US Open Cup: Timbers 3 – Sonoma County 0

Three goals from the hour mark on led the Portland Timbers to a 3-0 victory over Sonoma County Sol in the first round of the US Open Cup at PGE Park. All three goal scorers contributed their first of the season as Alex Nimo broke the deadlock on 58 minutes before Taka Suzuki scored in the 88th minute and James Marcelin finished things off with an extra-time goal. The victory sends the Timbers through to the second round where they will face Kitsap Pumas in Bremerton on Tuesday, June 22.

As expected, the Timbers far outclassed Sonoma County throughout the game. Yet the inability to finish shots haunted the favorites throughout most of the game. Futty Danso did have a nice header go into the net mid-way through the first half but the goal was disallowed after a foul was called on Suzuki. It wasn’t until the neat passing of Ryan Pore and Doug DeMartin found Nimo in the box near the hour that the Timbers delivered a goal. Nimo’s one-touch shot was the first to go in for some 270 minutes, a stretch that had seen Portland pick up just two points from three league matches.

Just like their encounter last season, the Sol played hard and kept the score line low until the final moments. But the Timbers’ insistence in the final third finally gave a positive result. Rodrigo Lopez twice hit the post with free kicks in the second half, further evidence that it was not an unimpressive display.

Perhaps the most interesting event during the match was the ten-minute protest by the Timbers Army supporters group. Unhappy with the club’s failure to consult with the ever-expanding group on changes to the classic crest, the supporters, usually boisterous throughout, took a seat and fell silent between the 25th and 35th minutes. With such a small crowd on hand, PGE Park was eerily quiet.

Category: Portland Timbers, US Open Cup