The Defiance played bitter rivals Portland Timbers 2 at Starfire on Sunday night and lost for the fifth straight meeting. While the match was evenly contested in the first half, the second half saw the wheels fall off and the team never looked like they would get back in the game as Portland walked away with a 2-0 win.
The first half started brightly for Defiance, with both Charlie Gaffney and Rafael Jauregui getting in behind the backline. One of these instances, in the 9th minute, led to the most dangerous chance of the game for Tacoma. Jauregui ran onto a flicked header and cut the ball back to Edson Carli at the top of the box. His shot to the near post was struck well, but the Portland goalkeeper was able to dive and push the ball around the post for a corner. Gaffney was the more consistent outlet, being found in the 2nd, 21st 42nd and 44th minutes. Unfortunately, his final ball was not on, as only the last opportunity resulted in a low value shot from the edge of the 18.
The second half had a quiet start until things turned for the worse in the 62nd minute. Jasper Winslow gave the ball away cheaply just outside the 18 and Timbers 2 cycled the ball around the box until it found Eric Izoita. He got off a shot that looked to be deflected, and the slow curve of the ball got around Max Anchor. Another individual error by Gallatin Sandnes conceded a penalty when a Timbers 2 attacker tried to cut back behind the newly signed professional. The resulting penalty kick was well taken in the bottom corner. Any chance of a comeback was effectively killed when Mark O'Neill earned his second yellow of the evening in the 77th minute.
It is a bitter pill to swallow losing to rivals at home, but the team will need to move past this and get back to the recent run of form to continue to make a push for playoff position.
Overview
Lineup
Substitutes
- 45' Omar Hassan ⇆ Rafael Jauregui
- 78' Leo Flores Gonzalez ⇆ Charlie Gaffney
- 78' Mitchell Emert ⇆ Codey Phoenix
- 88' Kelvin Luis-Brito ⇆ Xavi Gnaulati
- 88' Danny Robles ⇆ Edson Carli
Goals
- 62' Portland Timbers 2 - ⚽ Eric Izoita
- 70' Portland Timbers 2 - ⚽ Daniel Cervantes
Stats
Key performers
Charlie Gaffney
Gaffney continues to be a consistent option on the right side, using his strong positioning and athletic ability to always be available. In the first half he got free four times down the right side, with the best chance in the 44th minute resulting in a shot from the side of the 18. He is proving to be a willing runner on both sides of the ball, getting back in time to make an interception, 2 clearances and wining all 3 of his duels.
Xavi Gnaulati
Gnaulati was active in trying to push the game forward, looking for penetrating passes that earned him 2 key passes. In the 21st minute, after winning the ball back, he was able to play the ball quickly to Gaffney to start a dangerous counter attack. He also showed nice shooting ability with a curling effort from the top of the box in the 68th minute which forced the keeper to make a diving save.
Edson Carli
The academy midfielder was more involved then recent matches on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Defensively, he positioned himself well to try and organize a counter press and worked hard to win the ball back, with 6 of 10 duels won. He also had the best chance of the night, smartly holding for a late arriving run at the top of the box. When he was found by Rafeul Jauregui, he took a well placed shot to the near post, reminding viewers of the ball striking ability he showed last year.
