Purdy Taken to Hospital by Ambulance with Eye Injury

There were mixed results for the three Portland Timbers players on international duty.

Costa Rican Rodney Wallace experienced victory on an emotionally charged night in Cardiff.

This was Wales’ first match since the tragic death of manager Gary Speed. His sons accompanied the team for the anthems on the pitch and the sadness of the occasion affected the Welsh performance.

Los Ticos were chosen as the opponent as they were also the opponent in Speed’s first international match for Wales. A seventh minute goal by Joel Campbell saw the visitors leave with a victory. Campbell plays in Ligue Un for Lorient, which also happens to be Sebastien Le Toux’s first club.

In Los Angeles, it was not a good night for defender Steve Purdy. He was taken to hospital in an ambulance after leaving the pitch with an eye injury according to the Associated Press.

He received eight stiches below his eye, but is doing well otherwise, according to a Portland Timbers spokesman.

He left the field in the 88th minute, shortly before referee Ricardo Salazar abandoned the match early. His linesman was being pelted with objects by Salvadorean fans protesting an earlier decision. Salazar saw no way of securing his assistant’s safety and ended the game prematurely.

New York’s Joel Lindpere was in the Estonian side who won 2-0 through goals from AZ Alkmaar’s Ragnar Klavan and Flora Talimm’s Gert Kams in the second half.

Mamadou Danso was also on the losing side in the African Cup of Nations. He started and finished the 1-2 loss for Gambia against Algeria in an African Cup of Nations qualifier. Momodou Ceesay gave the Gambian side the lead in their home leg but in a four minute spell Kaiserslautern’s Anthar Yahia and Vaslencia’s Sofiane Feghouli pulled Algeria ahead.

Two other familiar players were involved. Former Sounder and current Montreal Impact midfielder Sanna Nyassi started the game and was replaced by the New England Revs Kenny Mansally just after the hour mark.

Gambia face a tough task in the second leg in June. First they have Moroccoa at home in May in the World Cup qualifiers.

Somos Timbers: Jr. Reporter Interview with Steve Purdy (Portland Timbers website)