The Portland Timbers fell to the Chicago Fire Wednesday night by a score of 2-1. This was the first time in eleven regular-season meetings that Portland has lost to Chicago. The Timbers were 5-0-5 in the previous ten meetings. The loss also ends a streak of three games in that Portland had earned at least one point toward the overall standings.
While the first few minutes of action were back and forth at Providence Park, it was Chicago who would strike first. After a few passes along the far sidelines, Chicago’s Gastón Giménez would eventually send a ball into the box from a distance. The ball in would take one bounce and find Brian Gutiérrez rushing toward the post. Gutiérrez saw Portland goalkeeper David Bingham at the near post and was able to cut a pass back to center before crossing the end line. His pass would find Fabian Herbers, who was late on the rush, for a shot that would slip past the Timbers defenders and find the back of the net at 7:44 into the match.
After Chicago nearly found another scoring chance roughly two minutes later, Portland knew their offense would have to step up. At 11:18, the Timbers had their first A-grade scoring chance. Evander would dribble and find Santiago Moreno in the middle of the pitch. Moreno would juke one sliding defender and shift the ball back to Evander for a dangerous shot. Luckily for Fire FC, the low rolling shot was tipped wide of the post by the glove of goalkeeper Chris Brady.
The Timbers had numerous chances to score after that sequence. However, their breakthrough came in the 26th minute of play. Moreno would handle a pass and cut upfield. Moreno would then spot Franck Boli on a run, and pass him the ball at the top of the box. Boli would then instantly rip a right-footed shot that would roll past Brady, and inside the near post. Boli’s goal would tie the game up at 25:30.
David Bingham had a critical save at 29:52 that kept the game tied at 1-1. A deep pass from behind the midfield line would spring Jairo Torres behind the Timbers’ defense. Torres, unable to fully catch up to the ball, would take a right-footed shot off a bounce. Bingham, standing on the Goal Area line, would make a right-hand save, and the defense would clear the ball away.
The 1-1 score line would hold until the 83rd minute of the match. Portland had just made a great defensive play to deny a shot, and the ball bounced out of bounds along the sidelines. Chicago’s throw-in was deep into the corner of the field, but Gutiérrez was able to find space and receive the throw-in. Gutiérrez would then turn to the side of the box, and send a centering ball in. Kei Kamara had gained inside positioning on his defender at the far post and was able to connect on a header from inside the goal area. Kamara’s header would go straight down, catching Bingham off guard, and would bounce into the back of the net to give the Fire FC a 2-1 lead.
Portland had three major chances to tie the game in the last minutes of regulation. The first came from Jaroslaw Niezgoda with 87:25 on the clock. Niezgoda found a gap between defenders for a run, and a header over a defender would give him a chance to score. A sliding defensive play by Rafael Czichos would trip up Niezgoda at the penalty arch. The referee awarded a free kick and also gave Czichos a red card on the play. However, upon a VAR review, the call was reversed. This meant that Czichos was not awarded a red card and that Portland lost their opportunity at a free kick.
The second chance came roughly two and a half minutes into stoppage time. A deep ball from Zac McGraw found Marvin Loría on the far side of the field. Loría, jumping in front of a defender for the ball, would be at full stride moving inside the box to create a chance. However, Loría’s wide angle shot was saved by the left foot of Brady, and the rebound was knocked out of bounds by a defenseman.
The last chance came on the very last play of the game. Portland’s offense was struggling to find a lane to get the ball inside the box. Eventually, Portland would work the ball to Cristhian Paredes, who was well above the penalty arch. Knowing the clock was against them, Paredes chipped a ball towards the far post where three Timbers had a chance to play the ball. While stumbling backward, McGraw would head the ball back toward the center. Nathan Fogaça was there to receive the pass, but his only chance to shoot was to attempt a bicycle kick. Fogaça would connect on the kick, but the shot would scream high over the net, and the game would end with a 2-1 final score.
The Timbers’ next match is at home on June 24 as they host New York City FC with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
Northwest Sports Desk 