Timbers Steal One... Again

The last time The Wave Generator attended a Timbers match with us--last season--it ended up being one of the most glorious nights that I've ever experienced standing in 107, not to mention perhaps the most emphatic win the Timbers had last year. It certainly was the most gratifying (beating Seattle is always pleasurable and borders on the rabidly, delightfully irrational. I hate them... I do hate them....) victory and certainly the most emotional. On Saturday we "kidnapped" The Wave Generator to another match (one he conveniently forgot he was attending even though I'd told him about it weeks ago!) and though the match itself was far from mind-blowing, the ragged-assed Timbers (the one and only goal courtesy of Lawrence Olum) stole the win in second half stoppage time against a petulant Miami FC, sending the crowd into hysterics.

Olum's goal had to have hurt Miami. I know it did actually--you could see the pained expressions on the Miami players' faces when the ref's whistle blew a minute later, but frankly I've been on the receiving end of plenty of nasty losses and unfair decisions to have much sympathy. Did we play brilliantly and "deserve" the win? No to the first part and a certain yes to the latter. Football's a funny game and this time we simply lucked out, managing to do just enough when it mattered the most, even though we should've been doing more than enough all game. But if you consider the ramshackle shape our team was in at the end of last season (hell, all season) and how ramshackle yet far better we are this season... I think the Timbers are doing quite well. New coach, relatively new team, and the results have been coming our way despite some tense moments. Perhaps we should not have won the last two games.... But we did. And I ain't complaining. Give it some time and the Timbers will start winning with something other than gadfly resiliency.

Congratulations to our keeper Josh Wicks, by the way, who earned his sixth shutout this season, tying club records set by Matt Napolean and Josh Saunders.

You can read more about the game here and here.