—by Chris Rifer
When it rains, it pours. I’m not entirely sure how that translates to snow, but whatever it is, that’s what it was doing when I walked to work this morning. It’s also pouring talent on the Timbers roster right now, as today’s snow day[1] brought the somewhat-expected announcement that Portland officially inked Hanyer Mosquera.
Mosquera, “El Mosco”,[2] is a 25 year-old center back from – where else – Istmina, Colombia. At 6’1”, 175 pounds, El Mosco isn’t the most physically imposing center back around, but he is reputed to be one of the better center backs in Colombia.
Presumably Mosquera will slot into the starting eleven alongside Eric Brunner at center back, leaving Futty as the first center back off the bench. Mosquera’s contract does not appear to be Designated Player, meaning the Timbers still likely have one DP spot to play with if they so choose.[3] Regardless, in spite of Merritt’s suggestion to the contrary,[4] we can now start to put together still-too-early starting eleven projections for the 2012 season. So, without further adieu, meet your 2012 Portland Timbers:[5]
Goalkeeper – Troy Perkins. The reality is Jake Gleeson is still a couple years away from mounting a serious challenge to Troy’s stranglehold on the starting keeper gig.
Left Back – Rodney Wallace. One of the harder positions to project at this point because of competition between Chabala and Wallace. I have to think Rodney’s late-season form – which was better than Chewy’s – and his success with the Costa Rican National Team gives him a leg up at this point.
Center Back – Eric Brunner, Hanyer Mosquera. A pretty easy position to pick. Brunner was one of the unsung heroes of 2011. Mosquera is one of the major additions of 2012. If Brunner holds or improves upon his 2011 form and Mosquera lives up to his billing, this may be one of the better tandems in the league.[6]
Right Back – Lovel Palmer. Absent a move at right back, which seems unlikely at this point, Palmer will likely get a mulligan on his less-than-stellar debut with the Timbers. Sometimes that works out. Other times it doesn’t. Color me skeptical.
Left Midfield – Kalif Alhassan. The Timbers have made a few statements endorsing Kalif over the past few months, and I expect he will be the opening day starter on the left wing. Considering he has been in Portland for a year and a half now, it is easy to forget he is only 21. The upside on this kid is outrageous. Think about it, if he had played in the American university system, there is a good chance he would have been in this draft class. Can you name three players from the 2012 SuperDraft you think will have a greater impact this season than Kalif? Me neither.
Center Midfield – Jack Jewsbury, Diego Chara. The forgotten storyline among all the roster moves is that Portland may have the best returning central midfield in MLS. That’s a bold statement, and certainly there are arguments to be made for others, but Jack Jewsbury was an All-Star last year,[7] and he’s probably the second best of the two. The league still doesn’t know who Diego Chara is. They will by July.[8]
Right Midfield – Darlington Nagbe. This might be the surprise, and at this point it is probably the hardest position to predict because it could easily go one of three ways. Sal Zizzo is likely to be on the mend through the first couple months of the season. This spot may be occupied by Eric Alexander, but something tells me the training wheels are going to come off young Darlington this year, and this is the spot that makes the most sense for him right now. Why? Keep reading.
Forward – Jorge Perlaza, Mystery Designated Player. First, let’s talk Jorge. Perhaps nothing in MLS is more tried and true than the second-year bump foreign players get after coming into the league. The travel is tough, the league is physical, and the culture is new. Jorge was very up and down in 2011. Expect more up than down in 2012. Now, to the Mystery DP. It has to happen. It must already be in the cards – likely a card in a pile of transactions on Don Garber’s desk right now. Otherwise the Kenny Cooper trade really doesn’t make much sense, as the logical strikeforce would feature two strikers under 5’9”.[9]
The other foreseeable option is Darlington taking Perlaza’s spot at striker and either Alexander or a healthy Sal Zizzo slotting in at right mid. Jorge, in that instance, would essentially be the first player off the bench for Portland, bringing pace off the pine to test tired backlines.[10] If – and this is the biggest if – Alexander or Zizzo show they are as capable as Nagbe is on the right wing, this could happen. To be honest, though, I wonder if Sal is going to be on form in mid-March and whether Alexander is really a right midfielder. In the end, that’s why I project Nagbe to be the opening day starter on the right side.
We start answering all these questions on Monday, however, as training camp is less than a week away.
Onward, Rose City!
[1] Maybe “slush day” is more accurate.
[2] One literal translation is “The Mosquito”. We might have to work on that…
[3] Although with the secrecy of MLS transactions, it’s hard to tell for sure.
[4] On Twitter Merritt suggested the roster was far from complete. Mathematically – in terms of roster spots and salary cap space – that probably isn’t entirely true. There may yet be a significant piece to add, but it is hard to imagine there will be numerous changes between now and the beginning of the season. It bears mentioning that Merritt made this statement in response to 107ist’s own Sheba, who is far and away the most effective person at needling information out of Merritt. She’s like the Perry Mason to his hapless guilty witness. She asks one little innocent question and Merritt can’t help but spill his guts.
[5] Or at least most of them.
[6] With Omar Gonzalez out for the foreseeable future, the only two-back combination that would be clearly superior would be Nat Borchers and Jamison Olave in Salt Lake. Bobby Boswell and Geoff Cameron would enter the conversation as well.
[7] And justifiably so. Don’t even get me started on the whole “he only scored goals on set pieces” stuff. Oh, and his fall production slump was probably as much about the fact that he was put into a deeper lying position in the midfield as it was about poorer play. That move to the back of the diamond also coincided with a dramatic improvement in the Timbers’ defense. It wasn’t the only factor. It may not have even been the primary factor. But it certainly was a factor in the Timbers’ late-season stinginess.
[8] Hey, I’m making bald predictions here. You can’t hold me to any of this stuff.
[9] If Jorge Perlaza is 5’10”, then John Spencer is William Wallace. On the bright side, if the wee-man strikeforce comes to fruition, it would be a good thing the Timbers have a right back that specializes in worm-burning crosses. That joke makes me a little bit sad.
[10] I promise you, that rhyme was totally unintentional.
