(SUN BOWL STADIUM, El Paso, TX) - The future looked bright for the El Paso Patriots.
"Looked" being the operative word.
Riding a four-match win streak into a seven-match homestand, getting the first goal of the match in the fourth minute, the Patriots appeared to be riding momentum's wave right over the hapless Portland Timbers, who began a two-game road swing at 3:30 a.m. the morning of the match and continued it with a few more hours of air travel to Milwaukee the next day.
But the Northwest woods are populated by a hardy breed, and the Timbers withstood the Patriots' attempt at a tsunami, scoring the final three goals of the match in the second half to win, 3-1.
El Paso looked to be ready to prove they belonged near the head of the class after two home wins over Indianapolis, followed by yet another win at Indy and one the next night in Cincinnati.
The Patriots started the match with hard runs into the Portland area and struck paydirt in just the fourth minute. Laurenco Andrade took a deflected clearance of a long ball played up the middle and made a bee line straight up the gut at Portland goalkeeper Curtis Spiteri. Andrade's point-blank shot was saved, but was too hard for Spiteri to stop, and the rebound came directly to winger Enrique Cervantes who popped it into an empty net for the score.
The Timbers rarely encroached into the Patriots' defensive zone in the first half, and their best chance was shutdown by goalkeeper Scott Alexander.
Late in the first half forward McKinley Tennyson received a long pass, finding himself 10 yards away from the nearest El Paso defender. But as he approached the area, Tennyson took his eyes off the ball for a split second to gauge Alexander, who came thundering off his line for the challenge. Tennyson had to slow the ball to regain control and when he fired the ball Alexander had cut the angle to almost zero. Sliding in, the former Cal-State Fullerton star robbed Tennyson point blank and held onto the ball for good measure.
El Paso kept coming at the Timbers in waves, creating a number of chances in the Portland box. The Timbers, for their part, started the match looking tired from the flight and gametime temperatures in the low 90's.
But the sun set on El Paso.
A number of Patriot chances but no Patriot goals gave hope to the Timbers, who kept playing their game, pushing the ball up to forwards Tennyson and Byron Alvarez. After making some adjustments at the half, Portland came out swinging.
El Paso's swing came out in the 62nd minute.
Sidnei dos Santos, who usually runs things in the middle for the Patriots, was actually playing in the midfield. The Brazilian's presence, defensive ability and ball distribution simplifies the game for a team prone to dance with the ball at times.
But dos Santos was also one week removed from an ugly collision with Indianapolis' Mark Allen that resulted in a slight concussion. Head coach Fernando Gutierrez probably thought things were going well enough to give one of his stars a deserved rest.
Unfortunately, dos Santos may have been the plug that was holding the water in the dam.
Using their size advantage to great effect, Tennyson and company also took better care of the same ball that at times had resembled the rock in a shell game when played by the high-stepping Patriots.
But for all the technique exhibited by El Paso, it wasn't helping put the ball in the back of the net. Bobby Howe's boys were patient and Tennyson's huge frame kept pushing on the Patriots' defense, finally snapping it in the 67th minute.
Defender Carlos Martinez, who notched the match-winner in Indianapolis a week ago, found himself behind Tennyson on long pass from the middle. With the big forward in possession, Martinez pushed him two steps inside the El Paso area and referee Ryan Keck did not hesitate, pointing directly to the penalty spot.
Tennyson didn't hesitate, either. Coolly waiting for Keck's whistle, the man who put four past El Paso in a single match last season stepped up and belted a low drive to the left post for the equalizer. Alexander guessed where Tennyson was going, but the ball was already there.
With momentum's wave building behind them, the Timbers showed superior ball control compared to a Patriots' team that was increasingly off-target with its passes. It took just three minutes after Tennyson's PK for Portland to notch the match-winner.
In the 70th, the Timbers played a dangerous ball forward to Alvarez, who had muffed a chance in the 64th on a breakaway, beating Alexander by chipping the ball over his head, but wide right of the net.
This time Alvarez made sure it counted. Keeping the ball with his back to the net as the Patriots began to collapse on him, Alvarez was given way too much time to create, finally turning to fire his shot by a reaching Alexander just under the crossbar.
El Paso began to threaten, especially with winger Junro Narita. The fleet-footed former New Mexico Lobo came in at the half, twisting and turning defenders and making slashing runs in from the left.
But for all their skill on the ball, the Patriots simply never got the shot they needed. It was amazing to watch the team boogie in the Portland area time and time again, weaving through defenders like they were avoiding drunks on a dance floor, but still find a way to miss. Spiteri had a bit to do with that, saving a couple of huge shots by Andrade and Hamlet Diaz, who returned to his native El Paso after playing for Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, NY.
For the most part, though, this was a night when El Paso controlled the pace but not the game.
Interestingly, Pats head coach Fernando Gutierrez chose not to include forwards Omar Millan and Tim Pierce on the roster for the match. That probably won't happen when the El Paso takes on Seattle next Friday.
The door was slammed shut on the Patriots in the 88th minute, as Dan Antoniuk got his head on a high pass from Fadi Afash, who subbed in for Tennyson in the 68th minute. Antoniuk skied for the ball and bounced it off the AstroPlay surface of the Sun Bowl past Alexander for the last goal of the night, leaving El Paso on the dance floor to show their moves for a crowd that had already heeded last call and was filing out the door.
PORTLAND 3, EL PASO 1
PORTLAND 0-3 - 3
EL PASO 1-0 - 1
Scoring: ELP Cervantes (4), POR Tennyson (67, PK), POR Alvarez (70), POR Antoniuk (Afash, 88).
PORTLAND - Curtis Spiteri, Nick Downing, Bryn Ritchie, Lee Morrison, Brian Winters, Jason Melendez, Jake Sagare, Scott Benedetti, Aaron Heinzen, McKinley Tennyson (68, Fadi Afash), Byron Alvarez (84, Dan Atoniuk).
EL PASO - Scott Alexander, Joel Rios, Hamlet Diaz, Carlos Martinez, Pablo Cabrera, Freddy Juárez, Enrique Cervantes (76, Guillermo McFarlane), Ahmed Figueroa (45, Junro Narita), Sidnei dos Santos (62, David de la Torre), Laurenco Andrade, Mike Griego (45, Jose Abarca).
Shots: POR 3-6-9, ELP 7-8-15. Saves: POR 1-4-5, ELP 1-1-2. Fouls: POR 10-12-22, ELP 5-4-9. Offsides: POR 5-2-7, ELP 1-0-1. Corner Kicks: POR 3-2-5, ELP 2-2-4. Cautions: POR Heinzen (52, USB), ELP Andrade (74, DIS). Attendance: 607. Referees: R-Ryan Keck, L-Paul Hooks, L-Andrew Gage, 4-Anthony Herrera.
