usually in a young player you don’t get that. You might get one good half and the next half you get some mistakes. I just can’t say enough about this kid’s mentality to be able to step into a game and do what he’s been doing on both sides of the ball.”
Portland Timbers forward Fanendo Adi
On the environment…
“In MLS, every game is a tough game, especially when you come away this far away. We knew that coming into this game, Philadelphia would press high, try to play a difficult game, and that’s what happened. We’re lucky enough, we stood our ground and we got some really important goals. We did well by trying to pass the ball around, which put them under pressure to try and get the ball and press high. With that, we got some important goals to close out the game and that’s what we did.”
On the physical game…
“I feel good. In MLS, you always face opponents that are tough, big defenders. It’s just part of the game. You learn from it. You try to stay up as much as you can and play the game.”
On the win and what they can take away…
“I think in the first half, we let them have the ball too much, we didn’t try to play our game. We played “kick and follow” football and that’s not how we play. To that, we just have to try to play when we come into an away game. In the first 20 minutes, we just have to try to play and keep the ball. But of course, we got very important goals. We kept the ball, which is something fundamental for our team. By keeping the ball, that’s just how we play. I think we did well. Knowing that it’s an away game and the home team is trying to press high and try to get the ball, trying to get a goal. Our plan was just to try to keep the ball and hit them on the counter attack and I think we did that well.”
Portland Timbers defender Roy Miller
On the mood of the locker room…
“We are so happy to get three points because we knew the importance of today’s game against a difficult team. But, in the locker room, everyone is happy because it wasn’t an easy game for us. So, it’s good for us to get more confidence and go back home with the three points.”
On scoring his first MLS goal…
“I’m happy because I’ve never scored in MLS before. I’m happy to score to help the team win the three points.”
Portland Timbers defender Alvas Powell
On the performance of the team…
“I think we did a pretty good job after the goal we conceded in the first half. We regrouped and we put in the fight as a team to get three goals and that was the key thing for us.”
On picking up results on the road early in the season…
“That’s part of it. Last year, we didn’t get the most road wins, but this year we have a good group of guys who can get the job done, and we’re looking to win more games on the road.”
Portland Timbers midfielder Amobi Okugo
On returning to Talen Energy Stadium…
“It was a little surreal but it felt good to get the win. These points away from home are hard to get. With this group last year we didn’t get too many points on the road so to get two wins on the road out of three early in the season is really big for the group.”
On Sebastian Blanco and David Guzman…
“It’s good. It’s a testament to our group. Everyone has been so welcoming to those guys. They have done a great job of acclimating to the rigors of MLS per se. They are great players. You saw Blanco, he created a ton of chances, Guzman in the middle clogging it down. As the season grows, we are only going to see them grow as players as well”
On the defined roles within the Timbers…
“I think it’s a testament to the coaching staff and the players that we have. We know our roles and we know what strengths we bring as players. We are not trying to do too much. We aren’t trying to be out of our element. Do what we are good at and if you do that more often than not you are going to get the wins.”
Philadelphia Union quotes
Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtis
Opening statement…
“Obviously, a difficult time for the group. The guys, we watch them work week in and week out, the effort they put in – it’s always challenging now when the breaks aren’t going our way. You score a good goal off of a restart to start the game. Portland, credit to them, they’re a quality team, very good opponent. We knew they have a lot of attacking firepower. Did a good job on them in the first half, I thought. Gave up the one shot from Nagbe, it goes through Richie’s legs, and that’s how it’s going for us right now. I thought our response was not great after we conceded the goal. We looked a little timid. Came in at halftime and had a good talk with the guys. Off of a restart, we let them take the lead, so that’s disappointing … Tough time right now. We have to find a way to fight and stick together and turn things around. It takes one win to get back on track. We do have quality within our group. There’s belief in our group and it’s just a tough time right now. We need to turn it around.”
On the Union’s scoring chances tonight…
“We had chances to get a second goal. Fabinho is in one-v-one with the goalkeeper and he makes a good save. I thought he made a very good save on Haris’ free kick. When it’s not going your way, you’re not going to score your chances and you let a good team like Portland hang around, they take their chances. Started again, the first 25 minutes I thought was very good on the front foot. We had the crowd into the game; the crowd stuck with us the whole time, but in the key moments we came up small.”
On what isn’t working…
“I think it’s a combination of a lot of things. There have been some individual errors that are tough, but we give up goals as a team. We have to stick together through the tough times. Keeping shutouts at home is something we take pride in. We came up small tonight in that regard. Again, goals are going to come. You’re going to concede goals, but you want to make teams earn them. I’d say for the most part, we haven’t done a good job of that this year. The goals that we’ve given up, other than a couple, have been what you’d call, not soft, but not really earned. We’ve kind of handed them to teams, so that’s difficult, whether penalty kicks or different things like that. We’re not giving up a ton of shots on goal, but we are giving up big chances and we’re giving up goals, so it’s a problem.”
Philadelphia Union defender Richie Marquez
On his goal…
“To be honest, more credit toward Haris’ ball. It was a great ball in the box and I was lucky to get on top of it.”
On Roy Miller’s goal and if he got a head on it…
“Yeah, he got a piece of it and it flicked off my head afterward, so it was a bit unlucky, but I don’t know, it was a tough one.”
Notes
- Portland currently leads MLS in points (13), wins (4) and goals scored (16)
- For the second time in the club’s MLS era, the Timbers won at an Eastern Conference opponent by multiple goals. The other occasion took place against D.C. United on May 25, 2013.
- For the first time since the end of the 2014 season, the Timbers have scored multiple goals in consecutive away matches.
- Portland's two road wins are as many as the 10 other Western Conference teams combined in 2017.
- Fanendo Adi scored the 46th regular-season goal of his Portland Timbers career, setting the all-time record for the club.
- Adi's goal was his fifth of the season, moving him into a tie with teammate Diego Valeri and Atlanta United's Josef Martinez for second-most in MLS in 2017.
- With his goal, midfielder Darlington Nagbe became the first player in Timbers history to score in seven different seasons for the club.
- Nagbe scored the 25th goal of his Timbers career. The goal moves him into a tie with Ryan Pore for ninth-most goals in Timbers history.
- Roy Miller scored the game-winning goal, his first ever goal in MLS play. Miller, in his first season with Portland, made his 130th MLS appearance in the match.
- With finishes from Nagbe and Miller, Portland has had eight different players score this season, which ranks as the most for any club in MLS.
- Valeri's assist was his third of the season, tying him for third-most in MLS this season.
