Portland Timbers head coach Caleb Porter
On tonight's game:
“No matter what happens, these guys can hold their heads high. End the season on 49 points, that's a solid season. Normally that's enough to get you in. There's so many things to be pleased with: seven wins on the road is one of them and the three teams that are in around us, fighting for the fifth, fourth and third spots, we beat all three of those teams on the road, and the last stretch of the season we've been one of the best teams in the league. We've put up four shutouts in the last six games, we've been defending better, and everything we've needed to correct we've corrected. These guys have done everything in their power to put themselves in position to get in the playoffs. If we get in, I like our chances to make a run here, and I think we've proved, obviously, that if we come back here to play at Dallas next week, we can beat that team, because I thought we were the better team over the course of the game and deserved the win. If we don't get in, it's not because we didn't take care of our business. So these guys can hold their heads high regardless and there's no regrets. I'm still thinking and hoping we get in, and I think we deserve to get in and I think we're a good enough team and everybody saw that. So I hope this season's not done, but regardless, I've very encouraged by the future of this club.”
On his team's performance in the first half:
“Very mature. They are a very good attacking team. I thought we managed them defensively. Very organized, and were compact. We've been pretty much that way the final stage of the season. I think we've done that time and again recently. It's easy to forget because of some of the other results that haven't played out, but if some of those goals go a different way, we're maybe six points clear of the red line, but at the end of the day, we've done everything within our power. We've taken care of business. We've won games. We've been buckling down, defending well, scoring goals. We've done everything we can. I thought we did that today and these guys can hold their heads high.”
On his team's recent defensive performance:
“It's very encouraging. We've put up career numbers in goals scored and we haven't defended as well as we've needed to at times this season. That's been a reason why we don't have more points, but if you look at the last stage of the season we've defended well, put up clean sheets, it's been much improved so I take that as very encouraging for now and the future.”
Portland Timbers defender Liam Ridgewell
On tonight's game:
“We're very proud. Over the last three weeks or so, we've been fantastic and we [gave] ourselves the best opportunity to make the playoffs, and tonight, our backs were against the wall and the boys performed. It was a fantastic performance.”
On the team's recent defensive success:
“We've been very solid over the last few weeks. The Toronto loss (on Sept. 27) gave us a little kick, and we got back to it and got back to basics and being very solid and very tough to break down. I think we've done that very well over the last couple of weeks. I'm glad to be a part of it.”
On Darlington Nagbe's first goal of the season tonight:
“He works tirelessly, and I just said to him, that he’s one of the players I hate to mark. Every year I've had to mark someone like that who just bursts past you and does well. He works tirelessly for the team, and it was fantastic for him to get his first goal.”
Portland Timbers midfielder Darlington Nagbe
On how it felt to score his first goal of the season:
“I'm happy that it went in and gave us an opportunity to win the game.”
On Portland's recent play:
“I feel like the last couple of games we've had good momentum and attacking the ball and defending pretty well.”
FC Dallas Quotes
FC Dallas head coach Oscar Pareja
Overall thoughts on the game:
“At the beginning, I thought Portland started sharper than we did. They actually had two or three chances early and I have to say after that we tried, but we didn't have clear answers for the game. We were trying to level the game, but it was not with clear ideas. We matched them up at the end of the first half; I felt that it was pretty level at the end. We had a couple of options at the end when Texeira hit it and a couple more when we started to put them on their heels. The half was coming to the end and unfortunately we gave a silly goal away. We wanted to keep the composure of the team for the second half and we brought more energy in the second half. I thought the urgency came back and we started to put these guys on their heels. It was a much better half. When we brought Mauro [Diaz] into the game, I knew that I was going to risk getting a goal and getting attacked by them or that we were going to concede a lot of space and time and probably a counterattack that could give them another goal. That's something that I knew. It's obviously a very frustrating night, but we're moving on. I thought the boys deserved and earned the possibility to play in the playoffs. They are in the playoffs. Despite the frustration tonight, despite the opportunity that we let go, on Wednesday, we are playing in the playoffs. We have been in this mode for a few weeks and I have to keep supporting this group of players and I do with all my heart and soul. This is a group I'm very proud of - they made the playoffs and now we're moving on. Wednesday we will be ready. That's what we've fought for during the year.”
On slow start against Portland:
“I have to give credit to Portland. I thought they came in very sharp. I saw our energy and I saw our willingness to make this happen the way we wanted but I thought Portland had a very good first 20 minutes and I have to give credit to that group of players. We want to keep everything sharp. We want to make the ball bounce on our side every time and make things happen, but tonight that was not the case.”
Did the team come in relaxed because they had already clinched the playoffs?
“No, this team did not relax. This team played against a rival today that made things difficult for us. We weren't able to respond, but that's part of the game. Today I have to give credit to a team that did things right even though we could not find solutions on the field that resulted in points on the scoreboard. The day I see it, I will say it, but no, this team was not relaxed tonight. I see them work and run and today they walked into the locker room after having given it all. They didn't get the result, which sometimes you don't get the result you're looking for, but they did not relax.”
FC Dallas defender Kellyn Acosta
On what FC Dallas could have done different to win the game:
“It was unfortunate offensively. We did not have a lot of chances like we had in the other games. Defensively, we were not sound and solid. It was a little bit of everything we could have done to improve. We are looking forward to Wednesday. We are going to come out and do the best job we can do and improve from this game.”
FC Dallas midfielder Fabian Castillo
General thoughts on the game:
“We fought hard and Portland did a good job. Portland played a good game. They knew they needed to win. That is what they came here for... We knew we needed to win as well, but they did things better than what we did.”
Notes:
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Portland concluded the season with a Timbers MLS single-season record 61 goals, which ranked third in MLS, and is seven more than the team’s impressive 2013 campaign.
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With the win, Portland ended the season unbeaten in eight straight games against Western Conference opponents (5-0-3) with a plus-12 goal differential.
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The Timbers have registered three consecutive shutouts and a stretch of 304 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal in regular-season play since Oct. 4.
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Portland recorded a clean sheet in four of their last six regular-season games and five of its last eight games in all competitions.
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Saturday’s win marked Portland’s first regular-season road win at FC Dallas.
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Midfielder/forward Darlington Nagbe made the 127th appearance of his Timbers MLS career on Saturday, moving into a tie for sixth place with former Timbers second-division midfielder Brian Winters on the team’s all-time appearances list across all eras.
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Nagbe registered his first goal of the season on Saturday against FC Dallas, the goal marked his team-high fifth career regular-season goal against FC Dallas in 10 appearances.
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Portland’s 34 goals in the final 30 minutes of matches ranks first in MLS.
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Forward Maximiliano Urruti tallied his 10th goal of the season on Saturday. Urruti’s goal gives Portland two 10-goal scorers for the first time in the team’s MLS history (Diego Valeri, 11).
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Urruti finishes the regular-season ranked second in MLS in minutes per goal (118.1) by players with at least 10 goals, trailing only New York’s Bradley Wright-Phillips (99.32).
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Ending the season on a strong note, Portland lost just once while tallying five wins and three draws over its last nine regular-season games (5-1-3).
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Portland finished the year with a 7-6-4 overall road record, which ranks second for most road wins in the league.
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Over the final 26 regular-season matches in 2014, Portland registered one of the league’s highest point totals (44) while compiling a 12-6-8 record to come within one point of qualifying for the MLS Cup Playoffs for a second consecutive season.
- Portland’s plus-9 goal differential is the highest of any non-playoff team in MLS history, besting the 2005 Kansas City Wizards and 2013 Vancouver Whitecaps FC (+8).
- Midfielder Diego Chara set a new individual MLS single-season career mark with his fifth assist of the year, surpassing his previous high of four assists (set in 2011).
