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It is a final here at Jeld-Wen Field in the Rose City, with the Portland Timbers recording their biggest victory of the season: a 3-0 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy.

A chance for Kenny Cooper in the 74^th minute was collected by Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Saunders. In the 76^th minute, Cooper won a corner after his attempt deflected off the already-porous LA defense. An attempt by David Beckham in the 78^th minute was deflected, and the ensuing corner was headed over the crossbar.

In the 82^nd minute, LA’s Dan Keat launched a half-hearted attempt to make the score respectable, but saw his shot miss wide right. Another chance for Keat went over the top in the 87^th minute.

The question now for Portland is whether or not they played their best soccer of the season too little, too late. They only improve to 7-10-4 (25 points), good enough for seventh place in the MLS Western Conference. Could this be a springboard to a late-season win streak if they want to contend for the playoffs?

A full write-up of this match will be posted on the View from Victoria Street and Bleacher Report.

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The party tricks are already coming out here in the Rose City, and John Spencer’s club are minutes away from pulling off the biggest victory of the season, and the worst defeat this year for Bruce Arena’s Los Angeles Galaxy since the debacle at Rio Tinto Stadium.

It’s now 3-0 Timbers at Jeld-Wen Field. In the 68^th minute of play, a corner for Portland’s Sal Zizzo for the head of Eric Brunner.

A chance from Miguel Lopez in the 62^nd minute went wide left. The frustration is indeed mounting for the road team tonight. Landon Donovan was cautioned in the 64^th minute for a rough challenge on Eric Brunner.

For the Timbers, they are on cruise control and can afford to play defense for the rest of the match. As for Los Angeles, this may as well be a hole they most likely won’t get out of.

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An hour gone at Jeld-Wen Field and this is not what the bookmakers had in mind. John Spencer’s Portland Timbers are leading Bruce Arena’s Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0.

A chance for Landon Donovan in the 46^th minute was out of reach and resulted in a goal kick for Timbers goalkeeper Troy Perkins. A corner in the 49^th minute for Portland was swept aside. In the 51^st minute, Kenny Cooper’s long range attempt went wide left. A shot from Chris Birchall went wide left in the 52^nd minute of play.

Omar Gonzalez stopped a dangerous chance for Jorge Perlaza in the 57th minute. Adam Cristman could not finish a delivery from David Beckham in the 59^th minute.

The LA Galaxy have been horrible at creating chances in their attacking third, and that comes from the inability to create a set of passes between the forwards and midfielders.

As for the Timbers, this may go down as their best performance of the year. John Spencer’s club has done well going direct with their attacking and will need to continue applying pressure for the rest of the game.

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It’s halftime here at Jeld-Wen Field, and this is why you play the game.

Bruce Arena’s Los Angeles Galaxy are not starting the month of August on the right track, as a couple of defensive breakdowns have given the Portland Timbers a 2-0 lead in Portland, Oregon.

Mike Chabala opened the scoring for Portland in the 26^th minute, while Jorge Perlaza doubled the advantage in the 33^rd minute of play.

The Galaxy have been playing exactly the same brand of football that doomed them against Real Salt Lake. Missed passes, terrible giveaways, and a lack of team speed with Chris Birchall and David Beckham in the lineup has led to a disastrous display in the first half.

As for the Portland Timbers, they are looking to hold on to a 2-0 advantage, something they failed to do in their last match with Toronto FC. If they can continue to play their brand of direct football, John Spencer’s club will be on their way to their best result of the season.

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Talk about home-cooking. If Rio Tinto Stadium was a fortress for Real Salt Lake against the Los Angeles Galaxy, so has Jeld-Wen Field for the Portland Timbers.

It is, indeed, The New Fortress.

A.J. DeLaGarza did a poor job marking Jorge Perlaza in the 33^rd minute and paid the price by giving up the second goal for the Portland Timbers, who now lead 2-0 over the Galaxy.

The Galaxy Sean Franklin had to buy some time for Josh Saunders to make a stop on Jorge Perlaza in the 29^th minute of play.

Juan Pablo Angel has been unable to be a factor in this match, as with the past several matches he has started for the Galaxy. Every ball that has come in his direction has been lost, and his frustrations on the pitch have been getting the better of him.

The Galaxy are not doing themselves any favors this half and need to wake up in the second half to stand a chance tonight.

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Somebody hit the upset alert button because it is looking that way here at Jeld-Wen Field.

New acquisition Mike Chabala has given the Portland Timbers a 1-0 lead over the Los Angeles Galaxy. Poor defending from Chris Birchall added to the breakthrough advantage for the home side tonight.

In the 18^th minute, a corner from the Timbers was cleared by Juninho and the ensuing possession was called for offsides. An inviting possession in the 20^th minute for Kenny Cooper was called back for a foul on Omar Gonzalez.

In the 21^st minute, Cooper tried again to finish a delivery, this time from Sal Zizzo, but headed the ball over the crossbar and out of play. In the 25^th minute, David Beckham’s next volley was easily collected by Troy Perkins.

The Galaxy have been playing some disconnected football today, and are unable to string a set of passes consistently. The need to establish rhythm will be key if LA are to come back in this one.

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There is no score between the Portland Timbers and Los Angeles Galaxy at Jeld-Wen Field after fifteen minutes of play.

Early in the first half, a chance for Juan Pablo Angel from Landon Donovan went was easily collected by Timbers goalkeeper Troy Perkins. In the fourth minute, a Portland free kick from Darlington Nagbe was cleared by Angel. A fifth-minute header from Kenny Cooper just went over the crossbar.

Portland pressed early, and, as a result of their efforts, had a good amount of looks in the opening fifteen minutes of play.

In the eighth minute, A.J. DeLaGarza conceded a free kick to Cooper, but it went off the wall. Jorge Perlaza tried his luck in the ninth minute, but LA goalkeeper Josh Saunders was there to collect. Lovel Palmer’s attempt in the 11^th minute went wide left. Cooper’s next shot on goal was in Saunders’s direction in the 14^th minute. A minute later, David Beckham’s first set piece found no one in a blue shirt.

The Timbers will need to continue applying the pressure in their attacking third. As for Los Angeles, they are off to another slow start and need to rectify the situation as the match progresses in the Rose City.

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These are your starting lineups between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Portland Timbers.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY

Manager: Bruce Arena

Formation: 4-4-2 Diamond

Colors: Blue tops with white accents, blue shorts, blue socks

12 Josh Saunders

5 Sean Franklin ---- 4 Omar Gonzalez ---- 2 Todd Dunivant ---- 20 A.J. DeLaGarza

26 Michael Stephens

19 Juninho ----8 Chris Birchall

23 David Beckham

9 Juan Pablo Angel ---- 10 Landon Donovan

Substitutes:

15 Dan Keat

3 Gregg Berhalter

25 Miguel Lopez

18 Mike Magee

17 Adam Cristman

27 Bryan Jordan

24 Brian Perk

PORTLAND TIMBERS

Manager: John Spencer

Formation: 3-5-2

Colors: Red tops with white sleeves, white shorts, red socks

1 Troy Perkins ©

5 Eric Brunner ---- 4 Mike Chabala ---- 12 David Horst

7 Sal Zizzo ---- 6 Darlington Nagbe ---- 14 James Marcelin  ---- 21 Diego Chara ---- 30 Lovel Palmer

33 Kenny Cooper ---- 15 Jorge Perlaza

Substitutes:

8 Peter Lowry

98 Mamado Danso

26 Brian Umony

10 Eddie Johnson

11 Kalif Alhassan

22 Rodney Wallace

24 Adin Brown

24 Adin Brown

Mike Terry/Getty Images

Mark Kadlecik will be the match referee for tonight’s encounter between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Portland Timbers at Jeld-Wen Field (kickoff: 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2). The linesmen are Paul Scott and Mike Kampmeinert. Ricardo Salazar will be the fourth official.

For the Portland Timbers, defender Kevin Goldthwaite is out (left knee ACL rupture), as if forward Spencer Thompson (right knee).  Forward Bright Dike (R Achilles rupture); defender Jeremy Hall (groin soreness); goalkeeper Troy Perkins (R hip soreness) and forward Jorge Perlaza (R calf strain)  are expected to play.

For the Los Angeles Galaxy, defenders Sean Alvarado and Leonardo are out due to right knee surgery recovery, as is goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, who is recovering from a left ulna fracture.

Forward Chad Barrett (R knee sprain); and midfielders David Beckham (back spasms) and Jovan Kirovski (L ankle sprain) are questionable, but the latter two are expected to see some playing time. Defender Omar Gonzalez will play with a facemask to help heal a fracture to his nose.

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Portland’s Timbers Army, led by their chainsaw-wielding frontman Timber Joey, are sure to make things quite interesting for Bruce Arena’s Los Angeles Galaxy when they face the Portland Timbers tonight at Jeld-Went Field (kickoff: 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

“The atmosphere in the stands, the atmosphere in the stadium, this is what you want to play in front of,” Galaxy midfielder David Beckham told MLSSoccer.com’s Luis Bueno. “You want to play in front of fans like this, who are passionate about the sport, passionate about the game and their own team.”

“I played here when they had an A-League team and it was pretty loud and pretty passionate,” team captain Landon Donovan said. “From what we see on TV it looks pretty incredible so I’m excited for it.

“It’s one of the reasons why I’m still playing the game that I’ve loved and have played for many years. I’ve loved going into stadiums and them being full and a packed house and getting that atmosphere.” 

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For the Los Angeles Galaxy Josh Saunders and Bryan Jordan, it will be a sort of homecoming when the two suit up for Bruce Arena’s side against the Portland Timbers today at Jeld-Wen Field (kickoff 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

“My first professional experience I ever had was playing here,” Saunders told MLSSoccer.com’s Luis Bueno. “I have a lot of family still in the area. It’s great. It’s always nice to come home.”

“I’m excited,” Jordan said of the upcoming match. “I’ve been excited for Portland since they got their team. It’s great to the league, more and more teams added to it. It will be quite a bit different now, coming in and playing for the other team but hopefully they will still be kind to me.”

“Playing against the Timbers … it’s going to be tough," Saunders added. "I’m sure I’m going to catch a lot of stick. After the game, as long as they cheer for me, give me a wave hello, that’s all that matters.”

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For Bruce Arena’s Los Angeles Galaxy, this week's league matches with the Portland Timbers and FC Dallas will be solid tune-up games for action in the CONCACAF Champions League.

The Galaxy begin their 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League campaign at home against either Motagua of Honduras or Municipal of Guatemala on Aug. 16 and Costa Rican powerhouse Alajuelense on Aug. 25. Both matches will be played at the Home Depot Center.

“It’s great to have the first two at home,” Galaxy coach Bruce Arena told MLSSoccer.com’s Luis Bueno. “The home games come at a good time where it’s reasonable for us to play three games a week in that stretch where the games are. It’s going to be important to win those games.”

Team captain Landon Donovan was mindful of not being complacent in regional play.

“It’s not an advantage if you don’t get the full points out of those games," Galaxy captain Landon Donovan said. "It’s going to test our depth and test our team.”

Hector Jimenez

Clearly this has not been a year to remember for those waiting in the wings to don the blue and gold of the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Before Wednesday’s contest between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Portland Timbers first teams, the Galaxy Reserves fought to a 2-2 draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps at Empire Field in Vancouver, British Columbia.

A brace from Vacncouver’s Long Tan in the 60^th and 71^st minutes nullified a 31^st minute goal from new acquisition Paulinho Le Petit and a 51^st minute strike from Hector Jimenez

With the draw, the Galaxy are now 1-5-1 on the season for four points, all of which have come against the Whitecaps. The Galaxy won 2-1 when the two sides met at The Home Depot Center last month.

The Galaxy reserves will be back in action in the MLS Reserve League on Saturday, September 3 when they travel to Portland to face the Timbers Reserves.

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Now donning a protective face mask during practice and matches a la former NBA player Lucious Harris, the Los Angeles Galaxy’s Omar Gonzalez is ready for more sweeping against the Portland Timbers on Wednesday at jeld-Wen Field (kickoff: 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

“This injury is bad just because I missed Real Madrid and the Columbus games,” Gonzalez told Luis Bueno of MLSSoccer.com. “It sucks to be out of those games. But it gave me a chance to recover a little bit from the first half of the season and I’m feeling like I was back in the preseason.”

Gonzalez is aware that the need for improvement and continuity will be vital to his contributions for the rest of this season.

“I just need to calm down a little bit and just be more vocal as well,” Gonzalez added. “We haven’t been doing too many things wrong so there wasn’t too much to critique. I definitely want to get better in certain areas.

“I’m feeling pretty confident right now. I feel re-energized.”