PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Timbers moved one step closer to the start of the 2012 MLS campaign Thursday night, playing Oregon State University to a 1-0 win in a closed-door preseason scrimmage at JELD-WEN Field.
Portland defender Hanyer Mosquera scored the game’s lone goal late, heading home a corner kick from midfielder Kalif Alhassan. Goalkeeper Jake Gleeson, seeing his first minutes of the preseason, picked up the shutout, needing only to make a handful of stops.
Timbers head coach John Spencer utilized different lineups in each half, allowing 20 total players to see minutes in the scrimmage. Gleeson and forward Bright Dike were the only two Portland players to play the full 90 minutes.
Pressure by the Timbers attack in the second half led to a series of corner kicks over the final 20 minutes of the game. In the 84th minute, Alhassan served in a corner kick from the right side. Moquera was the first to the ball, driving in a header from inside the six-yard box into an open far side of the goal.
The team returns to the training field this the weekend as it prepares for the upcoming preseason tournament held at JELD-WEN Field from Feb. 27 through March 4. Along with the host Timbers, the tournament will feature MLS sides Chivas USA and the San Jose Earthquakes as well as Swedish club AIK.
