The Portland Timbers are still perfect in this campaign to a whooping fourteen matches. By entertaining a struggling and desperate Houston Dynamo, today’s affair had all the elements of a contested match.
To say that this was not to be a walk in the park for the local Rose City Boys looking forward to maintain their undefeated run at home and to see a revival in their defensive game to step up.
With several notable absences in their initial eleven, the Houston Dynamo manager Wilmer Cabrera manage to put on a fighting starting eleven to counter and try to deliver an upset over their Pacific Northwest hosts.
After last week come from behind draw against the Impact and seeing several defensive woes in the course of this match, manager Giovanni Savarese sent a more conservative formation to counter the Texans dangerous attack.
The Portland Timbers had 5-3-2 formation in the field putting with its traditional foursome the likes of Lawrence Olum to reinforce the backfield with Powell, Valentin, Cascante and Mabiala. As the visitors manager Wilmer Cabrera looking at any cost to deliver three much needed points for his squad, he sent a more offensive prone 4-2-3-1 formation.
In addition of Houston showing off a more physical game and approach whenever some of the notable Portland players had the ball, still the locals had a good control of the match and this could be a goal rout in the end.
Still the match in the early minutes had the presence of the local Timbers taking an all-around Initiative and with a wonderful made play by Alva’s Powell in the right side, the Jamaican defender sent a center overlooked by Aspirilla to land in Sebastian Blanco feet.
As the Andean just had to push the ball for the opening score and the Portland Timbers going up the scoreboard with one goal ahead and sending the whole of Providence Park into a frenzy in the seventh minute of the game.
No later than this lead just lasted five minutes after the Dynamo started putting pressure in the Portland backfield and becoming successful in their quest when a slip up by Julio Cascante and a steal from Alberth Elis to pass to a wide open Romell Quioto.
In what seemed to be a bad misstep by Cascante who succumbed to the pressure of Elis and stealing the ball for the Houston equalizing the match for the rest of the first half and part of the second until the move everyone was waiting for.
As manager Savarese made the move all were waiting for when Dairon Aspirilla in the 75’ minute came in exchange for a departing Fanendo Adi playing his last match as a Portland Timber.
As the Houston backfield felt that, the gentle Nigerian giant was to cause havoc on their backfield and stepping their defensive a bit tight and manager Cabrera making some substitutions for more rested players to counter Portland attacks.
This night was to belong to this gentle giant and when the time came for the opportunity, he sent a shoot after a ricochet and a Blanco pass inside the area Adi was well place to deliver another marvelous moment in his final match with the game winner.
Thank you Fanendo Adi for all the wonderful memories here in Rose City.
Post Contents and Property of Fern Mc Costigan © Copyright All Rights Reserved
Photos Credit and Property of Craig Mitchelldyer Photography 2018
Photos Credit and Property of © 2018 Major League Soccer
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