One trend that the Portland Timbers have shown is when they face a red-hot MLS opponent at home, and coming off a poor result, they tend to produce a good performance and a big win, and they repeated that performance again on Tuesday night with a 2-1 win on goals by Danny Mwanga and Jack Jewsbury over league-leading San Jose in front of another sold out crowd at JELD-WEN Field.
It would be the Timbers who would threaten first on the night, in the 7th minute when Franck Songo’o did well to elude several San Jose defenders on a run to the top of the Earthquakes box, but his hard shot was just wide left. San Jose would have their first good look in the 10th minute with Khari Stephenson taking a shot from near the top of the Timbers box, but sailing the shot well over the crossbar. In the 12th minute, San Jose would also have a dangerous free kick that Timbers goalkeeper Troy Perkins had to go high to tip past the upper corner, then on the ensuing corner kick, former Timber Alan Gordon had a good chance to turn on a loose ball in the Timbers box, but managed only a weak shot that was easily cleared.
It was the Timbers on the attack again in the 14th minute, and nearly took the lead when Eric Alexander cut back across towards the top of the box, but his low shot would rebound back off the right post before being cleared. The Timbers were having a good run of play during this part of the half, and Jack Jewsbury had a good look in the 18th minute, but slipped a shot from 18 yards out wide right. Four minutes later, a steal near midfield by Portland’s Mamadou Danso started an attack down the left side, with Kris Boyd dropping a nice pass into the run of Darlington Nagbe, but his one-timer was well high and wide.
In the 28th minute, San Jose were unlucky not to take the lead when Rafael Baca made a nice run into the box, getting a shot to trickle past a charging Perkins, and Gordon had a chance to put it home but the ball was slightly behind him. Shea Salinas had a chance then on the free ball near the far post, but his blast deflected wide off Timbers defender Steven Smith.
On the ensuing corner kick, the Timbers would take advantage of a counterattack with Songo’o making the run down the right side, then sliding a low cross which Danny Mwanga timed his run onto perfectly, roofing a shot past San Jose goalkeeper David Bingham, and scoring his first goal of the year, and first as a Portland Timbers, giving the home side a 1-0 lead.
Only two minutes later, on their only corner kick of the night, the Timbers nearly duplicated a goal they had scored against Seattle a week and a half ago, with Songo’s corner being headed down by David Horst, and appeared headed in but Baca was on the post and headed it off the line, and a rebound shot by Futty was blocked and cleared.
San Jose did have a late chance to level but a dangerous low cross by Salinas was cleared, and the half would end with the Timbers holding a 1-0 lead.
The Timbers would carry the run of play early in the second half, with Mwanga making a nice run down the left side, but two following Timbers shots were blocked, then shortly after, Lovel Palmer had a nice look from 20 yards out, but the shot was right at Bingham.
Then in the 59th minute, a Timbers free kick 45 yaards out from goal by Songo’o would be headed towards the far post by Danso, and then driven into the net from a yard out by Jewsbury as Bingham attempted to retreat, and though Earthquakes players were screaming for a foul on the Danso play, the goal would stand, and the Timbers had a 2-0 lead.
In the 64th minute, the Earthquakes had a gold opportunity to pull back a goal when Gordon dropped a pass to Stephen Lenhart, who had just come on the pitch, and had an open look from 6 yards out but put the shot wide right. But the Timbers were very much on their back heels trying to protect the lead, and San Jose would finally pull that goal back ten minutes later when Marvin Chavez’s shot was redirected past Perkins by Gordon, and the lead was now 2-1 Timbers.
The Earthquakes would control much of the possession for the final 10 minutes, and despite some pushing and shoving between Lenhart and Danso, and an amazing six minutes of announced stoppage, San Jose would not seriously threaten to get the leveling goal, and the Timbers would remain undefeated against San Jose in their MLS history, but getting their first win in the series by a 2-1 score.
http://www.portlandtimbers.com/news/2012/07/recap-mwanga-jewsbury-help-timbers-top-quakes-2-1
