3 minutes stoppage time… Shit Portland scores, BUT goal called back due to shove in the back by Portland PHEW
Thank heavens it is over. At the end, thought Portland would score for sure Final score 2 to 2, Fire is in first place. Equal to Toronto in points, but up on goal diff.
Rough seven days - 120 minute match- two games on road- two games on turf- missing key components in all three. Fire have played 300 minutes of Soccer in that time and only let in two goals. A hard earned 1 point - but some guys got minutes in a tough place to visit.
Just wait for when this team has that stretch of 5 of 6 games on the road. I don't care about injuries, good teams overcome them. That stretch will be the real test if this team can hack it. I'm still not convinced they can win on the road. Cincinnati exposed that this team cannot break down a solid bunker.
Well everyone stayed awake till the end. Scrappy point on the road. Defensively in front of black line still lack physical presence. Link up play between forwards need more time to build understanding .
I'm back to not believing in Pauno. I'm not sure why Johnson is not playing. He must be too aggressive for Pauno's bunker system. Why does Alvarez continue to play the full 90, but Accam needs to be subbed off? Accam did not play in the US Open Cup match that went the full 120 minutes, but Alvarez did. On Saturday against the US, Accam played 45 minutes, but Alvarez played all 90 against Vancouver. He subs out Accam and Soft Feet who are probably the fastest guys in the midfield for the Fire so the opponent doesn't really have to worry about the counter at all. In hindsight, Connor should have started at RB and Polster should have taken Basti's spot. Neither Soft Feet nor Juninho are capable of the defending needed in front of the back 4. I will take a point on the road especially missing Dax and Basti, but I still feel uneasy without at least one of those two.
The Fire did just enough to earn the draw. They scrambled well on the Portland corners to prevent any goals off them. That's quite a difference from the last few years when they gave up oodles of goals off corners. They battled enough on defense to blunt most Timber attacks. The first Portland goal was one of those twists of fate that happen in a game. Not much you can do about it. But the Fire came back to even the score and take the lead. Considering some of the twists that have occurred in Portland in the past, I'll take a draw. Providence Park is a snake pit, turf, and a horrendous long trip. After short rest and short turnarounds between games including the extra time game in Cincinnati, anything other than a loss is great. The Alvarez versus Accam sub decision was probably because Alvarez is a better possession player and better defensively. Accam has speed, but can be fairly easily dispossessed of the ball leading to awkward counters. Throw in that Accam just returned from Ghana national team duty which involved significant travel, it looks like a pretty logical decision to me. The hard fought draw keeps the unbeaten streak alive and is a much better way to go into an extended break. Nikolic said at halftime he didn't touch the first goal, so it's definitely an Alvarez goal. I'll give the coaches the benefit of the doubt about Mikhailovic versus Johnson. They see these players everyday in practice. Also, Johnson didn't have his best game against Cincy, either. I suspect that they must see something special in Mikhailovic that convinces them they must give him time in games. So, let's kick back, relax, and enjoy a little CONCACAF Gold Cup action, hopefully with some stellar play by McCarty. He has a chance to establish himself as a replacement for the aging Kyle Beckermann as Michael Bradley's backup.