For the second time this year, the Portland Timbers fell 4-1 in Texas. That’s two times too many, but the first came early in the year against Dallas, when the team was managing players’ minutes ahead of a Champions League trip to Mexico. Tonight, the context is less forgiving, with Austin FC scoring twice in the match’s final 13 minutes to hand Portland their third three-goal loss of the season.
“One of the toughest nights since I’ve been here in Portland,” was Timbers head coach Giovanni Savarese’s assessment. Savarese is in his fourth season with Portland. “[We] definitely deserved the score that we saw on the field …
“It’s my responsibility, the responsibility of the staff, everyone involved … it’s our responsibility, what happened today.