Portland Timbers coach Caleb Porter and Vancouver coach Carl Robinson engaged in a heated nose-to-nose confrontation on the field just seconds after the Whitecaps 4-3 win Sunday night at Providence Park.



The two were jawing at each other before players from both teams separated the coaches.



"I wished him congratulations," Porter said after the game.



Asked a second time what he said to Robinson, the intense Porter wasn't interested in divulging any more details of the conversation.



"Do you think I'm a spring chicken and gonna answer it again on the second question?" Porter shot back. "I don't like losing. The team doesn't like losing. I don't think we deserved to lose."



Porter was livid with referee Kevin Stott's decision to award two penalty kicks to the Whitecaps - both converted by Pedro Morales - in the first half. What really infuriated Porter was Stott's decision to not award a penalty kick to the Timbers after Diego Valeri was knocked down in the box later in the half and for what Porter said was a Vancouver handball in the box during the game.



Robinson didn't directly address the conversation when asked after the game.



"Nothing," Robinson said. "We shook hands and things like that."



Hey Carl, you sure that wasn't a karate move? Some sort of martial arts? UFC?



"I've got a huge amount of respect for Caleb. The system he plays is what I want to do," Robinson said. "I'm sure we'll argue now and again."



The "argument" or "congratulations" will resume Aug. 30, when the Timbers play at Vancouver.

-- Geoffrey C. Arnold