Quotes: Portland Timbers at San Jose Earthquakes
Portland Timbers Quotes
Timbers head coach Caleb Porter
Overall Thoughts:
“We leave a little disappointed because we had three points in our hands. But when the dust settles, it’s still a point on the road. If you look at the two-game series against San Jose, we make up three points. It was tough to give the goal away at the end, but they’re a tough team. [Adam] Jahn got loose and found the ball and that’s all they needed. I’m proud of my guys and I thought we managed certain parts very well.”
Thoughts of on physicality of the two games:
“That’s soccer, it’s part of the game. San Jose ties that into their game. With balls bouncing around and bodies banging around, it’s going to happen. Against San Jose you have to be up for what they will throw your way for 90 minutes.”
Timbers midfielder Will Johnson
On games against San Jose:
“They are what they are; you know what you’re getting. We have taken what we have with the opportunities that came our way.”
On playing style:
“I have my responsibility to get the guys on the field going. I feel that I can make that happen and we can find ways to get the three-points every game. We are still trying to grind out results and, of course, slowly but surely we keep getting things going.”
On team’s performance:
“I thought it was a great performance tonight by all. Of course, giving up the late goal is not the easiest thing to swallow. But, if we were down that goal and came back to tie, we would feel just as great as San Jose does. We have to take a step back now and realize it’s still a point. Momentum wise, we will keep moving forward.”
Thoughts on physicality:
“That’s just how San Jose plays each and every week. I didn’t think a lot of what happened last week was going to boil over tonight. It’s just the nature of the game and when you play the same guys two games in a row, it’s bound to get as physical as it did.”
Timbers goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts
Thoughts on the two matches against San Jose:
“I thought the two games were good. We played good football, but unfortunately, we didn’t walk away with three-points [tonight].”
On Adam Jahn’s goal:
“When you have long balls come into the box, anything can happen. He found a way to get free and look what happened. It’s just part of the way this game works.”
On head coach Caleb Porter:
“Caleb knows how to lead his team. He has come in here and treated us greatly and knows how to put together a winning team. Being with him has really gotten me to improve on my skills and to be the better player I always strived to be.”
San Jose Earthquakes Quotes
Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop
On game:
“We had enough chances to win the game and I thought we deserved to win. It wasn’t the prettiest game to be honest but we dug deep and got a point. That was important for us.”
On late goal:
“For us not to score a goal in this game would not have been good with the quality of chances that we had. We had at least four good looks before the goal. Adam Jahn had another good finish and he is making me look good right now. He has done well for a young player. He didn’t get in the past couple of games and tonight he proved again that he is a pretty good player.”
Earthquakes forward Adam Jahn
On stoppage time equalizer:
“My teammates have the fitness and composure to fight until the end and I think that’s what separates us from most teams. On that play, Nana [Attakora] got taken out and I thought it was a penalty, but the ref played on. The ball bounced my way and I opened my body like I was going far post, and then slotted it near post. The best part was it gave us a point here tonight.”
On second half adjustments:
“The game was transitioning into us getting bodies in the box and that’s one of my strengths; I enjoy fighting for balls in the air. When coach [Frank] Yallop subbed me on in the second half, he told me to wreak havoc in the box with [Steven] Lenhart. I think you saw that leading up to the equalizer.”
Defender Steven Beitashour
On draw:
“I feel they didn’t really have any dangerous chances. On their goal, it was a lucky deflection that bounced straight to [Diego] Valeri. Bounces like that typically go our way, but when we play Portland it doesn’t. You can’t really explain it. I was so happy for Adam [Jahn] to come through in the clutch, again. The moment never seems to be too big for him."
On returning from injury:
“It felt great to get back out there. I made sure I had my fitness for tonight, my season debut. I was running off of excitement and adrenaline. I was tired toward the end, but I ended up finding my second wind because you want to make a play at any given moment in a match like this.”
Notes:
-
The Timbers matched their MLS club record for their longest unbeaten streak at five games with the draw against the Earthquakes, the mark was first set Aug. 20-Sept. 21, 2011.
-
The Timbers’ five-game unbeaten run is tied for the second-longest in MLS this season. FC Dallas’ current six-game unbeaten streak leads the league.
-
Portland also matched its MLS club mark for longest road unbeaten streak at four games, dating back to the 2012 season.
-
The Timbers are unbeaten on the road this season (through 3 matches) and own the league’s longest road unbeaten streak in 2013. Portland is also the lone club in the league without a road loss on the campaign.
-
Through the first seven games of the 2013 season, the Timbers have scored more goals (11) and conceded fewer goals (9) than through the first seven games of either of their first two MLS seasons in 2011 and 2012.
-
Sunday’s matchup was the seventh all-time, regular-season meeting between the Timbers and Earthquakes, and just the third game played in San Jose. Portland is unbeaten in the all-time MLS series against San Jose since joining MLS with a record of 2-0-5, including an 0-0-3 mark at Buck Shaw Stadium.
-
The Timbers have scored first in all three of their matches against the Earthquakes at Buck Shaw Stadium.
-
Midfielder Diego Valeri made his return to the Starting XI after sitting out the April 14 match against San Jose due to a head injury sustained against Houston on April 6. He led the club in shots, shots on goal and scored his second goal of the campaign on Sunday.
-
Valeri’s second-half strike was the Timbers’ league-leading 10th second-half goal this season.
-
Coming in the 58th minute, Valeri’s goal was the fourth goal scored by the Timbers this season during the first 15 minutes of the second half – which leads MLS for goals scored during that time interval (46-60 minutes).
-
Portland’s 11 goals scored overall in 2013 are tied for second-most in MLS.
-
With 50.7 percent of the possession against the Earthquakes, the Timbers have had the majority of the possession in each of their first seven games this season. Portland posted a season-high 64.7 percent of the possession against San Jose last weekend (April 14) at JELD-WEN Field.
-
The Timbers are one of just three clubs in MLS (FC Dallas and Philadelphia are the others) who have yet to be shutout this season.
-
Goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts made his 110th career MLS regular-season start on Sunday and posted a season-high four saves against the Earthquakes.
-
San Jose’s goal in second-half stoppage time ended the Timbers’ run of consecutive shutout play at 312 minutes, which is the second-longest shutout streak in MLS this season behind Sporting KC’s 546 minute shutout run.
-
The goal by Earthquakes forward Adam Jahn was the latest goal allowed by the Timbers this season. Previously, the Timbers had not allowed a goal beyond the 60-minute mark.
-
Portland has only allowed three second-half goals this season – tied for second-fewest in the league. Only Sporting KC and Seattle have allowed fewer (1) in the second half.
- Portland wore its secondary Rose City Red kits on Sunday, with the red-white-white combination making its season debut. The Timbers wore their Rose City Red kits at Seattle, but wore the red-red-white combination.
