MVP! MVP! MVP! With the NBA Postseason in full swing, every home fanbase serenades their best player with MVP chants. Harden gets it, Steph gets it, LeBron gets it. And in the MLS world, boy oh boy does Diego Valeri deserve it the next time he steps foot in Providence Park. In a game that looked very similar to Portland’s first couple of games on the road, all ending in draws or worse, it was the reigning MVP whose 88th minute free kick bent around the right post and past the outstretched arms of keeper, Andrew Tarbell propelling the Timbers to victory. With incredible precision and poise, Diego stood over his free kick, picked his spot and put it home, much to the dismay of the home crowd.
Though Portland certainly had more chances in the match, they didn’t look like they were going to manage to put one on the board through most of the game. The first half was filled with opportunities for a goal, though the Timbers couldn’t seem to put one away. As they had been doing, Timbers did an exceptional job funneling the ball quickly through the middle and to their forward in resident, Fanendo Adi. Unfortunately, the attacker from Nigeria either toe-blowed his opportunities, missed wide, or even hit the iron in his attempts to put the team in front. Nonetheless, you got the sense that the Timbers were the better team in this affair and eventually going to score.
The second half didn’t look quite as comfortable for the visitors however, and it was the Earthquakes who had the better opportunities in the second 45. Amazingly, when Valeri scored in the 88th minute, it was Portland’s first goal in the final 15 minutes of the game. Previously, the Timbers had been outscored 8-0 in the final 15. That bucked trend should continue the confidence of the Western Conference’s hottest team, a team that has now held a lead in their last five games. With three home games in June and another three in July coming up, would you just look who’s working their way up those standings?
#Onward #RCTID #3inthebooks #Roadwarriors