Caleb Porter talked after the Portland Timbers' scoreless draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps about the team's struggles to score.

The return of attacking midfielder Diego Valeri, he said, "couldn't come at a better time."

Valeri played the game's final 38 minutes and seemed to invigorate the Timbers. He came on for Ishmael Yartey and earned a thunderous ovation from the 21,144 fans at Providence Park.

Porter talked about Portland's scoring chances -- when midfielder Darlington Nagbe's penalty kick banged off the goal post, about headers from Maximiliano Urruti and Valeri that missed.

"You know, we're struggling to score goals," Porter told reporters after the match. "It's not for lack of anything other than in the moment, being ruthless, being clinical, being clever."

-- Molly Blue

mblue@oregonian.com

@mollyablue