Photos courtesy of LAFC.
LAFC was certainly in a celebratory mood against the Portland Timbers on Sunday night.
The thrill of victory for the home side LAFC and the agony of defeat for the visiting Portland Timbers!
Coming before this match, Bob Bradley’s team was on a not-so-positive-streak and were facing a Rose City team looking to continue momentum after their win on the road against the Seattle Sounders.
However, after starting the game with the right foot and setting the tone of the game, many thought the Timbers were to cruise for the win, wrong!
The Timbers got on the scoreboard first with a combination of passes from Diego Valeri to Felipe Mora passing to Eryk Williamson his move to shake off his defender came successfully for the game’s first score.
As Eryk Williamson scored his second goal of the season, the man somehow is becoming this season revelation for the Green and Gold. Unfortunately, his team could not hold the lead after LAFC hit back to tie the game.
The home side stepped up their game when Mark Anthony Kaye tied it up. From there, the Black and Gold didn’t let its guard down in the remainder of the game, and answered with two more goals before halftime.
The Black and Gold took a 3-1 lead with goals from Diego Rossi and later Bradley Wright-Phillips in a four-minute span, as the Timbers pulled within one goal a minute later.
Whatever happened to the Timbers’ momentum is becoming a head-scratcher game after game when he sees his side surrendering the game and allowing their rivals to grow in their game and the consequences are evident!
It is about mentality, but in the end the meltdown of a clueless defensive game not in sync and players getting beaten time after time as witnessed on Saturday.
Several players need to commit to excel and aid their team despite notable players being out of the lineup such as Sebastian Blanco who is out for the season. The absence of Diego Chara’s defensive game was missed in its totality.
With a great one-two combination from Jorge Villafaña playing like its old day and delivered a nice pass for Jeremy Ebobisse to score the Timbers’ second goal to pull within one goal. However, LAFC would seal the points with a strike from Danny Musovsky in second half stoppage time.
The Black and Gold is becoming a tough client for the Portland Timbers, but that is not the point. The need for many of the Timbers’ young guns to step up to prove their potential in every game.
No answers for manager Giovanni Savarese, but many frustrations for a team that needs to improve in several positions and again the area most vulnerable for renovation is its defensive backfield and a return of that unity in all its initial eleven.
Now with a couple of games on the road against San Jose on Wednesday and later Saturday, somehow this does not look too favorable for a team secluded to train indoors. That’s because of the air quality we currently have in the Pacific Northwest.
My conclusion if someone has a solution to this problem it’s Gio, I believe in his work and he can turn things around in Rose City.
Goals
Eryk Williamson 25’ PTFC, Mark Anthony Kaye 37’ LAFC, Diego Rossi 41’ LAFC, Bradley Wright Phillips 45+1, LAFC, Jeremy Ebobisse 45+2 PTFC,
Highlights
Eryk Williamson second goal of the season and in MLS, becoming an all-around revelation
Jeremy Ebobisse scoring his fourth goal of the season near the end of the first half
Felipe Mora, Diego Valeri, and Jorge Villafaña contributing with valuable assists
Marvin Loria developing his game in every match
Yimmi Chara and Jaroslaw Niezgoda little these could do with an LAFC physical prone defense
The need to step up for many young Players is imperative for this team to make it into the postseason
Man of the Match
Eryk Williamson
Portland Timbers
LAFC
