You could say Timbers defender David Horst is on a roll. After putting in a CenturyLink Man of the Match performance with timely defense in a tough 1-0 loss to the LA Galaxy, Horst followed that up with a terrific match in a chippy Cascadia Cup 2-1 victory over the Seattle Sounders.
Threatening early, Horst received an excellent ball off a corner kick from Franck Songo’o. Unmarked, the big centerback pinged the header off the cross bar in the 11th minute.
But Horst would get another chance. In a near identical play in the 25th minute, Horst again was left unmarked and again received a great ball off of a corner from Songo’o. This time, he didn’t miss. As Horst put it, “I got the taste in the first header that hit the crossbar, and Franck [Songo'o] put the ball in the exact same spot again.”
“It was an unbelievable corner, and I headed it down this time, instead of up,” he added.
That alteration in header techinique resulted in Horst’s first ever MLS goal. Add to that some intrepid defending on the backline alongside fellow center back Futty Danso, and Horst was a shoe-in for the CenturyLink Man of the Match.
David Horst - 51%
Steven Smith - 17%
Diego Chara - 13%
Futty Danso - 10%
Kris Boyd - 8%
Congratulations to David and be sure to visit www.portlandtimbers.com/motm for future CenturyLink Man of the Match voting.
Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer