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Portland Timbers MLS

USSF finds “insufficient evidence” of racial abuse in Portland Timbers-LAFC US Open Cup quarterfinal game

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USOC PDX-LAX FINALThe United States Soccer Federation issued a statement on Friday regarding an alleged “racial epithet” used in the cup quarterfinal between LAFC and Portland Timbers. Here’s the full statement:

The U.S. Open Cup Adjudication and Discipline Panel has conducted a hearing and reviewed evidence concerning alleged use of a racial epithet directed at LAFC player Adama Diomande by a Portland Timbers player during the U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal match on July 18, 2018, in Los Angeles.

The Panel found that there was insufficient evidence to conclude that a racial epithet was used but as a matter of principle, the Panel condemned all forms of racial abuse, stating the use of a racial epithet has no place on or off the soccer field.

“U.S. Soccer bylaws expressly prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin, among other protected characteristics, and the FIFA Code of Ethics provides in relevant part that players shall not ‘offend the dignity or integrity of a … person … through contemptuous, discriminatory or denigratory words or actions on account of race, skin colour, ethnicity.’”

As part of the review, the Panel heard from all players involved. It should be clearly noted that the accused player strongly denies using a racial epithet. The panel also reviewed the match official’s report, along with written statements and video evidence provided by the clubs. After reviewing all of the available information, the Panel found no other individual that was able to confirm they heard the alleged use of the racial epithet.

While in no way diminishing the serious allegation, the Panel also took into consideration that the alleged incident occurred while multiple speakers spoke at the same time in multiple languages during a tense situation, which could allow one individual to misunderstand another individual.

In their written decision, the U.S. Open Cup Adjudication and Discipline Panel explained:

“…this is a case of a dispute over what was said between players on the playing field, amidst noise, confusion and multiple speakers speaking at once and in at least two languages. The match official did not hear the statement in question and did not issue a caution based on the incident, nor did any other player in the vicinity come forward to confirm they heard the alleged statement…Given the possibility that it is always possible to mishear or misunderstand another individual in a tense situation, the Panel concluded it does not have a basis to value the credibility of one player over another in this matter.”

In short, USSF says there’s insufficient evidence. This should be the end of the story, but it seems the Portland Timbers ruffled some feathers with their statement on Thursday. Here’s their statement

LAFC, the side that won that match,  responded with their statement on Friday. It reads as follows:

During the U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal match on July 18 in Los Angeles, there was an on-field incident involving a Portland Timbers player allegedly calling LAFC forward Adama Diomande a racial slur.

We respect the U.S. Open Cup Adjudication and Discipline Panel process and their thorough investigation. LAFC accepts U.S. Soccer’s finding that the matter was inconclusive based on insufficient evidence and did not have a basis to value the credibility of one player over another in this matter.

We are disappointed that the Portland Timbers issued a statement that was dismissive of our player and the investigation by concluding it “simply did not happen”. We stand by Adama Diomande and his courageous public statement.

LAFC remain committed to creating a safe, positive, welcoming and inclusive environment for all players and fans at Banc of California Stadium. This is what our Club stands for as we continue to work to Unite the World’s City Through the World’s Game.

This all comes after Portland filed a protest regarding LAFC’s use of international players, which they eventually withdrew. In the end, neither team will be playing for the Cup. LAFC reached the Semifinals before losing in penalty kicks to Houston.

2018 US Open Cup Round 5: With Blanco’s goal, Portland Timbers hold off LA Galaxy to reach Quarterfinals

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Sebastian Blanco of the Portland Timbers scored the lone goal in a 1-0 home win against the LA Galaxy in the Fifth Round of the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Allison Andrews | SoccerCityUSA.com
Sebastian Blanco of the Portland Timbers scored the lone goal in a 1-0 home win against the LA Galaxy in the Fifth Round of the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Allison Andrews | SoccerCityUSA.com

Timbers head coach Gio Savarese lamented numerous chances the Portland Timbers left on the table the last time his club played the Los Angeles Galaxy in MLS league play. The 1-all draw broke the Timbers’ winning  streak at six, but Savarese was hoping for better offensive efficiency and more cohesive defense.

Thirteen days later, the same two sides were paired up in the Fifth Round of the 2018 US Open Cup at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon, but the tune from Savarese was very much different. Behind a stout defense, stellar goalkeeping from Jeff Attinella and a Sebastian Blanco goal in the 30th minute, the Timbers used a complete team effort to hold off the Los Angeles Galaxy to advance in the tournament. Portland now awaits the June 20 meeting between the Sacramento Republic (USL) and Los Angeles Football Club (MLS) at Banc of California Stadium to learn who and where they will play, as the Republic/LAFC winner will host the Timbers on July 18 in the Open Cup Quarterfinals.

For the Timbers, it will be the club’s third all-time appearance in the Quarterfinals, and the first since 2014.

Savarese made the tactical decision to sit leading scorer Diego Valeri, instead opting for a two-forward attack with Fanendo Adi and Samuel Armenteros up top. Savarese also changed up the formation to use four midfielders in a more traditional 4-4-2 approach versus the “Christmas Tree” formation used over the last few weeks. Savarese gave Lawrence Olum and Diego Chara the task of patrolling the middle and keeping tabs on the Galaxy’s midfield engine of Servando Carrasco and Perry Kitchen. Finally, Savarese gave the creative controls of the Timbers’ offense to Blanco, and he responded with five chances created, an 84 percent passing accuracy, and the team leader in fouls won.

While Armenteros challenged the Galaxy with his speed and Adi used his size, Blanco challenged all night with his guile and passion and the Timbers rallied around him repeatedly.

Samuel Armenteros of the Portland Timbers dribbles the ball against Servando Carrasco of the LA Galaxy in the Fifth Round of the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Allison Andrews | SoccerCityUSA.com
Samuel Armenteros of the Portland Timbers dribbles the ball against Servando Carrasco of the LA Galaxy in the Fifth Round of the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Allison Andrews | SoccerCityUSA.com

Los Angeles has seen their season go very up and down, but Galaxy head coach Sigi Schmid had to feel good after watching young forward Ariel Lassiter carry the Galaxy over their Fourth Round win over FC Golden State Force, and the Galaxy dismantle Real Salt Lake at home behind a brace from Zlatan Ibrahimović. With Zlatan traveling overseas, Schmid turned to his veteran playmakers in Ola Kamara, Chris Pontius and Emmanuel Boateng to break down the Timbers defense.

However, the Galaxy never appeared in sync for much of the match as Lassiter’s 89th minute near miss being their best overall chance on the night. Credit should be given to the Timbers’ defensive line of Larrys Mabiala, Vytas, Bill Tuiloma and Zarek Valentin, who worked seamlessly to frustrate the Galaxy and keep Attinella from facing too many chances.

While Armenteros and Chara were active on the offense early, it was Blanco that ended up tallying the Timbers’ 50th US Open Cup goal in the 30th minute. After a buildup on the right-hand flank, Timbers defender Zarek Valentin dropped a cross outside the box to Adi, who executed a lovely drop pass to a charging Blanco on the right. The Timbers midfielder dribbled left quickly and launched a shot that trickled past Galaxy goalkeeper Dave Bingham for the night’s only tally.

Armenteros nearly extended the Timbers’ lead with several key chances between the 53rd and 60th minutes, including hitting the woodwork with a dipping shot off a Valentin cross, but the Timbers would not extend their lead any further. The Galaxy did their best to increase the intensity late to challenge Attinella, but Lassiter’s missile would be their best opportunity to equalize.

With the win, the Timbers eliminate a Southern California team (amateur or professional) for just the second time. The only SoCal team that Portland had defeated prior to Friday night was the Bakersfield Brigade of the Premier Development League.

2018 US Open Cup Round 5 preview, live video: Timbers, Galaxy square off in rare Friday night match

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The Portland Timbers and Los Angeles Galaxy met for the first time in the Round of 16 of the 2016 US Open Cup.
The Portland Timbers and Los Angeles Galaxy met for the first time in the Round of 16 of the 2016 US Open Cup.

LIVE VIDEO TONIGHT (11 p.m. ET kickoff)

The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Round of 16 kicks off tonight with the Portland Timbers hosting MLS opponent the Los Angeles Galaxy at Providence Park.

This is just the fifth time in the Modern Era (1995-present) that a Major League Soccer team has played in a US Open Cup game on a Friday. The last one came in 1999 when the Colorado Rapids edged the Tampa Bay Mutiny 1-0 in a Quarterfinal match that doubled as a MLS regular season game. The 1998 US Open Cup Final between the Chicago Fire and the Columbus Crew took place on a Friday.

The Timbers are looking to extend a nine-game unbeaten streak across all competitions that reaches back into early April and includes a 1-1 draw against the Galaxy on June 2. That streak also includes the team’s 2-0 home win over the San Jose Earthquakes in the Fourth Round of the US Open Cup. In that match, Portland looked to Diego Chara for leadership of a starting XI populated by both first team starters as well as call-ups from the club’s USL franchise, T2. With the World Cup break, Portland supporters can expect to see more first-teamers in the line up.

Speaking of first-teamers, the Timber’s offense is led by Diego Valeri (6 goals) and Sebastian Blanco (5 goals), who have accounted for 11 of the team’s 20 goals in league play.

The Galaxy have had their own struggles this year despite winning their MLS home opener against the Timbers 2-1 in early March. They suffered a stretch during the season when they lost five of six matches. However, they have done well lately, earning three wins and that draw with Portland in their last five matches (3-1-1). This has moved them the table into their current position of eighth place in the Western Conference and back within striking distance of a playoff spot.

The Galaxy will likely feature more first team players with the World Cup giving players a break, but Los Angeles will be without superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic, their leading scorer (7 goals in 11 matches). Ibrahimovic was in Moscow Thursday for the start of the FIFA World Cup to promote a new Visa product.

HISTORY

Portland Timbers FC (MLS)
14th US Open Cup appearance (7th as MLS)
Overall: 15-12-1 (0-1 PK) | 8-6-0 as MLS
Home: 7-6-1 (0-1 PK) | 5-2-0 as MLS
vs. MLS teams: 5-8-1 (0-1 PK) | 5-5-0 as MLS
Best finish: 2013 Semifinals (Lost 2-1 at Real Salt Lake of MLS)

Over the years, the Timbers have struggled against Southern California teams in US Open Cup, famously falling to a pair of SoCal amateur sides: Hollywood United in 2008 and Eric Wynalda’s Cal FC squad in 2012. Most recently, in 2016, they lost 1-0 to the Galaxy in the Round of 16 on a first half goal by Raul Mendiola. The Timbers have an Open Cup history that dates back to their USL days when they made their tournament debut in 2004. They never advanced beyond the Fourth Round as a USL team, and their best finish as a MLS franchise came in 2013 when they lost 2-1 to Real Salt Lake in the Semifinals.

Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
18th US Open Cup appearance

Overall: 31-15-1 (1-0 PK)
Away: 9-12-1 (1-0 PK)
vs. MLS teams: 12-11-1 (1-0 PK)
Best finish: 2001, 2005 champions

After winning the club’s second US Open Cup title in 2005, the Galaxy returned to the Final the following year. They lost to the Chicago Fire 3-1 and that began a dark period for the Galaxy in the tournament, which some could argue was a shift in priorities as David Beckham arrived in 2007. From that point on, the Galaxy were eliminated by the Richmond Kickers (USL Second Division) in 2007, failed to qualify in 2008 and 2009, lost their second game to the Sounders in back-to-back years (2010, 2011), then lost three years in a row to the NASL’s Carolina RailHawks on the road (2012-14). Since 2015, the draw has been more kind to the Galaxy as the federation has put a greater emphasis on minimizing travel (i.e. no more trips to the East Coast). The Galaxy have reached the Quarterfinals in each of the last three years, including a run to the Semifinals in 2016 where they lost eventual champions FC Dallas in extra time. Los Angeles is tied with D.C. United with 12 US Soccer Majors, which is the most in the Modern Era. Is this the year they can snap their 13-year US Open Cup trophy drought and break that tie with United?

2017 US Open Cup Round 4: Seattle Sounders win reserves-heavy rematch with Portland Timbers

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Aaron Kovar of the Seattle Sounders celebrates his 3rd minute goal in the club's Fourth Round match against the Portland Timbers in the 2017 US Open Cup. Photo: Seattle Sounders
Aaron Kovar of the Seattle Sounders celebrates his 3rd minute goal in the club’s Fourth Round match against the Portland Timbers in the 2017 US Open Cup. Photo: Seattle Sounders

In 2015, the last time the Seattle Sounders met the Portland Timbers in the US Open Cup, the match featured a 3-1 Seattle home loss, three red cards and Clint Dempsey ripping up the referee’s notebook. This time around, the Sounders were able to enact their revenge.

Aaron Kovar opened the scoring early on for Seattle, and Zack Mathers contributed the game-deciding penalty kick in the second half, as the Sounders knocked off the Timbers 2-1 in the Fourth Round of the 2017 US Open Cup at Starfire Sports Complex.

The game had barely kicked off before the Sounders opened the scoring. In just the third minute, Nouhou Tolo whipped in a cross from the left wing that eluded three Timbers defenders, falling for an open Kovar to slam home.

Kovar was one of a small number of Sounders in the lineup with previous experience playing for the first team, and served as the spearhead of the attack while he was on the field.

“It felt good,” Kovar said. “That was my first competitive start in a while so it was good to get back.”

Seattle had the run of play for the first 30 minutes before Portland started to work their way into the game. Ben Zemanski was the main orchestrator of the Timbers offense, and he helped create their equalizer in the 38th minute. His well-taken corner kick to the back post was nodded down by Rennico Clarke and bundled into the net by Augustine Williams. The Timbers nearly got a second just before the halftime whistle, with an outstretched save from Tyler Miller keeping Zemanksi’s laser of a shot from finding the net.

To start the second half Seattle raced into the attack with renewed energy. That quickly turned into a penalty kick when Felix Chenkam’s close-range shot was blocked by a Portland arm in the box. Mathers stepped up and calmly rolled his penalty into the right side of the net to give the Sounders back the lead. Portland occasionally threatened during the rest of the half but never came particularly close to scoring again.

While this meeting featured the tension and chippy play that is expected when these two bitter Cascadia rivals face off, it did not get quite as explosive as their famous 2015 match – with just one yellow card handed out on the night. Part of that may have been due to both teams fielding lineups relying heavily on players called up from their second teams in the USL, T2 and S2. Portland signed 11 such T2 players to short-term, first-team contracts to play in the match and Seattle signed nine S2 players of their own.

Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer gave credit to those call-ups for helping earn the victory and praised the growth of the Sounders organization as a whole.

“There’s been a lot of hard work by Ezra and the academy guys and that’s pushing up to our level,” Schmetzer said. “I thought all of our S2 players played extremely well.”

It was Schmetzer’s first US Open Cup match as full-time manager of the club in MLS. He was at the reins for Seattle when they played in the USL, and guided the then-minor league team to back-to-back Semifinal cup runs in 2007 and 2008.

The Sounders will find out who they face in the next round of this year’s tournament during the Round of 16 draw on June 15.

“This club’s had a lot of success in this tournament and I won it one year, so that was a pretty cool experience,” Kovar said. “It would be fun to do it again.”

2016 US Open Cup Round 5: Los Angeles Galaxy edge Portland Timbers to reach Quarterfinals

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Photo: Diego Diaz for ProstAmerika.
Photo: Diego Diaz for ProstAmerika.

It seemed like the ideal situation.

For years, the Portland Timbers have played the majority of their Open Cup matches on the road in hostile environments (see: last year’s win against Seattle at Starfire) but finally, the cards had fallen their favor: first one, then a second home match.

But their opponent in that second match, the LA Galaxy, proved to be too much for the Timbers to handle.

“It’s disappointing to be out of the competition,” Portland head coach Caleb Porter said after Portland’s 1-0 loss to the Galaxy Wednesday night at Providence Park. “I think what makes it even more disappointing is losing the home game. Obviously this year, we had a couple games at home and if we would have won this one, we would have been back at home.”

“I thought we lost the game in the first ten minutes,” Porter continued. “I thought the last 80 minutes, we were the better team.”

The lone goal of the game came in that first ten minutes when a fifth minute pass from Emmanuel Boateng found Raul Mendiola 15 yards out. Mendiola put the ball into the bottom corner past Portland keeper Wade Hamilton and that was that.

Where the Timbers struggled to find their defensive footing (the team’s MLS lineup is captained by veteran centerback Liam Ridgewell, who was not included on its Open Cup roster), LAG’s defenders allowed no space for Portland to move offensively.

“It’s a game of moments,” Porter said. “Too much back-foot defending, you need to be more aggressive. I do think a part of that was not having Ridgy in there. He’s the guy that leads the line. You sort it out over the next 80 minutes and it wasn’t sorted out.”

“We played very well,” Galaxy manager Bruce Arena said. “We have a very good team, we just haven’t had it together this year for long periods of time…It was a game we thought we could win and I was real pleased we could come here and walk away with the win.”

“I was surprised so many people came out,” Arena said. “The field’s much better this year with the new surface. It’s never easy, but if you have to play on an artificial field, this is the one to play on. The combination of a great environment and the fact that you can play a little bit on this field as opposed to some of the others is good. All the credit always to the Portland supporters. They do a magnificent job for their team. You know, one day, we’d like to see the whole league look like Portland in terms of their base of support.”

FULL MATCH REPLAY

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