|
|
|
PORTLAND, Ore. - Gaston Fernandez is making the most of his new job with the Portland Timbers. The Argentine forward came to the Timbers earlier this year and already he has two goals — both equalizers — in Portlands first two games of the season. On Sunday, it was a goal that rebounded off Chicago goalkeeper Sean Johnson in the 79th minute to pull the Timbers to a 1-1 draw with the Fire. "Hes one of these guys who gets himself into great spots," Portland coach Caleb Porter said. "Hes not the biggest guy, but hes smart." Fernandezs goal in stoppage time gave the Timbers a 1-1 tie in the opener against Philadelphia last weekend. "Its always good to be able to score," Fernandez said through a translator following Sundays draw. "It feels good." Jeff Larentowicz scored on a penalty kick in the 19th minute for the Fire, who shook up their starting lineup after a 3-2 loss to Chivas in their opener. Portland dominated possession at 64 per cent, but several good chances at goals just missed. Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson was credited with six saves. "All in all, (Im) happy with the performance of the team," Fire coach Frank Yallop said. "Obviously, were not overly pleased we didnt get three points, but its a start for us and our building for the future." Yallop made changes by starting midfielder Benji Joya and forwards Harrison Shipp and Quincy Amarikwa. Shipp became the first Fire Homegrown Player to play in an MLS first-team match. Forward Orr Barouch remains out of Chicagos lineup as he continues to recover from a broken foot suffered while playing in Israel. For Portland, Futty Danso started in place of Pa Modou Kah, who is still nursing injuries from the opener. Both teams had opportunities early. Fire midfielder Alex got an open shot in the 9th minute, but goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts tipped it wide with a diving save. Will Johnsons free kick for Portland in the 12th minute was low and well off. The Fire got their first lead of the season when Amarikwa drew the foul in the penalty area and Larentowiczs penalty kick got past Ricketts in the 19th minute. On a free kick in the 39th minute, Johnsons bicycle kick went high and wide and the Fire went into the break with a 1-0 lead. The Timbers had what looked like a sure chance in the 56th minute, but Maximilliano Urruti slipped on his charge toward Sean Johnson in the Chicago goal. The Timbers got a scare a minute later when Ricketts went down after getting bumped by Amarikwa. Even after he got up and returned to the goal, he appeared shaken up. Ricketts finished with three saves. "These are valuable points, even at this point of the year," Portlands Will Johnson said. "And we feel like we left two points out there." Will Johnson said the Timbers are well aware that theyre being disadvantaged by slow starts. Both of Fernandez goals had come after Portland had already conceded one. "Its something we need to get right quickly," he said. Fire reserve Patrick Nyarko was sent off after a pair of yellow cards in the space of 13 minutes late in the game. Portland had won three previous meetings with the Fire, but last year the two teams played to a 2-all draw in Chicago. The Timbers were 2-0 against the Fire in Portland. Patrick McCaw Jersey .com) - Bradley Beals 22 points and seven rebounds helped the Washington Wizards erase a halftime deficit and top the Utah Jazz, 93-84, on Sunday. Sagaba Konate Jersey . Weise will have his hearing with the NHL head office over the phone, while the league has requested an in-person hearing with Kassian. Oilers centre Sam Gagner suffered a broken jaw after getting hit with a high stick from Kassian in Edmontons 5-2 win. https://www.raptorsrookiesshop.com/Pascal-Siakam-City-Edition-Jersey/ .Tzavelas opened the scoring in the 11th and Pereyra added another in the 51st. Emmanuel Kone pulled one back in the 80th and Levadiakos missed several chances to level in the last 10 minutes. Cameron Payne Jersey . "I honestly dont know," he said. Try this: 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds by Rajon Rondo, a 62-37 rebounding advantage by the Celtics and a horrible 4-for-30 shooting performance on 3-pointers by the Nets. Devin Robinson Raptors Jersey . Playing in his fourth major league game, Polanco broke a tie in the 13th inning with his first homer, helping Pittsburgh to an 8-6 victory over the Miami Marlins after the Pirates had a ninth-inning meltdown.OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Memphis Grizzlies might have all summer to think their dismal effort Thursday night. The Grizzlies could have closed out the Thunder at home, but Oklahoma City jumped on them from the start and rolled to a 20-point victory. Now, Memphis must play Game 7 on the road Saturday without scoring leader Zach Randolph and possibly point guard Mike Conley. Randolph was suspended for punching Steven Adams in the jaw late in Game 6. The Grizzlies had no comment on the NBAs decision after landing in Oklahoma City, according to team spokesman Jason Wallace. Conley strained his right hamstring in the loss and is struggling to recover. Memphis backup point guard, Nick Calathes, is out for the series because of a drug suspension, meaning No. 3 point guard Beno Udrih will likely carry more responsibility against Russell Westbrook and Reggie Jackson, two of the quickest point guards in the NBA. Conley said Friday that he plans to play, but he expects to be sore. "Me being banged up, youre going to have to ask more out of different guys, see a lot of guys step up," he said. "Were still excited and confident going into tomorrows game, regardless of injuries and how last nights game went." Memphis coach Dave Joergers team has dealt with injuries and lineup changes all season. Tony Allen missed 27 games this season, Marc Gasol 23 and Conley nine. Kosta Koufos and Ed Davis will likely fill Randolphs minutes. "This is it," Joerger said. "Whatever you want to say about the season, its all come down to one game. Certainly, for us to have the best chance to win, we have to play better than we did last night." Even with the issues the Grizzlies face, nothing has been certain in this matchup. The home team has won just twice in a series that has featured four overtime games. Thunder star Kevin Durant said Game 7 is like playing in the NCAA tournament. "You dont have no other option but to win," he said. "You cant get the game back. Its Game 7. You have to be ready to go." The teams have met in the playoffs three of the past four years. Oklahoma City beat Memphis in seven games in the 2011 Western Conference semifinals. "I remember the feeling afterward, and I dont want to repeat that," Gasol said. If the Grizzliess cant control Westbrook, a repeat is possible.ddddddddddddWestbrook, who at times has played recklessly in the series, scored an efficient 25 points on Thursday and engineered an offence that shot 49 per cent. His willingness to set up his teammates helped Durant score 14 points in the first quarter. "He was really mindful of looking for guys and finding guys early, picking and choosing his spots well," Durant said. Durant bounced back from his recent struggles with 36 points and 10 rebounds in Game 6. He made 6 of 10 shots in the first quarter Thursday night to set the tone and went 11 for 23 from the field. "Kevin just came out with a different kind of assertiveness last game," Oklahoma City guard Caron Butler said. "He was just real precise and he was vocal." The Grizzlies said they cant allow Durant to get going like that again or their season might be over. "We have to be better at finding him," Allen said. "We understand what he wants to do. Weve just got to be the aggressors on the defensive end. We understand coming into this series, hes going to be an MVP-type player, and we just have to be ready." Thunder coach Scott Brooks, who rarely makes lineup changes, started Butler at shooting guard over Thabo Sefolosha in Game 6. Butler, a better offensive threat than Sefolosha, helped space the floor and opened lanes for Durant and Westbrook. Brooks said Butler will remain in the starting lineup for Saturdays game. Brooks also played Adams more than usual in Game 6, and he responded with five blocks in 21 minutes on Thursday. Brooks said Adams earned the increase in playing time with his hard work in practice and his improvement throughout the season. The game could come down to tempo. In Games 1 and 6, the two matchups with a quicker pace, the Thunder won by double digits. Memphis turned the other four games into slower-paced, grind-it-out overtime battles and won three of them. "It makes for great storylines, but it comes down to playing good basketball," Brooks said. "Executing on both ends, making shots along the way, just continuing to play together and understanding that theres going to be some runs by either team that you have to stay focused and stay together through, and just being committed to what we want to do each possession." ' ' '
« Sidney Powell responds after Trump campaign says she is not part of legal team: | k narrowed it to 83 » |
|
Board Statistics
The forum has 2168
topics
and
2220
posts.
0 members have been online today: |