The Houston Dynamo lost their first match of the preseason, falling to the Portland Timbers 2-0 Sunday morning at The Home Depot Center, in Carson, Calif. Jack Jewsbury and James Marcelin provided the second-half goals for Portland.
The Dynamo continued to use a mix of trialists and first team players for each half, and controlled much of the run of play in the first half. Emerson Sato, a trialist from Brazil, nearly got the Dynamo on the board in his first action in orange. Sato picked up a loose ball from 25 yards out, cut to the middle of the field and attempted to curl the ball past Troy Perkins, but the Timbers goalkeeper moved to his right to stop the attempt.
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Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall was forced into action in the 31st minute when center back Geoff Cameron slipped on the wet surface, allowing Timbers forward Bright Dike a one-on-one opportunity on goal. Dike struck the ball well but Hall parried it away to keep the game scoreless.
The Dynamo stormed back minutes later, though, as Will Bruin played a through-ball down the left flank to newcomer Macoumba Kandji. Kandji did well to beat his defender and fire a left-footed strike to the far post, but the ball trickled just wide of the net.
The Timbers finally broke through in the 63rd minute. Trialist Ryan Kawulok played a long ball into the Dynamo penalty box. The ball fell to an open Jewsbury who calmly placed the shot past second-half goalkeeper Erich Marscheider.
Portland doubled its lead in the 86th minute off a fantastic effort by James Marcelin. The Haitian international sent a laser toward the Dynamo goal after picking up a loose ball from 35 yards out. The ball ricocheted off the crossbar and dropped behind the goal line.
The Dynamo will wrap up their west coast training camp with a trip to Ventura County, Calif. Houston will train at Oxnard College on Monday before taking on the San Jose Earthquakes at Oxnard on Tuesday.
Houston Dynamo vs. Portland Timbers
February 12, 2012 – The Home Depot Center – University 2
Preseason Scrimmage
Scoring Summary:
POR – Jack Jewsbury (Ryan Kawulok) 63
POR – James Marcelin 86
Houston Dynamo – Tally Hall (Erich Marscheider 46), Kofi Sarkodie (Andre Hainault 46), Geoff Cameron (Bobby Boswell 46), Nathan Sturgis (Jermaine Taylor 46), Oscar Recio (Corey Ashe 46), Emerson Sato (Brian Ownby 46, Philip Aseweh 71), Adam Moffat (Warren Creavalle 46, Luiz Camargo 71), Je-Vaughn Watson (Josue Soto 46), Eder Arreola (Colin Clark 46), Macoumba Kandji (Darryl Roberts 46), Will Bruin (Colin Rolfe 46, Cam Weaver 71).
Portland Timbers – Troy Perkins, Lovel Palmer (Ryan Kawulok 56), Eric Brunner, Mamadou Danso, Rodney Wallace (Mike Chabala 83), Kalif Alhassan (Darlington Nagbe 46), Jack Jewsbury (Jose Balcazar 65), Franck Songo’o (Sebastian Rincon 73), Diego Chara (James Marcelin 63), Eric Alexander (Miguel Ibarra 73), Bright Dike (Jorge Perlaza 73).
