Portland Timbers Quotes
Head Coach John Spencer
Overall thoughts on game:
“There wasn’t much in the game. Chances for both teams were very limited and obviously to give up that late goal is a killer for the guys putting in so much effort tonight.”
On his starting lineup:
“You realize we have a game on Friday. It’s Major League Soccer, there are points on the table to be had and I think that’s the reason why we had so many (regulars) not starting. We put a team out there that we felt could win the game. I don’t think there was much difference in quality between the two teams.”
On San Jose's Ike Opara’s goal:
“You lose concentration for half a second, you’re going to get punished and that’s what happened.”
On the Timbers’ overall play:
“We don’t have a first team and a reserve team. We have a squad of players that we feel are good enough to be here. It wasn’t like we were shoving a lot of young guys out there. I think a lot of them have experience; they’ve played in these games before. Just disappointed we gave the goal up so late in the game and not to get to penalties because if you’re taking penalties in front of the Timbers Army you’ve always got a chance.”
Defender Kevin Goldthwaite (wore Captain’s armband)
On the match:
“I think there’s some positives that we can take out of the game and also some negatives that we can hit the chalkboard and video sessions and learn some things.”
On roster depth:
“I think a lot of people came out and put good performances out there. It shows that our roster is good from top to bottom and hopefully that translates into good training sessions and helps make everyone better.”
San Jose Earthquakes Quotes
Head Coach Frank Yallop
On team’s performance:
"We didn't hit the target, but I thought we dominated the play all night. I thought we played pretty well tonight without having the finishing touch. I thought we moved the ball well, I thought we defended great and deserved to win."
On Opara’s game-winning goal:
"He's very good on set plays, anytime he's in the opposing box he's very difficult to pick up, his timing's excellent and he finds the ball."
On being the first opposing coach to win at JELD-WEN Field:
"It's just good for us to get a win, I'm not worried about where it was I was just hoping to get a good result tonight."
On atmosphere at JELD-WEN Field:
"Great! The atmosphere was terrific, obviously winning helps you say that everything's nice but I think all in all the guys enjoyed the experience and it's obviously nice to come away with a victory."
Notes:
- Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup play-in match was the second in a series of three games in seven days for the Timbers.
- Five different Timbers players made their first starts of the season with the first team Tuesday against San Jose – Freddie Braun, Rodrigo Lopez, Adam Moffat, Spencer Thompson and Sal Zizzo.
- The loss in the U.S. Open Cup qualifier was the Timbers’ first in Portland. The Timbers are 4-1-0 across all competitions at home.
- For a second consecutive U.S. Open Cup play-in match, a Timbers defender wore the captain’s armband; defender Kevin Goldthwaite wore it against San Jose. Goalkeeper Troy Perkins assumed the armband in overtime when Goldthwaite was subbed out in the 98th minute.
- On two previous occasions, the Timbers’ second-division club played the Earthquakes in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup action during the 2004 and 2005 tournaments, both at JELD-WEN Field. San Jose defender Ramiro Corrales played in the first meeting back in 2004, while Timbers defender Kevin Goldthwaite saw action in the 2005 meeting for the Quakes.
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The Timbers defeated Chivas USA in the first round of U.S. Open Cup play-in matches on March 29 to advance to face San Jose.
