Portland Timbers Quotes
Portland Timbers head coach Giovanni Savarese
On how his team performed so well tonight…
“First of all, it was a good night. I think there were a lot of things that happened tonight that were important. First of all, the energy, the way the players fit into the match, the mentality was very good. That allowed us to be able to have a clean sheet, which was something we were looking for. We found the goals in the right moments and we became very dangerous. We believe, we grow into the game and it was also great like [Marvin] Loría, [Tomás] Conechny coming in again and performing and doing well. Overall, a very good night in all senses. But now we have to remember this is only one match. We have to enjoy it, but now we have to focus on what is coming next, which is right against Montreal in three, four days.”
On Marvin Loría’s performance…
“He’s been working well. He went through some moments in which he had some injuries, so we have to recoup him to this point. We felt it was the right time for him to come in and play. [Sebastián Blanco] wasn’t available so I felt the opportunity was there for [Loría]. We have three, four matches in two weeks, so it was important for us to be able to manage the players the right way. We had a plan prior to [LA Galaxy] and this is all part of the plan. Thank God Loría had a very good match because when you play your first match, you always want it to go the right way. But he’s been working very well to deserve what he had today.”
On getting the first clean sheet in league play this season…
“For me, that’s the most important. Being able to finish with zero goals against in this game was, for me, the biggest highlight because from that point we have to continue to grow. To be able to score four goals and the way we played today where we handled the ball, especially in the second half, I thought there were very good moments. It was a step forward. We’ve talked about this team having room to improve and this was a step forward to where we want to be. I’m excited to continue to work with the guys because I think there’s still room to get better.”
On Diego Valeri scoring a goal and tallying three assists…
“I think he was excited today. I think he’s been doing very well. Today is the game that now you understand why he’s called “El Maestro” because he just shows class on the field. He was able to assist everybody. When we needed him to keep the ball and make smart plays, he was there constantly. Great match from him. It’s great that he’s able to have performances like this.”
On keeping Brian Fernandez in good scoring form…
“Keep him hungry. Making sure to stay humble. Keep him working. We have a lot to still improve. He just has to continue to be the way he’s been so far – hungry to score, hungry to help the team, eager to make sure we get wins because he’s competitive. Everybody supporting each other. That’s the important part. Just keep our feet on the ground and keep on improving.”
On Renzo Zambrano’s performance…
“He did great, especially in the second half. In the second half he became eager. He won more balls, he moved the ball well. The first half he did well, but I thought there were moments in which it was difficult for him. He was getting pressured. But the second half, he was very impressive in the way he played and it’s great to have these types of players that are able to step on the field.”
On the maturity of the younger players stepping into the team…
“Our younger players are becoming more mature and that’s important. We need to continue to work with them. We need to continue to believe in all the players that we have and make sure that everybody stays connected, ready to play. There’s going to be opportunities and as long as we’re patient, like Loría has been so far, then he’s been able to show what he’s capable in a game like today.”
On Jeremy Ebobisse’s adjustment to a wider position…
“He’s been working very hard in that position. He’s been doing a lot of work tactically for us to be able to be the team we are now. [Ebobisse] is just growing day by day and finding a goal the way he found it today, with his right foot bending to the second post, shows in every game he keeps maturing. I think he still has, as I said, room to continue to improve. He’s a talented player. I’m just very happy with his maturity, his discipline and the way he follows what you ask him to do. Great game from [Ebobisse] and hopefully he continues to progress this way.”
On getting ready for the next match against Montreal…
“Now we continue to look into the plan that we had and see if anything changes to be prepared for these next two matches that we have. I always said it, everybody’s important at this club. We need everyone to be ready to participate and the more guys we have, the better we can go through these double weeks when you have a congested schedule.”
Portland Timbers midfielder Marvin Loría (translated)
On making his first MLS start and earning his first MLS goal...
"I am very happy, thankful with God for what is happening and thankful with the people for the support I’ve received from them.”
On raising his log slab tonight and hearing the crowd chant his name postgame...
"It's a beautiful moment for me. I always saw my teammates doing that after every game, so it was a dream and a goal for me to do it and tonight I’ve accomplished it.”
On the opportunity to continue growing at this level...
"It's a good opportunity for everyone. There are a lot of games and everyone has to be ready if they get selected. I’m going to do my best to keep taking advantage of the opportunities that are given to me."
Portland Timbers forward Brian Fernandez (translated)
On his confidence to score in every match…
“I think the work we do day after day, the work we do with our teammates, the effort the team makes to help me position one-on-one against goalkeepers and help me put the ball in the net has some skill on my part, but also work from behind, which is something I highly appreciate. The team looked for me a lot today and to keep scoring makes me happy, so I hope I can continue on that path, accomplishing objectives and continuing my growth.”
On if tonight’s victory will jumpstart the team moving forward…
“Obviously. I think we are doing things right and we want to continue winning, playing more minutes, moving up in the standings. Our objective is to be among the top teams and to do the best we can on every field, in every game, to accomplish our objective. We have a beautiful squad with wonderful people and that’s something you have to take advantage of, especially when you play at home. We have several games at home and we have to take advantage of that. Our people make us strong, our families, our kids. For them to come and see us has to be the greatest motivation one needs. I am sure my teammates think the same thing, otherwise we wouldn’t go out there and chase every ball the way do. I am very happy about many things that are happening in the club, things that are happening to me personally. I am living a beautiful joy right now and I hope I can continue in this path and stay here many years.”
Portland Timbers forward Jeremy Ebobisse
On his confidence to score…
“It’s a good feeling. I came in at halftime and everyone was telling me shoot the ball. Whether you shoot with your left or your right, you got to shot. You’re open at the top of the box and at that moment I figured it was the same one as the first half and I just took a chance. I got a little deflection, but those go around and come around. They’ve taken some goals off me, so I am glad this time I got it.
On the team’s current confidence level…
“It’s massive. We’re back at home and we’re feeling some momentum and we want to capitalize on it and you want to make sure that your attacking players get looks on goal every game. You’re gonna miss some chances, but today all four of us got our goals and that’s a big-time boost for us.”
Houston Dynamo Quotes
Houston Dynamo head coach Wilmer Cabrera
On his thoughts on the game...
“We didn’t do well when we were attacking. Most of the goals we suffered were in transition, we knew that they transition very quickly. Basically three goals came in from that situation, where we were attacking inside their box and they won the ball and we didn’t react well to their transition and we got punished. Of course one of the transitions for me was offside, it wasn’t reviewed on VAR, but it was offside. It is clear if you go and check that it was an obvious offside.”
On the physical nature of the game...
“It was very physical at the beginning. We didn’t get the calls, but it’s going to be like that and we cannot lose our heads, but we have to do better in all aspects. Today we knew that we needed to be careful with the counter attack, and we weren’t and that cost us a lot. If we take away the three goals they had in transition, it was a very even game, a very close game, but in the end they scored. [Portland] changed the game and in that aspect they were very good and we didn’t have the tools to stop them. ”
On Ronaldo Peña’s performance…
“He was trying to battle and get the rhythm. It was his third game in a row and it is important for him to be competing, being healthy and playing to try and produce something upfront. Sadly today we didn’t do anything. We had one or two great opportunities, but after that we were stopped by the 18-yard box. We need to work harder and we need to get better.”
Houston Dynamo midfielder Marlon Hairston
On managing the game with a quick turnaround at the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday…
“This game will leave a sour taste in our mouth, but as you said Wednesday can’t come fast enough for us. We are looking ahead already. I think coming into this game we had the right mindset, we came out trying to attack them early, trying to press them early and tried to play the game at our tempo. We just gave up a bunch of goals the same way in transition and we can’t allow that to happen. We are going to take a look at it and, as I said, Wednesday can’t come fast enough. Hopefully we can right our wrongs on Wednesday.”
On defending against Portland’s attack...
“It’s tough, but we knew coming into the game what their strengths were. We worked on this in practice and this is something we should have known. It wasn’t even just about our attacking, it was dead-ball situations, set-pieces corners, free kicks, things like that where we had enough time. Where we are standing behind the ball and should be able to stop those plays and stop those counters from happening and we didn’t do a great enough job on that today.”
Notes:
- Brian Fernandez scored in his fourth consecutive league appearance to begin his Timbers career, equaling an MLS record for the most consecutive games with a goal to begin an MLS career. In league play, only three other players scored in each of their first four games played in MLS: Alex Pineda Chacon (2001), Carlos Ruiz (2002) and Charlie Davies (2011).
- Diego Valeri tallied a goal and three assists in the win against Houston. The three-assist performance marks the fourth time in his career he has logged three assists for the Timbers in regular-season play.
- With his one goal and three assist performance against the Dynamo, Valeri has tallied seven goals and eight assists in 13 MLS regular-season appearances against Houston. In seven regular-season matches against the Dynamo at Providence Park, Valeri has tallied five goals and six assists.
- Marvin Loría made his MLS debut in the match, logging 73 minutes and tallying his first career goal for the Timbers in his first league appearance. Loría is the sixth Timbers players to score in their MLS debut.
- Jeremy Ebobisse logged his fifth goal of the season with his tally in the 75th minute. Ebobisse is tied for the team-lead in goals with Brian Fernandez (5) in MLS league play.
- Steve Clark made his fifth start of the season, improving to 4-1-0 and logging the first clean sheet in league play in 2019.
- The Timbers improved to 6-5-5 in 16 all-time regular-season meetings against the Houston Dynamo dating back to Aug. 14, 2011. Additionally, Portland improved to 6-1-1 in eight regular-season matches against Houston at Providence Park.
- With the win, Portland has won four consecutive matches at home against the Dynamo, dating back to June 26, 2016.
- Renzo Zambrano made his second career MLS start, playing 90 minutes in the win against the Dynamo. Zambrano’s first MLS start came in a 1-1 draw against Houston at BBVA Stadium on May 15, 2019.
