PORTLAND TIMBERS vs SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
PROVIDENCE PARK, Portland, Ore.
Oct. 8, 2014 (WEEK 31, MLS Game #295)
7:30 p.m. PT (ROOT-NW)
TICKETS
The Portland Timbers and San Jose Earthquakes meet for the second time in five days when the Western Conference clubs face off Wednesday evening at Providence Park. The Timbers came back for a 2-1 win Saturday night at Buck Shaw Stadium, a result that left the Timbers still one point behind fifth place and the final playoff position in the Western Conference, while officially eliminating the Quakes from playoff consideration.
LAST MEETING (MLS)
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San Jose broke through in the 56th minute. Winger Shea Salinas served up a pass to Chris Wondolowski inside the six, and though Timbers goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts made the first save, Wondolowski easily knocked in the rebound.
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But Rodney Wallace answered 15 minutes later for the Timbers, spinning to hit a shot from the heart of the Quakes penalty area that was deflected on its way toward goal and eluded Jon Busch.
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Three minutes later, Wallace struck again, deflecting in a Liam Ridgewell header from a corner kick with a deflection off his own head to give the Timbers the lead for good.
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The Quakes finished the match a man down when Pablo Pintos earned a red card for clattering into Wallace with a dangerous tackle in second-half stoppage time.
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SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (4-4-1-1): Jon Busch - Pablo Pintos (ejected 93+), Victor Bernardez, Jason Hernandez, Jordan Stewart - Cordell Cato (Tommy Thompson 88), Sam Cronin, Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi (Atiba Harris 82), Shea Salinas (Yannick Djalo 67) - Matias Perez Garcia - Chris Wondolowski.
- PORTLAND TIMBERS (4-2-3-1): Donovan Ricketts - Alvas Powell, Norberto Paparatto, Liam Ridgewell, Jorge Villafana - Diego Chara, Ben Zemanski - Darlington Nagbe (Michael Harrington 90), Gaston Fernandez (Jack Jewsbury 81), Rodney Wallace - Fanendo Adi (Maximiliano Urruti 87).
PORTLAND TIMBERS
The Portland Timbers won for a second time in three games in the victory at San Jose. The Timbers are in sixth place in the Western Conference with 42 points from 31 games.
TEAM NEWS
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Timbers head coach Caleb Porter made three changes to the team that fell 3-2 to Toronto FC at BMO Field. Norberto Paparatto came into the back four for Pa Modou Kah, Ben Zemanski started in midfield for the injured Will Johnson, and Gaston Fernandez came in the suspended Diego Valeri.
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“You can question a lot of things this year, but you can never question that this year,” Timbers head coach Caleb Porter said. “Because our backs have been against the wall several times, and every time you think we’re down we get up and respond. … I like our team’s chances when our backs are against the wall, which our backs are going to be against the wall the last three games. And that’s great because that will bring out our best.”
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The Timbers have the league’s best record after conceding the opening goal, with five victories and nine draws in 20 matches after allowing the opening goal.
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“All these guys have heart,” Porter said. “Otherwise we wouldn’t have them on our team. We pick players for their talent, but we make sure they have the intangible qualities, too. And I don’t care what level it is, best teams in the world, they have talent, best teams in this league have talent, but the difference is always the character as well in the locker room and all the intangible things, the mentality.”
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Rodney Wallace had two goals in a game for the first time in his MLS career, in his sixth MLS season. He has four goals this season; they have all come in the last nine matches, since Aug. 9.
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Liam Ridgewell and Gaston Fernandez collected their first MLS assists respectively, contributing to the match-winning goal. Ridgewell has two goals and an assist in his MLS tenure, all coming within the last eight matches. Fernandez is second on the team with seven goals.
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“The first goal gave us momentum. We knew we weren’t leaving here without a result,” Wallace said. “We’ve been practicing our set pieces and we have a lot of big bodies. It went off Liam and I was able to deflect it and again, it went in. It just says a lot about our team and how hungry we are to make plays.”
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With Diego Valeri suspended for caution accumulation, Gastón Fernández made his first league start since Sept. 7 and recorded his first assist of the league season.
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Ben Zemanski came into the central midfield role in place of the injured Will Johnson, his second start in the last four matches after going nearly four months between league starts.
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“I like to get around the park and win a lot of balls and, from there, keep it simple and keep possession and look forward when I can,” Zemanski said. “I think a big part of my game is winning balls, and me and [Diego] Chara, I thought, really put a good shift in tonight.”
- Norberto Paparatto made his first appearance in five matches, since Aug. 24, coming into central defense.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
The San Jose Earthquakes had their winless streak extended to 11 games as they were officially eliminated from playoff consideration with the defeat against Portland. The Quakes are in eighth place in the Western Conference with 29 points from 30 games.
TEAM NEWS
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Quakes head coach Mark Watson made one change to the team that came back for a late 1-1 draw with the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Jordan Stewart came back into the back four for Shaun Francis.
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“It’s probably about pride right now,” Watson said. “It’s about your character. Every time we step on the practice field, every time we step on the field for a game, you do your best. You work as hard as you can, you fight for this club and I have no doubt our guys will do that right to the end of the season.”
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The Earthquakes also had their winless streak extended to 11 games with the home loss, the second longest in the club’s history (after 13 games, in 2011).
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“I’d love to have some deflection goals go in for us. It feels like we’ve been on the wrong end of things a lot of the year, and a lot of good work and a lot of good fighting in front of our home fans was for naught because of two deflection goals,” Quakes defender Jason Hernandez said. "They say you make your own luck, but we’re doing everything we can and we can’t get our head above water. It’s very frustrating.”
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With the defeat, the Quakes were officially eliminated from the MLS Cup Playoffs, the second consecutive year and third time in the last four seasons they have not reached the postseason.
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“Every match is a chance to make things right and turn the tide. I thought we were on our way tonight. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas. It’s a huge win for Portland in their playoff push and it eliminates us,” said defender Jason Hernandez. “The rest of the season is really going to test our character; from the first guy to the last guy. Regardless of our standing, we need to get results.”
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Said goalkeeper Jon Busch: “There’s plenty of motivation. You’re playing for points, you’re playing for pride in the jersey, you playing for pride in your own play, you’re playing for contracts; the list goes on and on.”
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Chris Wondolowski scored his 14th goal of the season and now sits in a tie for seventh in the MLS Golden Boot standings. Wondolowski now has nine goals and four assists in 15 games since returning from World Cup duty.
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Matías Perez García played the underneath role in the Quakes attack for a second consecutive match, partnered with Wondolowski.
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“I think they work well together. Obviously, that’s something we would have liked to see more of; I believe they played two games and then Matias [Perez Garcia] got hurt, so they’re regaining that chemistry. They’re both good players and they work well together,” Watson said.
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Pablo Pintos made his third consecutive in the back four since his arrival to the club, but he will miss out on the return match in Portland after being sent off late.
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Yannick Djalo was able to come on for the last 23 minutes, his first appearance since Aug. 2, when he suffered a knee injury.
- “I feel fine. I definitely wanted to get the win, but it did feel great to be back out there after two months. I did feel a little out of sync with myself and teammates, but this short week will help me in getting back to game shape,” said Djalo. The most important thing for me is to come back and help this team win.”
REFEREE: Baldomero Toledo. AR1 (bench): Ian Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Jeremy Hanson; 4th: Baboucarr Jallow
MLS Career: 183 games; FC/gm: 25.1; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 63; pens: 68
SUSPENDED: SJ: Pablo Pintos (through Oct. 10)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: POR: Diego Chara, Will Johnson, Pa Modou Kah … SJ: Victor Bernardez, Sam Cronin, Atiba Harris, Jason Hernandez, Jordan Stewart
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: POR: Norbetto Paparatto … SJ: Shaun Francis, Shea Salinas, Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi
DISABLED LIST: SJ: Tommy Muller
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: POR: Alvas Powell (Jamaica, vs. Japan, Oct. 10) … SJ: Victor Bernardez (Honduras, vs. Mexico, Oct. 9; vs. USA, Oct. 14); Cordell Cato (Trinidad & Tobago; vs. Dominican Republic, Oct, 8; vs. Saint Lucia, Oct. 10; vs. Antigua and Barbuda, Oct. 12); Atiba Harris (Saint Kitts and Nevis vs. Barbados, Oct. 8; French Guiana, Oct. 10; Haiti, Oct. 12)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (10 meetings): Timbers 3 wins, 15 goals … Earthquakes 1 win, 13 goals … Ties 6
AT PORTLAND (5 meetings): Timbers 2 wins, 8 goals … Earthquakes 0 wins, 6 goals … Ties 2
2014 (MLS):
9/7: POR 3, SJ 3 (Powell 54; Ridgewell 74; Alhassan 86 – Wondolowski 21, 85; Cato 48)
10/4: SJ 1, POR 2 (Wondolowski 56 – Wallace 71, 74)
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season, the back end of a home-and-home series over five days and the third encounter in a 31-day period.
- On Saturday, Rodney Wallace was credited with a pair of goals three minutes apart as the Timbers came back for a 2-1 victory at Buck Shaw Stadium, officially eliminating the Earthquakes from playoff contention.
- The Timbers victory was the first by a visiting team in the all-time league series. The Timbers have won two of five matches in Portland, with three draws, including a 2-2 result in the first meeting this season, Sept. 7 at Providence Park.
- Coaches record: Caleb Porter vs. SJ: P5 W2 L1 D2 … Mark Watson vs. POR: P3 W1 L1 D1
