A pair of second-half goals lifted Real Monarchs past Timbers2 on Sunday night at America First Field in Sandy, Utah. T2's playoff push comes down to Decision Day on Sunday, Oct. 6, in Colorado.
SANDY, Utah – Timbers2 struggled to find the back of the net as they fell to Real Monarchs, 2-0, on Sunday evening at America First Field. Two second-half goals scored by the hosts were enough to prevent T2 from picking up points on the road. With the result, Timbers2 enter Decision Day still in playoff contention, in 11th place in the MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference with 35 points.
Season Leaders
With one regular-season match left to play, seven T2 players have scored at least three goals and three players have netted at least five times. Tega Ikoba and Josh Penn have each scored seven goals, while Kyle Linhares has a team-high nine goal contributions (5G, 4A). Additionally, five defenders (Tyler Clegg, 3; Sawyer Jura, 2; Blake Pope, 2; Keesean Ferdinand, 1; Jaden Jones-Riley, 1) have scored goals for Timbers2 this season.
Onto Decision Day
Thanks to Tacoma Defiance’s win over Houston Dynamo 2 on Sunday night, T2’s playoff hopes comes down to the final day of the regular season. With Real Monarchs currently in the final playoff spot with 37 points, Timbers 2 head coach Serge Dinkota’s team must defeat Colorado Rapids 2 and receive additional help to make the postseason. A Monarchs loss coupled with Houston Dynamo 2, Austin FC II and Sporting Kansas City II picking up no more than a point will allow T2 to snag the final playoff spot in the West.
Goal-Scoring Plays
RSL – Jordan Perruzza (Darón Iskenderian), 56th minute: Making a near-post run, Jordan Perruzza leaped to meet an out swinging corner kick served in by Darón Iskenderian, heading the ball into the far side of the net.
RSL – Zavier Gozo, 68th minute: After Real Monarch’s initial chance was cut out by Ryan Bilichuk, Zavier Gozo pounced on the rebound in the box and used his right foot to sweep the ball into the near corner.
Notes:
- The match marked the third and final matchup between Timbers2 and Real Monarchs this regular season.
- T2 picked up two points against Real Monarchs this season, going 0-1-2 in the season series.
- Sunday marked the club’s penultimate road match of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro regular season.
- The club is 5-6-4 in road matches this season.
Next Game
Timbers2 close their 2024 MLS NEXT Pro regular season against Colorado Rapids 2 on Oct. 6, at University of Denver Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. (Pacific) and will be broadcast on Apple TV on MLS Season Pass.
Timbers2 (7-10-10, 35pts) vs Real Monarchs (9-12-6, 37pts)
September 29, 2024 – America First Field (Sandy, Uta.)
Scoring Summary:
RSL: Perruzza (Iskenderian), 56
RSL: Gozo, 68
Misconduct Summary:
POR: Rad (caution), 35
POR: Najib (caution), 39
RSL: Perruzza (caution), 72
RSL: Marquez (ejection), 87
Lineups:
POR: GK Bilichuk, D Jura (Jones-Riley, 57), D Rad, D Clegg, D Ferdinand, D Pope, M Najib (Mendoza, 57), M Enriquez (Moreno, 80), F Santos (Bunbury, 69), F Penn (Eisenberg, 69), F Linhares
Substitutes Not Used: GK Miller, M Izoita, M Nuñez, F White
TOTAL SHOTS: 4 (Linhares, 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Linhares, Santos, 1); FOULS: 10 (Ferdinand, Pope, Jones-Riley, 2); OFFSIDES: 5; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 1
RSL: GK Mackay, D Rivera (Marquez, 45), D Storlie, D Holt, D Orozco, M Iskenderian, M Palacio (Caliskan, 45), M Dillon, M Gozo (Alba, 89), F Michel (Perruzza, 45), F Anderson
Substitutes Not Used: GK Ewing, M Hezarkhani, M Moisa, M Carter, F Kei
TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Gozo, Perruzza, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Gozo, Perruzza, Dillon, 1); FOULS: 12 (Gozo, 3); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 9; SAVES: 2
Referee: Adorae Monroy
Assistant Referees: Justin Mack, Eric Wood
Fourth Official: Brendan Lucas
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.
