The Portland Timbers’ 2024 season has been rocky, to say the least. They had a strong start with two wins and a draw in their first three games, but quickly succumbed to a two-month-long winless streak, sinking them to the bottom of the Western Conference table. However, they have since shown great promise for the rest of the season and it’s likely that the Timbers can make a significant comeback. In particular, the game against the San Jose Earthquakes on May 15 brought some hope back into the Timbers as they ended their winless streak.
The Timbers’ game against the San Jose Earthquakes started off poorly, with the Timbers down two goals at the half and no hope of catching up. Multiple slip-ups and intercepted passes from the Timbers quickly led to a lack of possession and movement up the field, as the Timbers repeatedly lost the ball in their own half. Maxime Crepeau, the Timbers goalkeeper, was the team’s only mechanism for preventing dangerous attacks by the Earthquakes’ offense during the first half.
However, the tide changed late into the second half. A controversial handball resulted in the Timbers’ first penalty kick of the night and a red card against San Jose resulting in the sending-off of San Jose’s Bruno Wilson. A handball in the 18-yard box that is deemed to be a “denial of obvious goalscoring opportunity” (or DOGSO) is typically an automatic red card, but the call of a handball was complex as the defender’s arm must have “made their body unnaturally bigger,” yet this was not necessarily clear from the view on the field. Regardless, the call was ruled a handball and the penalty kick was awarded. Evander confidently beat WIlliam Yarbrough, the San Jose goalkeeper, bringing the Timbers back into the game with a score of Timbers 1-2 San Jose.
Jonathan Rodriguez, the Timbers’ newest signing, and former player for América and Cruz Azul in Mexico, was brought on in the second half and scored directly after, tying the game up for the Timbers and bringing hope back to the players and the fans. The energy in the Timbers Army was noticeably different, as the Timbers skyrocketed back into contention in just 6 minutes.
The game continued to be competitive with multiple missed chances and strong drives, but with neither team able to finish. A rough foul in the San Jose 18-yard box resulted in a penalty kick for Felipe Mora, who brought the Timbers into the lead in the 90th minute. Rodriguez scored again in the 100th minute during stoppage time, sealing the game for the Timbers with a final score of Timbers 4-2 San Jose.
