Tacoma Defiance cruises to 4-0 win at Portland

PORTLAND, ORE. – Playing its second consecutive match against Cascadia rival Portland, Tacoma Defiance (2-2-1, 7 points) earned a 4-0 win over Timbers 2 (0-4-0, 0 points) on Monday evening at Providence Park. Forward Alec Díaz recorded two goals and an assist, giving him three strikes in two games against Portland this season, while captain Taylor Mueller and Chino Pérez added goals in the USL side’s first road win of 2020.

Defiance went into halftime with a 2-0 lead thanks to a 23^rd-minute goal from Díaz and a strike from Mueller in the 40^th minute, the defender’s first of the season. Díaz completed his brace right after halftime in the 47^th minute before setting up Pérez in the 71^st minute, who also scored in the July 18 match against Portland at Cheney Stadium.

In the club’s newly-established four-team group following the resumption of play due to the COVID-19 shutdown, Tacoma now sits second in Group A (7 points), two points behind Reno ahead of Saturday’s matchup at Greater Nevada Field (7:30 p.m. PT / ESPN+).

MATCH SUMMARY

Tacoma Defiance 4 – Portland Timbers 2 0
Monday, August 3, 2020

Venue: Providence Park
Referee: Isaiah Vlad
Attendance: Closed Door
Weather: Sunny and 77 degrees

SCORING SUMMARY

TAC – Alec Díaz 23’
TAC – Taylor Mueller (Danny Robles) 40’
TAC – Alec Díaz (Azriel Gonzalez) 47’
TAC – Chino Pérez (Alec Díaz) 71’

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

POR – Gerardo Durán (caution) 30’
POR – Jose Carlos Anguiano (caution) 45’
TAC – Taylor Mueller (caution) 53’
TAC – Jesse Daley (caution) 70’
POR – Giovanni Calixtro (caution) 73’
TAC – Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez (caution) 90’

LINEUPS & STATS

Tacoma Defiance – Christian Herrera; Antonee Burke-Gilroy (Collin Fernandez 10’), Sam Rogers, Taylor Mueller – captain, Nick Hinds; Sota Kitahara, Jesse Daley (Abdoulaye Cissoko 74’); Marlon Vargas (Chino Pérez 64’), Danny Robles, Azriel Gonzalez (Ray Serrano 64’); Alec Diaz (Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez 74’)

Substitutes not used: Conrad Lee, Danny Reynolds

Total shots: 14
Shots on goal: 13
Fouls: 18
Offside: 3
Corner-kicks: 6
Saves: 4

Portland Timbers 2 – Hunter Sulte; Harold Hanson, Aedan Stanley, Caleb Kiner, Mitchell Ferguson; Aaron Molloy (Cullen Wilkerson 82’), Gerardo Durán, Ken Krolicki – captain, Jose Carlos Anguiano, Jorge Gonzalez Aseni (Salvador Villegas, Jr. 61’); Giovanni Calixtro

Substitutes not used: Jake Leeker, Isaac Homer, Tega Ikoba

Total shots: 14
Shots on goal: 4
Fouls: 15
Offside: 0
Corner-kicks: 8
Saves: 9