Two days removed from Sunday’s season-opening loss in Carson, California, the Portland Timbers had found some perspective, choosing to see the weekend’s 2-1 defeat to the LA Galaxy as the first step of many rather than a point of lingering frustration.
That’s not to say the disappointment wasn’t evident right after the match, though.
“One thing that was important to see was right after the match, you felt that everyone in the dining room area felt the defeat,” head coach Giovanni Savarese said at his weekly press conference. “They felt it with pride. They were not happy about it, and that’s a very good sign.