Timbers Fall 3-2 to Kitsap Pumas in Bremerton
By: mao | April 4th, 2010
Ten-man Portland Timbers dropped the first game of this pre-season as the conclusion of their five-day training camp at Memorial Stadium in Bremerton, Washington. Ryan Pore and James Marcelin scored for the Timbers, each notching their first goals of the pre-season, but it was not enough to overcome Robbie Christner’s brace for homestanding Kitsap.
Portland took the lead into half-time behind Pore’s first half effort but Tye Perdido equalized for the home side not long after the break. Christner scored his first after Rodrigo Lopez (pictured) was sent off for his second yellow card on 57 minutes. Despite playing a man down the Timbers leveled the score behind Marcelin’s first goal as a Timber. But Christner won the match for Pumas with his 70th minute goal. Obviously giving up three goals, especially to a Premier Development League side playing their first match of any kind this year, is disappointing. The three goals are accentuated even more by the fact that pre-season games against Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps and San Jose Earthquakes resulted in the new Timbers backline allowing just one goal.
That said, Portland is finding a way to score each time out. Different players are scoring goals and not all of them are coming from forwards. So in that respect, another result featuring two Portland goals is a positive one. Particularly with Marcelin’s goal coming shorthanded.
The Timbers return to Portland to wrap up their pre-season with less than two weeks left until the season opener against Rochester Rhinos on April 17. Taka Suzuki is back in Portland and will begin training with the club on Monday and Timbers supporters should be buoyed by the fact that Johan Claesson took the field against Kitsap for the first time this pre-season. Claesson was dearly missed during his injury absence last season and solidified the midfield upon his return late in the 2009 season. His presence is a welcome addition to an already strong midfield for this 2010 season.
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