Portland Timbers head coach Giovanni Savarese
On his overall thoughts on the game…
“It was important to get these three points to continue to climb in the table. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. This team is a team that can bring you some difficulty and challenges. They are a good team and that’s why they had only lost one match before today. We expected a tough match. Very proud of the sacrifice of the players the way they battled united, how we found the goal, how we created some chances, but we also had to deal with a lot. They moved the ball well, New York City, and they were looking for spaces. We made sure we worked as a unit and we were able to get a very important result for us, but it wasn’t easy.”
On Blanco making critical blocks and where that defensive performance ranks this season…
“Phenomenal. That I think shows, that play shows, the communication everyone had on the field today, especially because we couldn’t keep the ball as much as we wanted and play a little bit more forward. I thought that we started very well. We were playing mostly in their half. We were moving their players, creating spaces and trying to be dangerous. But at some point, especially in the second half, it became more difficult. They threw everything at us and we had to deal with a lot. But as I said, the sacrifice of the guys, the unity, the commitment to make sure we did the things we needed to do was fantastic. We had our chances in the second half as well. Tough place to play and a great win. Now we have to analyze, rest and then we have another difficult match on Wednesday.”
On how the team fared playing the small field at Yankee Stadium…
“I think credit to them. They know the field very well. They understand how to play here. They try to open you in different ways. I think our guys did a great job to stay disciplined to make sure that we covered the space. That we made sure that we took care of the important space first and I think with the commitment to get to places and to make sure we were compact that was the key factor for us to get a result today.”
On rotating the lineup and keeping players fresh for Wednesday’s game…
“We were very content to see guys like [Marco] Farfan, [Claude] Dielna, [Dairon] Asprilla, Renzo [Zambrano], [Andrés] Flores, guys that are looking for minutes. They stepped into the game and got the job done and we can say that everybody’s ready, that everybody’s eager to play and be part and today everybody show that the group is very united and everybody can contribute. So I think it was a very good result and now we have to think about LAFC, a team that has shown to be in top form, and it’s going to be a very difficult match.”
Portland Timbers midfielder Sebastián Blanco
On his thoughts on the game…
“Today was a very tough game. They never lose here. We feel very happy to beat them. Two years ago the same. They played very well. We needed to work hard and defend well...we feel very happy because these three points were massive for us.”
On getting three points against a team that was 12-games unbeaten…
“It’s the same because two years ago we had a similar game like today. We feel happy because it’s not easy to beat this team. They played very well. For us it’s very good momentum. We need to continue now because we have many important games moving forward. We feel happy and will continue working.”
Portland Timbers defender Marco Farfan
On the away victory against New York City FC...
"I think it wasn’t the prettiest of games, but I just think it shows how much heart this group has. It was a game that we really needed to grind out. We defended well during the last couple of minutes so I think it shows how much heart this group has.”
On getting another clean sheet…
They’re [New York City FC] a great team. Like I said from the start, it was a game that we really needed to grind out and you see players like Blanco, attacking players, someone who creates like Valeri and Brian [Fernandez], all those players in the attack, they had to defend a lot today and they showed that they had heart and wanted to win this game and grind it out. So I just think it took a full 11 and everybody that came in to grind things out and try to win this game because it wasn’t the prettiest.”
NYCFC head coach Doménec Torrent
On his overall view of the game...
“I think the team deserved more. I am very proud of them. It is not easy to play so many games without rest. We are missing some players but is not an excuse, it is a reality, but I am very proud of them. They deserved more. In the first half we made one mistake and when you make a mistake in soccer it punishes you. But we have to keep working…I am very proud of them. They played very well, especially the second half we deserved at least one goal, but sometimes that happens in soccer you are just unable to score a goal.”
NYCFC defender Anton Tinnerholm
On the team’s mindset following today’s match…
“Right now, I’m not that positive, but of course we know our record and I think if we continue to play like we did in the second half we’ll start a new streak. We were a little bit sloppy in the first half, we gave away one goal. We have to be better from the start especially at home. Here we are going to dominate the games. We have to be ready. We can’t be down after every single first half.”
Notes:
- Portland’s seven league wins since April 20 are tied for the second-most wins by any MLS team in that span.
- The Timbers four road regular-season wins at Eastern Conference opponents this season are the most wins on the road for the Timbers against Eastern Conference teams in a single season.
- Sebastián Blanco scored his third goal in MLS this season and his fourth goal in all competitions.
- Blanco has now scored 21 league goals in his Timbers career, which is 12th most in the club’s history across all eras.
- Blanco’s goal came in the 14th and was the earliest goal scored by a Timbers player this season.
- Goalkeeper Steve Clark has recorded three consecutive shutouts in MLS play and four consecutive shutouts in all competitions this year.
- Portland is 3-0-0 all-time at Yankee Stadium, winning each match by a 1-0 score line.
- With the shutout win, the Timbers are the only MLS team ever to defeat and shutout a single opponent in every road match against them (minimum of two matches played).
