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Dike goal leads Timbers to second straight win, downing collapsing Rapids

BrightDike (ISIPhotos.com)

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

The Portland Timbers may be doing too little, too late to help the team's chances of making a playoff run in 2012, but another commendable effort suddenly has the once-struggling Timbers slowly turning things around.

Bright Dike slotted home a Sal Zizzo cross just before halftime to give the Timbers all they needed to squeeze out a 1-0 victory against the faltering Colorado Rapids. The victory was Portland's second in a row, marking the first time all season Portland has won two games in a row.

For the Rapids, the loss was an all-too-familiar feeling for a team that is now in last place in the Western Conference after seeing their winless streak extended to four games, and their record in their past 11 matches fall to an awful 1-9-1.

Neither team was all that impressive in the early going, but the Timbers began turning up the heat just before halftime. Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens was oustanding in the first half, keeping Portland at bay with some timely saves before Zizzo set up a perfect chance for Dike to send home.

Colorado pressed for an equalizer in the second half, and enjoyed some promising stretches of possession, but they could not turn that control into goals on a night that saw Timbers goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts record four saves for the shutout.

Here are the match highlights:

What did you think of the match? Starting to think Gavin Wilkinson is doing a decent job with the Timbers? See Colorado cleaning house on their roster in the off-season, or do you think Oscar Pareja might be a one-season coach?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Or conversely, Colorado’s gameplan was disrupting the same play we saw out the visits to Toronto and NY. Both teams are desperate for wins, Colorado more so. Plus Colorado’s middle makes for ugly soccer and what it does to the other team.

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  2. An ugly game. I thought both teams were pretty poor for the majority of the match, and Portland was lucky not to give up an equalizer with the way they were defending at the end. The Timbers could have killed the game off several times but they lacked sharpness in the final third. Zizzo’s crosses in the second half were awful.

    In the end, both teams deserve their places at the bottom of the standings. Portland’s fans deserve better though.

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  3. I think Ives was right at the time. Dike spent a good portion of this season with the LA Blues in USL. He did well with LA, scored a bunch of goals, and obviously developed his game there. It’s all about progression.

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  4. Ives said a few years ago Dike didn’t have what it took to succeed at the MLS level. Not saying this last month is proof otherwise…. but I’m curious to know what he thinks now about Dike’s future.

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  5. 1. It was former Rapid Kimura with the cross & assist.

    2. Dike didn’t head it in. He scored with his feet.

    Clearly you didn’t watch the game but wrote this up from some summary.

    (SBI-1. It was Zizzo. 2. Yes, writing “headed” rather than “slotted” was a mistake, but clearly you didn’t watch the game any more clearly than we did.)

    Reply
  6. Six more of these things called “wins” in the next eight and the Timbers may be in the playoffs!

    May the odds be forever in you favor.

    Reply

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