'Just get a foot on it' – and Brown does, lifting Timbers to victory

Veteran's shot helps Portland beat Montreal 1-0, snap six-game winless streak

By Steve Brandon

The Portland Tribune, May 30, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Chris Brown's goal in the 45th minute helped the Portland Timbers win 1-0 at Montreal on Friday night. It was the Timbers' first victory since April 26 against Seattle.

Montreal had the best of the action. Portland had the goal.

And the “Brownie” points — from Chris Brown’s 45th-minute score — were all that mattered Friday night as the Timbers snapped a six-game winless streak with a 1-0 road victory over the Impact.

"Obviously, we haven't played all that well the last couple of games, but anytime you get three points (for a win) on the road, it's a huge confidence booster," Brown says.

Portland moves on to winless Rochester for a 3 p.m. PT Sunday match.

"Now we go into Rochester thinking we could get six points out of this trip, which doesn't happen very often," Brown says.

Brown's unassisted goal came after Montreal seemingly had all the momentum, not to mention the enthusiasm of a full house at its new, soccer-only Saputo Stadium.

The veteran from University of Portland and Jesuit High gave the Timbers the edge they needed when he stuck out his right leg and, with a simple stroke, knocked home a ball just as it fell back to earth in the box.

Brown was hanging around up front, looking for an opportunity off a throw-in and "just trying to pick up the pieces" as the ball came into the goal area.

"I knew the ball was going to bob around in there, because we've got some big guys who can get their head on the ball," he says.

Portland defender Justin Thompson did get to it, but didn't get enough of the ball to move it across the box.

But then Montreal defender Stefano Pesoli’s whack of a clearance attempt came off poorly. The ball went so airborne, it seemed to take several seconds to come down.

"It kept dropping, and I was surprised that no one was around me," Brown says. "I kept thinking someone would come over on me."

Brown was able to position himself perfectly under the ball and send a one-timed shot into the near-corner of the goal, beating the Montreal keeper.

Brown did a great job of not trying to do too much with the chance.

"When a ball comes down like that, it's hard to keep the shot down and not hit it over the crossbar," Brown says. "So I was just concentrating on keeping it down, trying to get my laces on it and not taking a wild swing at it."

Brown says he didn't know where the goalkeeper was on the play.

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