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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2018/dec/09/mls-cup-atlanta-united-v-portland-timbers-live
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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
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| MLS Cup final: Atlanta United v Portland Timbers – live! | MLS Cup final: Atlanta United v Portland Timbers – live! |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 69 mins: A promising Atlanta attack bogs down. But Portland simply cannot maintain possession in midfield. For all the wonderful skill of Atlanta’s attackers, give credit to the United midfield. MLS’ stats page says Atlanta has won 48 duels to Portland’s Hamilton-esque 24. | |
| 68 mins: From the mailbag, a correspondent named A.J. reminds us that the Atlanta Falcons led the Super Bowl 28-3 in 2017. They lost. He then goes on to taunt the Georgia Bulldogs. You don’t do that do a correspondent who grew up a block from the UGA campus. | |
| Kronmichael tries to argue the non-offside call on the Martinez goal. He was on. | |
| Meanwhile, Asprilla replaces Polo for Portland. No, not Faustino Asprilla. | |
| 65 mins: Larentowicz slides to stop Portland sub Melano. He gets ball, then man. That’s still a free kick. It’s partially cleared, and a high cross floats into the box. Guzan used to play in England, so he knows how to collect those. | |
| 63 mins: To follow up on the crowd -- when MLS announced that Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank would put an MLS team in the same dome as the Falcons, I thought it was a horrible idea. Having grown up 70 miles away, I figured the big dome would be mostly empty. | |
| I’ve rarely been so wrong. | |
| 62 mins: More from our friend Caitlin ... | |
| I just noticed that everyone in the entire stadium has been standing the whole time - not just the supporters section, not just for an exciting moment. @FelipeCar tells me every #ATLUTD game is like this. Wild. #MLSCup | |
| We’ll come back to this -- Guzan has to make another save as Blanco squeaks through the defense at the top of the box. | |
| 61 mins: Atlanta has regained control. For now. | |
| 59 mins: The first sub is Argentine Lucas Melano for the unlucky Ebobisse. Portland back on the attack. And ... they lose it again. | |
| 58 mins: Larentowicz with the armbar on Blanco, who taps. No, wait, that’s UFC again. Blanco gets the free kick for Portland. | |
| 56 mins: Atlanta has apparently never lost a 2-0 lead in their entire history. Granted, that’s only two years. And Portland still looks dangerous. | |
| The free kick is floated to the center of the box, Martinez flicks it to the far post, and the right back Franco Escobar is rewarded for his run forward. | |
| 52 mins: Portland takes a quick throw while an Atlanta player is down. The ball is cut back and seemed to go out off a Portland player, but it’s a corner, and it’s dangerous. The ball is flicked back over the defense to an offside attacker. Couldn’t control it anyway. | |
| But again -- Atlanta fans cannot be happy with this. | |
| And then Martinez suffers a kick and shove ... isn’t the UFC card on another channel? | |
| 51 mins: Blanco crosses to Ebobisse, who beats the defense but can’t collect the ball. Announcers and fans are surprisingly laid-back about that -- it was a decent chance for the Timbers. | |
| And then a shaky backpass forces Guzan to play it quickly. | |
| This start to the second half would worry me if I were Atlanta. | |
| 48 mins: A long spell of possession and a hopeful cross for Portland. They’ve switched ends at halftime, as is required in this sport, which means the action is at the same end of the field that saw much of the action in the first half. I’d say the sun or wind is a factor, but it’s nighttime, and it’s indoors. | |
| 46 mins: And we’re off, after another loud blast from the train horn that signifies Atlanta’s ties to being a locomotive ... I grew up in Georgia and should know all this. Check it out online if you like. It just sounds cool. | |
| Atlanta has the most skilled team in the league. Do they have the grit to get through a chippy Cup final? We’ll find out. | |
| Fox is interviewing MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who has been in charge of the league since 1999. Will he sign a contract extension to continue to make it an even 20? | |
| Ah. No he wasn’t. As always happens to me when I play FIFA, the right back kept him on. | Ah. No he wasn’t. As always happens to me when I play FIFA, the right back kept him on. |
| Onside. #MLSCup (this is after the ball is played and he’s still on) pic.twitter.com/VJuDoZPnWu | Onside. #MLSCup (this is after the ball is played and he’s still on) pic.twitter.com/VJuDoZPnWu |
| Gooooooooolllll ... | Gooooooooolllll ... |
| Josef Martinez, looking to add an #MLSCup MVP to his regular season honors (via @UnivisionSports)pic.twitter.com/vptnbWBI5I | Josef Martinez, looking to add an #MLSCup MVP to his regular season honors (via @UnivisionSports)pic.twitter.com/vptnbWBI5I |
| ... | ... |
| ... | ... |
| ... was he offside? | ... was he offside? |
| For a while, not quite a game that lived up to the hype or the atmosphere. But Martinez’s opportunistic goal may force Portland out of its “Don’t let Atlanta be Atlanta” game plan, and the Timbers can attack, too. | For a while, not quite a game that lived up to the hype or the atmosphere. But Martinez’s opportunistic goal may force Portland out of its “Don’t let Atlanta be Atlanta” game plan, and the Timbers can attack, too. |
| Good observation while they tend to Ebobisse ... | Good observation while they tend to Ebobisse ... |
| Michael Parkhurst will probably eventually do down as the best American player to never play in a World Cup. So smart. He reads the game so well.. always has #MLSCUP | Michael Parkhurst will probably eventually do down as the best American player to never play in a World Cup. So smart. He reads the game so well.. always has #MLSCUP |
| I don’t have time to look it up now, but the Atlanta defender (formerly New England) usually gets through each season with a ridiculously small number of fouls. Fair play indeed. | I don’t have time to look it up now, but the Atlanta defender (formerly New England) usually gets through each season with a ridiculously small number of fouls. Fair play indeed. |
| 43 mins: HUGE SAVE by Brad Guzan, as Atlanta United loses focus just for a moment and leaves Ebobisse open six yards out, dead center in front of the goal. Guzan leaps to his right to keep out the header. | 43 mins: HUGE SAVE by Brad Guzan, as Atlanta United loses focus just for a moment and leaves Ebobisse open six yards out, dead center in front of the goal. Guzan leaps to his right to keep out the header. |
| Ebobisse lands badly and is still down. | Ebobisse lands badly and is still down. |
| 41 mins: That’s 35 goals in the regular season and postseason for Martinez this season. | 41 mins: That’s 35 goals in the regular season and postseason for Martinez this season. |
| How does Transfermarkt only list him at 5.85 millions pounds? Atlanta will certainly get bigger offers than that. | How does Transfermarkt only list him at 5.85 millions pounds? Atlanta will certainly get bigger offers than that. |
| Michael Parkhurst, another veteran defender, slides forward in midfield with a tackle that sends the ball flying up into the box for Martinez, who makes slightly fewer moves in the 1vkeeper situation than Mo Salah did earlier today but still finishes calmly. | Michael Parkhurst, another veteran defender, slides forward in midfield with a tackle that sends the ball flying up into the box for Martinez, who makes slightly fewer moves in the 1vkeeper situation than Mo Salah did earlier today but still finishes calmly. |
| 37 mins: Portland’s pressure forces Atlanta to play back to Guzan. And again. | 37 mins: Portland’s pressure forces Atlanta to play back to Guzan. And again. |
| 35 mins: Twitter is not being so kind to our center ref ... | 35 mins: Twitter is not being so kind to our center ref ... |
| “Hi, my name is Alan Kelly, and I’d like to ruin the MLS Cup by allowing players to kick the life out of each other.”🙄 | “Hi, my name is Alan Kelly, and I’d like to ruin the MLS Cup by allowing players to kick the life out of each other.”🙄 |
| I'm not saying Alan Kelly is letting a lot go, but every time someone complains about a no call Kelly responds "But did he DIE?" #MLSCup | I'm not saying Alan Kelly is letting a lot go, but every time someone complains about a no call Kelly responds "But did he DIE?" #MLSCup |
| 33 mins: Larentowicz again stops a Portland attack, with forward Jeremy Ebobisse (who, I’m compelled to add, played college soccer at my alma mater) giving him a little shove. Ebobisse has been utterly starved of service. | 33 mins: Larentowicz again stops a Portland attack, with forward Jeremy Ebobisse (who, I’m compelled to add, played college soccer at my alma mater) giving him a little shove. Ebobisse has been utterly starved of service. |
| 32 mins: Atlanta wingback-ish Greg Garza streaks down the left, but nothing comes of it. A Portland counter looks dangerous but is cut out by MLS veteran Jeff Larentowicz, who has been playing in the league since the 1800s. | 32 mins: Atlanta wingback-ish Greg Garza streaks down the left, but nothing comes of it. A Portland counter looks dangerous but is cut out by MLS veteran Jeff Larentowicz, who has been playing in the league since the 1800s. |
| 30 mins: And the ensuing corner kick was dangerous as well, zipping through the 6-yard box. Portland tries to counter but can’t. Atlanta just keeps stripping the ball away in midfield. | 30 mins: And the ensuing corner kick was dangerous as well, zipping through the 6-yard box. Portland tries to counter but can’t. Atlanta just keeps stripping the ball away in midfield. |
| 29 mins: Now THAT was nice. Atlanta wins the ball 40 yards out, springs it left, then back in the box for Almiron with a side volley driven down off the turf. Attinella has to spring to push it over. | 29 mins: Now THAT was nice. Atlanta wins the ball 40 yards out, springs it left, then back in the box for Almiron with a side volley driven down off the turf. Attinella has to spring to push it over. |
| 26 mins: Valeri is down and grimacing. He’s OK now. Atlanta is connecting more passes, but Martinez puts a through ball 10 yards ahead of Nagbe. Did Usain Bolt sign anywhere? | 26 mins: Valeri is down and grimacing. He’s OK now. Atlanta is connecting more passes, but Martinez puts a through ball 10 yards ahead of Nagbe. Did Usain Bolt sign anywhere? |
| 25 mins: A couple of Atlanta crosses are not good. | 25 mins: A couple of Atlanta crosses are not good. |