The Portland Timbers defeated FC Cincinnati on Tuesday evening in Florida and will advance to the MLS is Back Tournament Quarterfinals.
For the Timbers, it was a gutsy win after a resilient Cincinnati team tied things up at 1-1 late in the game and forced a penalty shootout. The shootout ended 4-2 after all Portland penalty-takers converted their attempts from the spot. FCC’s first two penalties found their way past keeper Steve Clark, but Clark came up big and saved the third attempt from Jurgen Locadia. FCC defender and former Vancouver Whitecap Kendall Waston’s attempt soared over the crossbar on attempt number four.
Steve Clark’s performance played a huge role in the outcome of the match. Portland’s keeper looked to be on track for a repeat performance of his 2019 campaign throughout the group stage matches, but the veteran keeper made a couple key errors as the match was winding down. Portland seemed to have unlocked the Cincinnati bunker after going up 1-0 after Jaroslaw Niezgoda finished off a nice Blanco pass at near point-blank range in the 67th minute and were cruising until the last ten minutes of the game.
At the 80th minute, Steve Clark mistakenly chose not to pick up the ball after a long FCC pass made its way into his box. He instead took a heavy touch with his foot, then was late to react after diving after the ball and took down FCC’s Allan Cruz in the process, prompting the referee to immediately point to the spot. Clark went the right way on the penalty, but FCC’s Jurgen Locadia’s successfully converted and tied the game at 1-1. Minutes later, Clark bobbled a save attempt that hit the post and nearly gave FCC the breakthrough they needed.
Whatever nerves Clark was struggling with in the dwindling minutes of regulation seemed to dissipate once the penalty-takers lined up. His clutch save during the shootout seemed to give his teammates the emotional boost they needed to persevere and close the door on Cincinnati’s unexpected tournament run.
While Portland might seem lucky to slip into the next round of the tournament, they should also feel good about the state of their strikers moving forward. Jeremy Ebobisse scored three times in group play, while Niezgoda’s goal against FCC was his second in as many games.
Portland Head Coach Giovanni Savarese said of his team’s performance tonight:
“It wasn’t easy. The last few minutes were tough, but we were able to go through against a difficult team that we knew was going to be very tough.”
Portland will need to recuperate and refocus quickly as they are set to take on New York City FC on Saturday, August 1st at 7:30 pm PST. NYCFC took care of business to the tune of 3-1 against Toronto FC in their Round of 16 match-up. The match will be televised on FS1.
