By Niall McCusker

Go down through the Pearl district, cross the river, up Greeley past Adidas HQ, meander along Willamette Boulevard enjoying the excellent views of the city and stop at the University of Portland. Here you will find Merlo Field an excellent soccer venue with an immaculate grass surface, featuring what looks to be developing into an excellent team.

Timbers 2 deploy the familiar 4-2-3-1 formation, use high pressure to close down opponents and attempt to play a nice passing game. Oh and they win.

Unlike their senior counterparts at present they have a certain resolve. Going behind on the hour, they replied immediately with a nice goal from the industrious Belmar and went on to win 2-1 with a terrific late strike from Steven Evans.

Last Sunday’s 3-1 opening victory was relatively easily achieved over fellow USL newcomers Real Monarchs (an affiliate of MSL’s Real Salt Lake), Sacramento Republic presented a much tougher challenge. Coached by the legendary Predrag Radosavljević (Preki), they won the USL last season and lost only 7 games in the process. They showed why in the first half, well organized, hungry for the ball and unlike the Monarchs not operating at a considerable size disadvantage to Timbers 2.

You have to earn the right to play the game you want to play. In the first half T2 did that, it was a tough battle, Kiwi Tim Payne doing the midfield enforcing for the home side and Dubliner Derek Foran adding a physical edge to the visitors defense. You don’t play for Sligo Rovers, Dundalk, Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick’s Athletic without learning some toughness in the process!

In the first half the T2 wingers Tshuma and Winchester were being very well marshaled and were behind their defenders too often. But coach Jay Vidovich had them switch wings near halftime and that move paid immediate dividends, with Winchester setting up Tshuma for a shot which he pushed wide of the onrushing keeper but also wide of the post.

Sacramento opened brightly in the second half with Jake Gleeson coming up with a couple of big saves. On the hour Ivan Mirković made a nice run from deep straight through the T2 defense, Gleeson and the defenders could only block the ball and it fell to Rivas who tucked it into the empty net.

The Timbers response was led from the front by Belmar, normally closing defenders down individually when the rest of your team-mates sit back a little is an exercise in frustration, but he seemed to be able to apply pressure simultaneously to their entire back line. Both teams had great service from set pieces and it looked like central defender Clarke had the equalizer from one, but he somehow headed over for a yard out.

Both T2 outside backs were good on the night, Thoma looks capable of challenging for the left back spot in the senior side, but it was Peay who provided the cross for Belmar to level the scores. Blair Gavin had played as the attacking midfielder, but Fatawu who had started the first game came in for Belmar with twenty minutes left and took over that spot as the home side took on a more offensive look.

The end of the game was highly entertaining as both sides pushed for a winner. Winchester, now up top, forced a great save and Sacramento hit the post from a long, floated free kick that missed everyone in the box. Steven Evans came off the bench with 15 minutes left and struck the winner with 5 minutes left. A Thoma cross was deflected out to him at the edge of the box and with the entire 2,500 in attendance shouting ‘shoot’ he did just that and it was a missile to the top left corner.

Sacramento had a chance to level again and a draw might have been a fair result, but the late header was missed.

Timbers 2 held on for the win, for the staff and players of the senior side who were in attendance – the challenge from Merlo has been issued, your move.

——————————————————————————-

POR: GK Gleeson, D Peay, D Clarke, D Delbridge, D Thoma, M Besler, M Gavin © (Rose, 85), M Winchester (Evans, 77), M Payne, F Belmar, (Fatawu, 71), F Tshuma

Substitutes Not Used: GK Luthy, M Casiple,

TOTAL SHOTS: 7; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; FOULS: 18; OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 4

SLC: GK Rodriguez, GK McLain, D Foran, D Kiffe, D Daly, D Klimenta, M Lopez ©, M Mirkovic, M Guzman, M Gonzalex (Rivas, 58), F Estrada, F Iwasa (Gabeljic, 77)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Jakubek, M Cazarez, F Gissie, M Motagalvan