SANDY, Utah – The Portland Timbers were eliminated from the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after conceding two second-half goals in a Round of 16 match against Western Conference foe Real Salt Lake in front of 15,840 fans at Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday night.
Despite holding Real Salt Lake to no shots on goal in a scoreless first half, the Timbers conceded the opening goal in the second half as Real Salt Lake took the lead after forward Sebastián Jaime fired a right-footed shot just inside the far left post following a through pass from midfielder Olmes Garcia in the 54th minute. Later in the second half, Real Salt Lake was awarded a penalty kick after midfielder Joao Plata went down just inside the penalty box. Midfielder Javier Morales converted the penalty kick in the 71st minute, just beating the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey with a low shot to the left side.
The Timbers saw an early goal rescinded after the referee judged forward Gastón Fernández to be in an offside position following a clever passing combination inside the box in the seventh minute. Forward Maximiliano Urruti nearly gave Portland the lead inside 15 minutes when his long-range effort forced Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Jeff Attinella to make a diving save in the 12th minute.
In the second half, midfielder Jack Jewsbury saw a close-range effort blocked in the 64th minute, while midfielder Diego Valeri sent a blistering free kick just over the crossbar in the 77th minute.
Despite the loss, Portland has won six of its last eight matches in all competitions since May 27, including five of its last six games in regular-season play.
The Timbers return to regular-season play against the San Jose Earthquakes in a nationally televised match on Sunday at Providence Park (2pm PT ESPN2).
Portland Timbers at Real Salt Lake (Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup)
July 1, 2015 – Rio Tinto Stadium (Sandy, Utah)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Portland Timbers 0 0 0
Real Salt Lake 0 2 2
Scoring Summary
RSL: Jaime (Garcia), 54
RSL: Morales (penalty kick), 71
Misconduct Summary
None
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Kwarasey, D Peay, D Borchers, D Ridgewell ©, D Villafaña, M Asprilla (Valeri, 62), M Jewsbury, M Fochive (Nanchoff, 74), M Wallace, F Fernández, F Urruti (Adi, 81)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Gleeson, D Paparatto, D Powell, M Nanchoff
TOTAL SHOTS: 6 (Jewsbury, Urruti, 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 1 (Urruti, 1); FOULS: 9 (Fernández, Fochive, 2); OFFSIDES: 4; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: 1
RSL: GK Attinella, D Beltran, D Maund, D Vasquez, D Phillips, M Gil, M Mulholland, M Morales ©, F Garcia (Mansally, 74), F Jaime (Saucedo, 90), F Plata (Stertzer, 83)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Fernández, D Kavita, M Pecka, F Sandoval
TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Jaime, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Jaime, 2); FOULS: 12 (Mulholland, 4); OFFSIDES: 5; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 1
Referee: Jose Carlos Rivero
Assistant Referees: Jeremy Hanson, Cameron Blanchard
4th Official: Adam Zarrin
Attendance: 15,840
Time of Game: n/a
Weather: Clear, 94 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
