—by Chris Rifer

And we’re back.

The Portland Timbers downed the Philadelphia Union 3-1 in a torrential downpour at Jeld-Wen Field on Monday night, using a dramatic second half comeback to win comfortably.

The Timbers started on their front foot, as Eric Alexander put a seventh minute shot on goal that Zac MacMath could barely tip wide of the far post. Just two minutes later, the Timbers looked to be running into the box with a free look at goal again, as Jorge Perlaza sped by Danny Califf. When Califf pulled Perlaza down in the box, however, referee Baldomero Toledo refused to point at the spot and put the Union captain in the book.

Portland continued to press until the 20th minute, when Perlaza cleverly played Kris Boyd into space, but MacMath was able to close down the angle and block Boyd’s effort.

Philadelphia’s lone legitimate chance of the first half came just a minute later, when Josue Martinez found the Union’s Colombian import, Lionard Pajoy, in the middle of the box. Pajoy’s header, however, was blocked by a perfectly positioned Lovel Palmer to keep Troy Perkins’ sheet clean.

Neither team could muster much in the way of rhythm or chances for the rest of the first half, however, and Portland reluctantly went into halftime level with a fortunate Union side.

Just three minutes into the second stanza, however, the Timbers foreshadowed the drama that was about to unfold. Alexander’s cross found Kalif Alhassan beyond the far post, but while Kalif’s bouncing shot beat MacMath, it was cleared off the line by Carlos Valdes.

The game changed in the 51^st minute when Freddy Adu appeared to get a cleat stuck in the turf. Toledo, however, whistled it a foul on Jack Jewsbury. Gabriel Gomez’s free kick from 40 yards out whipped into the box, skimmed off the head of an inexplicably ducking Andrew Jean-Baptiste, and into the net. Completely against the run of play, the Union found themselves with an unlikely 1-0 lead.

Open, floodgates.

Three minutes later Jack Jewsbury sent a free kick in from 35 yards out on the right wing. Jean-Baptiste, looking to forget his blunder on the defensive end, nodded the ball toward the far post. What should have been a relatively routine diving save for MacMath turned into a goal when the wet ball skidded beneath his gloves and into the far corner. Game on.

The Timbers didn't waste much time breaking the deadlock. In the 66^th minute, Alhassan collected a ball from Alexander on the right side, earned himself a sliver of daylight, and sent a cross near post. You know who likes to sit near post? Kris Boyd. 2-1.

Alhassan could scratch providing expert service off his to-do list, but his agenda wasn’t finished for the evening. In the 76^th minute, Kalif received a short set piece from Jewsbury, took two touches, and chipped the ball over the helpless Union defense into the far side netting.

As the two sides took care of some formalities, a party broke out in Portland. The 2012 MLS season has officially begun, and it looks like it might just be absolutely tremendous.

Match Observations

• It looked for a moment like the Timbers might get Toledo’d. After Portland dominated vast stretches of the match, Philly pulled ahead on a set piece that probably shouldn’t have been. How many times have we seen the Timbers hang their heads in that situation and go on to a harsh result? Not so tonight. The Timbers immediately seized control back from the Union and put the game away as quickly as it had slipped away.
• Here is some shocking news: Baldomero Toledo is still the worst referee in the MLS. I don’t know how he kept his job in this economy, but his refereeing on Monday could only be describes as completely random. The missed penalty<<a href="#ftn1">[1] was shameful, and apparently he left his cards in the dressing room. During the match, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Independent Supporters Council could draft a resolution calling for his sacking. The North American game would be better off for it.
• It’s going to be an even leaner year for the Eastern Conference than I expected. After going 1-5-0 against the West, the East looks downright awful. The Philadelphia Union, fingered by some optimistic prognosticators as contenders, were run out of Jeld-Wen Field. Dallas shellacked New York, another East favorite.[2] Montreal and Columbus were blitzed by Vancouver and Colorado, respectively. Even the San Jose Earthquakes got in on the fun by beating the supposedly improved New England Revolution. But for Houston[3] needing second half stoppage time to beat Chivas USA,[4] the Eastern Conference would have gone home empty handed.
• Finally, congratulations to the Army, and thank you to all who participated, for a wonderful tifo display. It was great to get the whole stadium involved; something I would hypothesize made for a livelier atmosphere throughout Morrison Street for the rest of the match. It’s a little unfortunate the fireworks diminished the effect a bit, but from what I could see it came off fabulously.
• Look at the Timbers’ By the Numbers piece. That, friends, is a back alley whoopin’.

Timbers Grades

Troy Perkins, 5 Really wasn’t tested. Was caught a little flat footed on the concession, but that had more to do with Jean-Baptiste than it did Troy.

Rodney Wallace, 7 He looks like a totally new player. Was dangerous coming forward and, except for a couple relatively insignificant moments, looked pretty reliable in defense. We have all spent a lot of time ruing the McCarty-Wallace trade. If Rod keeps this form for the rest of the season, the Timbers will end up on the better end of the deal.

Andrew Jean-Baptiste, 5 This would have been a pretty bloody grade had he not scored the goal. Looked pretty unsure in defense and has absolutely culpable on the concession. He redeemed himself, however, with his first goal as a Timber. With his physical tools he will be a stud. Just not yet.

Eric Brunner, 5.5 The backline was understandably a little bit dodgy tonight. AJB was certainly not his expected running mate in central defense, so Eric gets a little bit of a pass this time. Brunner still had a few nice clearances, and didn’t do anything to reflect poorly on his sterling reputation.

Lovel Palmer, 6 You can see the beginnings of some chemistry with Kalif on that right side. Lovel overlapped well, and for the most part looked improved in sending crosses in. He had one cross late in the first half that was the second best ball sent in all night. Who sent the first? If you don’t know already, keep reading.

Eric Alexander, 4.5 I was ready to absolutely murder Eric for what looked to me at first glance as a horrible outing. And don’t get me wrong, there were some brutal moments. But when I looked back at some video, I realized that Alexander had a little bit of influence on a lot of big plays. He was still the worst Timber on the evening, and has to be looking over his shoulder at Franck Songo’o getting fit.

Diego Chara, 5 Not Diego’s best night as a Timber by any means. Looks a little bit rusty, as he’s turning the ball over more than we’re used to seeing. Still has a tremendously positive influence on the midfield, however, which was one phase of the game the Timbers absolutely dominated.

Jack Jewsbury, 7 Great stuff from Jack tonight. The Timbers’ captain was the best player in the center of the pitch all night long, and he was rewarded with a pair of assists.[5]

Kalif Alhassan, 8 What can I say? Well, a few things. First, I was wrong—oh, so wrong—about relegating Kalif to the bench. Second, what a night. His cross to the forehead of Boyd was world class. His goal was world class. He still dribbles too much, but oh my goodness the dazzling things he does with the ball at his feet. Kalif does too many good things—even if sometimes they’re the wrong good things—to keep him off the field.

Jorge Perlaza, 6 Can join Rod as the underappreciated player of the evening. First off, his handles have improved substantially since last season. He still takes a heavy touch here and there, but he has already left more defenders grasping at air this season than he did last. Absent something radical changing, he is Kris Boyd’s strike partner, at least in my mind.

Kris Boyd, 7 As I’ve said before, 90% of this grade revolves around whether he scores a goal. Mission accomplished. Having him on board might just be a lot of fun.

Darlington Nagbe, 4.5 Pretty anonymous in a fairly lengthy stretch. Not surprising, though, considering the amount of preseason he missed.

James Marcelin, 5.5 While some clamor for Marcelin to start, I love him in the role of defensive sub for Boyd.

Preseason Prediction: 3-1 Timbers, Boyd, Alexander, and Perlaza.[6]

Actual Result: 3-1 Timbers, Jean-Baptiste, Boyd, and Alhassan.[7]

Onward, Rose City!