 Whitecaps Win First Leg 1-0
September 14, 2007Vancouver Whitecaps defeated Portland Timbers 1-0 in the first game of their USL First Division playoff quarterfinal at Swangard Stadium.Jason Jordan’s goal with less than a quarter of an hour remaining gave the Whitecaps a slender one-goal advantage going into the decisive second game at Portland’s PGE Park on Sunday afternoon. It was Jordan’s first goal in the postseason since September 2004. The result was a fair reflection of the evening’s proceedings, as Vancouver controlled much of Friday’s contest, but struggled to break down a resilient Portland rearguard until Jordan’s winning strike late in the first leg. Radio: Full Time Rewind - courtesy TEAM 1040 Match Video: USLlive.com Photo Gallery: whitecapsfc.com - courtesy Josh Devins Match Tracker: PDF Match Stats: PDF Whitecaps head coach Bob Lilley made two changes to the side that started last Sunday’s goalless draw with the Timbers to the end the 2007 USL-1 regular season. Captain Jeff Clarke returned from a groin injury to start in midfield, while Brazilian teammate Zé Roberto also came into the starting XI after serving a one-game suspension against Portland last weekend. His Timbers counterpart in assistant coach Rod Underwood - who deputized for head coach Gavin Wilkinson - brought midfielder Lawrence Olum and striker Bryan Jordan into his starting line-up for Luke Kreamalmeyer and Matt Taylor. On a clear and cool September evening, a Swangard Stadium crowd of 4,761 saw the Whitecaps dominate possession, but Portland seemingly more than happy to sit back and hit their hosts on the break when possible. On 13 minutes, Lilley’s side lost a key player in centre back Adrian Cann following a nasty clash of heads with Portland striker Bryan Jordan. The Thornhill, Ontario, native needed to be stretchered off and required six stitches to a gash in his forehead. It left the Whitecaps playing a man short for around nine minutes, with defender Lyle Martin fortunate to get away with a somewhat risky tackle on Jordan in the Vancouver box on 18 minutes after the Timbers forward had initially beat Steve Kindel on the break. Just before Alfredo Valente formally replaced Cann on 22 minutes, Jordan received a yellow card from referee Dave Gantar for a reckless challenge on Whitecaps goalkeeper Matt Nelson outside the home side’s box. As Valente came into midfield, Clarke moved back to partner Steve Klein in the centre of defence. “It was tough to lose a guy like Adrian, as he’s been such a rock for us at the back,” midfielder Tony Donatelli told reporters. “Jeff Clarke did a great job stepping at centre back, as we played pretty well defensively and we didn’t give them many chances tonight.” Nelson saw little action in the first half, but had to be alert to make a diving save on 31 minutes from Andrew Gregor’s forward free kick. Six minutes later, Gregor was booked for a late challenge on Zé Roberto before Timbers goalkeeper Josh Wicks made the first significant save of the game, with a fine diving stop from a fierce Eddy Sebrango drive at close range. Substitute Valente then tried to break the deadlock with a half-volleyed effort on 41 minutes, but his shot flew just wide of the target after Portland failed to properly clear a Clarke cross from the right. The three minutes of first-half stoppage time saw chances at both ends, with Josh Hansen shooting over Wicks’ crossbar before Gregor forced a good save from Nelson with a curling effort, as both teams went to the halftime break goalless. The second half saw the same pattern of play as was seen in the first half, with the Whitecaps applying pressure on the Timbers, but Portland prepared to hit their hosts on the counter-attack. On 56 minutes, a Gregor free kick flew high and wide of Nelson’s goal before Clarke became the first Whitecaps player to be booked in the game after making a two-footed tackle for the ball just before the hour mark. The home side had two more chances, with Sebrango heading Nash’s cross wide of the near post on 62 minutes, while Valente struck an indirect free kick just wide of goal before both Jason Jordan and Jason McLaughlin replaced the forward pair of Hansen and Sebrango for the final stages. With the second leg at home, Portland looked comfortable with their defensive organization, but the Oregon club’s game plan dramatically changed on 76 minutes, as the Whitecaps took a valuable lead in fortunate circumstances after a fine forward move. Zé Roberto found Donatelli down the right flank and his low cross for McLaughlin in front of Wicks’ goal struck the leg of Portland defender Scot Thompson. As the loose ball rolled towards the empty net, Jordan beat Wicks to get a final touch and record his second goal of the season. “The goal was inside the six-yard box, and that’s where I’m good,” Jordan said after the game. “It’s just one goal right now, so we have to go to Portland and play hard. They are very good on their own field, but our defence is very strong right now. Hopefully, we’ll get Adrian Cann back and we’ll do well down there.” It was a vital advantage taken by Vancouver, and it prompted the Timbers to start pushing forward in search of a late equalizer. With three minutes remaining, however, it was McLaughlin that came close to a second Whitecaps goal, but Wicks made another great save to his header after Nash had picked out the Vancouver substitute in the visitors’ box. The four minutes of added time brought no change to the scoreline for Sunday, as the Whitecaps will take the upper hand into a difficult second leg on a firm PGE Park surface and in front of an intimidating Timbers fan base. “We’re at home now, and that’s big for us,” Underwood told reporters after the game. “This is only halftime, and we’re down 1-0 at halftime. We’ve got a whole half to play, yet. We looked at tonight’s game as a situation in which we though we could come in and steal something. We were close, but it didn’t quite work out.” With a one-goal advantage to work with for Sunday, Lilley was understandably positive about the second leg. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to dictate the tempo of the second game and try to extend the lead,” he said to reporters. “We played very well in the first half tonight, and I think the second half was pretty even. I thought we had the better chances in the game and you have to keep a team like Portland busy. If you don’t do that, then their defenders get balls forward and they have some explosive guys up front, so that’s where they’re most dangerous. It was good to have Geordie Lyall back fit, so I could stick him in late in the game to solidify things in the back. The biggest thing I’m going to tell the guys now is it’s halftime. Let’s go win the game in Portland and we’ll go through.” Sunday’s game kicks off at 5pm in Portland, and can be seen live Fox Sports World Canada and Fox Soccer Channel in the US. You can also listen to the game live on TEAM 1040 radio or via the internet at team1040.ca. Statistical Information Scoring Summary: 76' Vancouver 1-0 Jason Jordan Return To Whitecaps News |
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- PDL
Northwest Division:
- Abbotsford Mariners
- Kitsap Pumas
- Portland Timbers
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Canadian Clubs:
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