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Portland Timbers 2, LAFC 1: Clean sheet snapped, unbeaten run ended in dramatic loss in Portland

The youngsters shined as rotated squad comes up short in Portland
Trebor TracyBy 5 Mins Read
LAFC midfielder Jude Terry opened his account with a goal to remember in Portland. Photo courtesy of Los Angeles FC

While LAFC came into this match wanting to keep their clean sheet record in the MLS going, and extending their unbeaten run, they also came in wanting to balance Champions Cup at the midweek coming up. With a strong 3-0 lead going into the second leg trip to Mexico over Cruz Azul, LAFC Head Coach Marc Dos Santos decided this would be the match he rotated the squad, giving a fair amount of starters a chance to rest against what is on paper, an inferior Portland Timbers side. That said, even with a different starting XI, the goal was the same, win on the road and keep the home side from finding the back of the net.

The rotated depth would be tested early for LAFC, as backup goalkeeper Thomas Hasal, who got the start, was involved in a collision with his own defender, with his head area receiving the bulk of the damage. Given how concussion protocols are, and with Halal’s nose visibly broken, the decision was made to pull the keeper. With Hugo Lloris not even making the trip to Portland, it was time for youngster and Los Angeles, Cabral Carter, to come on and get his first opportunity at some very valuable minutes between the posts.

Just moments after entering the match, LAFC’s MLS clean sheet run was snapped when Portland tested the young keeper from range. In fairness, the owners came from the defense, who were cut up pretty bad by forward Kristoffer Velde, who needed just one clear look to put a shot on target, and send it screaming past the new keeper for the first half lead. The goal snapped an LAFC club record 572 minutes without conceding a goal in MLS action.

After getting the first goal, Portland went full pressure to get a very important second goal as they tried to put this match to bed early, however, after being tested just minutes after coming off the bench, Cabral Carter was once again put to the test and passed with flying colors with not just one, but three saves in the span of seconds to keep the deficit at just a goal for his side.

At the halftime break, it was a Timbers lead, but it just a one goal lead, with LAFC having had a bit more looks at an equalizer before the half ended. While the clean sheet run was snapped, the unbeaten start to the season was still very much in play for the black & gold as they were looking to come out strong with one of their vintage second half surges to secure, at the very least, a point on the road.

That surge hit was given a huge boost when 17-year-old Jude Terry gave us an electric equalizer in the 49th minute of the match. Great passing finished with the youngsters receiving the ball just beyond the top of the box and with one touch he hit it pure, with a gorgeous curling effort that found top corner, out of reach from the outstretched James Pantemis and into the back of the net for a stunning goal. The score marked Terry’s first LAFC and first ever MLS goal and it was one that is most definitely an early contender for goal of the season.

The final 15 minutes of the match ended with a flurry from both sides as they hunted for a late winner. It nearly looked like LAFC had found one, but a quick trip to the monitor for VAR showed Timmothy Tillman in an offside position during the build-up. Portland nearly countered with one at home, but solid defensive work saw them blocked near the line and kept out of the back of the goal. Just when it looked like LAFC were going to escape with a point on the road, it was Portland who found the bit of magic needed late. With just seconds remaining in stoppage time, a great ball far post was headed back into the middle of the box, where Portland forward Kevin Kelsy was waiting with a header of his own that sent it past the diving defense of LAFC, and into the back of the net for the late winner.

A result that almost felt expected given just how rotated the squad was coming into this match for an LAFC side that obviously prioritized Champions Cup this week, still left many of the visiting fans heartbroken. A hard fought performance from the youngsters on the team came up just short of leaving with a point. Now, the team can fully focus on the midweek matchup against Cruz Azul as they will undoubtedly be back to full strength for the second leg of that competition. However, the loss sees both the MLS clean sheet snapped and the unbeaten run to start the season ended, all in one swift last minute header from the home side.

Thoughts on the loss in Portland? Drop a comment for us below!

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