MATCH INFORMATION
Date: Sept. 16, 2020
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. (Pacific)
Location: Earthquakes Stadium (San Jose, Calif.)
Forecast: Hazy, 76 degrees
Referee: Timothy Ford
Assistant Referees: Cameron Blanchard, Chris Elliott
Fourth Official: Michael Radchuk
VAR: Fotis Bazakos
Local TV: FS1
Talent: John Strong (play-by-play), Stu Holden (analyst)
English Radio: 750 The Game
Talent: Jake Zivin (play-by-play), Ross Smith (analyst)
Spanish Radio: La GranD (KGGD 93.5 FM, 1150 AM)
LAST TIME OUT
The Timbers secured an early lead in the 25th minute as Eryk Williamson scored for a second consecutive match, but Los Angeles FC answered scored three goals in less than 10 minutes to take a 3-1 lead near the end of the first half. Jeremy Ebobisse answered in first-half stoppage time to cut the lead to 3-2 at the break. Portland has several second-half opportunities to level the match as Dario Zuparic’s header was cleared off the line the 50th minute and Diego Valeri hit the post on a free kick in the 62nd minute, but LAFC added a second-half stoppage time goal to secure a 4-2 win.
SCOUTING SAN JOSE
San Jose played host to the LA Galaxy on Sept. 13, playing to a scoreless draw in the match. The Earthquakes are winless in their last five matches after notching back-to-back wins on July 15 and July 19 in the MLS is Back Tournament. Chris Wondolowski leads the way for San Jose with a team-high four goals. Three other players have scored at least two goals for the Earthquakes this season: Oswaldo Alanis, Vako and Andres Rios. Cristian Espinoza has recorded a team-best four assists for San Jose this season.
ALL-TIME SERIES NOTES
Wednesday’s match marks the 24th regular-season meeting between the Timbers and the San Jose Earthquakes since the 2011 season. The Timbers lead the all- time regular season series against the Earthquakes with a record of 11-5-7. The 11 wins are tied for the most by the Timbers against a single opponent in MLS regular-season play. The last time the two sides met, the Timbers defeated San Jose 3-1 at Providence Park on Oct. 6, 2019. In 14 league appearances against San Jose, Diego Valeri has tallied six goals and eight assists.
FROM POLAND WITH GOALS
In his first career start at Providence Park, Jaroslaw Niezgoda tallied his second goal of the 2020 regular season in a 4-4 draw against Real Salt Lake on Aug. 29. Niezgoda made seven appearances (one start), logging two goals and an assist in 210 minutes of action in the during the MLS is Back Tournament. Niezgoda has two goals in seven appearances, including three regular-season starts in 2020.
JEREMY ‘BEST XI’ EBOBISSE
In 10 appearances (6 starts) during the 2020 regular-season campaign, Ebobisse has registered four goals and an assist. He notched his fourth goal of the campaign against LAFC on Sept. 13 to tie him for the team lead in goals scored this season In his third season with the Timbers in 2019, Ebobisse, 23, finished tied for first on the team with 11 goals and was the only player on the roster to appear in all 34 league games. Since the start of the 2018 MLS regular season, Ebobisse ranks tied for seventh in the league in headed goals (7) with Colorado’s Tommy Smith. Additionally, Ebobisse has played in 67 consecutive matches across all competitions for the Timbers, dating back to a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids where he scored the game-winning goal on Sept. 8, 2018.
NO. 500
Goalkeeper Steve Clark has recorded 501 saves in his seven MLS seasons, reach- ing this milestone against LAFC on Sept. 13. The Oakland University product is the 24th goalkeeper in MLS history to reach 500 saves in a career.
ERYK WILLIAMSON MAKING NOISE
In his second season as a professional, Eryk Williamson, 23, has tallied a career-high two assists and has added two goals in 12 appearances (10 starts) across all competitions for the Timbers. He scored for a second consecutive match on Sept. 13 against LAFC. In the Timbers’ 2-1 win at Seattle on Sept. 6, Williamson notched his first career MLS goal and also tallied an assist, earning him a spot on the MLS Team of the Week for Week 10. He is the 21st different player to have a goal and assist in the same MLS match for the Timbers. Additionally, Williamson is the 60th different player to score in an MLS match for Portland. Williamson tallied the game-winning assist on Dario Zuparic’s goal in a 2-1 win over Orlando City SC in the MLS is Back Tournament Final on Aug. 11. Williamson made seven appearances (6 starts) in the competition, ranking third on the team in assists (2) and fouls suffered (11). Notably, Williamson finished tied for first amongst all players with LAFC’s Brian Rodriguez for game-winning assists (2) during the MLS is Back Tournament.
DEPTH ON DISPLAY
Across all competitions in 2020, 24 players have appeared in at least one match for Portland, while 10 different players have scored a goal and 12 different players have recorded at least one assist. In total 19 players featured across seven games in the MLS is Back Tournament for the Timbers, and 15 of those 19 players appeared in at least three games during the tournament. Several players made their club debuts during the MLS is Back Tournament, including Jaroslaw Niezgoda, Pablo Bonilla and Blake Bodily.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
Three different Timbers players have three or more goals this season. Diego Valeri and Jeremy Ebobisse are tied for the team lead with four goals, while Felipe Mora has recorded three goals. In addition, Jorge Villafaña and Mora became the 10th and 11th players, respectively, to tally an assist for Portland this season.
