Quotes: Portland Timbers vs. Monarcas Morelia
Portland Timbers Quotes
Timbers head coach Caleb Porter
On approach to the match:
“The way we looked at it is, it is a great opportunity to get experience for some of our guys that haven't played. I believe we had eight guys that had played major minutes, so it wasn't like we played a completely inexperienced team. We had a lot of guys that were in that game that have played significant minutes and played a major role. I think that showed.
“The number one priority was to get through the game healthy, to get guys experience, to keep some guys ticking over and keep them sharp, and we have paying fans that came to this match to see us put on a show. I thought that if you are looking at all of those things, it was mission accomplished.”
On the club’s depth:
“We were without nine guys who had been key guys, starters, and we still played our style. I thought we still had the better of the game. Even before the red, we were controlling the game and to me that was very pleasing. We were possessing the ball. We pressed well, they had very few chances.
On Timbers Academy, U-23s players seeing the field against Monarcas:
“In the end, we had three academy guys and one U-23 player on the field. It was great for them to get that experience. They are up-and-coming players in this club and we wanted to get them some time if we could. They are kids that we had our eye on, that we’ve been watching and like, and we wanted to give them a taste of first-team football. We were able to do that tonight and I thought they did a great job. We’re really helping ourselves by hopefully getting some of these youngsters into the game like that, showing them that experience so they can learn from it, grow from it. We want to have that connection as one club from top to bottom – vertical integration; one philosophy.”
Morelia head coach Carlos Bustos (through a translator)
On the match overall:
“When we came, we brought our main team with the exception of two players, who are playing for their national teams. It was just a great experience for us. I think these are two quality teams. The Timbers are having a good season within MLS, and this will help us in getting better for the future.”
On the hospitality the team received in Portland:
“It was excellent. We were really happy to be invited over here to this beautiful city. The treatment has been wonderful, and we wanted to treat this game as it deserves. We know that there are a lot of people from Michoacán here in Portland, and we wanted to put on a good show.”
On the match helping to build a relationship between the Timbers and Morelia:
“My understanding is that Morelia was here in the past, and the hospitality here has been great. We’ve been treated wonderfully here. The people who have been around us throughout our time here have been just fantastic, and we hope that we can build on a future relationship with respect, mutual agreements and things that we can work on. And hopefully the Timbers can also go to Morelia and visit us.”
Notes:
- A portion of the proceeds from Copa Verde benefit the Mexican Consulate of Portland’s IME Becas program and scholarships to aid education, health, and cultural and professional development in the local community. A check for $5,000 was presented at halftime.
- The Copa Verde was crafted by local woodcrafter Alain Bally at ADX, a community workshop in downtown Portland. The cup was constructed out of salvaged wood from Portland’s ReBuilding Center, using a combination of native Douglas Fir and Maple woods. Elements of the cup’s design were inspired by the Las Yacatas pyramids in Mexico, located 17km from the city of Morelia. The cup was presented to the Timbers post-game by Head Conul of the Mexican Consulate of Portland Enrique A. Romero Cuevas.
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Five years ago to the day, the second-division Timbers and Monarcas played an international friendly at then-called PGE Park on July 3, 2008. Timbers assistant coach Cameron Knowles and current Monarcas forward Ever Guzmán both played in that match, which Monarcas won 2-0.
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Monarcas visited the Rose City as part of a four-stop, preseason tour in the United States leading up to the start of Liga MX’s 2013 Apertura tournament.
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Monarcas is the second top-flight Mexican club the Timbers have faced in a friendly as an MLS side. Portland also played host to Club América in a midseason friendly in 2011.
- Portland’s match-day roster for the friendly against Monarcas featured Timbers U-23s players David Meves and Anthony Hobbs and Academy players Reid Baez, Jesse Garcia, Foster Langsdorf and Anthony Machionne.
