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During Sunday's match between the Portland Timbers and the San Jose Earthquakes I wasn't sure if I was going to make it out of the stadium without bleeding.
Luckily, there is a lot of confidence on the field every time the Timbers play and it showed last night as they continued to look for the goal that would net them three points until the final seconds of the match when it finally came from Jack Jewsbury. There were some solid performances on Sunday, so here are our picks for the Man of the Match:
Will - Diego Valeri
Valeri hasn't quite been himself since coming back from the ankle sprain that he suffered against Toronto FC almost two months ago, but in this match we started to see once again how he can step in and dominate a game. After a slow start, Valeri was unleashing his full arsenal of tricks on the Earthquakes and was a huge part of just about every chance the Timbers had over the course of the match.
Case - Diego Valeri
He was the most creative force on the team and lead the team as a threat from so many angles. He deserved a few goals, but San Jose was playing not to lose so they could pull away a point, but Valeri kept them on their toes. In a game that was officiated in a bizarre manner to say the least Valeri found a way to make my heart skip a bit every time he touched it and had some of the best hold up play and servicing on either team.
Kevin - Jack Jewsbury
Jack Jewsbury - I have to give it to Jack. I can't overlook the game winning chip at the stroke of stoppage time. For the late game heroics in securing all three points he gets my MOTM vote. Had this one ended in a boring, scoreless draw, I would've likely voted for Paparatto.
Ryan - Liam Ridgewell
I have to admit I would have gone with someone else but this week I gave my voting powers to my loving wife. She went to a game with me and it was the first time she has gone to one since 2011. The reason she picked Ridgy is because "He had to deal with the d-bag #12 all game long and did it after he was bloodied." My case for Ridgy is that he once again helped the Timbers earn their 8th shutout of the year.