—by Chris Rifer

The Portland Timbers continued their 6-week long skid in deflating fashion Sunday afternoon after losing to Seattle 3-2, once again conceding two goals in the final 20 minutes. What for 70 minutes seemed to be an epic match that the Timbers might just be able to salt away turned sour in a hurry, as Portland’s dodgy defense let the Rose City down again.

The first half was a tactical nip-tuck affair. Before the match Portland unexpectedly went to a 4-5-1, replacing striker Eddie Johnson with James Marcelin. The Timbers were looking to control the midfield, provide a little bit more cover for the defense, and let Jorge Perlaza roam the Sounders defense looking for a seam. Seattle, on the other hand, seemed content to let Portland play in the midfield, but played stiff defense and looked to get out on the counter.

The result was a half in which the Timbers seemed to have the better of possession, but the Sounders had the better of the chances. While Portland struggled to create much in the attacking third, Seattle created a number of half chances with a couple Fredy Montero efforts sailing wide and Roger Levesque breaking free behind the Timbers backline once. Still, when the Sounders came calling, the Timbers defense was up to the task, preserving a 0-0 draw at the half.

The stalemate was broken immediately after intermission, however, as in the 46^th minute James Marcelin freed Kalif Alhassan up the right side. Kalif streaked into the box and sent a low cross near post to Jorge Perlaza. Jeff Parke had to make a play on the ball, but the momentum of the cross carried the ball off of Parke’s foot, through the wickets of Kasey Keller, and into the net.

Seattle would answer back in the 57^th minute, as Montero struck a bending, dipping free kick from 25 yards out over the vertically-challenged Timbers wall and into the corner of the net.

For the first time in weeks, however, the Timbers would show a bit of pluck. In the 69^th minute, Diego Chara took possession of the ball in the midfield and played it forward on the right wing to his countryman Perlaza. Just as Jorge appeared to be overrun by the Sounders defense he played a shot that deflected off Tyson Wahl’s leg and into the net. Relief, delirium, and—cruelest of all—hope.

If we have learned one thing over the past several weeks, however, it is that with the Timbers, no lead is safe. This was no exception. Just five minutes later, in the 74^th minute, after the Timbers repeatedly failed to clear Sounders chances, Mauro Rosales found Montero standing alone at the mouth of the goal and Fredy converted the easy chance for the brace.

Relief turned to anxiety, delirium to despair, and hope to resignation. Finally, in the 83^rd minute, the seemingly inevitable happened in familiar fashion. After Eric Brunner let Lamar Neagle slip behind him, Brunner took a final desperate hack to try to tackle the ball away. The result was a predictable red card in the box and a penalty for the Sounders. Osvaldo Alonso stepped to the spot and buried the Timbers.

Match Observations

• It is dizzying to think of how quickly this season has turned from being one that fills the bandwagon to one where supporters earn their stripes. It is a blessing for the franchise to have a strong, loyal fan base—many of whom have been through lean years before. As a Cubs fan, I feel like I know a thing or two about losing, but what has been especially torturous about this stretch has been the way it has happened—two second half stoppage time goals and an 83^rd minute penalty after coughing up a 70^th minute lead. Those go the other way and the Timbers have 24 points and are sitting on the cusp of the playoff picture. So yeah, it’s hard not to think what might be right now.
• This is stating the painfully obvious, but the defense right now is in shambles. Nine goals allowed in three games. Opposing strikers have found space in front of, within, and behind the Timbers defense repeatedly, leading John Spencer to announce the unimaginable today—Kevin Goldthwaite will start the next game, and not completely out of necessity. To date I have been pretty positive about Spencer’s performance, and I certainly don’t think he is the only or even proximate cause of what ails the Timbers. That said, we have seen this defense perform very well at times this year—namely against RSL and Philadelphia, where they were dominant. When a once-formidable unit turns sour without major personnel changes or injuries, you have to look to the coaching. So, here’s looking at you, Spenny.
• One semi-positive note. I liked the 4-5-1 (or some variation of it). I thought the introduction of James Marcelin was helpful, as he was pretty fantastic in the midfield at times on Sunday. I also think that Jorge Perlaza can benefit from it, as he will have lots of room to roam in front. The one downside is that with the introduction of Marcelin and loss of Cooper/Johnson, we lose a target. Still, it’s not like those guys were producing anyway, so why not trade some ineptitude up front for a little possession in the midfield? It will be interesting to see how this evolves, but I give it early passing marks. Speaking of marks…

Timbers Grades

Troy Perkins, 5 I agonized over this one a bit because he was magical at times and none of the goals were really his fault. That said, you conceded three goals and you are the keeper. You can’t get a really positive grade.

Rodney Wallace, 5 Was probably our best defender on the night. That’s troubling. Actually had an okay night. Wasn’t directly culpable on any of the goals and didn’t unleash any Rod Wallace Specials on us.

Futty, 4 Just sort of looked lost in defense in the second half. The Sounders are a good, but not great, offensive side. Futty was a key part of a defense that made them look absolutely magical in the final 45.

Eric Brunner, 3.5 Was not only extremely culpable on the 3^rd goal, but Marcelin was forced to commit the foul that led to the first concession after he was pulled out a bit out of position. Eric will want to forget this one, and won’t get a chance to redeem himself anytime soon as he’ll have to watch the Chicago match on TV.

Steve Purdy, 4 To those of you who didn’t like my assessment of him last week, touché.

Kalif Alhassan, 5.5 Had a nice day in the midfield, capped off by creating the Timbers’ first goal. That, actually, is a situation in which I think the attacking player should get credit for the goal. By bring the ball down on the byline and sending in a quality cross, he essentially rendered Parke helpless. Parke had to stab at the ball or Perlaza would tap it in, but by stabbing at it, there was a good chance he would knock it in himself. Scoring that as an own goal is harsh to both Parke and Kalif. Seriously, Kalif needs to do something about his allergy to shots on frame, though.

James Marcelin, 6 Had a very nice outing. Possessed the ball well in the midfield and played with very few of the head-slapping giveaways that he has been known to commit in the past. Even though he committed the foul that set up the first concession, it has a foul he had to commit because his teammates weren’t in position.

Diego Chara, 4.5 Aside from his pretty pass up the seam to a streaking Perlaza to set up the second goal, Diego had one of his poorer performances as a Timber. He has been in a bit of a slump lately – like the rest of the side – although he at least has the reason that he is still getting used to the league.

Jack Jewsbury, 5.5 I thought Jack actually had one of his better matches in the midfield, especially in the first half. Helped Portland hold a lot of the possession in the first stanza, which limited the number of fires the defense had to put out. Maybe could have used a little bit more of that in the second half, but ultimately you have to look at the defense for the culpability there.

Darlington Nagbe, 4 After he made international waves with his incredible strike last week, had one of his most anonymous outings of the season.

Jorge Perlaza, 5.5 It’s funny, other than the two goals, Jorge struggled to really get into things. That sentence, however, is a little absurd.

Sal Zizzo, 5.5 Had one of his better outings on the right wing. Controlled the ball well on his side, and made a few of his nice runs into the interior, including one that led to a beautiful cross that Kalif should have been able to volley on frame for a potential late equalizer.

Kenny Cooper, 4.5 I hated this substitution. At the time Spencer was making it effectively as a defensive substitution, but then he ended up coming on right after Seattle’s equalizer. Spenny has to pull Kenny back in that instance. Jorge had been involved in both of our goals. Regardless of how tired Perlaza was, you need to trust him enough to let him run the full 90 there. Cooper didn’t have much of an impact in his spell, and I don’t expect him to have much success alone up front in the 4-5-1.

With that, I think I need some time in the mountains.

Keep on keepin’ on, Rose City.