Timbers head coach Caleb Porter
Thoughts on the match:
“Certainly it’s disappointing not to get a result. We prepared all week for the way that they would play against us, and just about everything we thought they would do, they did. We knew they would hit us on counterattacks and we knew they would hit us on set pieces. If you look at the goals they scored, one was a set piece and the other was on a counterattack. It's disappointing that we let them hurt us twice in moments that we prepared for all week, and it’s disappointing to give up two goals on only seven shots.”
On trying to crack the Montreal backline:
“We knew it was going to be difficult, they are very organized. They weren’t easy to breakdown; we had plenty of shots and a lot of possession. They're a team that if they get up on you, they can bunker down even more. Unfortunately, they got the first goal and that played into their hands.”
On the play of the Timbers defense:
“We talked about the first goal and how important that was. We are making some mistakes that we can’t keep making if we want to win games. Again, we let them hurt us twice in moments that we prepared for all week.”
Timbers forward Ryan Johnson
What happened on the goal:
“Just a great ball by Ben (Zemanski), and I just tried to make sure I was on the end of it and beat my defender to the spot. I just got a piece of it that I needed to get it into the back of the net.”
On overall play two games into the season:
“We’re doing the rights things; it’s just about the ball falling into the goal. We’re doing what we’re supposed to do in creating the chances, they just need to start falling a little bit more in our favor. As long as we keep doing what we’re doing, and creating the chances we’ll be fine.”
On the amount of shots the Timbers are creating:
“It’s not a coincidence that two games straight we’ve shot more than 20-something times on goal. I think these are club records that we are setting and it’s because we have offensive weapons. We’re doing the right things, they (shots) are going to fall, we’ve just got to be a little bit sharper around the goal when it comes to those final passes. As times goes on, we’ll be fine, I’m not worried at all.”
Timbers midfielder Ben Zemanski
On assisting Johnson’s goal:
“I think it was (Diego) Chara that played a good ball out to me. I just saw a couple guys on the back post and I just tried to get it there. Getting that first one against a team like that is definitely huge and it felt like the momentum was going to swing. Unfortunately we couldn’t capitalize on it.”
On the play of the team through two games:
“Whenever you have two home games to start the year and you only have one point, you’ve got to figure out a way to get win. Three points is huge in this league and there are a lot of games left for us to do it. We’ve got to get that first win.”
Montreal Impact Quotes
Impact head coach Marco Schällibaum
On the result:
“We didn’t come in here and steal the three points tonight. We were solid defensively and had a lot of help from our midfield. It was a difficult and tight game, but we responded well.”
On coaching in MLS:
“I come from Europe and everyone is a fan of football. I come here and I have a good start and we work very good together. I get by with my experience and also my ideas, but I know the other coach’s work very well.”
Midfielder Davy Arnaud
On a second-straight win:
“I know it’s not easy to play in these two places, but I think we have the team that’s capable of going on the road and getting results; six points is huge. It’s a huge achievement for us on the road. We want to be good defensively, and our starting point is how we play defensively.”
On team’s defensive play:
“I think so. We were solid defensively. We didn’t give up a ton of really good chances and we had quite a few really good chances ourselves. They had a lot of the ball and they pushed the game, similar to Seattle, but I thought defensively as a group again, we were very solid.”
Goalkeeper Troy Perkins
On the result:
“We wanted six points on the road and we got it. It’s no different than playing in any other game. Obviously there’s a little more emotion to it, but it’s one of those things where we knew they were going to come hard and we had to withstand it.”
Looking forward to Toronto:
“That’s a big rivalry for us, and I think we just have to continue our confidence and take to the next game and take it day by day.”
On returning to Portland:
“It was different, a little surreal. Playing almost two years here and coming back and having to warm-up on the other end was a different experience for me.”
Notes:
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The Timbers attempted 19 shots on Saturday against the Impact, and combined with the 21 shots in the season opener, Portland equaled its MLS high of 40 combined shots over any two-game period. The only other time the Timbers recorded 40 or more shots over a two-game stretch was July 28-Aug. 5, 2012 (19 against Chivas USA, 21 against FC Dallas).
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The Timbers attempted 566 passes on Saturday night, more than 100 more passes than any of the nine other MLS clubs in action on Saturday. Sporting Kansas City was second during the day with 457 passes.
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The Timbers also had more crosses in open play (24) than any other MLS team in action on Saturday. Sporting Kansas City was second with 21.
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After two matches, Portland leads MLS in shot attempts (40) and shots on goal (16). The club also leads the league in corner kicks (12).
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For a second straight match, the Timbers maintained over 62 percent of the possession against their opponent (62.9 percent against Montreal; 62.8 percent against New York).
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The Timbers fielded the same Starting XI on Saturday against Montreal as they did March 3 against New York, marking just the ninth time in the club’s MLS history that it has fielded the same Starting XI in consecutive matches. The Timbers’ MLS mark for consecutive games with the same Starting XI is four, set April 30-May 21, 2011.
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The Timbers and Impact met for the first time as MLS clubs at JELD-WEN Field. With Saturday’s loss, the Timbers are 0-2-0 in the all-time MLS series against the Impact. The history between the two sides dates back to 2001 when both clubs competed in the second division.
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The Timbers played their 70th match as an MLS club on Saturday.
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Midfielder Kalif Alhassan made his 50th appearance as a member of the MLS Timbers on Saturday, becoming the just the sixth player in the club’s MLS history to reach the 50-appearance mark.
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Midfielder Diego Chara surpassed 5,000 minutes played for the Timbers on Saturday, becoming just the second player in the club’s MLS history to reach the milestone.
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Midfielder Diego Valeri attempted six shots against Montreal, just one shy of the Timbers’ MLS mark for shot attempts in a single match.
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Through two matches, Valeri leads MLS in shots (12) and is tied for the lead in corner kicks (11).
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Midfielder Ben Zemanski made his Timbers debut Saturday, entering the match as a halftime sub. He also recorded his first assist as a member of the Timbers.
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Portland goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts made his 105th MLS regular-season start Saturday.
- Earlier in the day, Ricketts and forward Ryan Johnson were called up by the Jamaica National Team for upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on March 22 and 25.
