Portland Timbers Quotes
Head Coach John Spencer
General game statement:
“It’s easy to switch off and let your guard down and get punished. I think we stuck to the task and we realized what a good team we’re becoming.”
On Philadelphia’s tactics:
“I think they had that siege mentality where they’re sticking up for each other and holding out for a tie or maybe sneak one in on a set piece. I said to the guys at halftime that we need to try and stay focused and force our game on them and a clean sheet and a set piece will win the game.”
On the defensive performance:
“If you keep clean sheets you can’t ask any more. I truly believe that in the modern game you’ve got to be a good athlete, you’ve got to have that desire to compete from the first minute to the 90th minute because if you don’t, you’re not going to win games. Right now, we’re competing and we’re winning games.”
On scoring again from a set piece:
“We’re getting such great service from Jack Jewsbury. I said to Futty (Danso) and Eric (Brunner) at halftime, ‘You’re going to get another chance, you’ve got to hit the target with it, just make the goalkeeper make a save.’ Luckily enough, we get one and Futty puts it in the back of the net. I thought it was a tremendous header.”
Defender Mamadou “Futty” Danso
On his game-winning goal:
“It was a good goal. Jack (Jewsbury) hit a good cross and I happened to get on the end of it. In previous games I’ve been close. The last two weeks, the coaches have been working with me and I’ve just been trying to put the ball on target.”
On the Timbers’ Army and their support:
“They lift everybody up and they’ve been great for us at home. We’ve just got to go away and just feel like they’re behind us and do the job away from home.”
Goalkeeper Troy Perkins
On the clean sheet:
“It’s three points and that’s all we can really say. Now we have to go on the road and do the same thing next weekend and these two wins at home are really going to help carry that momentum for us.”
On his health after returning to the lineup:
“I never felt like I wasn’t (100 percent). The guys in front of me do a great job and the team is really starting to grow.”
On saving a late shot by Le Toux:
“It’s just one of those things, the ball was hit about four times before it got through and it’s just keeping your balance, keeping your feet and reacting to it. I saw it just off his foot and luckily he hit it in-and-around me because if he hits it anywhere else I have no chance. Luckily I’m in the right place at the right time.”
Midfielder Jack Jewsbury
On Portland’s success from set pieces:
“We’ve got some big bodies in there so the job for me is just to get it in a good spot and let them try to get on the end of it. I thought we were dangerous on multiple occasions, Brunner had the one in the first half and it was nice to get Futty (Danso) on the end of one because he’s been so close the last couple games. We’ve been good and hopefully we can continue that.”
Philadelphia Union Quotes
Head Coach Peter Nowak
On Officiating:
“I thought the last 20 minutes we were still going to push for the win, it’s disappointing and I understand the expansion excitement but the officials still need to do a better job officiating the game because I can see from the bench the last 20 minutes they couldn’t break us down.”
On not having Danny Califf (out with illness):
“We brought Danny in on Wednesday to check out the situation and the travel and the weather were not going to help him get back to where he was a week ago. Especially with the games we have coming up we need to be up and running, we don’t need any setbacks.”
On giving up so many free kicks:
“I don’t think we played like an away team today. We need to work very hard on the many things that happened today and the past week because anyone who plays against us right now the free kick is going to be a weapon.”
On atmosphere at JELD-WEN Field:
“It was good; it was nothing different from PPL Park. I thought they did a very good job and the fans stayed behind the team for 90 minutes and I think it was a good experience for everybody.”
Forward Danny Mwanga
On atmosphere at JELD-WEN Field:
“It was good, the fans were very excited and it’s a very electric stadium. They were chanting for 90 minutes I was impressed.”
On comparing JELD-WEN Field to PPL Park:
“It felt like how our opponents feel when we play them at PPL Park. The fans are great, they’re incredible, there are a lot of people chanting the whole time it’s about the same environment.”
On playing in Portland:
“It was definitely great especially playing at home in front of my family and friends was a good feeling but unfortunately we didn’t come out with a good result.
On loved ones in the crowd:
“It was a great feeling I knew I had a lot of friends and family there watching me and just playing here is wonderful, the fans were great and I was very excited to be there.”
On Westside Metros (youth club) buying 400 tickets to see him play:
“I actually didn’t know they had that many people coming to the game. It just makes me proud, I know those people are looking up to me I just have to try and make sure I stay focused on what I’m doing.”
Notes:
- The Timbers have had consecutive sellout crowds of 18,627 through their first four regular-season home matches.
- For a fourth-straight MLS home match, the Timbers scored the contest’s first goal. Portland is 4-0-0 when scoring first.
- Danso has not committed a foul in 450 minutes of MLS action this season. His run of play without a foul is the longest among MLS players without a foul this season.
- The Timbers are the first MLS expansion team to win each of its first four home matches and are unbeaten in league play at JELD-WEN Field with a record of 4-0-0. Only three MLS franchises have begun their histories with four straight home wins – Portland (2011), LA Galaxy (1996) and Dallas (1996).
- With four wins at home, the Timbers have recorded 12 points at JELD-WEN Field – the most points earned at home in MLS this season.
- Perkins has recorded back-to-back shutouts in league play and has a string of 202 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal.
- Portland defender Rodney Wallace picked up his team-leading fourth caution in the win over the Union.
- Philadelphia forward Danny Mwanga started Friday in a homecoming match of sorts for the second-year player. Mwanga attended Portland’s Jefferson High School and starred at Oregon State University before being drafted No. 1 overall in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft by the Union.
- Prior to kickoff, Union defender Stefani Miglioranzi was scratched from the Starting XI due to injury was and replaced by Gabriel Farfan.
- Kalif Alhassan’s assist streak in home matches came to an end Friday at three games. He was just the third player in MLS history to record an assist in each of his first three career home matches.
