—by Chris Rifer

On Wednesday the Portland Timbers showed up at Livestrong Sporting Park, licked a stamp, and mailed it in. There is no kinder way to put it. Portland’s anemic effort was the worst since the disaster in Dallas, and once again made a mockery of John Spencer’s vow to have a hardworking, scrappy team.

The Timbers came out completely lifeless, letting the Wiz dominate possession. Fortunately for Portland, for the first 20 minutes or so, Sporting showed a lack of moxie as they approached goal.

Eventually, though, K.C. would become emboldened by the Timbers’ toothlessness.  In the 25^th minute, Sporting midfielder Graham Zusi collected a Rodney Wallace clearing header and fired the ball from 25 yards out into the far corner. For the second match in a row the Timbers conceded a goal on a brilliant strike from long range.

Fifteen minutes later – only about ten of which were actually played after a long stoppage caused by Jimmy Nielsen being hit in the eye by a flung bobblehead – Kansas City would strike again. This time the Timbers failed to clear a ball out of the box, and after a bit of a scrum in front of goal, Zusi forced the ball over the line. For the second match in a row, Portland found themselves down two goals in the first half.

For the second paragraph in a row, I pointed out a troubling similarity to the previous match.

The determination to get back into the match that Portland demonstrated against Houston must have skipped the trip to Kansas City, as the Timbers came out equally indifferent in the second half as they did in the first. While Portland was able to get forward with a little bit more regularity—largely thanks to Sporting’s complete lack of concern—the Timbers struggled to create any chances worth writing about.

Any fool’s hope of a comeback was put to rest in the 72^nd minute, as an Eric Brunner challenge at the top of the box ricocheted off of Soony Saad’s foot and floated, in painfully slow motion, back into Portland’s goal. It was a fittingly ugly goal, as Portland’s pitiful effort was appropriately punished by an embarrassingly fluky concession.

In a late effort to save face—largely fueled by the entrance of a few substitutes who seemed comparatively motivated—Bright Dike opened his MLS account. It was a feel good moment for a guy who has worked tirelessly to recover from a devastating injury and prove that he deserves his place on the team.

The warm fuzzies from Dike’s goal, however, don’t help the Timbers on the table. With already faint playoff hopes quickly slipping away, Portland has given themselves a mountain to climb in their efforts to reach the postseason. After an effort like Wednesday’s, however, it is hard to argue they deserve it.

Match Observations

• To be perfectly honest, there aren’t a whole lot of observations to be had about the match. So, in this midweek post, we’re going with some more general observations.
• After watching that match, I am convinced that everybody that has complained about Portland’s artificial surface needs to at least say a little apology. I don’t know whether it is mismanagement, overuse, or what, but the surface at K.C. is in embarrassing condition for such a new facility. The penalty area on Portland’s first half defensive end was virtually a sandlot, and there were so many divots throughout the pitch that it looked like a fairway on Sunday of a PGA tournament. So, artificial surface at Jeld-Wen, I apologize for all the mean things I have said about you. I appreciate that you play true, even if a little fast. Sure, you could be a little bit bigger, but at least you aren’t bare dirt over substantial portions of your surface. And I must admit, you do look awfully nice after the waterboys give you a spray.
• Dear Chivas USA: We’re sure glad you took the skeleton of Juan Pablo Angel off of Galaxy’s books so they could sign Robbie Keane. I don’t know if you have watched him at all this year, but we actually think you got ripped off in parting with a 3rd Round Supplemental Draft Pick. Most especially, thanks for making the most loaded team in the league better by doing them a gigantic favor. Sincerely, The Rest of the League. P.S. Stop being a subsidiary of a club in a competitor league. Nothing against Chivas de Guadalajara, but you are making us all look very minor league.
• Finally, a very early comment on this upcoming postseason. I generally agree with the effort of trying to build a foundation without investing huge gobs of money in 30-something designated players this season. Moreover, I’m sympathetic to the argument that making major changes midseason can sometimes be more disruptive than helpful, especially when you’re trying to build a long-term nucleus. That said, this offseason is going to be a choice time to spend a bit of money. We shouldn’t be near the point of Arsenal fans, who have very forcefully made known their feelings about their club’s relative austerity, but I think it is reasonable for Timbers fans to expect a bit more quality on the roster next year. There are two ways to build depth, from the top and the bottom. I think the Timbers have done a good job of putting together a solid core of legitimate MLS talent, but the time is approaching to add some star power to the lineup. We’ll talk more about this after the season.
• Glad Nielsen is okay, but Sporting, that’s what you get for having stupid, warmed-over promotion nights like that. Again, sort of like Chivas, try not to make the rest of us look minor league. May I suggest a little originality?

Timbers Grades

Troy Perkins, 4.5 I do feel bad for the guy. There have been times this week where he has just appeared stranded out there. The vast majority of Wednesday’s embarrassment wasn’t his fault, but truth be told, he should have done better on the second concession.

Rodney Wallace, 5 Rod was partially to blame for the first concession, but otherwise I actually thought he was one of the Timbers’ better players. That’s not exactly saying a whole lot, but at least Rod looked like he cared.

David Horst, 5.5 Against the grain, Horst has quietly put together a nice spell of play over the last couple weeks.

Eric Brunner, 5 Not much to say about Brunner. Unspectacular outing. Can’t fault him for the third concession, which was just bad luck.

Mike Chabala, 3.5 I don’t understand playing him out of position like that when you have Jeremy Hall, a serviceable right back, available. He gets a negative grade, but it’s hard not to think that he was set up for failure by the coaching staff’s late move.

Darlington Nagbe, 3.5 Also shares some of the culpability for the first concession, as he was rather casual in closing Zusi down. Was also otherwise ineffective.

Jack Jewsbury, 4.5 A bit lucky to get the assist on Dike’s goal. Had a pretty invisible game in the midfield.

Diego Chara, 4 Unusually anonymous match from Diego.

Sal Zizzo, 4.5 I wonder if he is a little banged up after the Houston game. He wasn’t very good in that first half, but he also wasn’t awful. Sal has arguably been the Timbers’ best player over the course of the last couple weeks, so it was surprising to see him get the hook at halftime.

Jorge Perlaza, 4.5 Didn’t do much, but the utter ineffectiveness of the midfield didn’t help his casue.

Kenny Cooper, 5 Actually, I thought Kenny had several nice touches that just didn’t work out for one reason or another. He didn’t make a huge impact, but on the whole I wasn’t dissatisfied with his performance.

Kalif Alhassan, 5 Maybe gets a little bit more generous grade because he brought a bit more energy than he did in his stint in Houston. Wasn’t especially effective, but also wasn’t terrible.

Brian Umony, 5.5 He truly had the look of a guy who was out there to prove that he belonged in the team. I think Umony needs a little bit more seasoning, but the mentality seems to be there for him. I, for one, would like to see him back in the club next season.

Bright Dike, 5.5 It was really nice to see Bright get a goal. Nobody pulls off the awkward goal quite like Dike does. His tallies are very rarely pretty, but they make their way into the net all the same.

Onward, Rose City!