Portland Timbers Quotes
Portland Timbers head coach Caleb Porter
On the young players facing at team like Vancouver…
“I think it’s a step forward for these players. A step forward doesn’t always mean that you play great. But every time you play a game, you make steps forward. Like I said, at the end of the game, we had seven out of the 11 guys on the pitch that have never played in a first team MLS league game. So, for me, it was good to see that. It was good for them to get that experience. It was good for us to evaluate them, and they’ll be better from that. As you’ve all said, it wasn’t against a weak team. It was against many of their best guys. We rested 11 guys tonight so I'm not displeased with this performance all things considered.
Portland Timbers defender Zarek Valentin
On the result against Vancouver…
“Overall, I thought that there were a lot of positives to take from the game. First and foremost, we’re not pleased with the result. You never want to lose to a rival so we’re disappointed with the result. But, we outshot them. I think we controlled them for the most part. They didn’t have too many clear-cut chances. Overall, we had the better chances in the game, but it comes down to margins and they took there’s and we didn’t.”
Portland Timbers midfielder Jack Jewsbury
On the importance of preseason games leading up to March 6…
“Yeah, it’s important. Obviously you want to get as close to 90 minutes fit as you can, once the opener comes. We’re a little disappointed with the result tonight. I thought we played better than the result showed. There were a couple moments where we got punished on the defensive side for a few mistakes. But, we had a lot of chances and there were a lot of young guys that had some positive performances, so I think that’s what you look for. As players, and the coaching staff, that’s what they want to see so it was good to get those guys out in front of the crowd and let them see what it’s all about.”
Notes:
- Portland utilized a different starting lineup on Wednesday night from Sunday’s match, featuring seven players who have not played in an MLS league match.
- Trevor Morley, Ben Polk and Michael Seaton made their Providence Park debut for the Timbers.
- Wednesday’s match marked the third consecutive meeting between Portland and Vancouver in the Simple Invitational.
- A total of 14,208 fans attended Wednesday’s match – the largest Wednesday night crowd in the last four seasons of the Simple Invitational.
