Portland records third-straight shutout, second-straight on the road.
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The Portland Timbers earned their third straight clean sheet as they split the points with the San Jose Earthquakes in a 0-0 draw Saturday evening at PayPal Park. Portland goalkeeper David Bingham earned his 50th career shutout, becoming just the 21st player in league history to achieve the mark.
The first half was fluid, with both clubs making repeated approaches into the opposition's final third. For Portland, forward Franck Boli looked most dangerous on a couple of occasions. His first approach came in a solo-run effort down the middle of the field that ultimately resulted in a comfortable save for San Jose goalkeeper Daniel. Boli again looked threatening 10 minutes later, however he would not find the back of the net.
A very physical first half ended with a zero-zero scoreline, as neither Quakes nor Timbers could capitalize.
Portland began the second half on the offensive hunt. Just a minute after the restart, Boli and Evander connected on an alarming play for the San Jose defense. Running towards the right endline, Boli crossed a ball into the six-yard box where a floating Evander headed his attempt down towards the turf though it was saved on the line by Daniel.
Over the next 20 minutes it would be the visitors that controlled the tempo of the game. Boli continued to be a nuisance for Quakes defenders in the final third. San Jose, relying heavily on the counter, put Bingham on alert as well. The Quakes came closest in the 67th minute, after a ricochet off the left post resulted in a free header in the six-yard box for the hosts. As the ball arced towards goal, a recovering and flying Bingham swatted it out of danger.
As stoppage time loomed, the Timbers had their closest approach of the game, via Dairon Asprilla. After a few rebounds in the box, Asprilla redirected a loose ball towards goal that caromed off the far goal post. As the final whistle blew at PayPal Park, Portland earned a valuable road point and have not allowed a goal for 270 minutes.
The Timbers return to the Rose City for a midweek matchup with the Chicago Fire on Wednesday, June 21 (TICKETS). Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30pm PT at Providence Park on MLS Season Pass on AppleTV.
Notes
- Tonight’s match was Portland’s first of three matches that will be played in an eight-day span (June 21 vs. Chicago, June 24 vs. New York City).Â
- The Timbers are unbeaten in the last three matches dating back to June 3 and sit in 9th place of the Western Conference.
- It marks the second time Portland has gone unbeaten in three straight games in the 2023 season, with the last stretch being from April 29 to May 17 (2-0-2).Â
- The Timbers are 16-6-10 in regular season play against the Earthquakes and 4-6-6 when playing them on the road.Â
- Head coach Giovanni Savarese has an 8-2-3 record against San Jose and is unbeaten in 11 of 13 games against the Earthquakes.
- Portland tallied its third consecutive shutout dating back to June 3 against Seattle Sounders FC, and its sixth shutout of the season.
- During that stretch, Portland has held its opponents to 22 shots, which is tied for the fourth-lowest number in the league behind Philadelphia Union (19), FC Cincinnati (17) and New York Red Bulls (7).Â
- David Bingham recorded his fourth shutout in five appearances this season.Â
- Notably, it was also Bingham’s 50th shutout of his MLS career, becoming the 21st goalkeeper with 50 or more clean sheets in league history.
- Dating back to June 3, Cristhian Paredes has led the league in duels won (11) and tackles won (33) in three 90-minute performances.
- Diego Chara is the only player to play every minute of every match so far this season (1,620).
- Zac McGraw led the team in clearances (6) and interceptions (3).
Portland Timbers (5-7-6, 21pts) at San Jose Earthquakes (7-5-6, 27pts)June 17, 2023 – PayPal Park (San Jose, Calif.)
Scoring Summary:
None
Misconduct Summary:
POR: Moreno (caution), 18
POR: Zuparic (caution), 43
SJ: Cowell (caution), 51
SJ: Marie (caution), 54
POR: Miller (caution), 64
SJ: Thompson (caution), 90+1
Lineups:
POR: GK Bingham, D Bravo, D McGraw, D Zuparic, D Miller, M D. Chara ©, M Paredes, M Evander, F Moreno (Blanco, 72), F Asprilla, F Boli (Niezgoda, 72)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Sulte, D Mabiala, D Rasmussen, M Caliskan, M Gutierrez, M LorĂa, F Fogaça
TOTAL SHOTS: 16 (Evander, 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Boli, Evander, 2); FOULS: 15 (three players tied, 3); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 4, SAVES: 2
SJ: GK Daniel, D Marie, D Beason, D Rodrigues, D Mensah, M Tsakiris (Skahan, 76) M Judson (Thompson, 63), M Yueill ©, F Cowell (Kikavinovic, 90+4), F Ebobisse (Bouda, 90+4), F Espinoza
Substitutes Not Used: GK Marcinkowski, D Munie, M Cilley, F Richmond
TOTAL SHOTS: 12 (Mensah, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Beason, Espinoza, 1); FOULS: 8 (Judson, 2); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 7; SAVES: 7
Referee: Alex Chilowicz
Assistant Referees: Jason White, Brian Dunn
Fourth Official: Elijio Arreguin
VAR: Kevin Scott
Attendance: 14,188
