—by Chris Rifer

As I was walking to get a pint with a few friends after the match, I dreaded writing this post. What more can be said that our boys and the environment didn’t already say last night? Thursday night, April 14^th, 2011, was perfect.

For the boys on the pitch, aside from being an invigorating home opener, it was a night of redemption. Ghosts that had grown over the course of the last few weeks were exorcised. Jorge Perlaza, who had looked wholly out of sorts leading some to clamor for Brian Umony or even Darlington Nagbe up top, opened his account with a brace. He was pacey, dynamic, and opportunistic. Rodney Wallace, who had committed a number of cringe-worthy mistakes over the course of the opening road trip, was reliable in defense and quality in the attack.

The party looked to be starting in the 11^th minute, when Kenny Cooper nodded home a Jack Jewsbury corner kick, only to have the goal disallowed by the linesman because the flight of Jewsbury’s ball allegedly carried it over the plane of the endline.

The Timbers continued to dominate in possession and chances, however, and their efforts paid off when Kalif Alhassan sent a well-bent ball forward for Perlaza, who left Fire keeper Sean Johnson grasping at air with a clever cut back and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner. In the 38^th minute, Rodney Wallace got into the action after a Jewbury set piece was cleared away. The ball came to Wallace, who deftly volleyed the ball through the stagnant Fire defense and into the net.

In the 47^th minute, the rout appeared to be on when Johnson failed to smother Wallace’s low cross. Perlaza, la Pantera, pounced on the loose ball in the box for his second tally of the evening.

Thereafter, the Timbers, with a few notable exceptions like Kalif Alhassan’s chip off the bar, seemed content to sit back a bit more. The Fire, relieved of the pressure that their backline couldn’t handle, took advantage and momentarily got back into the match. In the 66^th minute, Eric Brunner’s sliding tackle on the onrushing Marco Pappa deflected the ball past Jake Gleeson and into the net. The game tightened further, as in the 81^st minute, the unmarked Pappa beautifully bent a ball into the upper corner to pull the Fire within a goal.

The tension wouldn’t last long, however, as just three minutes later a Jewsbury corner eluded Johnson and led to a scrum at the mouth of the goal. In large part thanks to Cooper and Futty’s scrappiness, the ball squirted into goal, providing insurance and another moment of near-hysteria for the Army.

Match Observations

• If this is the Jorge Perlaza Portland is going to see on a consistent basis, Timbers Joey might need to get a bigger log. Chicago looked inept on their back line and in goal, but Perlaza’s pace and aggression getting forward caused several moments of panic.
• The Timbers still struggled a little bit in the second half keeping possession in the midfield. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that it is likely that three-quarters of Thursday’s midfield will be revamped two weeks from now with the return of Sal Zizzo and Darlington Nagbe to full action and the addition of Diego Chara.
• Alhassan, however, is making that decision difficult. Every match he has appeared to get more and more comfortable. The kid is dynamic, and considering he can play on both sides of the midfield—and the suspicion here is that with his distribution capabilities he could also be effective attacking from the center—he is likely to become a super sub.
• The defense gave up 13 corner kicks, many of which were needless. They covered them well, but that is far too many, and most matches will lead to a concession or two.

Match Grades

Jake Gleeson, 6 There was nothing he could have done about the two goals—one an unforeseeable deflection off of a Brunner tackle and the second an incredible bending ball that will likely be MLS Goal of the Week. He commanded his box extremely well, especially on balls coming in from the wings and on corners. Also had a typical Gleeson save on Dominic Oduro’s 1 v 1 opportunity. I’m stubbornly sticking to Perkins as starter, but this kid can play.

Steve Purdy, 5.5 Was again reliable in defense, and had a number of nice runs forward. Nothing we haven’t seen already from Purdy, but that means he was solid in back and productive moving forward.

Eric Brunner, 6 A high grade for a guy charged with an own goal, but the own goal was a little bit unfortunate, and I’m in a forgiving mood. Especially in the first half he was a one-man wrecking crew for Fire opportunities.

Futty, 5.5 Looked at times like it was his first match of the season, but also some nice moments in defense. Played a huge role in the final goal, earning a positive grade and likely another start.

Rodney Wallace, 6.5 Was simply fantastic. Energetic and disruptive in back, effective when he looked to get forward, and his strike of goal was pure quality. With the addition of Diego Chara and the substantial improvement of Wallace, all of a sudden the Dax McCarty trade is looking shrewd.

Jeremy Hall, 5 Had a couple nice runs, but probably had the most nondescript day of anybody on the pitch. With the return of Nagbe and Zizzo, it will be interesting to see where he fits in. Likely going to be as a sub that can enter in defensive situations on the wings, or even absorb some minutes at outside back.

Jack Jewsbury, 5.5 This was a more typical Jewsbury game. Solid in defense and distribution. Led a pretty good midfield effort in the first half.

James Marcelin, 5 Not Marcelin’s best outing, but nothing to really complain about either. His role is about to be significantly limited when Charra arrives, but it’s likely he will still see some pitch time in defensive situations.

Kalif Alhassan, 6 What a find last year. The kid distributes well, operates well on the ball, and has some finishing creativity to him as well. I still think Zizzo and Nagbe are probably going to lock down the wings, but Alhassan has stated an interesting case, certainly enough to at least be John Spencer’s favorite option off the bench.

Jorge Perlaza, 6.5 The first goal showed that he has quite a bit of quality to him that hadn’t been put on showcase before Thursday, and the second goal showed the predatory instincts that had been a step late until now. La Pantera seems a fitting nickname, so no need to make a change there.

Kenny Cooper, 5.5 This is probably a bit harsh considering he was in on one goal and had another arguably unjustly disallowed, but I didn’t feel like he was quite as disruptive up front as he usually is. That may not be his fault as much as a result of other guys getting that done. One thing that stuck out was his willingness and ability to track back.

Sal Zizzo, 5 Looked like a classic first match back. Had a couple nice moments of quality, but overall was pretty quiet. If the fitness is there, he may get the start on Sunday. If not, look for him next week.

Eddie Johnson, 5 Similar to Zizzo, had a couple moments of aggressiveness up front, but didn’t look completely comfortable coming off the injury.

Darlington Nagbe, INC. Only had a short stint. Did have one nice run, and was unmarked at the top of the box on the corner which led to the last goal. There is a gut feeling that we’re going to see him in the starting lineup on Sunday.