PORTLAND ā Opening the season with five straight road games due to the expansion project at Providence Park was rough for the Portland Timbers, as they scuffled to an 0-3-2 start.
Since returning to the Rose City, however, the Timbers have won two in a row ā and their coach believes theyāre heading in the right direction, as underlined by Sundayās impressive defeat of league leaders New York City FC.
āWe knew it was going to be a big challenge,ā first-year head coach Giovanni Savarese said in his postgame remarks. āI have been very happy with the discipline, the maturity of our team in how they approached the match and especially how they worked through the entire match to get a complete result.ā
Portland were happy to concede the lionās share of possession to NYCFC, defending in numbers and picking their moments to break out on the counterattack with menace.
āTheyāre a very good team. I think everyone has seen that this season,ā said center back Liam Ridgewell, who returned to the starting lineup for the first time since a poor outing in PTFCās 4-0 loss at the New York Red Bulls on March 10.
āThey like to move the ball a lot. They like to move positions a lot. Theyāve got a very good attacking front three and theyāve got people who can provide the ball. It was big for us to try and stay with our runners and keep it compact. They saw a lot of the ball, but they didnāt really get anywhere, so that was our main objective.ā
Giovanni Savarese and his coaching staff | USA Today Sports Images
Calling NYCFC āa fantastic team,ā Savarese hailed the Timbersā unity and organization in stifling the visitors, and also praised the support of the Providence Park faithful.
āHome is different because of our fans,ā Savarese said, ābut we've been progressing game after game.
āFrom the game [at] Dallasto Orlando, we have been growing every match. The past match against Minnesota and today, finally, a complete match in which the team was very disciplined. But we're home. Our fans are fantastic here. They are that extra energy that we need on a constant basis and it's incredible to play at home.ā
Savarese believes that a signature win against a strong opponent will lift his squad as they head into a bye week.
āIt gives us a belief that what we are doing is the right thing,ā he said. āIt is showing the players that when they are coming together to the same goal, we can achieve amazing things because we have a great group.
āWe have to continue to work. This is a long season. This is just one step. A very important step, but it is just one step.ā