Dairon Asprilla Day: Portland Timbers 3, Minnesota United 2
It's Dairon Asprilla Appreciation Day! For the last time in his career, he suited up for the Portland Timbers. Like a fairytale, he provided the game-winning assist to Jona to complete the comeback.
Dairon Asprilla Appreciation
Dairon Asprilla’s last match as a Portland Timber would come Saturday against Minnesota United.
The club made the announcement on Friday with Phil Neville confirming he would see minutes in his final appearance.
In his last letter to Portland…
”Today, I write these words with a heavy heart and feelings of sadness and gratitude. Saying goodbye to the club which has been my home for many years, is not easy. But I do so with the certainty that I have given my all on the field, always striving to bring you joy. I want to start by thank you, the fans. You are, without a doubt, the most important part of the club. Your passion, unwavering support, and constantt affection have accompanied me every step of the way. You have been source of motivation and strength, and I carry every sign of your support in my heart. You make this club one of the best in the league, and it has been an honor to pay in front of you.”
This game would mark a nearly decade-long tenure with the Portland Timbers. He is one of four players to have 200 or more appearances in club history: Diego Valeri, Diego Chara, Darlington Nagbe, and Dairon Asprilla.
The Portland Timbers came into the match with a six-game unbeaten streak and were looking to keep it going against the struggling Loons.
Early on, the Portland Timbers were sloppy in possession and struggled to play fast. However, there were tons of miscommunication early on. One positive early on was the play of David Ayala who won the ball three times with his sheer will and strength.
In the 10th minute, Evander picked out Santiago Moreno, who took a heavy touch and could not score.
In the 18th minute, James “King Pants” Pantemis came up huge denying Bongokuhle Hlongwane whose shot also deflected off Župarić before being saved.
In the 22nd minute, Evander played to Felipe Mora out wide. He would play a perfect ball across the face of goal to Jona who just needed to tap it in, but somehow misses.
Unfortunately, their lack of finishing hurt them mightily.
Minnesota would punish them in the 29th minute. Joseph Rosales’ low driven cross was blocked by Pantemis. However, it fell to Hlongwane who finished the rebound to put the visitors up 1-0.
Mora did his best “Dairon Asprilla” impersonation with a bicycle kick attempt in the 33rd minute. He hit it clean, unfortunately, the ball was right at Clint Irwin.
In the 37th minute, Mora had a chance to equalize. Claudio Bravo hit a well-struck low driven cross into the box to find the #9. He would turn and fire wide.
Completely against the run of play, Irwin fired a long ball to Hlongwane who received it on a deflection and drove into the box and slipped a ball to Jeong Sang-Bin. He calmly finished to double the visitors’ lead to make it 2-0.
It did not look like this match was going to go their way. In the 42nd minute, Irwin did his best Dayne St. Clair impersonation and had back-to-back saves to deny Evander on a free kick and friend of the pod, Zac McGraw’s header. After the header, McGraw had to leave the game with a harsh cut. We wish him a speedy recovery.
In the sixth minute of extra time, Evander crossed a ball into the box for Mora who was clumsily shoved in the box by D. J. Taylor. The official pointed to the spot immediately for a penalty kick which Evander would smash with incredible precision into the back of the net to cut the lead in half.
Right before the half, Minnesota thought they restored their lead to two, but Hlongwane’s headed goal was called offside.
Heading into the break only down a goal was so important for the home side.
Minnesota sat back in a low block and wanted to force Portland to beat them. The Timbers were not up to the task in the first half. The goal before the half gave them what they needed to gain massive amounts of momentum going to the half.
With McGraw unavailable for the rest of the match, Phil Neville opted for Eric Miller at center back over Larrys Mabiala.
Irwin continued to come up with big stops early in the second half. In the 48th minute, he denied Mora’s header off an Evander corner kick. In the 70th minute, he denied Eric Miller’s headed attempt as well.
In the 73rd minute, Minnesota’s resistance would finally be shattered. Santi Moreno received the ball from Evander and proceeded to shuck off a defender to get to the top of the box. He fired a left-footed laser for an absolute Golazo to equalize 2-2.
A minute later, Dairon Asprilla would enter the game for the last time as a Portland Timber. Fortunately, it would be one you couldn’t script any better.
In the 82nd minute, Evander lobbed a ball to find Asprilla. He would hit it one time and find Moreno’s head which would find Jona for a tap in goal. What’s the problem? He missed another tap-in goal over the bar.
The Portland Timbers thought they found the game-winner in the 87th minute off Antony’s header, but it was checked through VAR and disallowed after Jona’s handball.
If you think, that would stop this team from trying to find the winner, you’d be dead wrong.
Like a movie, in extra time, Dairon Asprilla got on the end of a long pass and hit it first time in front of the box to find Jona for the match winner! In his final game as a Portland Timber, he would provide the pass to complete the comeback.
All credit to Jona who was having probably his worst night as a Portland Timber and missed multiple sitters before finishing the one that mattered the most.
Eryk Williamson forced a turnover late in the game and drove to the left side of the box and tried to find Moreno before it ricocheted back to Evander. He fired far post and just missed wide. Neville has spoken glowingly of Williamson at trainings and could see more minutes in future matches.
The final whistle would finally blow and Portland would run their unbeaten streak to seven matches with five wins in that span.
Dairon Asprilla would leave his last match as a Portland Timber hero - His sendoff would be so deserving with his club legend status.
Dairon Asprilla’s Final Message to the Supporters
“I think not only today, but these past days have been very, very long days. I tried my best to prepare for it, and I didn't expect the moment of leaving to come so fast. I have a good opportunity to go back home and be very close to my family. I've tried to control my emotions as best as I can through these days, maybe hide my feelings a little although people around me have given me a lot of great words. It’s been great to be around them. It was hard to come here from another country alone, but then this became my home. It's been hard to see all the amazing messages and not being able to respond to them all. But mostly, I just want to thank everyone for the love that they've given me. I hope they can see this video, this message, and just to tell them that they're my family.”
Thank You Dairon Asprilla! - Those two words aren’t enough, but we are grateful for everything you’ve given to the club, city, and community in your decade with the Portland Timbers. You will go down as a club legend on and off the pitch.
This game will be remembered for the excitement, but mainly for the perfect sendoff Dairon Asprilla deserved and got to experience.
Highlights
6’ First corner kick of the game went to the Portland Timbers.
6’ Evander attempted an Olimpico and nearly scored off of it.
10’ Evander found Santi Moreno perfectly in the box, but he couldn’t control it.
How did that not go in the back of the net?18’ James Pantemis with the early candidate for save of the match. It ricocheted off a player and he still managed to save it.
22’ Bongokuhle Hlongwane was in on goal, but luckily the angle prevented the goal.
23’ Felipe played a beautiful ball across the goal and all Jona had to do was tap it in. He missed...
29’ 0-1 MIN In the midst of ‘Thank You Dairon’ chants, Minnesota scored on a Bongokuhle Hlongwane goal. This can’t be happening…
33’ Pipe attempted a gorgeous bicycle kick and got it off clean. Unfortunately, it went directly to the keeper.
37’ Claudio hit a nice low-driven cross into the box and found Mora. He turns and fires, but it goes wide...
38’ 0-2 MIN Jeong Sang-Bin scores to double Minnesota’s lead off a nice assist from Hlongwane
43’ Evander hit a nice free kick that Clint Irwin barely denied. Zac’s follow-up header during the recycled attack was also knocked away.
45’ +8 1-2 Felipe Mora is blatantly shoved in the back inside the box. Penalty was called immediately. Evander Converts!
45’ +11 Minnesota’s Goal was called offsides!
46’ Eric Miller came on for Zac McGraw
47’ Portland earn a corner
48’ Ayala smashed his header near post, but Irwin was up to the challenge, yet again…
61' Diego Chara won the ball and played it to Evander. He slipped it out wide to Santi, who fired directly at Irwin. In the next sequence, Jona won a header but steers it wide...
68’ Chara saved a possible shot from Hlongwane right by the goal
70’ Antony came on for Claudio Bravo & Eryk Williamson came on for David Ayala.
73’ 2-2 GOLAZO! Santi! He hit a rocket with his left foot from outside the box for the equalizer.
74’ DAIRON ASPRILLA CAME ON ONE FINAL TIME. JDM COMES OFF.
83' Evander played the perfect chip into Dairon who crossed it into the face of goal for Jona... It went over the bar...
85’ Felipe won the header off a corner, but it sailed over the bar.
87’ Antony scored! After a VAR check, it is disallowed.
90’ +2 3-2 POR DAIRON TO JONA! You couldn’t script this any better!
FT - Timbers 3, Loons 2 - Portland completes the comeback
Quotes
Phil Neville’s thoughts on tactical changes and others implemented that made a shift in team cohesiveness…
“Look, I think there's obviously a part of football that is tactical and system, but that's only 20%, 80% of football is mentality. And what I've seen over the last month is a team that, when we finish training, stay out and sit together for 40 minutes, 50 minutes, and they don't want to go off the pitch. And that's not manufactured. That's not organizing a team night out in Portland and forcing them to go it's these players like each other, like spending time together. I always think it's a really good gauge of a team when there are friendships and bonds appearing as a brotherhood, appearing and developing. And that's more important than any system that we're going to play. In the second half, you can say, ‘Oh, we attacked well’ but we didn't have a system. We had a mentality. In the first 20 minutes, we didn't have a system. We lacked a mentality. I say that all the time and my experience tells me if you get a mentality and you get a team that never knows when it’s beat, and you get a team that never knows that scores later on, that wins the game late on, that has comebacks, that's a really powerful team. And we've seen it, not just now, we saw it when we were going through our sticky patch, Kansas City away, San Jose at home, we were coming back from goal deficits, from losing games, and we never give in. And I think that's, that's, that's a quality that I feel is an identity of this team.”
Did you miss it?
Phil Neville had to change the presser chair after Dairon Asprilla went first due to the massive amount of sweat left on it!
One of those games that I am just so happy that I got to witness in person. The stadium in that 2nd half felt like Portland again, hugely engaged crowd almost willing the team to keep up the crushing attack. The Asprilla love. Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.
It was poetry.
It was beautiful.
Thank you Dairon! Always a Timber.
One of the best games at Providence Park....up there with the double post game!