The second leg of the Western Conference semifinal between the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps FC kicks off at 10 p.m. ET from BC Place, with the score level at 0-0 (FS1, TSN1, RDS1).
One of the most anticipated positional matchup entering this Cascadia playoff tie was between goalkeepers Adam Kwarasey and David Ousted. Both paced all MLS goalkeepers with 13 shutouts this season. But Kwarasey, Portland’s penalty kick hero, was held out of Sunday’s match with the flu, thrusting backup goalkeeper Jake Gleeson into the starting lineup. The 25-year-old delivered three saves and a clean sheet in his first MLS appearance since 2011. With Kwarasey expected back this week and no goals on the board, scoring will again be at a premium.
One of the most anticipated positional matchup entering this Cascadia playoff tie was between goalkeepers Adam Kwarasey and David Ousted. Both paced all MLS goalkeepers with 13 shutouts this season. But Kwarasey, Portland’s penalty kick hero, was held out of Sunday’s match with the flu, thrusting backup goalkeeper Jake Gleeson into the starting lineup. The 25-year-old delivered three saves and a clean sheet in his first MLS appearance since 2011. With Kwarasey expected back this week and no goals on the board, scoring will again be at a premium.
Enter Darlington Nagbe and Kekuta Manneh. The Timbers’ attack runs through Nagbe, whose creativity and vision has him on Jurgen Klinsmann’s radar. The 25-year-old midfielder was a force in the first leg, going box-to-box while creating chances for both himself and his teammates in the final third. Nagbe played under Timbers head coach Caleb Porter at Akron and appears to be discovering the game-to-game consistency that could propel him among the league’s elites. Manneh gave an equally electric performance, proving to be a constant threat in front of goal despite the lack of a final output. The 20-year-old hopes to join Nagbe on the U.S. Men’s National Team radar in the future, but will have to wait until he receives his U.S. passport in August 2016. Until then, one of Major League Soccer’s two players from The Gambia will continue commuting from Washington to Vancouver . That other Gambian, Pa Modou Kah, started 24 games for the ‘Caps this season but missed Sunday’s game with a knee sprain. Both his status and the health of midfield maestro Pedro Morales will help determine whether Vancouver can improve upon its MLS-worst 9-6-2 home record and advance to the Western Conference Championship.
By: Editor
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