Reno 1868 FC headed to Portland today to take on the Portland Timbers 2. Going into this one Reno is coming off of a loss against Sacramento Republic FC. Portland Timbers 2 were still looking for their first win of 2020.
Pregame Thoughts
I was glad to see the team finally take the pitch after postponing and reschedule their last 2 games. Reno needed to play with more energy. They didn’t play with a lot of energy in Sacramento. They also needed to find more ways to score. They didn’t create enough chances in Sacramento. A big question going into this one was could Portland Timbers 2 keep Reno 1868 FC out of the net? Their defense wasn’t playing well. Their goalkeeping had let them down 9 times in 2 games.
What Happened In The First Half
Reno got their first chance of the night at the 4’ minute. Ben Kikanovic took a left-footed shot that was saved.
Reno would score their first goal in the 40’ minute. The goal was scored by Christiano Francois. The goal was assisted by Thomas Janjigian. The ball was shot from outside the box. The ball went to the top right corner. It was an incredible strike. It will probably be up for goal of the week.
In the 44’ minute, Tony Alfaroof Reno 1868 FC received the game’s first yellow card.
What Happened In The Second Half
In the 52’ minute Sergio Rivas scored for Reno 1868 FC. It was a right-footed shot. The shot came from outside the box. It went in the bottom left corner. I didn’t think it was going to go in. It stayed on the ground the whole time passing multiple Portland players. I thought the keeper might have grabbed it. I think this goal was a case of no one on the field for Portland thought he was going to take a shot.
In the 55’ minute Caleb Kiner of Portland Timbers 2 received a yellow card.
In the 59’ minute Brent Richards of Reno 1868 FC received a yellow card.
In the 68’ minute Max Ornstil of Portland Timbers 2 received a yellow card.
Portland Timbers 2 would get on the board in the 73’ minute. The goal was scored by Gerardo Duran. It was a header from the center of the box. The went into the bottom right corner.
In the 81’ minute, Gerardo Duran of Portland Timbers 2 received a yellow card.
Foster Langsdorf would put Reno up by 2 in the 82’ minute. His goal would be a right footed shot from inside the 6-yard box. The shot would end up in the bottom right corner.
In the 83’ minute Max Ornstil of Portland Timbers 2 received a yellow card. It was his second of the night. He was then shown the red card because it was his second yellow card of the night. It came only 15 minutes after his first card. Portland had to finish the game with only 10 men on the field.
In the 89’ minute Foster Langsdorf of Reno 1868 FC drew a foul inside the box. The foul was by Mitchell Ferguson of Portland Timbers 2. A penalty kick was awarded. No one received a card.
Reno 1868 FC would score the final goal of the night in the 90’. The goal was scored by Christiano Francois. It was his second of the night. He converted the Penalty kick. It was a right-foot shot to the top left corner. The keeper guessed right. He was able to beat the keeper with the shot.
The game would end in a 4-1 win for Reno 1868 FC.
Referee Thoughts
I thought the ref did fine. There was nothing too challenging he had to face. He didn’t have to make any hard choices. He did award a lot of cards. I thought a couple of them were questionable. He did call a couple of soft fouls. I think that was mostly to calm the game down. Ultimately, he did alright. I give the ref a 7 out of 10.
After Match Thoughts
Reno1868 FC did well. They picked up the energy for this one. A lot of the players were playing faster than they did in Sacramento. Reno had control for almost the whole game. I was curious about what they would do with a lead. If they would be able to hang on to it. After Portland Timbers 2 scored their first goal it looked like they were building momentum and might tie the game. Reno had the proper response. They played a little more defensively which paid off. Ultimately Reno played with better energy, found more ways to score, created more scoring chances, and Portland couldn’t keep Reno out of the net. I liked the effort from Christiano Francois. I thought he had an excellent match. Reno showed they have depth in goal. Ben Beaury and Eric De La Cerda have both shown that they are capable of making exceptional saves. This goalie pairing reminds me of the pairing of Matt Murray and Marc Andre-Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins. I know that’s a different sport but those two allowed the team in front of them not to worry about what’s going on in net. That allowed the team to focus more on scoring and playing more aggressive defense. It also allowed the team not to worry if one of the goalies was having an off patch or if one needed rest. I think something similar is happening in Reno.
Moving forward Reno 1868 FC needs to build on this in Las Vegas Lights FC. Las Vegas won’t be as easy to win as Portland timbers 2. Can Reno continue to win? There wasn’t a lot to critique in this game. Reno had controlled the game the whole time. I think this is one of those situations where they try to keep the ball rolling. Don’t worry about this win too much. It’s the first one since the start of return to play but there is a long road ahead to the playoffs. I think if Reno can put together a streak that would be great. Every point counts right now. We are at the point of the season where the more points we get now the better that’s going to help us down the road as we approach the playoffs.
Current Group A Standings
July 29, 2020
Reno 1868 FC (6 pts)
Sacramento Republic FC (5 pts)
Tacoma Defiance (4 pts)
Portland Timbers 2 (0 pts)
Next Match
Reno 1868 FC heads to Las Vegas to take on the Las Vegas Lights FC. This is the first match of the 2020 Silver State Cup. Reno is 3-0-2 all-time vs Las Vegas. The game will be at Cashman Field. Reno is back to back Silver State Cup Champions. Las Vegas did not score a goal on Reno in 2019. Las Vegas sits in last place with only one point in group b.
Zac Electrifly 