Portland Timbers 2, Vancouver Whitecaps 3 - Instant Reaction

Timbers start slow, come back, and then collapse in a loss in Vancouver in their third straight defeat.

The Portland Timbers lost by a margin of 3-2 on the road to the Vancouver Whitecaps, falling in their first Cascadia Cup match of the season. Ryan Gauld scored for Vancouver after just ninety seconds, and Fafa Picault added a second in the 29th minute. Evander pulled one back in the second half, and Felipe Mora tallied what was thought to be the equalizer. But a late Ryan Raposo winner doomed the Timbers to their third loss in a row.

Photo Credit: Portland Timbers

Phil Neville rolled out the same lineup as last weekend, with three additions: Maxime Crepeau and Kamal Miller reclaimed their spots after being away on international duty last week, and Cristhian Paredes slotted in for Eryk Williamson in the midfield.

But the changes wouldn’t make much of a difference in the first half, as Portland found themselves down a goal after just ninety seconds.

Ryan Gauld ghosted past the Timbers defense in the second minute and was found by a slip pass from Ali Ahmed in the box. The Scotsman’s first shot was blocked, but his follow up got past Crepeau at the near post to open the scoring before fans could fully settle into their seats.

Portland couldn’t find their footing through the start of the game, as no Timbers attacker seemed to be able to keep the ball on their feet through the opening ten minutes. Vancouver’s press was denying any kind of service to Portland’s midfield, and the Timbers couldn’t cope.

That lack of offensive invention doubled Portland’s pain in the 29th minute, when Alessandro Schöpf streaked down Portland’s left side after a turnover upfield. He sent in a ball that McGraw deflected out, but it fell right to the feet of Fafa Picault, who curled it into the upper corner to make it 2-0 to the Whitecaps.

The first half was marked by a lack of ingenuity from Portland’s midfield, and a lack of connection between essentially anybody not playing centerback. Once again, the Timbers couldn’t figure out how to play through a press, and once again the midfield looked disconnected from everybody else on the field. Jonathan Rodriguez was on an island, with no service to speak of in the opening frame.

The Timbers went into halftime down two goals, with just a solitary shot on target to their name.

Neville must have given his team the “they f**ing were terrible today” speech at halftime, because the Timbers came out with a much more aggressive and higher line at the start of the second half.

It paid off in the 52nd minute, when a well worked Timbers attack found Evander at the top of the box, and the Brazilian fired an absolute laser right into the top corner to half the deficit.

The Timbers continued to press, and a pair of second half subs from Neville which brought on Felipe Mora and Eryk Williamson would help to keep the pressure on the Whitecaps, who appeared to be unable to handle Portland’s renewed vigor.

It culminated in Mora snatching the equalizer in the 77th minute. Evander found the ball on the left flank, spun around his defender, and delivered a peach of a ball towards the back post which Mora dove towards and headed past Takaoka to score his first goal of the season, and level the scoreline.

It appeared that the Timbers were headed for a point and a respectable result in Vancouver — but then disaster struck on the backline yet again. Crepeau was unable to handle a cross on the deck from Sam Adekugbe in the 87th minute, and Ryan Raposo was first on the spot to knock home the loose ball and restore the hosts’ advantage.

It was a brutal goal to concede as it undid all of Portland’s good work that they showed in the second half. But in the end, it was indicative of the Timbers theme of the evening: poor defensive mistakes ruining their day.

After a half-hearted appeal for a penalty from Rodriguez late, the whistle blew for full time, and Portland fell in their first Cascadia test of the season.

At the end of the day, it simply wasn’t good enough for the Timbers. They dug themselves a massive hole with conceding two soft goals in the first half, but then showed the renewed fight that is needed from this team in the second half. It was heartening to see Evander engaged and scoring, and even more heartening to see Felipe Mora bag his first goal of the year to temporarily equalize affairs.

That’s what made the late concession all the more maddening. It was all of Portland’s bad habits — poor defensive marking, poor scramble defense, poor defensive communication — coming back to haunt them and scuppering all of their hard work.

It was a frustrating, but perhaps not unfair, result for a Timbers team that has now lost three straight games. The hot start to the year is an ice-cold thing of the past, as Neville’s squad is now searching for answers on how to get things back on track.

Scoring Summary

Portland: Evander (52’), Mora (77’)

Louisville: Gauld (2’), Picault (29’), Raposo (87’)

Next Up:

The road ahead doesn’t get any easier for the Timbers, as they face another tough road fixture at Sporting Kansas City on Sunday April 7. Kickoff is set for 10:30 p.m. PT.