Portland Timbers Quotes
Portland Timbers head coach Caleb Porter
On the Timbers dominating the match and his evaluation of the performance…
“I would agree. We dominated possession and chances. It felt less convincing than we wanted though, but that’s soccer. You saw what happened, Dallas was up 3-1 today and they drew the game 3-3. And that’s why they call a two-goal lead the most dangerous lead in soccer because one goal turns it. And that’s exactly what happened. I actually thought we showed a lot of maturity in not conceding the next goal. We certainly should have scored several other goals to make the margin bigger, but if you are around the game you know that happens. I think we've evolved because that’s the type of game we’ve drawn several times this year and in some cases we’ve lost that game this year. So I think for me, when a game turns like it turned where we give them a goal and we make the margin 2-1, you are always going to be a bit wobbly at first but I thought we weathered the storm and showed a lot of maturity not to give up the next goal. If we score the third then it’s a whole different feeling at the end of the game.”
On Darlington Nagbe’s change in position on the field from the first half to the second half…
“It’s a tricky game when you play a team where basically the season is done. Pressure, funny enough, is off and it’s even more off when you are down 2-0. So it’s a tricky type of game to play when a team has nothing to lose and they are down 2-0 and then we give them a goal. Then we give them a little bit of life. Obviously we have to make sure that mistake for the goal doesn’t happen and if that goal doesn’t happen I think it’s probably going to be a three, four, 5-0 game. We were absolutely electric the first 25 minutes of the game. Our team, you can’t forget, played extremely well to get the two-goal lead and it’s unfortunate the mistake made it 2-1, but when that happens games change. The mentality changes and the opponents mentality changes. I think his positioning was more they pushed their outside backs on a little bit more and Darlington is an honest guy and he defended a little bit deeper in the second half.”
On Vytas’ performance in the match…
“Obviously he was a part of both goals. He gives us that dimension going forward and he defended well too. Late in the game every cross that goes in when [Alan] Gordon’s in the box is a heart stopper. And again this is why I believe we are evolving as a team because we won a game tonight that we couldn’t win several times this year. I was really pleased with how we dealt with the crosses at the end of the game, the set piece at the end of the game. Those were moments that, like I said, we couldn’t weather in other games year. We are getting mentally better at closing out games. That’s great to see. This is hopefully a pattern that will continue and as it continues I think we will play a bit more convincing too and obviously a couple of the chances again if we finish we are all feeling a lot different at the end of the game. First and foremost, three points, a big three points that puts us in a good spot.”
On Nagbe playing in different roles and areas on the field…
“We put him on the left today. He’s been on the right. I’ve spoken on it in press conferences the reason behind that is because [Sebastián] Blanco was in a good run of form, scoring goals on the left. I’m a big believer in the chemistry with the outside back they are paired with as well. He and Roy [Miller] have played extremely well together. So I wanted to stick with that prior to this. I thought Nagbe had a really good game against Houston on the right. We know Nagbe is good wherever you play him. He can play the right, left, the six, the eight, the 10, probably even goalkeeper! He’s good wherever you play him. So when we are crafting the plan we look at the opponent and we decided to play him on the left today because we know Vytas and him work well together. They have good chemistry. I thought Blanco had a few moments last game where he floated to the right and so, again, looking with him and Zarek [Valentin], looking chemistry of the those two on the wing and the opponent, but certainly the opponent factors a lot. The matchup of the outside back, that’s a big part of it. We look at that and we talk about the positioning of the wingers. Sometimes we want them wider. Sometimes we want them coming in more narrow early, sitting in pockets. Sometimes we want them to start wide and then drive in with the ball. Again it depends a little bit on the outside back. With Roy [Miller], he’s a guy that’s not going to get forward quite as much. So Blanco seems to provide a bit more width when he’s on the left paired with Roy than Darlington does.”
On getting two important results ahead of a big away match in Seattle…
“We’ve been above the red line all year but ideally we want to be fighting for the top of the table until the season is done. And that’s a nice feeling because this past year we were fighting for the line. I’m real pleased that the guys, after we’ve become a little bit more healthy, that we’ve started to take care of business and get more points because now we are in a position where we can keep fighting for the top and that’s what we are going to do versus Seattle. Obviously this sets up a massive game where they are probably favored in the game because obviously historically speaking the home team wins. In this league the home team has an advantage. But we are going to go there with the mindset of hopefully stealing three points."
Portland Timbers midfielder Darlington Nagbe
On scoring tonight and getting the win…
“It feels great when you get the win, especially at this time in the season. We played well, we deserved a little bit more in terms of goals and we were unlucky in the goal that we gave up. It felt good to get the goal as well; it helped us win the game.”
On the buildup to his goal…
“I just tried to make a run in the box and just pulled short a little bit. I took a peek at the goal at first, and just turned and hit it. Luckily, it went in.
On the confidence the team has heading into Sunday’s match against Seattle Sounders FC…
“A lot of confidence. We’re playing well. We’re confident, we know they’re doing well, and in our opinion we can go out there and have a good performance.”
On his positioning on the field…
“Position wise, I don’t mind where I play as long as I get touches on the ball – that’s my main thing. I want to touch the ball. Sometimes it’s out on the right, in the middle or on the left. I don’t think I have a favorite position, but I’m happy coach trusts me to play me where he thinks he needs me and my teammates trust me as well.”
Portland Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri
On the importance of getting the first goal…
“Very important and a very good first 25 minutes of the game. We played really well with rhythm, intensity and position. We scored goals and I think we had a couple of more chances to score. It was really good. We knew that we had to use the momentum of last game and we did it, and with that we won the game.”
On his four headed goals this season…
“I don’t know. We don’t have [Fanendo] Adi in our team, and when he’s not there we’ve lost our tower in the box. I realized during the game that we were getting in crosses. Vytas put in a great cross. Actually on the penalty kick I was almost there too.”
On midfielder DavidGuzmán taking the penalty kick…
“He was confident. He was taking the corner kicks and the free kicks, so he was confident. He asked me about the penalty kick. I was confident in him, too. It can happen. Everybody misses penalty kicks.”
Portland Timbers defender Vytas
On tonight’s performance…
“The match went so well in the beginning with the two goals. We got the penalty, which I think we should’ve scored and I thought would lead to more goals. We just waited until the end for the three points. Especially back in the season where we were making so many mistakes that led those games slip in the end, now I think we’re showing that we’re in the right moment to grind and take the three points.”
On the team’s play in the first half…
“During the week, we kind of train and perfect for the game. But today, those first 25 minutes, you kind of feel that everybody is so good and everyone wants to play. Everything was going so well. Everybody was hyped to go and crush them.”
On how tight the playoff standings are…
“It’s crazy. That’s why it’s so hard to predict who is the best and the worst team. Every team can show results. Every game now is very important, but it just makes the championship more interesting. Nobody is sitting in the first position saying they’re done and they’re waiting for the playoffs. If you lose two games, you might drop to sixth…but the season is almost over, and I think we’re pushing our accelerator to the end.”
Colorado Rapids quotes
Colorado Rapids interim head coach Steve Cooke
General thoughts on the match…
“Obviously it’s a difficult place to come and play. The Portland Timbers, in an attacking sense, are a very, very good team. You look at the game, I thought our boys worked very hard and had moments of quality in that first 20 minutes on the counter attack where a little bit more care, a bit more composure in that final area, maybe you connect with a cross and a finish and you go 1-0 up. I’m disappointed in the two goals. I think if you give players two, three yards of space inside the penalty area, good players like Darlington Nagbe are going to hurt you. There’s a reason those players are where they are because they have quality and they’ve got some real abilities about them. As a team, they go forward very well. At 2-0 down, I bet there’s a lot of people watching the game saying it could be three, four, five, or six here and the Rapids are going probably fall down, but we didn’t do that. The players gave everything they had and kept working, found a way to get back into the game 2-1 and a little bit of good fortune, maybe a set piece late in the game and we tie that one up and go home probably in a little bit better mood that we will be.”
On performances over the last two games…
“It’s one step at a time and right now it doesn’t feel like a moment to pat ourselves on the back really. The reality is we created a couple of openings and I thought [Mohammed] Saeid scored a great goal. Had it not been for a final pass maybe inside the penalty area or a little pull-back cross that we could have connected with a little bit better on the finishing and I think we could have got a goal or two. A better set piece delivery tonight we might have got a better chance or two on it and I think again the guys gave everything they’ve got. The one thing about this group in there is they’re bitterly disappointed and they’ve put everything out there. They’ve worked as hard as they possibly could. They’re absolutely devastated they haven’t got something. But that’s football. Sometimes it comes down to a couple of moments in the game and the Portland team had two great moments.”
On the atmosphere in Providence Park…
“It’s a great place to come and play. As a professional player you’ve gotta be loving this because it’s absolutely fantastic and this season Portland are giving themselves a lot to shout about as well. They can be very proud of their team and they’re in here two hours early and someone told me that at 8 a.m. when a couple of our guys came to training, people were in tents waiting to get in the stadium, so you don’t see that in too many places around the world. I think it’s a stadium and a fan base that anywhere in the world you’d be proud of.”
Colorado Rapids midfielder Mohammed Saeid
General thoughts on the match…
“I thought we played well to be honest. We created a few chances on the break and if we were a little bit more clinical and take better decisions in and around the box I’m sure we could get back to even and even a third goal. I think it’s a good start. Going forward we did create a lot of chances and that’s what’s important.”
On the Rapids having a more attacking mentality…
“Personally, I felt good. We did get the ball forward a lot and I could get the ball and turn and face and try to go in behind. Try to keep the ball sometimes. It was a great game by us and hopefully in the future we can get better results.”
Notes:
- Wednesday’s game marked the 121st consecutive sellout for the Timbers at Providence Park.
- The Timbers are 4-1-1 in their last six games, producing 13 points since July 23.
- The Timbers have scored in 14 consecutive matches, which is the longest active streak in MLS.
- Portland has won seven consecutive home matches against the Rapids. Since 2012, the seven home wins against Colorado are the second-most home wins for any MLS club against a single opponent (New York Red Bulls eight victories over Montreal).
- Since 2016, the Timbers have won the second-most home games in the league with 20 wins, behind only the New York Red Bulls (21). Portland's 64 home goals in that span are tied for most in MLS with New York City FC.
- The Timbers set club records for passes (579), passes completed (514), passing accuracy (88.77 percent) in a single match.
- The match was the 16th time this season the Timbers have scored multiple goals in a single match, the most by any Western Conference team.
- Diego Valeri scored the 52nd goal of his Timbers career, becoming the Timbers all-time leading goal scorer across all eras in club history (since 1975).
- Valeri scored his 15th goal of the season, setting a new career high and placing him in third place in MLS's goal scoring chart in 2017.
- Valeri is second Timbers player in the MLS era to reach 15 goals in a single season (Fanendo Adi, 2x) and the eighth player across all eras in club history (since 1975).
- Valeri scored for a fifth consecutive match, becoming the first Timbers player to score in five or more consecutive MLS matches.
- Darlington Nagbe scored his third goal of the season and the 27th of his career, which is ninth-most in Timbers history across all eras (since 1975).
- Vytas recorded two assists in the match, becoming the first Timbers player this season with two assists in the same match.
- Darren Mattocks recorded his first assist of the season, becoming the 14th different Timbers player with an assist in 2017.
- Sebastián Blanco delivered his seventh assist of the season, which ranks one behind Valeri for the club lead in 2017.
