MATCH INFORMATION
Date: Sunday, July 5, 2015
Kickoff: 8 p.m. (Pacific)
Location: Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Forecast: Partly Cloudy, 96 degrees
Referee: Ricardo Salazar
Assistant Referees: Matthew Nelson, Apolinar Mariscal Fourth Official: Baboucarr Jallow
National TV: ESPN2
Talent: Adrian Healey (play-by-play), Taylor Twellman (analyst)
English Radio: 750 The Game (KXTG 750AM, 102.9FM)
Talent: Keith Bleyer (play-by-play), Ross Smith (analyst)
Spanish Radio: La GranD (KGGD 93.5FM, 1150 AM)
Talent: Josue del Castillo (play-by-play), Ozkar Ramos (analyst)
MATCH PREVIEW
Sunday’s match between Portland and San Jose marks the first meeting of the season between the two Western Conference clubs and the second in back-to- back regular-season home games for the Timbers following a 4-1 win against Seattle Sounders FC on June 28 at Providence Park. Both Portland and San Jose enter Sunday’s match following losses on Wednesday in 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 matches as the Timbers sustained a 2-0 loss at Real Salt Lake and San Jose suffered a 1-0 setback at home against the LA Galaxy. In league play, Portland has won four straight home games, one shy of tying the Timbers’ MLS-club record streak of five consecutive home wins set in 2011. San Jose has lost just once in its last nine MLS regular-season games (4-1-4).
LAST MATCH RECAP
The Timbers were eliminated from the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after conceding two second-half goals in a Round of 16 match against Western Conference foe Real Salt Lake in front of 15,840 fans at Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday night. Despite holding Real Salt Lake to no shots on goal in a score- less first half, the Timbers conceded the opening goal in the second half as Real Salt Lake took the lead after forward Sebastián Jaime fired a right-footed shot just inside the far left post following a through pass from midfielder Olmes Garcia in the 54th minute. Later in the second half, Real Salt Lake midfielder Javier Morales converted a penalty kick in the 71st minute, just beating the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey with a low shot to the left side.
SCOUTING THE EARTHQUAKES
The Earthquakes have won back-to-back league matches against Seattle (2-0, on June 20) and the LA Galaxy (3-1, on June 27) and enter Sunday’s match against Portland following a 1-0 loss against the Galaxy in a U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 match on Wednesday at Avaya Stadium in San Jose. Head coach Dominic Kinnear’s side has lost just one of its last nine regular-season matches (4-1-4), dating back to May 1 in a 1-1 draw against Real Salt Lake. Forward Chris Wondolowski leads the team with nine goals in 16 appearances, while midfielder Matias Perez Garcia has logged one goal and six assist in 15 games for San Jose.
LAST TIME VS. SAN JOSE
Midfielder Diego Valeri tallied a brace and midfielder Rodney Wallace played a role in each of the team’s three goals, including scoring for a second consecutive match, as the Timbers held the San Jose Earthquakes without a shot on goal in a 3-0 shutout in front of a sold-out crowd of 20,814 fans at Providence Park on Oct. 8, 2014.
ALL-TIME SERIES NOTES
Dating back to the North American Soccer League (NASL), the Timbers and San Jose Earthquakes have a long history of competition. Playing in the NASL, the two sides squared off 18 times with the Timbers earning a 12-6-0 overall record. The largest margin of victory for either side in those days was a 5-0 home win for the Timbers in 1978. Sunday’s match marks the 33rd all-time meeting between the two clubs in all competitions, across all eras. Since 1975, the Timbers have compiled a 16-10-6 overall record against the Earthquakes, including a mark of 4-1-6 overall in the MLS era.
The Timbers have lost only once against San Jose in MLS play, a 2-1 setback on July 27, 2013, at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. Portland is undefeated against the Earthquakes at Providence Park (3-0-3), including a 3-0 win on Oct. 8, 2014, at Providence Park in the last regular-season meeting between the two clubs.
Sunday’s match marks the first of two regular-season games between Portland and San Jose in 2015.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Timbers forward Fanendo Adi was named the MLS Player of the Week following a two-goal performance in a 4-1 win against Cascadia-rival Seattle Sounders FC on June 28 at Providence Park. The brace marked Adi’s third multi-goal output of the season, as he leads the Timbers with eight goals in 18 regular-season games.
GOOD FORM
The Timbers enter Sunday’s game having won five of their last six matches in MLS regular-season play. Portland has won six of its last nine (6-3-0) league matches heading into the match against the Earthquakes. The Timbers put together a five-game winning streak from May 27-June 20 and are on a four- game winning streak at Providence Park.
LATE GAME DRAMATICS
Never out of a contest, the Timbers are first in the league with nine goals scored in the final 15 minutes of games. Recently, Portland netted two goals after the 75th minute in a 4-1 win against Seattle on June 28. In the final 30 minutes of games, the Timbers are tied for first with D.C. United (14).
MULTI-GOAL GAMES
Timbers forward Fanendo Adi is tied for second in MLS this season with three multi-goal games, behind Columbus striker Kei Kamara (4). Adi has registered seven multi-goal games in his MLS career since joining the Timbers in May 2014, which ranks as the most in MLS over that span. Adi leads the Timbers with eight goals in 18 regular-season appearances this season.
GAME-WINNING GOALS
Forward Maximiliano Urruti enters Sunday’s match against San Jose in a tie for second in the league with three game-winning goals so far in regular-season play. Urruti tallied what would stand as the game-winning goal in a 2-0 win against Houston on June 20 and also tallied the game-winner on June 6 against New England at Providence Park.
HOME SUCCESS
Portland has compiled one of the league’s best home records with an overall mark of 21-5-17 (.686) over the last two-plus seasons since 2013. The Timbers have lost just one home game (7-1-5) in their last 13 at Providence Park dating back to the 2014 season. Additionally, when scoring first at Providence Park since the 2013 season, the Timbers have registered a 19-1-5 overall record.
CONSISTENT BACK LINE
Portland has utilized the same back line combination of Alvas Powell, Nat Borchers, Liam Ridgewell and Jorge Villafaña along with goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey in 15 of the team’s 18 regular-season matches this season. The only three games with a different starting back line were May 27 against D.C. United, June 20 against Houston and June 28 against Seattle as defender Noberto Paparatto helped the team register wins in all three games at Providence Park.
DEPTH
Since June 6, 19 different players have seen game action in league and U.S. Open Cup matches for the Timbers, showcasing the team’s depth as Portland has won four of its last five matches in all competitions. Defender Taylor Peay put in an 84-minute shift as a substitute against Seattle in a 3-1 win after extra time in the U.S. Open Cup on June 16, made his Timbers MLS debut on June 20, entering as a late-game sub in a 2-0 win against Houston and started against Real Salt Lake in a U.S. Open Cup match on July 1.
ON THE NATIONAL STAGE
The Timbers know how to put on a show for national television - combining with opponents for an average of 3.17 goals per game on national broadcasts since the 2011 season.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
With his next assist, midfielder Jack Jewsbury will move into a tie for 10th place overall on the Timbers all-time career assists chart with Timbers Ring of Honor member Jimmy Conway (1978-80). Jewsbury currently sits in 11th place with 15 assists for Portland since 2011. His next appearance will mark his 320th career MLS game.
Defender Nat Borchers’ next goal will be his 15th career MLS goal. Entering the week, Borchers has netted 14 career goals since 2003, including two with the Timbers. His next goal will also tie a single-season MLS career high (3) set in 2011 with Real Salt Lake. Additionally, Borchers’ next appearance will mark the 305th of his MLS career.
Sunday’s match marks Portland’s 155th regular-season MLS game since 2011.
Forward Fanendo Adi’s next start will mark his 30th career MLS start for the Timbers since joining the team in May 2014. Entering Sunday’s match, Adi has registered 17 goals in 42 appearances (29 starts).
Midfielder Diego Chara’s next appearance will mark the 135th of his Timbers MLS career since joining the team in 2011. Chara has started 133 of his 134 career appearances with Portland.
