Tacoma Defiance went on the road to face Portland Timbers 2 at Providence Park on Sunday afternoon. Despite Defiance’s efforts, an 11th minute goal from Eric Izoita gave the hosts a 1-0 lead that they would never relinquish.
That opening goal came all too easily, as the play started with a Timbers 2 player being able to dribble up the middle with little opposition. Tacoma players were repeatedly slow to get pressure to the ball as Portland worked it around, then a poor clearance turned an opportunity to give themselves a breather into another immediate threat. A pass into the box to Lucas Fernandez-Kim created the chance for him to play it centrally across the area for Izoita, who had a pocket of space to curl the ball into the far corner beyond the reach of Mo Shour.
Paulo Nagamura’s side tried to find an equalizing goal, amassing 10 total shots and 19 touches inside the Timbers 2 box, but could only turn all that into 4 shots from inside the area. Their best chance of the game came when Demian Alvarez had a look at the back post off of a free kick in the 27th minute, but seemingly against all odds his shot was blocked out for another corner.
Chasing the game, Defiance attempted to improve their luck with some substitutions during the second half. One of them nearly paid off when Omar Hassan received the ball on the right wing in the 79th minute for his first involvement in the game. He put a couple of moves on a defender, then found fellow substitute Rafael Jauregui running into the box. Jauregui forced a save from close range to earn a corner, but ultimately nothing came of it.
Following the loss Defiance now have a bit of a break between games. They’ll be back in action with a chance to get right against Western Conference leading Houston Dynamo 2 at home on Wednesday, June 17.
Overview
Lineup
Substitutes
- 46’ Portland Timbers 2 - Henry Mueller ⇆ Bryce Vanvoorhis
- 61’ Portland Timbers 2 - Noah Santos ⇆ Daniel Núñez
- 73’ Tacoma Defiance - Sebastian Gomez ⇆ Rafael Jauregui
- 73’ Tacoma Defiance - Mark Bronnik ⇆ Landon Lucer
- 78’ Tacoma Defiance - Edson Carli ⇆ Omar Hassan
- 82’ Portland Timbers 2 - Daniel Cervantes ⇆ Maximiliam Kissel
- 90’ Portland Timbers 2 - Colin Griffith ⇆ Benjamin Barjolo
- 90’ Tacoma Defiance - Demian Alvarez ⇆ Kelvin-Luis Brito
Goals
- 11’ Portland Timbers 2 - ⚽ Eric Izoita (Lucas Fernandez-Kim)
Stats
Key Performers
Xavi Gnaulati
Xavi Gnaulati, playing in the center of midfield alongside Mark O’Neill in the 3-4-2-1 Defiance utilized, struggled to have much of an impact going forward, but played a big part of the side’s ability to dictate play to the extent that they were able to. His 12 defensive contributions was the most for either side, and was highlighted by 7 tackles (4 won). He completed 33 of 36 passes and 2 of 3 long balls, although he went 0 for 7 on crosses. Crucially he won 8 of 10 ground duels and 1 of 2 aerial duels.
Mo Shour
There wasn’t much that the young goalkeeper could do on the goal, but he came up with the two necessary saves to keep the game within reach as Defiance looked for a way back into the game. He controlled his area fairly well, and his distribution was solid as he completed 14 of 18 passes while going 3 for 6 on long balls. He might not have the big throw of Andrew Thomas, or at least wasn’t putting it on display, but his touch and pace with throws along the ground to get his team out into attack after collecting the ball helped to apply pressure and start transitions.
Omar Hassan
Omar Hassan was only on the field for 12 minutes plus stoppage time, but in that time he still created more chances than any other Defiance player. While that might say more about the overall play from the rest of the team’s attacking players, it’s also credit to Hassan and a glimpse of the potential that the 17 year-old attacker offers. His burst of speed and technical ability on the ball showed almost as soon as he stepped on the field, creating an opportunity that turned into a corner and then getting off a shot of his own as he did well to keep the play alive on the corner itself. There are understandable concerns about his size and his ability to handle the physicality at this level, let alone moving up to MLS, but if he can find a way to threaten consistently and earn more time on the field he could be a valuable contributor over the second half of the season.
