HOUSTON DYNAMO AT PORTLAND TIMBERS SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013 COMEBACK KIDS The Timbers managed a point just four times in 23 occurrences when trailing at the half in their first two MLS seasons. Portland has accomplished this three times already in 2013, coming back to gain a draw against New York on March 3 when trailing 3-1 at halftime, earning a draw at Seattle on March 16 after going down 1-0 in the first half and, most recently, coming back from a 1-0 halftime deficit on March 30 against Colorado on the road. Against the Rapids, Portland faced a two-goal deficit after the Rapids scored in the 48th minute.
BREAKING THE STREAK The Timbers saw their club-record stretch of 37 matches without receiving a penalty kick end in the 71st minute against the Colorado Rapids last Saturday. The streak reached 3,435 minutes before defender David Horst was fouled in the box at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Midfielder Will Johnson, the team’s captain, stepped up and converted the penalty kick. Prior to Saturday’s match, Portland was last awarded a shot from the penalty spot during the 2011 season finale against Real Salt Lake on Oct. 22, 2011, at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. Jack Jewsbury’s 56th-minute attempt went over the crossbar, but the Timbers were able to steal a point at the end with a stoppage-time equalized from defender Futty Danso. Portland’s stretch ranked fifth all-time in the MLS record books.
SCOUTING THE DYNAMO One of the hottest teams in the league through the first five weeks of the season, the Dynamo are currently in second place in the Eastern Conference (3-1-0, 9pts) and come into Portland riding a two-game winning streak against Western Conference opponents. The Dynamo, who have not scored a goal in the first half this season, feature a talented duo of Giles Barnes (2 goals) and Will Bruin (1 goal, 1 assist), complemented by Honduran international midfielder Boniek Garcia and United States international midfielder Brad Davis. Head coach Dominic Kinnear’s side features stalwart goalkeeper Tally Hall, a five-year MLS veteran, and Houston’s No. 1 goalkeeper for the last three seasons. A Pacific Northwest native, Hall ranks as one of the league’s most reliable goalkeepers, missing just one match since 2011.
GAINING A POINT Since the start of the 2011 season, the Timbers have come back to gain at least a point when conceding the game’s first goal 13 times. Portland has accomplished this already three times this season. Additionally, the Timbers have come back to gain a point seven times when trailing after 75 minutes, two of those instances happening this season (March 3 vs. New York; March 16 at Seattle).
SOCCER CITY, USA The consecutive sellout streak at JELD-WEN Field is one thing, but the Timbers run of a 97-percent season-ticket renewal rate in back-to-back years is equally as notable. The club currently has a Season Ticket Waiting List of more than 6,500 fans and even increased the season-ticket allotment by 500 during the offseason, raising the total number of season tickets to 15,250.
AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS Through the first five weeks of the season, Portland ranks among the league’s top-10 teams in several offensive stat categories. The Timbers rank fifth in goals scored (7), sixth in shots (62) and seventh in corner kicks (24). Individually, midfielder Will Johnson is tied for fifth in the league with two goals, midfielder Diego Valeri ranks fifth with 18 shots and defender/midfielder Rodney Wallace comes in third with 1.88 goals per 90 minutes.
UPCOMING MILESTONES Third-year midfielder/forward Darlington Nagbe’s next goal will be the 10th of his MLS career. It would also put Nagbe into a tie with Jack Jewsbury as the club’s all-time career goal-scoring leader. Nagbe scored his ninth career goal with a rebound in the 56th minute against New York on March 3. Nagbe also has the chance during Saturday’s game to claim the club’s all-time MLS career lead in shots on goal. Currently, Nagbe has 29 career shots on goal, one shy of the club record on 30 held by both Jack Jewsbury and Kenny Cooper. Team captain Will Johnson’s next assist will be the 10th of his career. Johnson earned the second assist on midfielder Diego Valeri’s first career goal in a 3-3 draw with New York on March 3. The seven-year MLS veteran has registered an assist in each of his last five seasons.
TIMBERS ERASE TWO-GOAL DEFICIT IN DRAW Facing a two-goal deficit for the second time in four games this season, the Timbers battled back to record a 2-2 draw on the road against the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on March 30. Midfielder and team captain Will Johnson scored twice for the Timbers in the 55th and 71st minute. Trailing 2-0 just three minutes into the second half, forward Ryan Johnson sent a cross into the box and found the head of Will Johnson, who directed the ball inside the left post to cut the Rapids lead to a goal. Timbers defender David Horst was cut down in the penalty box by Atiba Harris and Portland was awarded its first penalty kick in 37 games. Will Johnson stepped up and struck a right-footed shot into the upper left corner of the goal, tying the match at 2-2.
SCORING QUICKLY Midfielder Will Johnson scored twice in the second half on March 30 against Colorado, recording the first two-goal performance of his MLS career (124 matches). He is the fifth Timbers MLS player to score multiple goals in a single match. Johnson scored his two goals just 16 minutes apart (55th and 71st minutes), marking the shortest amount of time between two goals scored by a Timbers MLS player in a single match. The record was held by both Darlington Nagbe (March 30, 2012 – 48th and 65th minutes) and Danny Mwanga (Sept. 19, 2012 – 45th and 62nd minutes) at 17 minutes between goals in their respective two-goal performances. Kris Boyd and Jorge Perlaza also scored braces for the Timbers.
DYNAMIC CONNECTIONS The Timbers and Dynamo feature several player crossovers. One-time Timbers midfielder Adam Moffat and defenders Eric Brunner and Mike Chabala are now with Houston. Moffat has earned a starting role with the Dynamo, appearing in each of the team’s first four matches this season and recording an assist on March 23 against Vancouver. Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie attended Akron from 2008-10 where he was coached by Timbers head coach Caleb Porter and was a teammate of Timbers midfielder/forward Darlington Nagbe.
RICKETTS UP FOR SAVE OF THE WEEK Timbers goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts is up for MLSsoccer.com’s Save of the Week for Week 5 of the MLS season. Down 2-1 against Colorado, Ricketts was called upon to make a diving stop to help keep the match close. His hard work paid off as later, Will Johnson converted a penalty to pull the Timbers even for a draw. Ricketts, a Jamaican international, won MLSsoccer.com Save of the Week in Week 2 when he was nominated twice for the honor.