Iu ly B . 2011 Page 21 Timbers Lose to Sounders, 3-2 ûifit P hoto by M indy C oopek /P ortland O bserver In their final goal of the game, Timber’s Jorge Perlaza scored Timber’s second goal when he took a shot from inside the penalty box, and the ball deflected off Tyson Wahl's leg into the net. C ari H achmann A bitter air of defeat lingered in a sold-out stadium Sunday afternoon as the Timbers and 18,627 fans watched arch-rival to the north Se­ attle Sounders celebrate a 3 -2 vic­ tory on Portland’s home turf. In a promising first half, the Tim­ bers held strong offensively, scor­ ing two goals and twice leading Seattle; 1-0 seconds after the 45 minute-mark and 2-1 by the 69th minute. Portland’s upset arrived in the second half, when a defensive break­ down left room for the Sounders to punch three balls in the home team’s net. Seattle tied the game 1-1 in the 57th minute, 2-2 in the 74th minute, and finished the game 3-2 off a pen­ alty kick in the 83rd minute. Having lost six out of the last seven games, Portland’s devastat­ ing defeat was the third sting in a streak ofzero wins (5-9-3,18 points). As the team walked off the field visibly hurt and disappointed, the two scorers held up their log slices for the Timbers Army who urged their beloved team to keep chins up. by "This is the worst loss by far," P o rtlan d d e fe n d e r M am adou “Futty” Danso said. "Losing to your rivals like that is definitely not an easy thing to take," reported the Oregonian. Simple mistakes made in the last 45 minutes; malfunctions in setting up a wall, unmarked scorers roam­ ing inside the box, and runners slip­ ping behind the defense, cost the Timbers the most goals they’ve al­ lowed in the second half all season. “If you can't defend, you're not going to win games," Portland coach John Spencer said. "We did enough offensively, but defensively, (if) we keep leaking goals, we're not going to win the game," reported the Or­ egonian. Timbers’ first goal was lead by Kalif Alhassan, who blew past a Sounder defender and crossed the ball toward Jorge Perlaza, but was deflected off defender Jeff Parke's foot, into the goal. Perlaza scored Tim ber’s second goal and his fourth of the season when he took a shot from inside the penalty box and the ball deflected photo by C ari H achmann /P ortland O bserver In a clean tackle, Timber’s defender Eric Brunner, 25, wins the ball from Sounder defender Tyson Wahl, 27. Despite aggressive offense in the first half and two goals in the early second, the Portland Timbers’ fell short defensively, and Seattle Sounders walked away with a 3-2 win. off Tyson Wahl's leg into the net. Freddy M ontero scored the Sounders’ first two goals, one a free kick and the other from a wide open pass in front of the goal. Osvaldo Alonso finished the Sounders’ final goal; a penalty shot called after the referee whistled a high kick in the box by Tim bers’ Eric Brunner. On a game high note, during a halftime ESPN announcement. Ma­ jo r League Soccer selected Portland Timbers midfielder and captain Jack Jewsbury, 30, to the 2011 AT&T MLS All-Star First XI. As part of the First XI, Jewsbury was one of the top vote-getters at the midfield position for the 2011 MLS All-Star squad based upon combined fan voting on three plat­ forms - online at MLSsoccer.com, via text message and Twitter. His first MLS All-Star selection in his ninth MLS season, Jewsbury leads the Timbers in scoring this season with four goals and six as­ sists, giving him 14 points for the season. The Portland Timbers play Chi­ cago away Saturday, July 16 at 5:30 PDT at Toyota Park and West Bromwich on Wednesday, July 20 at 8:00 pm at home at Jeld-Wen field. Chiropractic Auto Injury Clinic, PC Zchon R. Jones, DC 333 NE Russell St., #200, Portland, OR. 97212 (503) 284-7838 Truly making a difference in the lives of Auto Accident victims and Injured Workers for nearly 20 years. If you or someone you know has been in an accident, call us so we can help you with your needs. (503) 284-7838 We are located on the corner ofM LK and Russell Street, on the second floor above the coffee shop. c 5* B * Pakin« .Area JU N E Russell *200 PHOTO BY CARI H a CHMANN/T h E PORTLAND OBSERVER Along with victory chants, green and white flags, Timbers ’ scarves and clenched fists ascend in billows of smoke above loyal Portland fans as they celebrate the home team’s second goal at Jeld W e n Stadium. tç O. E H 1 K O l> R A C 1 1 c Russell St S Œ IIHAR O