JELD-WEN FIELD, Portland, Ore.
10 p.m. ET (TV: MSG Plus, Galavisión; ROOT-NW; Radio: WQBU 92.7 FM)
June 19, 2011 (WEEK 14; MLS Game 138)
The Portland Timbers meet the New York Red Bulls for the first time
when the Eastern Conference co-leaders visit Jeld-Wen Field on Sunday
evening. The Timbers have now two consecutive games on their home
ground, after Colorado scored a late winner for a 1-0 win last weekend.
The Red Bulls snapped a string of four draws in their last contest, a
2-1 home win against the New England Revolution.
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REFEREE: Ricardo Salazar. SAR (bench): Peter Manikowski; JAR (opposite): Claudio Badea; 4th: Armando Villarreal
MLS Career: 133 games; FC/gm: 26.9; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 40; pens: 50
INJURY REPORT: PORTLAND TIMBERS — OUT: DF Mamadou
Danso (L shoulder); FW Bright Dike (R Achilles rupture); MF James
Marcelin (R knee MCL sprain); DOUBTFUL: MF Peter Lowry (L quadriceps
strain); PROBABLE: GK Jake Gleeson (L elbow sprain); FW Eddie Johnson (R
Achilles tendinitis) ... NEW YORK RED BULLS — OUT: MF
Carl Robinson (R knee contusion); DF Chris Albright (hernia surgery);
QUESTIONABLE: FW Luke Rodgers (plantar fasciitis); MF Joel Lindpere (L
foot contusion)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: POR: Steve Purdy (El Salvador) ... NY: Rafael Marquez (Mexico); Dane Richards (Jamaica); Juan Agudelo, Tim Ream (USA)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: POR: Jeremy Hall
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: POR: Rodney Wallace ... NY: Luke Rodgers
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (MLS): First meeting.
RETURN MATCH: 9/24: New York Red Bulls vs. Portland Timbers, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Coaches record: John Spencer vs. NY: first game ... Hans Backe v POR: first game
NEW YORK RED BULLS
The New York Red Bulls put an end to their winless streak and run of draws, defeating the New England Revolution 2-1 on Friday evening at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls have 22 points from 14 games, now tied for first place in the Eastern Conference.
LAST MATCH
• The Revolution had a glorious chance to open the scoring in the
33rd minute when defender Stephen Keel got tangled with Lekic in the
penalty area. But goalkeeper Greg Sutton saved Shalrie Joseph's attempt
from the spot at full stretch.
• It proved costly for the visitors, as just four minutes later,
Ryan Cochrane mistakenly knocked the ball into his own net in trying to
clear Thierry Henry's centering pass from the right.
• New York scored the eventual winner in the 50th minute. Henry
controlled a pass on the left flank and drove into the penalty area
before cutting the ball back and firing a shot past Revs goalkeeper Matt
Reis.
• The Revs pulled a goal back four minutes later when Chris Tierney
served a quality cross from the left that fell perfectly onto the foot
of Zak Boggs, who one-timed a shot past a diving Sutton.
• Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe made no changes to the team that
played to a 1-1 tie with the Columbus Crew at Red Bull Arena
• NEW YORK RED BULLS (4-1-3-2): Greg Sutton - Jan Gunnar Solli,
Carlos Mendes, Stephen Keel, Roy Miller - Teemu Tainio - Mehdi
Ballouchy, Joel Lindpere, Austin da Luz (John Rooney 84) - Thierry
Henry, Luke Rodgers (Corey Hertzog 64).
TEAM NEWS
• The Red Bulls won for the first time since April 30 (six games) in
defeating the Revolution, also stopping a stretch of four consecutive
draws.
• "Very important to get three points, but a very strange game,"
said Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe. "I don't know if I've seen that
many scoring chances over 90 minutes. I still have the feeling it was
deserved for our guys."
• Thierry Henry scored his seventh goal of the season — coming in
his last eight appearances, since April 16 — in the 2-1 home win vs. New
England. Henry is now second in the MLS Golden Boot race, one behind
the LA Galaxy's Landon Donovan.
• "I think it was a phenomenal showing and attitude in this game. As
the captain, as the leader, in the last 15, dropping back as a second
striker when we were in trouble or in the last 30 minutes, we played
almost a 4-5-1 or a 4-4-1-1 with him as a second striker and (Corey)
Hertzog as the high striker. Of course if you understand his game, it's
tactical," Backe said. "I think he is just getting better and better and
just hope we can manage now to get rid of his knee problem and also his
Achilles because we can see that he still has some very, very good
quality.
• The Red Bulls dodged a late bullet when an apparent equalizer was
ruled out for offside. The week before, Columbus pulled into a 1-1 draw
with a stoppage-time goal.
• "Mentally, we've been really struggling," goalkeeper Greg Sutton
said. "With the mishaps we had last weekend, it's been really difficult.
We needed those three points."
• Luke Rodgers had started 10 consecutive games and scored all five
of his goals while adding three assists in that time. But he was forced
off with an injury midway through the second half.
• "It was a problem at halftime. He has problems with his heel, I
don't really know what it is, but he had pain and it was just a question
of whether we were going to start him in the second half," Backe said.
PORTLAND TIMBERS
The Portland Timbers lost for a third consecutive game and second in a
row at home, losing 1-0 to the Colorado Rapids on Saturday evening at
Jeld-Wen Field. The Timbers have 17 points from 12 games, sitting in a
tie for seventh place in the Western Conference.
LAST MATCH
• The Rapids snatched the late winner in stoppage time. Jamie Smith
served in a set piece from the left, and Timbers goalkeeper Troy Perkins
stopped two attempts from close range from the resulting melee. But the
ball bounced back to Drew Moor and he stabbed it home from the heart of
the area.
• Timbers coach John Spencer made two changes to the team that fell
1-0 to Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center. Eric Brunner returned to the
back four for David Horst, and Darlington Nagbe came back in for Sal
Zizzo.
• PORTLAND TIMBERS (4-4-2): Troy Perkins - Jeremy Hall, Mamadou
Danso (David Horst 32), Eric Brunner, Rodney Wallace - Darlington Nagbe
(Sal Zizzo 77), Jack Jewsbury, Diego Chara, Kalif Alhassan - Kenny
Cooper, Jorge Perlaza (Ryan Pore 81).
TEAM NEWS
• The Timbers have now lost three consecutive games for the first
time in their MLS history, the last two by 1-0 scorelines. They've also
lost two in a row at Jeld-Wen Field after winning their first five home
games.
• "I don't think they were scared to play here. I think they came
with a game plan and they felt they were good enough to beat us," said
Timbers coach John Spencer. "They didn't sit back and they had a couple
chances in the first half where we never stopped a cross coming into the
box and Troy Perkins makes a couple saves from headers
• The Timbers held the edge in possession but now have not scored
since a late consolation goal in the 3-2 home loss to D.C. United.
• "I thought we created a ton of good chances, but unfortunately we
couldn't put one of them in the back of the net," midfielder Jack
Jewsbury said.
• Mamadou "Futty" Danso was forced off the field after a half-hour
after suffering a shoulder injury that required a visit to the hospital.
He is expected to miss the next 2-4 weeks.
• The Timbers were shutout at home for the first time in 2011. The
Timbers entered Saturday's match ranked third in MLS for most goals
scored at home with 12.
• "I think the team created some great chances," said forward Kenny
Cooper. "I certainly had some really good looks that my team set me up
really well on and I got to do a better job with the chances I'm
getting."