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.