Match 10: Montreal Impact 0-1 Portland Timbers

By: Bob Kellett | May 30th, 2008

The Bottom Line:Different stadium, same result. Coming off a stretch in which they had not won in six games and after dropping a pair of games at home last weekend, the Portland Timbers once again found comfort in Montreal. Chris Brown volleyed home the game’s lone goal in the 45th minute to lift the Timbers a 1-0 victory over the Montreal Impact (2-5-1) in Portland’s first game at the Impact’s brand spankin’ new Saputo Stadium in front of an announced crowd of 13,034. The Timbers (4-2-4) have never lost in Montreal, winning three games and drawing once in Quebec. Brown’s goal was his fourth on the season and the first goal scored by a Timbers player in more than 230 minutes of play. The Timbers picked up their first road win of 2008 and remain undefeated away from PGE Park this season. Montreal controlled most of the game, firing off 22 shots to the Timbers’ seven.

Timbers Lineup:
Burse
S. Thompson Knowles J. Thompson Griffin
Guante (Dombrowski 76) Poltl Higgins
Gregor
Brown (Karalexis 90) Bagley (Totori 71)(Little 90)

Three Stars

1. Shaun Higgins - He hasn’t been my favorite player this season, but tonight he was all over the field. Playing out wide on the left midfield, where he should be, Higgins was a force on defense and his attacking speed stretched Montreal’s defense, especially in the first half. I thought he was excellent all around.

2. Chris Brown - His goal was one that few players at this level could score. Sure it looked ugly, but he took a ball coming high from the air and volleyed it with power while a defender was right on his chest. He also did a nice job distributing to his teammates, something this team is really, really struggling to do.

3. Rocco Placentino - He might have dived a few times, but he deserves credit for giving Portland’s backline trouble all night. If he could have kept his shots on target this game might have turned out much differently.

Did you notice….?

* Montreal outplayed Portland throughout much of the game. The first 20 minutes the Impact had possession about 90% of the time. The second half the Impact had possession about 90% of the time. Except for a 15-minute spell in the first half, this game was all Montreal. Unfortunately for Impact fans, their team simply could not finish. They were the better team tonight, but the better team does not always come away with three points.

* Brown’s goal came off a long throw in from Scot Thompson, who has become Portland’s long throw in guy and who always gains about 10 yard by moving up the line before throwing the ball. Thompson’s toss was kicked high in the air and Brown was somehow able to volley it into the goal despite having a defender draped all over him. The assist should go to Chris Bagley who did his best Larry Bird imitation by boxing out Montreal’s keeper. It was a crap goal that actually was quite skillful. It also came at just the right time, right before the whistle to end a half in which the Timbers were largely outplayed.

* Ray Burse made a couple of big point blank saves and finished with seven saves on the evening, but he had all of our hearts stopping with some of his miscues on the crosses. Burse is a big, physical player and his strength should be in the air. His play tonight did not exactly inspire confidence even if he did pick up his sixth shutout in 10 games.

* I am more convinced then ever that Tom Poltl needs to be the holding midfielder on this team. He is not a good passer and is not fleet of foot, but he provides a toughness in the middle that is necessary. Higgins is best out wide where he can use his quickness. Poltl is best in the middle where he can make up for the fact that Andrew Gregor plays virtually no defense.

* Montreal is a much, much better team than their current record indicates. The fact that they have been shutout in five of eight games is startling. It certainly wasn’t for a lack of trying tonight. They kept the pressure on all night and if it weren’t for some poor finishing and the woodwork they could have scored a handful of goals. Charles Gbeke is one tough forward. Knowles and JT did a nice job trying to contain him, but he has incredible touch for such a big, strong guy.

* Another game, another Nike jersey torn. This time it was Justin Thompson who had the Swoosh ripped right off of him. These kits are shit and should be replaced immediately. Poor job, Beaverton.

* How sad was it to see Benjamin Totori go down with an injury? The kid has barely arrived here and it looks like he might be lost for a while. I hope I am wrong, but usually when you see a player go down and immediately call for the trainer it is not a good sign. It looked like his knee gave way in the 90th minute. He was able to walk off on his own, but this would be a big blow if it is serious. With Brown and Suzuki both advancing in age, Totori (or a speedy forward like him) is vital this season. From the little we have seen of him, he is one exciting, dynamic forward.

* Speaking of Totori, what sense does it make to have him and Poltl in a wall? Maybe in a U-12 game, but they aren’t exactly vertically significant, are they?

* I love Leonard Griffin but someone needs to light a fire under his ass. He simply is having a poor year. Not only is he finding himself out of position, but his passing is atrocious. He was one of the better distributors from the backline last year. This year he is really, really struggling. He is a more skillful player than his current form.

* Nice to see Miguel Guante on the attack early. That is the strength of his game. He even came inside to receive the ball when the backline couldn’t find him out wide. Our midfield has played very rigidly this season. Higgins and Guante both brought some energy. Andrew Gregor, not so much, although he did have a couple of nice crosses.

* Rod Underwood picks up the win as interim coach. I couldn’t believe he didn’t bring on more subs late in the game. It was clear the Timbers were tiring and it would have been smart to waste some time before the game entered stoppage time. I liked having Dombrowski clogging the middle with Poltl late in the game. I couldn’t understand why Gregor was still in there.

* According to the club, Lawrence Olum didn’t make the trip because of an injury. As far as I could tell, the bench was: Totori, James, Dombrowski, Lara, Little, and Karalexis. Was Oka there too or did we just bring 18 including Taka?

* Other than Andy Mac, my favorite USL announcer is Andrew Bell. Charleston’s normal play-by-play guy did a nice job on the Fox Soccer Channel broadcast.

* Montreal’s new digs are sweet. It wasn’t quite a sellout, but an announced crowd of over 13,000 is impressive. Their success is good for all the teams in this league.

Final Thoughts: - After the terrible run of play we have seen over the past six games, this was an unexpected surprise. Three points on the road against a Montreal team that has a lot of talent is a very nice gift. That said, the end result masks some larger issues. The Timbers played a smart game on the road, but they were outplayed and forced to chase the ball for most of the 90 minutes. The lack of possession we are seeing from this year’s team is not a good sign. It isn’t one player, it is the entire team. Simple passes are not so simple and the frequency in which they turnover the ball is way greater than what it should be at this level. They can get away with it from time to time, but over the course of a season it will catch up with them. They can sleep well tonight knowing they stole three points, but tomorrow they need to get back to work. Another three points against Rochester would make for a great weekend (and help erase last weekend), but it would be even greater if they put together a solid effort for the full 90 minutes.

Match Reports (I’ll update when I see them)

Official game stats (USL Soccer)

Portland 1 Montreal 0 (Montreal Impact)

Brown snaps Timbers’ winless streak in Montreal (Portland Timbers)

Brown gives Timbers 1-0 win (Portland Tribune)

USL: Portland edges Montreal (TSN)

Match Review: Timbers v. Impact 5/30 (Nasty Challenge)

L’Impact reste muet (Ballon Rond)

Montréal 0 – 1 Timbres ; Another Game, Same Story/ Échangerait Fromage Contre Buts (Montreal Offside)

Impact fails to find net, again (Montreal Gazette)

Halfway Home (Ax to the Road)