The MLS preseason kicked off with a 90-minute matchup on Friday between the New York Red Bulls and the Portland Timbers.
It didn’t take long for the Red Bulls to charge ahead.
After a push up the sideline from New York defender Kemar Lawrence, Portland defender Rennico Clarke attempted to clear Lawrence’s cross into the box and instead scored an own goal in the fourth minute.
Portland coach Caleb Porter said he didn’t expect much considering the two teams played three 30-minute periods and employed a different lineup at the start of each. In that regard, he said, he wasn’t disappointed.
“We looked like we’ve been training four days,” Porter said. “We played 33 guys in 30 minutes, so there wasn’t a lot of rhythm and it was a bit choppy. That was to be expected … and I thought at times, the way New York was looking to press, it really cost us.”
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Play was quiet until the final seconds of the second period when New York earned a penalty kick after a nifty ball up the sideline and into the box.
Vincent Bezecourt calmly drilled the ball into the bottom left-hand corner of the net to give the Red Bulls a 2-0 lead heading into the final period of play.
During the final period, fans got a look at Portland’s Freddy Adu, who played the final 10 minutes and didn’t see the ball much. Adu, a former member of the U.S. National Team, attempted one shot but fired it well above the crossbar.
The rest of the final period passed relatively quietly, apart from Bezecourt nearly scoring his second goal on a curled shot that just missed the top right corner of the goal in the 82nd minute.
After the match, Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch reiterated much of what Porter said, but added he was pleased with his team’s effort in the first action of the preseason.
“The emphasis was to come down here and play MLS competition immediately,” Marsch said. “I think overall (it was) a really good performance from us. We were very organized … and we have a really good club here.”
Before the match, FC Tucson honored nearly 40 people ranging from current and former players, coaches and referees during the Tucson Legends of Soccer Night. Among the 39 people honored were longtime Salpointe Catholic High School boy’s soccer coach Wolfgang Weber and FC Tucson Women’s defender Analisa Marquez.
Fans will get another chance to see the Timbers Feb. 4 when Portland matches up with the Seattle Sounders in the second and final matchup of the 2017 Desert Friendlies. The Desert Diamond Cup, featuring more teams in a round-robin tournament format, begins Feb. 18.
