|
 Adi scored the only goal the Timbers needed in the first half before
midfielder Diego Chara added a goal in second-half stoppage time as
Portland downed the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-0 to win a Major League
Soccer Western Conference semifinal series Sunday night at B.C.
Place Stadium.
Portland took the series 2-0 on aggregate after the teams played to
a scoreless draw a week earlier in Portland, Ore. The Timbers only
got into the semifinals after ousting Sporting Kansas City on
penalties after all 11 players from each team were forced to shoot.
"It's massive," Adi said of the series win over the Whitecaps. "It's
just understanding. We've trained and played a lot with these
(Vancouver) guys. You understand their movement and your movement as
well. It's just an understanding, and it worked very well for us
today."
Now, the Timbers advance to a Western Conference finals matchup
against FC Dallas, who eliminated the Seattle Sounders earlier
Sunday.
The Timbers will host the first leg on Nov. 22, and FC Dallas will
be at home for the return leg on Nov. 29.
"This team, they play for each other and they're very hungry,"
Portland coach Caleb Porter said. "The last six games, we're
unbeaten, and the last six games we've been in playoff mode. We've
under massive pressure, and for this group to play the football
they're playing under massive pressure is a really good sign."
Porter said his club forced the Whitecaps to play on the back foot.
Due to the away-goals tiebreaker rule, Adi's early goal meant
Vancouver had to score at least two in order to have a chance to
advance.
"I think we managed both legs really well," Porter said. "We knew
that they would want to come out (strong), and we wanted to be
aggressive as well. We went after the first goal, and we got it."
Chara's goal on a counterattack with Vancouver pushing forward
erased the host side's hopes of a comeback. It came in the fourth of
five added minutes.
"Today, we did some things we haven't done all year," Porter said.
"That's exciting because, I think we will, in the next couple of
weeks, play to another level."
Porter said his team's playoff experience also helped the Timbers
get past the Whitecaps, who played their first MLS playoff game at
home.
Midfielder Pedro Morales, Vancouver's captain who was hampered by
calf and hamstring injuries for much of the season, made his first
start since Sept. 9, giving the Whitecaps' inconsistent attack a
jump-start.
Vancouver midfielder Kekuta Manneh provided early excitement for the
hometown faithful as he fired a shot just wide of the far post in
the sixth minute and then hit the near post three minutes later.
However, Manneh was forced to leave the game with an apparent foot
injury after colliding with Portland defender Nat Borchers.
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The collision occurred in the 19th minute, and Manneh went to the
sideline in the 20th. Vancouver played a man down for about five
minutes while trainers tended to Manneh off the pitch. However,
moments after he hobbled back into action, Manneh signaled for a
substitute and dropped to the turf. He officially left the game in
the 26th minute.
Five minutes later, with the steam gone Vancouver's offense, Adi
roofed home a left-footed shot from about 10 yards out, culminating
a three-way passing play off a throw-in.
"It was a great goal and, them down, we could manage the game with
the ball, which we did in the second half," Porter said. "You saw
the possession that we had, and we were able to keep them from
attacking ... keep them from playing the transition they like to
play by slowing the tempo down with the ball, keeping possession of
the ball, and we were very patient and organized."
The Whitecaps were never the same offensively after Manneh left.
Both Porter and Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson said the game changed
when the midfielder left.
"It changed dramatically," Robinson said. "The kid started like a
house on fire. He put us in the ascendency. Then it changes."
Robinson was making no excuses for his team's performance in the
series.
"When it's not your day, it's not your day, and today it wasn't our
day," Robinson said. "We didn't score a goal over two legs. When you
don't score a goal over two legs, unless you're lucky and go to
penalties and win, you're not going to win a game of football. It's
what happens."
NOTES: The sellout crowd of 27,837 was the largest audience in
Vancouver's MLS history after the Whitecaps made more seats
available in the lower bowl of B.C. Place Stadium. The Caps'
previous record was 27,500 against the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2011
while playing their first MLS season at Empire Field due to roof
renovations at B.C. Place. ... Portland G Jake Gleeson returned to
the bench after making his first appearance of the season in the
opening leg of the series, when starter Adam Kwarasey was sidelined
due to illness. ... Whitecaps rookie D Tim Parker started in place
of veteran Pa-Modou Kah, who was out because of a sprained knee.
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