PORTLAND — The Portland Timbers’ home-field advantage for this year’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament did not last long.
The Los Angeles Galaxy struck early, then made it tough on the Timbers attack the rest of the evening for a 1-0 win on Wednesday that eliminates Portland from the national tournament. Los Angeles will host Seattle in the quarterfinal round on July 20.
The Galaxy struck in the fifth minute when Raul Mendiola cut in from the right wing to find space near the top of the 18-yard box to collect a pass from Emmanuel Boateng. His left-footed shot skidded past goalkeeper Wade Hamilton and inside the left post.
Timbers coach Caleb Porter said the loss is especially disappointing because after years of going on the road for Open Cup matches, the Timbers would have hosted Seattle in the quarterfinals.
Porter praised the support from the 18,164 who turned out at Providence Park.
“I’m sorry we let them down,” he said.
The letdown came early. Portland’s back four of Taylor Peay, Nat Borchers, Jermaine Taylor and Zarek Valentin got caught deep and given space Mendiola delivered a quality low shot.
“The first 10 minutes we were dropping off too much. I thought we were not tackling enough at the back,” Porter said. “We needed to step the (defensive) line up and squeeze the space better.”
The crowd did see Darlington Nagbe, who went the distance in his return from a month with the United States national team.
“He needs (playing time). He’s been away and he hasn’t played much. I thought he was outstanding,” Porter said.
The Timbers coach also listed Darren Mattocks’ first half and Jack Barmby’s 72 minutes as promising performances.
Porter inserted first-choice players Diego Valeri, Fanendo Adi and Lucas Melano for the final half hour, but the Timbers struggled find routes through the compact Galaxy defense. Their best chance was a flick header from Adi near the six-yard box that went wide in the 87th minute.
Other than a series of first-half counter attack chances – including breakaways for Jack McInerney (saved) and Barmby (who stumbled), Portland was left to try its luck from distance. Nagbe saw two shots whistle narrowly wide from outside the area and Barmby saw his shot from 28 yards spin just wide.
Rookie goalkeeper Hamilton, who stepped in for Jake Gleeson, was credited with two second-half saves. The Timbers starting lineup had plenty of experience and potential firepower, but Portland directed only one of its 13 shots on target.
If there is a silver lining for Porter and the Timbers, it is that exiting the tournament creates a small break in a busy part of July. The Timbers host Montreal, Seattle and Los Angeles for MLS matches between July 13 and July 23. A win Wednesday would have added a July 20 home match against the Sounders.
Ultimately, an early defensive lapse and some smart, compact defending from the Galaxy, added up to a shorter-than-hoped tournament run for Portland.
The Timbers return to MLS play on Monday, visiting Colorado for a 6 p.m. Fourth of July match.
