The Portland Timbers are badly injured right now, with several field players out, and having now lost three goalkeepers in injury, so this week they signed goalkeeper Logan Ketterer from El Past of the USL Championship on an MLS extreme hardship exemption.
Ketterer made quite a debut tonight in his first Timbers start, stopping a penalty kick by San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski, and never allowing San Jose to get on the board as the Timbers earned a 2-0 win in San Jose, their first road win of the season. Yimmi Chará got the Timbers off to a good start with an early goal, and Marvin Loría largely put away the match for the Timbers in the 74th minute with a header goal.
The Timbers got off to a great start in San Jose when in just the fifth minute, Eryk Williamson played a nice through ball to Yimmi Chará, who then chipped charging San Jose goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski and into the net, and the Timbers had grabbed an early 1-0 lead.
The Timbers nearly widened their lead in the 30th minute when off a corner, defender Dario Župarić got a clear chance on a header, but his shot was off the left post. The Timbers did well to limit San Jose’s chances and went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
The match looked ready to turn in San Jose’s favor in the 61st minute when Claudio Bravo committed a handball in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. All-time MLS goal scoring leader Chris Wondolowski stepped up to take the kick, but he was denied as Timbers goalkeeper Logan Ketterer made a brilliant dive to his left and saved Wondolowski’s shot, and the Timbers maintained their 1-0 lead.
Then in the 74th minute, the Timbers would widen their lead when Williamson found himself wide open to chip a pass into the box, and he found Marvin Loría, who beat his defender easily, and he headed past the San Jose keeper and gave the Timbers a 2-0 lead.
San Jose would have a few good chances over the rest of the match, the best being in the 80th minute when Wondolowski had a header chance that Ketterer cleared off the line, and the Timbers would hold on to secure their first road win of the 2021 MLS season, by a 2-0 final.
Logan Ketterer had four saves for the Timbers, while JT Marcinkowski had three for San Jose.
Play Video MATCH RECAP | San Jose Earthquakes 0, Portland Timbers 2 | May 15, 2021 | Timbers website
HIGHLIGHTS | Earthquakes 0, Timbers 2 | May 15, 2021 | Timbers website
