Portland’s Home Unbeaten Streak Ended at 10 Consecutive Matches
Soccer News: The Portland Timbers conceded two goals in the final minutes of the first half and were unable to overcome the deficit in a 2-0 loss against Eastern Conference side New York Red Bulls in front of sellout crowd of 21,144 fans at Providence Park on Sunday afternoon. The loss, Portland’s first home loss since April 12, ended the team’s home unbeaten run at 10 consecutive matches.
Despite the loss, the Timbers remain in the Western Conference’s sixth spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs through 29 matches. With five games remaining on the regular-season schedule, including two more at Providence Park, Portland is three points behind Sporting Kansas City (44pts) in fifth place and four points shy of Seattle Sounders FC (45) in fourth place.
Looking to cut into the two-goal deficit, the Timbers (11-10-8, 41pts) registered a 12-7 edge in shots during the final 45 minutes. Midfielder Will Johnson saw a curling effort from outside the penalty box strike the crossbar in the 52nd minute, while substitute forward Fanendo Adi had a snap-down header saved by New York goalkeeper Luis Robles in the 82nd minute. Moments later, midfielder Diego Valeri delivered a deflected free kick on frame that Robles was able to just get a touch on for a short rebound, but defender Nat Borchers’ follow-up shot was tipped off the right post. Adi and Valeri each finished with four shots for Portland.
New York (14-8-6, 48pts) took the lead in the 43rd minute as midfielder Felipe received a quick throw-in near the halfway line from defender Kemar Lawrence and dribbled toward the Timbers defense before firing a knuckling, long-distance effort that found the back of the net inside the upper right corner. In first-half stoppage time, defender Damien Perrinelle doubled the Red Bulls’ advantage with a looping header from close range off an assist from midfielder Sacha Kljestan.
Next up, the Timbers take to the road to face Columbus Crew SC on Saturday, Sept. 26, at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio; kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. (Pacific). Saturday’s match will feature a live local broadcast on KPDX Channel 49 with a local radio broadcast on 750/102.9 The Game and in Spanish on La GranD 93.5 FM.
