PORTLAND, Ore. – Playing their final game of a two-match home stand, T2 were unable to overcome three first-half goals, falling 4-1 to LA Galaxy II at Merlo Field on Saturday afternoon.
Outshooting LA Galaxy II 8-4 in the first half, T2 created several threatening chances in the first half of the match, including forward Kharlton Belmar’s first-time effort from inside the box, with the forward connecting well with midfielder Neco Brett’s cross, forcing LA Galaxy II goalkeeper Clement Diop to make a strong save in the seventh minute of play. In the 15th minute, midfielder Villyan Bijev’s shot from outside the box forced Diop into a diving save to his left.
In the 35th minute of play, T2 (5-10-3, 18pts) cut into LA’s lead when defender Rennico Clarke headed in his first goal of the USL season from Brett’s corner kick over the outstretched arms of Diop.
In the second half, T2 created additional chances after midfielder Andre Lewis’ attempt from outside of the box went just wide of the net in the 65th minute. In the 90th minute, Brett’s right-footed blast from long-range flew just high above the post.
LA Galaxy II (8-2-8, 32pts) opened the scoring in the sixth minute, benefiting from defender Lee Nishanian’s finish from inside the 18-yard box, before doubling their lead in the 18th minute when midfielder Bryam Rebellon’s scored from midfielder Jose Villarreal’s set piece delivery.
Galaxy II extended their lead when Adonis Amaya slipped Raul Mendiola in behind for a right-footed finish. T2 went down to 10 men in the 54th minute after Clarke picked up a second yellow card. LA capitalized on the one-man advantage when forward Jack McBean scored in the 76th minute, finishing Bradford Jamieson’s pass from inside the six-yard box.
Next up, T2 will travel to play Cascadia rivals Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Sunday, July 24, at Starfire Sports Complex; kickoff is set for 5 p.m. (Pacific). The July 24 match will also be available via a live, high-definition web stream at www.timbers2.com.
Postgame Quote Sheet
T2 head coach Andrew Gregor
On his overall thoughts on the match…
“I think it was a huge learning lesson because in this game there’s a lot of variables that effect the game and you have to be able to manage those and keep things even keel, be aware of it and not get distracted by some of the simple things. There’s a lot of variables that play into whether or not you’re going to have success and I think you look at some of those today and how those variables affected the game and at times I don’t think we did a good of managing it. We’ve got to learn and move forward.
On two of LA Galaxy’s goals coming from set pieces…
“You’ve got to give them a little bit of credit too. [Jose] Villarreal is no slouch of a player. He whipped in really dangerous balls and those certain variables to set up the free kicks in those situations put us in a tough spot. You’ve got to be able to manage what we can manage and at that point on the set play, we’ve got to be able to manage the ball that gets played in and get it cleared, and we didn’t do a good job of that today.”
T2 midfielder Dylan Damraoui
Overall impressions of the match…
“The game was good, but difficult. We can do better, but we’re still working at it. It’s going to be better as the season goes along.”
On getting back on the field after missing time due to injury…
“It was great. Coach gave me confidence by putting me out there. It feels great.”
On what to look forward to as the season moves along…
“Just win some games, have fun and maybe score some goals.”
T2 midfielder Villyan Bijev
On his shot that forced the LA Galaxy II goalkeeper into a save…
“I’m a little bit disappointed that I didn’t finish that. I think it was a great opportunity and for the level that I want to reach, that has to be a goal that I can finish. If I finish that goal it would have definitely helped my team and changes the game early on and puts us in a different position.
On the learning lessons from the match…
“I think we just have to not get down on ourselves. It’s a tough match. It’s a tough result to swallow. Everyone individually I think can learn something from it, whether it’s to have more heart or fight, tactically and physically. I think the important thing is to take it as a learning point and then not let it affect future games and if anything it will give us more motivation for the remainder of the season.”
T2 (5-10-3, 18pts) vs. LA Galaxy II (8-2-8, 32pts)
July 16, 2016 – Merlo Field (Portland, Ore.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
LA Galaxy II 3 1 4
T2 1 0 1
Scoring Summary
LAG: Nishanian (Turnley), 6
LAG: Rebellon (Villarreal), 18
POR: Clarke (Brett), 35
LAG: Mendiola (Amaya), 39
LAG: McBean (Jamieson IV), 75
Misconduct Summary
POR: Lewis (Caution), 9
POR: Belmar (Caution), 21
POR: Clarke (Caution), 24
LAG: Amaya (Caution), 41
LAG: Smith (Caution), 45
POR: Clarke (Caution), 53
POR: Arboleda (Caution), 55
LAG: Arelleno (Caution), 70
LAG: Jamieson IV (Caution), 77
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK McIntosh, D Thoma, D Clarke, D Okugo ©, D Farfan, M Lewis, M Casiple (Damroui, 76), M Arboleda, M Bijev (Morley, 56), M Brett, F Belmar (Polk, 80)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Luthy, M Besler, M Bodily, F Richards
TOTAL SHOTS: 11; SHOTS ON GOAL: 6; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 2
LAG: GK Diop, D Nishanian, D Smith, D Turnley, D Arellano (Payeras, 85), M Villarreal (Fujii, 80), M Mendiola (Covarrubias, 45), M Villarreal (Zubak, 68), M Rebellon, F McBean ©, F Amaya (Jamieson IV, 60)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Sneddon, D Sorto
TOTAL SHOTS: 13; SHOTS ON GOAL: 6; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 5
Referee: Chipalo Street
Assistant Referees: Joshua Haimes, Kristin Patterson
4th Official: Wale Animashaun
Attendance: 2,152
Weather: Cloudy, 70 degrees
