Match 13: Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 Portland Timbers

By: Bob Kellett | June 7th, 2008

The Bottom Line: The Vancouver Whitecaps scored three goals in the second half to pull away from the Portland Timbers 3-1 in front of 5,288 at Swangard Stadium. Scot Thompson gave the visiting Timbers an early lead in the 8th minute when he headed a cross from Bryan Jordan into the goal. The Whitecaps (7-2-1) got one back in the 54th minute on a rebound goal from Eduardo Sebrango. The league leading Caps took the lead in the 66th minute thanks to an outstanding volley from Martin Nash. Alfredo Valente capped off the scoring on the evening beating Timbers keeper Jordan James in the 90th minute. The victory is the fourth in a row for Vancouver. Losing at Swangard Stadium is nothing new for Portland (4-4-5). The Timbers fall to 1-12-1 in regular season games in Burnaby.

Timbers Lineup:
GK: James
Def: S. Thompson Knowles J. Thompson (Karalexis 66) Griffin (Bagley 84)
Mid: Brown Gregor Higgins (Poltl 27) Guante (Little 71)
For: Jordan Suzuki

Three Stars

1. Jason Jordan – I’m looking forward to the day that Whitecaps forward Jason Jordan can no longer walk. He has killed the Timbers over the years and he killed them again tonight. Coming in after halftime, Jordan had an immediate impact. His speed and power left Cameron Knowles and Justin Thompson picking up their shorts.

2. LA Galaxy – Thank you for loaning Bryan Jordan. At least the past two games have been entertaining to watch. Jordan is a whirling dervish of a player. His speed, athleticism and effort will be missed.

3. Teitur Thordarson – After watching his team struggle to mount an attack in the first half, the Whitecaps coach pulled the right strings by inserting Jason Jordan and Alfredo Valente into the lineup. The difference was apparent. The Whitecaps peppered the Timbers’ goal after the intermission and dominated the final 45 minutes.

Did you notice….?

* Scot Thompson’s goal came off an Andrew Gregor free kick. Gregor drilled it into the box and Bryan Jordan used his speed to collect the ball. He took his time and set up Thompson with a cross that he easily deposited into the goal. It was a hustle play by Jordan and a great job by Thompson of staying in the play.

* In the 54th minute Eduardo Sebrango took a rebound off the post from a Jason Jordan shot. Jordan had muscled his way into the box and fired a low shot that found the woodwork. All Sebrango had to do was punch it in. Credit Jordan for setting this one up.

* In the 66th minute Martin Nash hit world class volley into the far corner. A stunning goal. It was set up after Cameron Knowles’ poor head clearance on a set piece. Knowles was once again off his game. Nash once again showed why he is one of the top players in this league. Steve Nash’s brother sure can play this game.

* The first half by the Timbers might have been their best and most complete all year. Bryan Jordan caused all kinds of trouble up front, the midfield connected their passes, the backline limited Vancouver to just two shots, neither of which were on goal. And then halftime came. One coach made adjustments. Once coach made none. The game changed on a dime. Vancouver showed why they are top of the table in the second half. The Timbers showed that they were playing their second game in three nights and that they don’t have any depth at the moment.

* I haven’t watched Vancouver play much this year, but I was impressed with their attacking style. Considering the stinginess of their defense and the paucity of goals they have scored, I thought they would be a more boring team. They have excellent midfielders in the center and their players aren’t afraid to make one-on-one attacks. They certainly are playing a different style than what we saw last year.

* Miguel Guante’s chance in the 30th minute was nifty. He collected a long pass with his back heel and got a shot on goal. Guante certainly has some skill. His pace on the left side and ability to play off the forwards is really coming into fruition. Over the past four games or so he has been the best Timbers’ player not named Byran Jordan.

* Shaun Higgins picked up an injury in the 26th minute. He was holding his leg and received the magic spray, but still couldn’t come back to take part in the reindeer games. It didn’t look like a super severe injury. Unfortunately Tom Poltl came in and was outplayed. I am afraid that the holding midfield position is once again one of the Timbers’ biggest weaknesses. It has been since 2001.

* Tim Karalexis can throw the ball a mile and a half. Wow! He also is slow. Wow! This was very apparent at the end of the game when Gavin Wilkinson went for broke and inserted Chris Bagley in for Leonard Griffin, leaving Karalexis as part of a three-man backline. It looked like he was stuck in mud when the Vancouver attack passed by him, leading to Valente’s goal.

* Other than one stellar half in Puerto Rico, Bryan Little has done very little for this team. He doesn’t work for me as a late game sub. He doesn’t have much pace and it never seems like his teammates find him out wide where his crosses would be most dangerous. He might just be a player whose talents don’t fit his team’s style of play.

* The natural grass at Swangard Stadium is very slow. I thought the pace of the pitch actually helped the Timbers, a team that will never be confused for a track team.

* Kudos to those in the Timbers Army who made the trip north. Sorry you had to burn all those fossil fuels to watch that second half.

Cascadia Cup Standings
Vancouver : 2-1-0; 6pts
Seattle : 1-1-1; 4pts
Portland : 1-2-1; 4pts

Final Thoughts: For a half the Timbers looked like a team that could compete with the best team in the league (as long as they have Bryan Jordan in the lineup). Unfortunately the game consists of two halves and in the second half Portland was outplayed and outcoached. What is the solution to the current woes? Beats me. The effort is almost always there, but perhaps it is time we start thinking about whether the talent is at a level it should be…both on the field and on the bench.

Match Reports (I’ll update when I see them or when I come out of my Timbers induced depression)

Second-half surge helps men slip past pesky Portland (The Province)

Whitecaps Sweep Doubleheader (Vancouver Whitecaps)

Vancouver 3, Portland 1 (The Oregonian)

Vancouver beats Timbers, 3-1, with three second-half goals (Portland Tribune)

Match Review: Timbers v. Whitecaps 6/7 (Nasty Challenge)

Whitecaps 3 Portland Timbers 1 (Whitecaps Fan Blog)