PORTLAND, Ore. – Behind three second-half goals, the Portland Timbers defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 3-1 before a sold-out crowd of 21,144 fans at Providence Park on Saturday night. Forwards Jack McInerney and Fanendo Adi both found the back of the net for Portland, with Adi recording his 11th brace since joining the club during the 2014 MLS campaign.
With the win, the Timbers (2-3-2, 8pts) extended their unbeaten run at home against the Earthquakes to eight games since joining MLS in 2011 (5-0-3). Additionally, Portland snapped San Jose’s three-game unbeaten run in league play prior to Saturday’s game, and improved to 6-2-7 in the all-time MLS series against the Earthquakes.
McInerney opened the scoring in the 52nd minute of play, notching his third goal of the season after pressuring the San Jose defense. Following a sliding challenge to recover the ball inside the 18-yard box, McInerney fired a shot from a tough angle, placing it into the bottom left corner to provide the Timbers with a 1-0 advantage.
Two minutes after entering the game, Adi doubled the Timbers lead when he eluded his defender in the box before calmly slotting the ball into the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season in the 65th minute of play. Adi’s goal stemmed from a quick counter-attacking play, with midfielder Lucas Melano leading the break for Portland on a marauding run that began from inside the Timbers half. After receiving a pass from Melano on the right wing, Adi played the ball back to the edge of the area for Diego Valeri, who had his shot deflected back into Adi’s path, setting up the finish.
San Jose (3-1-3, 11pts) cut into the two-goal deficit when forward Chris Wondolowski converted from the penalty spot in the 90th minute of play, but the Timbers responded deep into stoppage time when Melano ventured on another extended run down the field, skipping past several San Jose players before playing the ball to Adi for a comfortable finish from inside the six-yard box.
The finish, which placed Adi into a tie for first place in MLS for goals scored this season (6), extended Adi’s record for the most braces in Timbers history across all eras (since 1975).
The Timbers will return to league play when they take on the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, April 27; kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. (Pacific). The match against the Revolution will feature a live broadcast on KPTV with local radio broadcast on 750 AM/102.9 FM The Game (English) and La GranD 1150 AM/93.5 FM (Spanish).
Portland Timbers (2-3-2, 8pts) vs. San Jose Earthquakes (3-2-2, 11pts)
April 16, 2016 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
San Jose Earthquakes 0 1 1
Portland Timbers 0 3 3
Scoring Summary:
POR: McInerney, 52
POR: Adi, 65
SJ: Wondolowski (penalty kick), 90+1
POR: Adi (Melano), 90+9
Misconduct Summary:
SJ: Godoy (Caution), 55
POR: Borchers (Caution), 90
SJ: Bingham (Caution), 90+4
POR: Valeri (Caution), 90+4
POR: Valeri (Caution), 90+5
POR: Valeri (Ejection), 90+5
Lineups & Stats:
POR: GK Kwarasey (Gleeson, 50), D Valentin, D Borchers, D Taylor, D Klute, M Chara, M Grabavoy (Jewsbury, 85), M Melano, M Valeri, M Mattocks (Adi, 63), F McInerney
Substitutes Not Used: D Peay, M/F Brett, D Barmby, M Asprilla
TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Valeri, 4) ; SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Adi, 2); FOULS: 13 (Five players tied, 2) ; OFFSIDES: 3 ; CORNER KICKS: 1 ; SAVES: 3
SJ: GK Bingham, D Sarkodie, D Bernárdez, D Imperiale, D Colvey, M Quintero (Salinas, 71), M Alashe (García, 82), M Godoy, M Dawkins, F Wondolowski, F Amarikwa (Innocent, 71)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Meredith, D Wynne, F Jahn, M Thompson
TOTAL SHOTS: 16 (Amarikwa, Dawkins, 5) ; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Amarikwa, 2) ; FOULS: 7 (Godoy, 3) ; OFFSIDES: 1 ; CORNER KICKS: 4 ; SAVES: 2
Referee: Chris Penso
Assistant Referees: Corey Parker, Apolinar Mariscal
4th Official: Alex Chilowicz
Attendance: 21,144
Weather: Partly cloudy, 64 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
