Toronto FC come from behind and tie Portland Timbers

Aron Winter- Head Coach & Technical Director, Toronto FC

On coming back from two goals down…

"We’re used to doing it, when you come back and make it 2-2, it’s very good but honestly you have to win the game because we’ve lost two points. The first half we didn’t start sharp. After 20 minutes when they’ve scored a goal then we can wake up but the big difference is after 25 minutes we started playing the way we want. After 2-0, the team reacted very well."

On state of the team…

"Very good. Of course we have a completely new team and you need some time to practice with each other but I’m very satisfied about it."

Peri Marosevic- Forward, Toronto FC

On scoring a goal in his Toronto FC debut…

"Words can’t really describe that. First of all, I’ve got to thank Toronto FC for giving me that opportunity, having that trust in me and taking that chance. Obviously coming here to Portland it’s a tough environment and we knew we were going to face a good side. But we grouped ourselves together well and this team has great character and it
showed – we worked hard for each other and we never gave up and it showed in the second half."

On his new team…

"There’s a lot of heart, a lot of spirit and it’s great to see. Coming in my first day, I’ve seen it just sitting around with the guys talking. You see it in the mood, you see it in the people and we transform it on the field and I think that showed today."

On coming back from the 2-0 deficit…

"We’re a group of guys that never gives up. We have that spirit, we have that fight and we want to play well for one another. We want to play well for Toronto and show them that we have not given up on this season. There’s a long way to go, there’s a lot of games to play and we want to do well and hopefully we can keep up the momentum."

On atmosphere at JELD-WEN Field…

"It’s a great atmosphere. Every player wants to play in this atmosphere. It brings you up, it gets you pumped, it gets you ready for the game both mentally and physically. You don’t even feel tired out there because of the great crowd. It’s an away crowd for us but you still get that emotion you need to play well and I think the guys grasped that and
we came out with a tie."

John Spencer- Head Coach, Portland Timbers

On the overall result…

"I thought offensively at times we were magnificent. We scored two very good goals and could’ve had another. Defensively, at times, we looked not good enough. I told the guys in the locker room that you can only keep papering up the cracks for so long. Individually and collectively you have to stand up and be a man and at times we did stand up and at times we weren’t there to be seen. They came back into the game and got a couple goals. It was a bitterly, bitterly disappointing end to the game."

On starting off with a strong offensive performance, but conceding down the stretch…

"I felt that we carried our form from midweek over into the game tonight and passed the ball ever so well and kept possession. I just felt we were causing them problems in the first half especially. In the second half, once they go that goal down, they start to throw men forward and leave men high because they know they’re going to lose the game if they don’t. They kind of gambled and it definitely paid off for them."

Darlington Nagbe- Midfielder, Portland Timbers

On the overall result…

"It’s on us, no one else. We’ve just got to come out and perform well. We scored two goals at home and it should be enough to get the win. We’ve got to perform better as a team."

On losing a two-goal lead late in the second half…

"I feel like we could’ve managed the game a little better in the second half, maybe slow it down since we were up 2-0. I don’t feel like we were pushing too much, just need to manage it better."

Scoring Summary: 

POR — Eddie Johnson 1 (Diego Chara 2, Sal Zizzo 1) 23 
POR — Jack Jewsbury 6 (penalty kick) 57 
TOR — Peri Marosevic 1 (Danny Koevermans 1, Joao Plata 3) 71 
TOR — Danny Koevermans 2 (Joao Plata 4) 81 

Misconduct Summary: 
TOR — Ty Harden (caution; Reckless Tackle) 39 
POR — Diego Chara (caution; Reckless Tackle) 46+ 
POR — Mike Chabala (caution; Reckless Tackle) 51 

Lineups: 

Toronto FC — Stefan Frei, Ty Harden (Javier Martina 68), Ashtone Morgan, Richard Eckersley, Andy Iro, Julian de Guzman (Terry Dunfield 
61), Torsten Frings, Ryan Johnson, Nick Soolsma (Peri Marosevic 46), Danny Koevermans, Joao Plata. 
Substitutes Not Used: Danleigh Borman, Doneil Henry, Matt Stinson, Milos Kocic. 

Portland Timbers — Troy Perkins, Lovel Palmer, Eric Brunner, David Horst, Mike Chabala, Sal Zizzo, Jack Jewsbury, Diego Chara, Kalif Alhassan (Kenny Cooper 74), Darlington Nagbe (Jorge Perlaza 82), Eddie Johnson. 
Substitutes Not Used: Mamadou Danso, James Marcelin, Brian Umony, Rodney 
Wallace, Adin Brown. 

Referee: Kevin Stott 
Referee’s Assistants: Adam Wienckowski; Brian Poeschel 
4th Official: Matthew Foerster 
Attendance: 18,627