Déjà vu for `Jackie Chan’ as Alpha United face MLS’ Portland Timbers tonight

GUYANA’S Alpha United will lock horns with Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Portland Timbers tonight from 20:00hrs at the Guyana National Stadium when the two sides meet in the CONCACAF Champions League. 

The match is important for both sides, especially for Alpha United who had lost their first game 1-0 to Deportivo Olimpia.
It will be the first time an MLS team will be playing in Guyana and since both are debutants at the CONCACAF showpiece, it is expected that fans will certainly be in for treat.
Alpha coach Wayne Dover, arguably Guyana’s best coach and most successful as well, pointed out that they are focusing on attacking since the Guyanese were guilty of misfiring and squandering several certain goal chances.
But for one Alpha United player, he has a score to settle.
Gregory `Jackie Chan’ Richardson would always be remembered by most MLS teams for his devastating display of skills, speed and most importantly, his goal-scoring ability when he single-handedly dismantled MLS side New England Revolution in the 2008/09 Champions League while playing for Joe Public of Trinidad and Tobago.
While it’s indeed five years since the striker grabbed the attention of the world, from it, he was able to land an MLS contract with the Colorado Rapids to become the first Guyanese to play in the MLS; this is not the first time Richardson is facing the Timbers.
After being waived by the Rapids, Richardson landed in the nest of the Carolina Rail Hawks, who competed in the United Soccer League which sits one tier behind the MLS.
Before the Timbers switched owners from Shortstop to Peregrine Sports (though Merritt Paulson still has majority ownership), they competed in the USL.
Richardson was the Rail Hawks’ marksman and being down a goal, they looked to the Guyanese to equalise, but his bicycle kick was cleared from goal by now football analyst Ross Smith.
His Rail Hawks team lost the game 1-0 to the Timbers.
Richardson is, by far, coach Dover’s most experienced player at this tournament, given the fact the striker, who is more popularly known as ‘Jackie Chan’, has seven career CONCACAF Champions League goals – five with Joe Public in the 2008/09 season and two with Puerto Rico Islanders, scoring one each in the 2011/12 and 2012/2013 tournaments.
Kithson Bain also played with the Rail Hawks in 2011 but the Grenada National striker is playing in his second CONCACAF Champions League; making his debut with Trinidad’s Caledonia AIA last year, even scoring in his first game.
Dover said that his side will play a more pressuring game, with the aim of forcing the Americans into errors in their defensive third and for Alpha United to capitalise on their chances by scoring goals; something they did not do in the game against Olimpia.
Dover pointed out that during training, the team spent a lot of time working on their offensive patterns, doing a lot of goal-scoring drills.
With Portland Timbers having a busy MLS schedule, it is believed that coach Caleb Porter will rely on his reserves to at least salvage a point before heading back to the U.S. where they will face Seattle on Sunday.

(By Rawle Toney)