Fanendo Adi (green) of the Timbers goes against Jelle Van Demme of the Galaxy on Saturday. The Timbers defeated the Galaxy 1 – 2. Photo by Michael Janosz.
The Portland Timbers finished their 2017 preseason schedule with a 2-1 win against the LA Galaxy on Saturday night at the StubHub Center. Timber forward, Fanendo Adi, showed an impressive performance, scoring a goal in each half and extending his tally to six goals scored during the preseason. Midfielder Diego Valeri notched two assists in the match and ultimately assisting the team to victory.
Scoring was opened midway through the first half when Valeri was able to slip Adi in behind the Galaxy defense. This brought the Timbers to a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute.
In the second half, Portland doubled its lead by winning the ball outside the 18-yard box. Valeri gained possession, drove in to the 18-yard box, and passed the ball to Adi, who then successfully made it into the bottom corner in the 56th minute. That was his second goal of the game.
Throughout the match, Portland had several scoring opportunities, notably midfielder Sebastián Blanco’s effort on defender Liam Ridgewell’s pass in the 17th minute, which instigated a strong save from goalkeeper Brian Rowe. Adi also made a powerful strike that was ultimately deflected wide of the near post in the 23rd minute. Valeri was then just shy of producing the team’s first goal of the game when he chipped the ball just wide of the target in a one-on-one moment.
Portland’s defense was strong, as they successfully blocked the Galaxy’s efforts for 80 minutes by limiting the home side to four shots on target. The Galaxy’s only goal of the game happened with nine minutes left when defender Daniel Steres made a close-range header from a set piece.
Portland will open the 2017 MLS regular season at Providence Park on Friday, March 3 against Minnesota United FC at 6:30 P.M. (Pacific). The game will be broadcast live on FS1 with local radio broadcasts on 750 AM/102.9 FM The Game (English) and La Grand 1150 AM/93.5 FM (Spanish).
