Portland Timbers Quotes
Portland Timbers head coach Caleb Porter
On Nagbe’s injury:
“We’re still evaluating it, so we’re not sure.”
On the team’s defensive performance:
“Really pleased with the performance overall. Obviously, the goal was unfortunate with it being an own goal. We talked about all week, doing certain things better than last game. And, I thought the progress that we made from Orlando, where we got beat handily. Today we looked like the team that we’re capable of being. One of the main things we wanted to do better was to be more organized defensively and tougher to play through. And, I thought we were very good all game in that regard, playing against a really good team who’s tough to play at home. LA play very loose up front with lots of rotations and lots of movement and lots of freedom and get a lot of numbers forward. And, I thought the back six, in particular, were rock solid. We’re going to build on that, and I think it’s a real positive. The other thing we wanted to do better was to look more like a team. We’re a group that our edge has to be that we’re a team. Last year, when we went nine games unbeaten and won MLS Cup, that was why we did it. We have talent, but our edge has to be that we’re a team. We defend together. We attack together and we have a spirit. And, I thought that we showed all of those things today. So, real pleased as it’s a good point on the road. Even though we feel as though we gave away two points, it’s still a good point and now we have three of our next four at home so we’re in a position where we can start taking care of business and moving up the table.”
On the formation change:
“At the end of the year, we were playing a 4-3-3. To make a 4-3-3 work, you have to have every piece working together. And the pattern in the last three games, prior to this game, showed that it just wasn’t working with how many goals we were giving up. It’s the old insanity saying where you can do the same thing and expect a different result or you can switch it up. And, with Ridgy out and Jorge not in, even Rodney, who’s a guy that brought defending and fighting power, those were three key pieces and we felt with the personnel that we have now and how LA plays with a front four that runs everywhere that we needed the extra protection in front of the back four. And I thought we got that and we were still able to be dangerous in the attack. There’s still a lot of room for improvement but we’re going to build on this game and if we continue to play like we did today, we’re going to be in good shape.”
On Chris Klute’s performance:
“Yeah, I thought it was a good first time out. He’s obviously very athletic which helps. He's still not in that rhythm completely yet but like I said, it was a good first time out and he’ll continue to get better and better with more games."
On yellow cards being reversed to reds:
“Yeah, I guess that’s just the luck of the draw. Some of the referees will get it right in the game and we’ve seen it given after with our games, which doesn’t help us. And we have a couple guys that are injured because of it. I understand that referees have a message that they want to send, well they better start sending it because they didn’t send it today with some of the tackles that were in this game. So, when are we sending it? Just some games? If we’re going to have an initiative to send a message on tough tackles, let’s starting doing it for every game, not just some games. Tough part is we should have been up a man which could have impacted the result. Instead we end up getting a top player hurt and now another Western Conference team gets the benefit next game, not us."
Portland Timbers midfielder Jack Jewsbury
On team’s defensive performance:
“It was definitely a focus this week. Anytime you go on the road, you know there’s going to be moments where you’re under it a bit, especially against a good team like the Galaxy that was going to be the case. So set two deep, flip the triangle, with me and Chara in front of the back four and just wanted to make sure that we always had a solid six with the back four and him and me, and make it hard to break us down. And I think we did that pretty much the entire match. I think the goal was a bit unfortunate to give that one up at the end. But overall pleased with the performance and to get out of here with a result.”
On what the team did differently tonight from other matches this season:
“I think organization. We were organized in defending and it wasn’t just the back four or the back six. It was the whole team. We defended as a group and we fought for one another and as you can see, when you go on the road in this league, that’s what you need to do to get results.”
Portland Timbers forward Fanendo Adi
On the goal:
“It’s pretty simple. I saw Diego [Valeri] with the ball, and I think they only had two defenders back so I had to create space for myself and we were lucky to get the goal.”
On responding from the Orlando loss
“No, it was a tough game. Of course you don’t expect an own goal but things happen in football. We have to take the positive out of it. We worked well, and we played well, so it’s a strong comeback from last week.”
On scoring against the Galaxy:
“You just focus on the game and come to play. Maybe I’m lucky, but I think our team played well and created chances, so the goals come.”
LA Galaxy Quotes
LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena
On how Portland’s defensive shift changed the Galaxy’s offensive attack:
“We didn’t change anything based on what they did. Obviously it wasn’t good enough. Probably our best chance was [Mike] Magee’s which you’d at least like to see get on goal. We controlled the play for long periods of time but still didn’t produce enough quality opportunities.”
On if the team has struggled finishing because of Robbie Keane’s absence up top:
“Sure. He’s been our leading goal scorer and obviously the loss of [Giovani] Dos Santos for most of the season and not having [Steven] Gerrard, it takes a little away from our attack. But those are just excuses and we can be a little bit better. The teams that play us are pretty defensive in nature so we have to be a little bit sharper to break them down.”
On how concerned he is with the team’s number of injuries:
“It’s all part of the game. It happens every year. Sometimes they come quickly, sometimes they’re spread out. It’s all part of it; you’re never going to go without injuries. It’s all part of the game, unfortunately. It’s a part of the game we don’t like, but it’s a part of the game.”
LA Galaxy forward Gyasi Zardes
On what the plan was to break down Portland:
“We were supposed to be aggressive as soon as the whistle started but Portland did a great job by sitting their back line in the very far back, dropping off. And also sitting their two center midfielders, they kind of dropped them off as well and they were just looking for that counter so I think Portland did a great job.”
On Portland playing two center defensive midfielders:
“You can’t really play at the middle because they are so compact so you really try to spread it to our wingers and let them go one versus one. Let Sebastian [Lletget] go at a guy, let Mike Magee go at a guy. They are both very talented with the ball at their feet and that was the game plan when Portland overcrowded the middle.”
Notes:
- Fanendo Adirecorded his fourth goal of the season, placing him a tie for first place in MLS with Pedro Morales, Joao Plata, and Chris Wondolowski.
- Adi has scored ten goals in his last ten regular season matches, beginning with his brace on Sept. 26, 2015, marking the most goals in MLS during that span.
- Adi’s goal was his fifth career goal against the LA Galaxy. That ties for the most goals by a Timbers player against a single MLS club (Adi vs Real Salt Lake, Valeri vs Chivas USA, Nagbe vs FC Dallas.
- Defender Nat Borchers recorded his 31st all-time appearance against the Galaxy, which ranks second among active players in MLS.
- Midfielder Jack Jewsbury, who made his first start of the season during the match, logged his 25th all-time appearance against the Galaxy, ranking fourth among active players in MLS
- The LA Galaxy were unable to record a win at home for only the third time in their last 12 home matches, with two of those matches occurring against the Timbers.
- There have been 51 goals scored all-time in matches between the Timbers and the Galaxy, which is the most of any MLS matchup between two clubs since the Timbers joined MLS in 2011.
- Portland notched 21 headed clearances in the match, which is the second most by a team in any MLS game this season.
