Timbers Retain Cascadia Cup

Vancouver Whitecaps 1 : 2 Portland Timbers

Portland Timbers retained the Cascadia Cup with a 2-1 win over the Caps at Swangard. A penalty from Ryan Pore and a Mamadou Danso goal, both in the second half, gave Portland a come from behind victory. Khalfan had put the Caps ahead also after the interval. With two wins and one draw from the three games so far, Vancouver are unable to wrest the series from Portland on October 2nd in the final game, so Portland retain the Cup, the last in its current two team format.

Next season, three Major League sides will compete when the two sides playing tonight join Seattle Sounders  in MLS.

Tonight’s game was decided by the dismissal of Greg Janicki when his side was 1-0 up and the ensuing penalty call which gave Portland their equaliser.

Portland coach Gavin Wilkinson dropped Doug DeMartin for George Josten, and both sides started 4-4-2 with Khalfan and Stewart up front for the Caps.

After a nervy opening seven minutes, Ian Joy was warned for foul on Nelson Akwari in eight but the opening quarter hour provided few chances, bar some Caps corners which Portland handled decently.

Philippe Davies was booked for a foul on Joy shortly afterwards. Caps striker Cornelius Stewart made the first real opportunity when he turned well and had a clear site of goal. Sadly he blasted well over from an admittedly tight angle in 17th minute.

Wes Knight failed to bring the ball under control nine minutes later for a Timbers corner after the back of his heel turned the ball behind. George Josten headed the corner onto the underside of the bar and down onto the goal line but cries for a goal from the 100 away supporters were halted by referee Michael Edmunds awarding a free kick to Vancouver.

Josten then missed the best chance of the first half  in 29, after a free kick rebounded off Bright Dike. With the goal gaping, he put it wide from five yards.

Portland center half Ross Smith needed treatment after an aerial collision with Blake Wagner inside the Caps half. He was bleeding profusely from a head wound and Stephen Keel replaced him twelve minutes before half time.Timbers coach Gavin Wilkinson later confirmed Smith had received 13 stitches in his head.

Timbers keeper Steve Cronin received the game’s next yellow card for running out his area and bringing down Cornelius Stewart two minutes later. Greg Janicki glanced the Martin Nash free kick wide with his head after outjumping the defenders.

Caps midfielder Luca Bellisomo headed a late first half chance over. Ian joy was booked for a foul on Stewart as a messy first half ended.

Vancouver took the lead when Philippe Davies charged down the right and put a lazy cross into the box which Nizar Khalfan managed to turn on and chip in from a tight angle over Cronin six minutes after half time. It was Davies first ever assist in USL football and Khalfan’s second goal of the year.

Wilkinson reacted quickly and brought Rodrigo Lopez and James Marcelin in for Josten and Tony McManus six minutes after the goal.

Stewart and Keel were involved in a battle and the curly headed defender foiled the speedy forward with two blocks as he stuck to his task.

The game change happened in the 65th minute when Ryan Pore burst through and the chasing Greg Janicki was judged to have fouled him inside the area.

Having awarded the penalty, referee Edmunds had no choice but to send the defender off. Pore slipped the penalty just under Nolly diving to his right for the equaliser. With a man up and 24 minutes left, Portland went in search of the goal they needed to retain the Cascadia Cup.

Takayuki Suzuki came of for Derek Gaudet for the Timbers in the 68th minute.

Ethan Gage came on for Davies as Vancouver prepared for the onslaught. But before Alex Elliot followed and could replace Blake Wagner in the 71st minute, Nolly made a total hash when he came to punch away a Pore free kick. As the ball bounced around the penalty box with the keeper stranded, Mamadou Danso hammered it in for the go-ahead goal.

Vancouver’s best chance for parity came when Akwari met a corner with a header literally feet away from  an empty net, but incredibly headed it sideways. Whitecaps got a second chance as the ball fell to Khalfan and he produced a marvelous save from Steve Cronin diving low and quick to his right.

Quavas Kirk replaced Joy for Portland and Justin Moose replaced Stewart who was stretchered off after another aerial collision.

Whitecaps switched to a 3-2-4 as they sought a way back, bringing on Takashi Hirano for the Georgian full back Zurab Tsisaridze but Portland ran the clock down. Khalfan didn’t give up and found himself on the break with just six defenders to beat and no help. Amazingly, the odds came to nothing.

Dike was booked for scything Hirano after the defender had cleared upfield to delay the Timbers celebration further. Hirano limped off leaving the Caps to battle on with eight outfielders until his return sixty seconds later.

With nine men again in the outfield, they managed to win a late corner but Cronin’s sound handling signaled the end of their challenge and the beginning of the Portland celebrations.

Wilkinson: Our Fans Put In More Work Than Anyone

Vancouver Whitecaps FC: 1.Jay Nolly; 77.Zurab Tsiskaridze (22.Takashi Hirano 90′), 2.Nelson Akwari, 14.Greg Janicki, 8.Wes Knight; 23.Blake Wagner (13.Alex Elliott 72′), 3.Luca Bellisomo, 7.Martin Nash, 15.Philippe Davies (20.Ethan Gage 70′); 29.Nizar Khalfan, 39.Cornelius Stewart (19.Justin Moose 79′)

Subs not used: 31.Simon Thomas, 4.Chris Williams, 26.Alex Semenets

Portland Timbers: 0.Steve Cronin; 15.Ian Joy (5.Quavas Kirk 80′), 20.Ross Smith (13.Stephen Keel 33′), 98.Mamadou Danso, 25.Steve Purdy; 23.Ryan Pore, 2.Derek Gaudet (30.Takayuki Suzuki 67′), 12.Tony McManus (14.James Marcelin 57′), 16.Alex Nimo; 19.George Josten (8.Rodrigo Lopez 57′), 27.Bright Dike

Subs not used: 1.Matt Pyzdrowski, 10.Mandjou Keita

Tags: Portland and Vancouver

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