—by Chris Rifer

The Timbers offense is a mess.  Sure, there is plenty of on-ball talent in the Timbers attack, but no amount of quality can compensate for an offense’s failure to function off the ball.  Until Saturday, the only thing keeping the Timbers in games was the Timbers’ imperfect, but still solid defense.[1]  Until Saturday.

Portland’s backline broke in Frisco on Saturday evening, as F.C. Dallas limped their way to a 2-1 win over Portland.  And as the Timbers’ backline crumbled, so seemingly did Portland’s prospects for earning results any time soon.

The first twenty minutes looked awfully familiar to Timbers supporters.  Plenty of possession, plenty of good on-ball play, and nobody doing anything off the ball to present themselves for opportunities.  The Timbers weren’t short on chances, but those they created early were typically of the type that has been the staple of the Timbers’ very bland offensive diet this year.

In the 6^th minute, Maxi Urruti took a ball off of Michel’s foot after the Brazilian was caught in possession,[2] and ripped a shot well wide from the top of the box under a potentially felonious challenge.

Speaking of felonious, Dallas was very lucky not to be reduced to ten men four minutes later when Jack Jewsbury won a ball from Fabian Castillo only to be “tripped” in the face by the young Colombian.[3]  Having dodged that bullet, the only thing criminal about the Burn’s play two minutes later was the amount of space Dallas allowed Diego Valeri 25 yards from goal.  The Argentine, however, pulled his effort wide.

It was even better from the Timbers in the 22^nd minute.  After Valeri and Gaston Fernadnez played a slick series of combination off of each other, Fernandez set Valeri through for a promising shot from the top of the box, but Chris Seitz saved and Urruti strayed offside to kill any opportunity of a putback.

If the first twenty minutes inspired hope, the next ten were equally disconcerting.  In the 27^th minute, Dallas worked the ball nicely around the edge of the final third and released Jair Benitez on the left wing after Darlington Nagbe became momentarily entranced by the ball.  Benitez found Je-Vaughan Watson at the back post, who beat Pa Modou Kah and Michael Harrington in an aerial challenge, but his header looped off the top of the bar and was cleared away by Norberto Paparatto.

Two minutes later, Benitez was at pace on the wing again, this time with Jewsbury covering.  Benitez sent an early cross into the box for Blas Perez, whom Paparatto had somehow let loose, but Andrew Weber came off his line well to block Perez’s shot.

An up and down game turned bizarre in the 39^th minute when referee Sorin Stoica sent off both Michael Harrington and Watson for a phantom fight that no camera caught and, if postgame comments are any indication, nobody may have actually participated in.[4]

If losing Harrington was bad, however, matters got a whole lot worse for the Timbers just before halftime when Darlington Nagbe pulled his hamstring making a cleverly awkward pass.  The pass was successful, but the pulled hamstring came back to haunt the Timbers almost immediately.

After Nagbe couldn’t stay with Benitez on the left wing, the temperamental left back looped a cross to Kellyn Acosta beyond the far post where Acosta squared a headed pass to Perez at the mouth for an easy finish.  Norberto Paparatto was nowhere to be found in a play in which Dallas simply created numbers advantages in the box to leave Kah and Jewsbury little chance.

Despite each team playing with ten men, the second half presented a paucity of genuine chances for each side.  While the Timbers squeezed the trigger on a lot of shots in the second half, none of them presented much in the way of danger.

In fact, the only thing that seriously troubled Dallas was an ill-advised pass.  After Paparatto stepped up and headed to Will Johnson, the captain played to Valeri who hit and outstanding pass to play Urruti through between Stephen Keel and Matt Hedges.  With Kalif Alhassan making a good run to his right that was cut off by Hedges beside Urruti, the Argentine head-scratchingly tried to hopelessly play wide to Kalif.  The soccer gods had seen enough, though.  They couldn’t take any more of the Timbers’ offensive impotence, perhaps best encapsulated by Urruti’s mind-numbing impossible pass to Alhassan in a situation where he clearly just needs to take his (not insignificant) chance. Out of pure frustration, the fates deflected the ball off of Hedges’ foot and looped it into the back of the net.

There is simply no other explanation.

The Timbers couldn’t back their way into a second goal, however.  Whenever Portland found space—which was frequently as a result of the double sending off and Dallas’s makeshift central midfield—the attacker on the ball, which more often than not was Valeri, looked up to see his teammates blinking back at him, waiting for Diego to work some magic.[5]

There was magic yet to be made, but it wasn’t the type the Timbers would like to think was real.  In the 84^th minute, after the Timbers cleared a Michel free kick, the ball pinged around to the feet of Paparatto.  The new centerback failed to clear, however, and Mauro Diaz made the Timbers pay with a beautiful turn and strike that sealed the game.

The Timbers’ sleepy offense stayed in hibernation Saturday, as Portland failed to truly take advantage of a severely weakened Dallas central midfield and extra space generated by both teams playing down a man.  But the Timbers’ real undoing in Frisco was an exposed defense that made too many mistakes to permit Portland to benefit from their good fortune.

Match Observations

Where’s Zemanski?

I was shocked Caleb Porter opted for Alvas Powell instead of Ben Zemanski at halftime.  First, while Powell wasn’t disastrous, he certainly wasn’t anywhere near good.  Zemanski gives you every bit of defense Powell provides with much more going forward both in situations where he is halfway forward and combining with the midfielders or when he drives to the byline.

More important, however, is putting Zemanski on the field would have poised the Timbers to make their next move without having to make a substitution.  When the Timbers needed to chase a goal, Porter went to a 3-5-2 and had to withdraw one of his better crossers in Jack Jewsbury for Frederic Piquionne.  If Zemanski were in the game, the Timbers could have pushed Ben to holding midfield and Will Johnson into an attacking role, accomplishing the same (and arguably better) result without having to burn a sub.

2013 Comparisons

It’s time for comparisons to 2013 to put up or shut up.  Yes, the Timbers were less-than-inspiring through Week Four in 2013.  But that turned around dramatically in Week Five with one of the best performances of the year.

Frankly, I think the current Timbers’ problems are very different, and arguably more fundamental.  In 2013, it was a matter of tinkering with the shape and getting everybody used to their tactical roles.  This year, however, the shape and identity are relatively clear.  There’s a chance the Timbers just don’t have the right players to execute it.

Even as far back as preseason, Porter noted that everybody in the Timbers’ attacking four is a passer.  This is exactly right.  And it’s also a huge problem.  The Timbers have shown a propensity to overpass at times in 2014, but that’s actually not the biggest problem.

The biggest problem is none of the Timbers’ passers seem to have any idea what they’re doing off the ball.  The reality is creativity on the ball is only as good as the players off the ball getting in position not only to receive the pass, but also to generate genuine scoring chances.  As Valeri can tell you from his experience on Saturday, nice passes to players who haven’t done the work to bend the backline out of shape or put themselves in good scoring positions are prettier than they are productive.

Thus, it’s this lack of movement that turns backlines of Kellyn Acosta, Matt Hedges, Stephen Keel, and Jair Benitez into impenetrable obstacles.  Dallas’s backline isn’t bad, but it’s far from elite, and the Timbers really had no questions to ask of it despite Valeri playing well and the Timbers having their way with a makeshift Dallas midfield.

Which brings us back to our passers and the biggest worry for the Timbers in 2014.  What if moving off the ball just isn’t these guys’ game?  It’s one thing to plug a player into a slightly different role than he’s been in before or even to drill a new tactical setup.  It’s another thing altogether, however, to take an on-ball specialist and ask him to be the creative force away from the play.  The former takes a matter of weeks or a couple months.  The latter can take years, if it ever happens at all.  Unless Caleb Porter finds a way to make that light bulb go on for his passers in relatively short order, 2014 could be a very long season.

Timbers Grades

Andrew Weber, 5 Weber was solid, if far form spectacular.  Neither goal was really his fault, although there is an argument there were heroics to be made on both that Weber didn’t come close to.  Otherwise had a couple nice moments, but, frankly, nothing extraordinary.

Michael Harrington, 4 Was probably hard done by the sending off, though the lack of video makes it impossible to know for sure.  Otherwise, didn’t have his best game, most notably when Watson beat him for the header in the 27^th.

Pa Modou Kah, 3.5 With Paparatto struggling beside him, Kah’s been asked to be the alpha man in the middle.  Unfortunately, Kah tends to border on lunacy in such a role, as his stoppage time tackle demonstrated.

Norberto Paparatto, 2.5 Mistakes define defenders, and Papa made them in spades on Saturday.  On the first concession, Paparatto abandoned Kah and Jewsbury to defend grass and on the second failed to clear a ball that fell to his feet.  The Timbers will want to stick with Paparatto to help him adjust to the league, but at what cost? The truth is Norberto’s fingerprints are on all four concessions that have taken place with him on the field.

Jack Jewsbury, 5 The centerback problems have put the Timbers fullbacks in an impossible position.  They’re being asked to pinch in to help cover the middlemen, defend the flanks, and get up and contribute to the offense.  It’s simply impossible.  To the naked eye, Jewsbury looked involved in both concessions, but upon closer examination, Jack was only trying to cover for his teammates’ mistakes.

Will Johnson, 4.5 Will didn’t have as bad a day as many suggested, as his distribution was right all night and helped the Timbers to quite a bit of midfield success.  But his finishing was just as disastrous as it looked.

Diego Chara, 5.5 The Timbers defensive midfield was pushed deeper than usual, which resulted in six of Chara’s seven recoveries occurring within 35 yards of the Timbers’ goal.  This isn’t Chara’s best defending position, as he’s much more careful about committing fouls and therefore doesn’t sidle as aggressively or effectively.

Gaston Fernandez, 3 Disappeared for extended stretches on Saturday, as he is wont to do from time to time on the wing.  Had the one nice moment of combination with Valeri, but otherwise had little genuine impact.  Still, I had hoped we’d see him moved up top.

Diego Valeri, 6.5 Once it went 10 v. 10 with Nagbe coming off injured, this was Valeri’s game.  He looked like Valeri, just without anybody ahead of him being available for anything bona fide.

Darlington Nagbe, 5 Really unfortunate he was forced off.  He would have been a disaster for the Burn with the extra space in midfield.

Maxi Urruti, 3.5 Don’t get me going again on the goal.  That was the garbagest of garbage goals.  In seriousness, though, Urruti is one of the Timbers’ biggest problems when he starts.  Yes, it’s nice that he presses high and logs the miles.  No, his runs within the offense aren’t effective, which presents a problem considering Maxi is the player primarily responsible for that.

Alvas Powell, 4 He came.  He ran.  He got elbowed by Blas Perez.

Kalif Alhassan, 6 Yes, there were the usual Kalif frustrations.  But there is no question that after coming on, Kalif was the offensive player demonstrating the most intent.

Frederic Piquionne, 4 There really should be an opportunity for Freddie to break into the starting eleven.  There really should be.  His play guarantees there won’t be.

Preseason Prediction: Dallas 2, Timbers 0.

Actual Result: Dallas 2, Timbers 1.

Onward Rose City!

—by Garrett Dittfurth

This is huge people. We have committed to the largest project we've ever done. We can do this with all of your help. We need to engage the community and need all of you. Real talk. This is huge.

I can't argue with any of this. It's a pretty big honor to end up in a list with these teams. Mike Golub needs to be called out in a good way. He is as top notch as they come. We are lucky to have him working for the club. He is a top notch guy and is nothing but a service to the club. He is a guy that will rarely get the praise he deserves because he constantly works behind the scenes. I may poke a lot of fun in these blurbs because it is meant as entertainment but Mike Golub is a gem. We really couldn't be luckier to have him here. All credit to Merritt for making an incredible hire and hopefully Mike is with the club long term. He is genuine and someone that gets it. We couldn't be luckier.

Bruce Lee was suspended for an extra game. Despite the efforts of the FO to award him save of the week for the karate kick of the year it isn't exactly the same competition. I imagine there was some consternation from the digital media team this week as they couldn't produce a mediocre save to set the masses on to vote for (I kid FO if there were an award for karate kicks he would win). To them I give them this music video, which I imagine won't go over well. Guys guys guys...at least you get to nominate him for karate kick of the year! That's an award right!!!

(I guarantee you they're laughing at this but they can't say anything publicly)

Daniel Winthrow joined the club from the MLS keeper pool. Andrew Weber will be starting and Jake Gleeson is apparently still not MLS quality so he's on loan. I hear Josh Saunders is available. Last time he took over for Ricketts the Galaxy won back to back MLS championships (I kid guys because I love).

Valid point raised from the guys at Stumptownfooty. So we have a lot of players who are very good and all like to play in the middle of the field rather than in the wings. It's sort of hard to argue after watching the pre-season and first few games seeing everyone drifting to the center. Could be a tough year if it doesn't get sorted soon.

Want to have a laugh? This makes me laugh. I guess they could pull it off. But it's crazy funny considering the human rights and gay rights record in Texas against the one in Qatar. I guess they don't just straight execute people in Texas so that's a step up...right...RIGHT?

It's a good question. Can MLS get past European soccer viewing?

The new stadium in Orlando made some progress. Looks like a good destination to start planning for in 2015. Kennedy Space Center is a pretty cool side trip...my 14 year old self just sayin'....

To say interesting doesn't even cut it on this one. I don't even want to pretend this is me being a fan of the Timbers. As a fan of the league I'd straight up call bullshit on this if it happens. In order for it to happen they have a few scenarios possible. They have to magically make Ozzy Alonzo a non-DP. I'm sure the league can magically come up with a rule to make it happen. Of course that would mean Seattle gets 4 DPs...but there would be some magic rule making Alonso a non-DP somehow cause they aren't going to lose the best defensive mid in the league for this. They may have a rule somewhere but much like the Clint Dempsey signing they might not tell us it exists until after it happens. The other possibility is they "magically" find another club willing to take on Obafemi Martin's terrible contract to get it off their books. Don't think this won't happen. Last I checked Chicago was the last sucker to take Freddie Llungberg and Alvaro Fernandez off Seattle's hands so they could sign a bigger free agent DP. Why is this important? When big clubs make decisions they regret so far they get to pass their regret off to other clubs. Recently Toronto just passed Matias Laba off to Vancouver when they signed some more DPs with bigger names. If you're going to sign a DP teams need to own it. If they sign an aging veteran that has a name but can't perform then tough shit. Can you tell I am passionate about this? Contracts are contracts and just because a league wants their biggest clubs to look good on television doesn't give them credibility. At least the NBA doesn't reward mismanagement on the contract side. If they did the Knicks would be coasting their way to their 15th championship in the last 20 years. The NBA grew because clubs like San Antonio were able to be a smart mid-market club that made great decisions.

I have to give them props for keeping the league afloat during some dark years but its about time they got called out. Since Jorge Vergara was run out of Chivas the Krafts are actually the worst owners in the league. Do something...anything...act like you care for the good of everyone or find someone that does care and sell.

Hey they won't fly you to Israel. It doesn't even exist to them. But they're now a league partner. Makes sense since they're basically blowing money on NYC2. They even do racial profiling as a part of their training. It does beg a certain question from MLS front brass that I guarantee Don Garber will never actually address. Simon Borg might actually yell about it though since he's good at that but it probably won't make any sense. Serious question to the brass at MLS HQ. What happened to your actual souls? Are they at a party in Dubai you just can't take yourselves out of?

So Arsenal is playing in the US for the first time since 1989. That's pretty cool and a good send off for Thierry Henry. Sort of begs the question as the American owner who also owns the Rapids doesn't have them playing there to promote the game...but the boss is the boss.

The Timbers play Dallas this weekend. Want to watch Darlington shred Dallas over the years? Well here is your opportunity. Let's hope he does it again.

Ok that's the blurb for the week. Have fun kids and please realize the sarcastic nature of most of my posts. Have a laugh and kid around a bit...except for that stuff about Ethihad. Some things aren't worth the money.

—by Mike Coleman

It just seems like yesterday we announced successfully funding the largest project the 107 Independent Supporters Trust and Timbers Army had undertaken to date: Bless Field. It was a remarkable moment in our organization and one that would not have happened without you.

However, the demand for places to play the beautiful game in Soccer City USA doesn’t rest and neither does the Timbers Army.

Today we are very excited to announce that, through the 107ist, the Timbers Army has agreed to be the primary community partner with Portland Public Schools for the Jefferson High School field and track replacement.

Located in NE Portland, Jefferson High School is an historic high school in a diverse community. In recent years 107ist/Timbers Army has helped the Boys and Girls soccer programs at Jefferson through direct donation of uniforms and equipment and volunteer coaching.  During that time it became obvious that the field facilities at Jefferson were badly in need of an outright replacement.  Last year the 107ist approached Portland Public Schools about working together on a project and this opportunity seemed an obvious fit for our organization.

What does primary community partner mean?

As the primary community partner for the Jefferson project we have committed to raising $50,000 towards a new all-weather field. Portland Public Schools has agreed to make the Jefferson High School field the home of the Timbers Army Football Club’s current 13 teams and allow for more teams to play under its umbrella. As a community partner we also plan to utilize field time for 107ist and our partner organizations who facilitate after school camps and programs in the neighborhood.

When will this happen?

Pending approval from Portland School Board, construction is slated to start in mid-June and scheduled to be completed by Labor Day.

What does this mean for you as a member?

Over the 2014 season we will be hosting a number of opportunities to donate to this project from special fringe scarf sales to fundraising events.  We hope you will participate in one of those opportunities to fund this unique project.

We also have an upcoming opportunity for you to show your support!  Next Monday, March 31 at 6:00 p.m. 501 North Dixon Street, Portland, Oregon, 97227 the Portland Public School Board will be voting on this proposal (Jefferson is one of three high schools proposed to get new fields this summer).  Show up, wear your Timbers Army scarves and show your support for our next big project!

Team. Town. Timbers Army.  The golden triangle.  This is what makes us the best supporters in North America.

 

—by Chris Rifer

The last thing the Timbers needed on top of their tepid form was bad luck.  While the Timbers were less than overwhelming on Saturday, bad luck is exactly what they got from the linesman’s flag, the referee’s whistle, and even Mother Nature herself.

In subzero temperatures with occasional snow flurries, the Timbers’ high-speed offense was asked to operate in cold weather on a slick field; the worst conditions imaginable for Portland’s ground-based attack.

All things considered, however, the Timbers managed the match well.  Aside from two early Deshorn Brown shots that should have been routine for Donovan Ricketts, but posed a challenge for the frozen Jamaican lion in the cold and wind, the Rapids had little to speak of in the attack.

After weathering an initial 10-minute spell from the Rapids, the Timbers warmed into a nice rhythm and began to put their foot on the game.  While they predictably didn’t create much in the way of chances, the Timbers’ control kept Colorado at bay.

After some patience and persistence, the Timbers eventually found some opportunities.  In the 30^th minute, Diego Valeri got head to a poor Rapids clearance 40 yards from goal and nodded into the path of a through-on-goal Gaston Fernandez, but the linesman incorrectly raised his flag for one of seven times against the Timbers to nullify the advantage.

The Timbers couldn’t blame the linesman two minutes later, however.  After Portland set up their corner attack high in the box, most of the Timbers hung deep while Will Johnson streaked near post and Futty dove to the mouth of goal.  The plan worked perfectly, as Futty was free to get on the end of Valeri’s corner kick but put his open header wide.

Sitting deeper in the attack opened up a number of spaces for the Timbers to operate in the final third, perhaps never more than the 52^nd minute when Valeri found Nagbe driving toward the byline where he laid the ball in front of goal for Fernandez.  Fernandez slowed his run to the near post, however, and Marvell Wynne stepped in for the emergency interception.

No matter how well the team is executing, however, in soccer things can fall apart in a hurry.  And boy did they ever on Saturday.

In the 68^th minute, moments after Ricketts made a nice save on a Drew Moor shot off a corner, Dillon Powers played Deshorn Brown through with a ball over the top.  The ball skipped away from Brown, however, and Ricketts looked to be in position to clear or gather, but bracing for the impact of Brown coming in hopelessly with studs flying high, Ricketts missed the ball on his flying clearance attempt and caught Brown in the thigh with his boot.  Referee Mark Geiger, unmoved by Brown’s recklessness, whistled for a penalty and issued a straight red card to Ricketts for his karate challenge before the goalkeeper required a stretcher after taking Brown’s boot to his knee.  Vicente Sanchez chipped the ensuing penalty past Andrew Weber for a commanding opening lead.

It only got worse for the Timbers moments after the ensuing kickoff.  After two Timbers slips freed Sanchez down the right side of the box, Weber came out to challenge for the ball.  Sanchez scooted the ball wide of the keeper, dragged his back foot, and caught Weber on the way by.  Geiger unmercifully, but correctly whistled for another penalty, which Weber saved off the foot of Brown only to have the penalty taker put back the rebound.

The remainder was academic.  A man down and trailing two goals, the Timbers never had an opportunity to claw back into the game.  What in many respects was a demonstration of good game management went very awry on Saturday for a Timbers team that can’t seem to catch a break.

Match Observations

Ricketts’ Penalty

I covered this subject in full in a post on The Morrison Report, so I won’t go into significant detail here.  Suffice to say, however, while I don’t blame Geiger for what I think was an incorrect judgment on a nearly impossibly difficult call, I think it was the incorrect judgment nonetheless.

Match Management

Saturday was always going to be ugly for the Timbers, as their attack is poorly suited to operate in such conditions.  Nonetheless, for the vast majority of the match the Timbers did a nice job of managing the game in midfield, holding the ball a little bit deeper to limit space in behind, and holding Colorado shotless for the better part of 40 minutes on either side of halftime.  In fact, aside from the penalties, Colorado’s only legitimate goalscoring chance was Drew Moor’s 66^th minute header that Ricketts saved.  In conditions that heavily favored Colorado’s direct attack, the Timbers rendered the Rapids relatively punchless for much of the afternoon.

Preseason Prediction: Timbers 1, Rapids 1.  Moor, Valeri.

Actual Result: Rapids 2, Timbers 0.  Sanchez, Brown.

Onward, Rose City!

—by Chris Rifer

The wait for the Timbers to find their offensive mojo continues for another week.  In a game of two distinct halves, the Timbers sleepwalked out of the gates in the first half to fall behind then rediscovered some of their form in the second to earn a 1-1 draw against the Chicago Fire.

The Timbers’ best chance of the first half was also indicative of their biggest problem.  In the fourth minute the Timbers broke out and Diego Valeri magnificently fed Darlington Nagbe through on the left side of the box in seemingly promising shooting position.  Rather than pull the trigger, however, Nagbe inexplicably fed the ball wide to Diego Chara where the Fire put it behind for a corner.

The Fire showed no such reluctance to go at goal.  In the 9^th minute, Alex gathered a long goal kick at the top of the box, spun, and fired a volley that looked momentarily destined for the upper corner before Donovan Ricketts palmed it just wide of the post.

Seven minutes later, Quincy Amarikwa took on Norbert Paparatto one-on-one and won, freeing himself on the byline to rip a dangerous cross across the box, but nobody could find the finishing touch.

Paparatto wouldn’t be so lucky in the 19^th minute.  After Amarikwa out-maneuvered Papa to another long ball, he cut in front of the Argentine and stopped, causing Paparatto to bowl over the much-obliged forward.  Jeff Larentowicz stepped to the spot and slotted the ball home in the bottom right corner for the opener.

The concession didn’t immediately wake the Timbers up, however, as they continued to mope through most of the first half.  Even in the rare instance an opportunity presented itself, the Timbers were maddeningly reluctant to seize the moment.  For the most part, however, Portland was outplayed by a team that, even to the naked eye, was its technical inferior.

As halftime neared, however, the Timbers stared to right the ship.  And on the brink of the intermission, they nearly found their equalizer.  After Valeri played a Jewsbury throw to Urruti in the box, the young striker’s shot was deflected.  Not giving up on the play, Urruti managed to squeeze the rebound through to Will Johnson on the left side of the box, but Sean Johnson kick saved his dangerous low shot.

Out of halftime, the Timbers looked like a different team.  In the 56^th minute, after being moved to great effect to the right wing, Valeri played a magnificent ball across the box where both Urruti and Gaston Fernandez had a chance to get a finishing touch on it.  Neither could get his feet right, however, and the once-dangerous ball skidded sheepishly through the box.

Ten minutes later, after Sean Johnson could only deflect a Valeri shot from the right side, Steve Zakuani gathered looking at an open net beyond the far post, but Lovel Palmer blocked his putback and Will Johnson’s bicycle effort—under a little push from Gonzalo Segares—found nothing but air.

It got worse for Will in the 71^st minute, as Chicago did their best to gift the Timbers the equalizer.  After Bakary Soumare and Sean Johnson combined to make a mess of what should have been a routine recovery, Will Johnson found the ball at his feet with nothing but net to look at.  In a wildly uncharacteristic moment for the unflappable Johnson, he put the easy finish just wide of the post in the sort of moment that seemingly only happens to the snakebitten.

But snakes weren’t the only things biting on Sunday.  Turns out there was a cat bearing teeth, too.  In a goal reminiscent of his equalizer a week ago, Gaston Fernandez was sitting at the back post in the 79^th minute when Sean Johnson spilled a hard Nagbe shot.  Though he used his feet this time, just like last week La Gata slotted the sitter into the open net to pull his team level.

Despite further help from a Patrick Nyarko red card, however, the Timbers couldn’t put together a genuine push for an equalizer.  Of Portland’s three must-finish chances in the second half, they could only capitalize on one in a backend performance that, but for finishing folly, entitled the Timbers to a win.

Unfortunately, however, that “but for” has been a hulabaloo for the Timbers in the very early going of 2014, resulting in four dropped points at home to start the campaign.

Match Observations

Spring Struggles

While comparisons to 2013 are easy to draw with the sluggish start—and they certainly aren’t without merit—it’s worth noting that the Timbers opening homestand this year was much more favorable than a year ago.  Although Philadelphia looks poised to surprise some people this year, the Fire are not of the quality of the 2014 Union or 2013 Impact or Red Bulls.  While a pair of draws is far from a disaster and disappointing dropped points are inevitable to some extent, it’s reasonable to think the Timbers left more on the table as a result of their spring struggles this year than in 2013.

Tactical Tweaks

Rarely have we seen Caleb Porter’s tactical moves pay such dividends as they did on Sunday.  After a disappointing first half in which the Timbers really struggled to create any genuine chances, Porter’s halftime switch of Valeri to the right and Nagbe in the middle immediate changed the Timbers’ tempo, as putting Nagbe in the middle opened up space for him to drive at the defense rather than move laterally looking for central space.

The shift had an even greater effect when Steve Zakuani came on and moved Gaston Fernandez up top.  With a creative engine of Valeri and Nagbe aided by solid overlapping play from Jack Jewsbury, the Timbers dominated the second half and put together their most potent spell of offense of the young season.

Porter spoke postgame about the improved chemistry of the attacking group including Zakuani.  “It’s worked better chemistry-wise the last two games, certainly.  Whether it will work better chemistry-wise long-term, I think that remains to be seen.  But it’s a real positive that when we’ve inserted Zakuani, Gaston has found two goals in that spot.  Hopefully Zakuani continues to progress to where he’s able to start.”

Stay tuned.

Set Piece Defending

Caleb Porter’s frustration at having to repeatedly answer questions about set piece defending has been thinly veiled over the past several weeks.  After an improved performance in that respect against Philadelphia—with one significant exception—the Timbers were quite good at winning the first ball on Sunday.

And Porter wasn’t about to let the assembled media forget it.  “Didn’t give up a set piece today.  I know some of you guys call PKs set pieces, but it’s really not.  It’s a penalty kick.  But we didn’t give up a goal on a corner or a wide free kick, so I feel good about that.  I hope you guys do, too.  And I know you talk about it all the time when we give up one, but it’d be nice to hear you talk about it when we do well on those.  So I’m pleased about that.”

Although an endorsement from this space is certainly little—if, realistically, any—consolation to Porter, the Timbers’ improvement defending set plays since the preseason game against San Jose has been marked.  Whereas against San Jose, the Quakes were able to get their head to seemingly every first ball, against both Philadelphia and Chicago the Timbers won the vast majority.  There is still some room for further improvement in this respect, but what was once a serious liability looks to be well on the road to mitigation.

Timbers Grades

Donovan Ricketts, 6.5 Although he didn’t get as much love this week as he did last, Ricketts put in an even better performance.  Had a couple shots from distance that required some of his usual quality goalkeeping, and his save to deny Soumare in second half stoppage time was textbook.

Michael Harrington, 5 Didn’t have a whole lot to do defensively, as the Fire largely targeted the centerbacks.  Also didn’t do a whale of a lot offensively, though he had a couple nice moments when he tucked inside a little bit and played back into the center.

Futty, 6 Solid performance from Futty.  The Fire tried to go at him a couple times, but the dean of the Timbers was more than up to the task.  His partner on the other hand…

Norberto Paparatto, 3 Had a pretty horrible five-minute spell in the first half in which Amarikwa de-pantsed him twice.  While the penalty was largely of Amarikwa’s own creation, Papa is responsible for getting in that spot.

Jack Jewsbury, 6.5 A sneaky candidate for Man of the Match.  Could have lent an additional hand or two defensively, but his offensive play in the second half was quietly fantastic.  By providing a consistent touchline presence, Jack stretched the Fire defense and opened spaces for Valeri and Nagbe to operate.

Will Johnson, 4 The obvious need not be rehashed.  Johnson screwed up. Valeri did it last week. It happens—obviously even to great players.  While Johnson had moments in the late-first and second halves where he was able to contribute in the attack, his holding role for much of the first half limited his influence when it could have been handy.

Diego Chara, 7 There was a decent amount of sidling on Sunday, but more important for purposes of his grade were two expert switching balls that set up two great chances—one of which was La Gata’s goal.  Sending him instead of Johnson forward in the first half didn’t seem to work, but that’s no massive surprise.

Gaston Fernandez, 6 Quiet until he moved up top, Fernandez looked much more comfortable at the nine.  While poaching back stick isn’t fancy, as the last two games have demonstrated, it can be fruitful.

Diego Valeri, 6.5 Absolutely dominated Chicago after his move to the right.

Darlington Nagbe, 5 A tale of two halves for Nagbe.  Reverted to some of his old passive ways in the first, as when he picked the ball up on the right side Nagbe frequently took negative or unproductive touches searching for a preferred channel rather than using his ample capabilities to drive at the defense.  Found his keys in the center in the second half, however, which put Chicago’s defense on its heels.

Maxi Urruti, 3.5 It’s just not working right now for Maxi.  The finishes aren’t there and, more important, the runs aren’t there.  This offense relies on excellent and unselfish movement from its striker to open up lanes for the midfielders.  That’s not happening.

Steve Zakuani, 5 Zakuani is going to get a lot of credit for the Timbers second half resurgence, but that’s a confusion of correlation and causation.  Zakuani was fine, but the Timbers’ improvement was more about his attackmates shifting to positions in which they were more effective.

Frederic Piquionne, 3 Came in to be a target.  Frittered his precious minutes on the wing.

Preseason Prediction: Timbers 1, Fire 1.  Nagbe, Magee (penalty).

Actual Result: Timbers 1, Fire 1.  Fernandez, Larentowicz (penalty).

Onward, Rose City!

—by Garrett Dittfurth

I'm going to try to do this at least once a week during the season. It's going to be full of stuff you should probably pay attention to as a fan of the mighty Portland Timbers. No I am not going to flaunt endorsements of keeper of the week, which is one of the biggest jokes on MLSSoccer.com. As we all know the winner of that is going to be us, Seattle, or whatever other team is able to activate (drink!) their fan base. Mostly Seattle but we're definitely in that hated world over at MLS HQ by everyone employed there that looks at the comments sections (real talk hurts doesn't it?). I'll try to repeatedly drag this on every weekend with snippets of stuff you should look at..

Anyway. Here's your weekly.

Ummm 5mtko podcast. Why are you not subscribed and why are you not listening by now? It's possibly the best podcast out there by anyone following the Timbers. Nevets and Roberto give you humor and have been kicking around the north end since pickle buckets were the preferred percussion method. Rumor has it they also still have Roger Lavesque's phone number from when he stayed at the Double Tree written down on a napkin.

On another side Toronto FC is going to be fun to watch this season. It will either be a fabulous success or a GIGANTIC train wreck. Considering Toronto's last 7 years I'm not so sure which side I'm going to lean to considering the historical ineptitude. Honestly I do feel for their supporters. Poor bastards!

Our captain signed a new contract that will keep him here long term. Are you excited or are you excited? I am always a fan of the good players that can piss everyone off because they're just good. As an example I hate the Seahawks yet love Richard Sherman. Will Johnson is just my kind of guy. Everyone hates him but us. That isn't a bad thing.

There is absolutely no place for discrimination of any kind. Thankfully MLS agrees. I am glad MLS is at the forefront of this. They will be on the right side of history.

Obviously he was a fan favorite. I also liked running into him at my local grocery store. David Horst seems to be off to a good start in Houston. Good for him!

Kip Kesgard gives an always in depth preview of the match against Chicago.

As always Rifer's match reports are better than you'll find in most of the local papers. If you aren't tuned into him start now.

The more you know about our players the better. Here's a nice little bit on Gaston Fernandez (La Gata).

Life happens. We celebrate the life of Conner Firstman (Kim Sung Ho). A dedicated fan and friend to many. May you rest in peace!

As always be well!

Hey Timbers Army supporters! The official soccer library of the TA, Booked!, is collecting footballing books and other media (mags, vids, DVDs,...) at the Fanladen before the match this Sunday (3/16) and before the 4/3 match vs the fishing village to the north.

Lending for 107ist members will begin 4/12 before the Chivas USA match! We will also have a monthly Booked! Night! once a month at the Fanladen (date TBA) for lending and other literary events.

So bring your media to the Fanladen (1633 SW Alder) on Sunday and help make the Booked! library awesome!

To check out our list of current titles, see the Booked 107 Library Thing webpage: https://www.librarything.com/catalog/Booked107

You can also follow them on Twitter at @Booked107

—by Chris Rifer

Sometimes preseason performance is indicative of early regular season performance.  Just as the Timbers dominated the ball, controlled much of the game, and came away disappointed against San Jose and Vancouver, Portland failed to earn a result despite an on-paper advantage and dominating possession against the Philadelphia Union.

Like Vancouver, Philadelphia put on a performance at Providence Park that surprised many.  Rebuilt with Austin Berry in defense, Maurice Edu in defensive central midfield, Vincent Noguiera in a central attacking role, and Cristian Maidana on the wing, the Union side that walked into Portland on Saturday bore no resemblance whatsoever to the listlessly direct side the Timbers battled to a stalemate last year.  And for much of the game, the Timbers looked surprised by what their opponents presented.

Things could have been very different for the Timbers, however, if Pa Modou Kah knew he was allowed to use his feet.  After Will Johnson flicked a header off a Gaston Fernadnez corner kick across the box in the 4^th minute, Kah dropped to his knees at the back stick to inexplicably try to head a ball one foot off the ground.[1]  Not surprisingly, it didn’t work.

In many ways Kah’s blooper reel attempt at a submarine header was typical of the Timbers’ day in the box, as time and again Portland was foiled by last minute Union defending or their own clumsiness.

Like Vancouver a week before, Union came to press, but the Timbers’ ball movement forced them to drop off.  That, however, didn’t make Philadelphia any less dangerous.

After a 20^th minute ball pinged around in the Timbers’ defending box off a hopeful cross from Edu, Maidana picked it up at the top with his back to goal, turned Diego Chara, and fired a low shot toward goal, but Ricketts reacted well to parry away.

Fifteen minutes and another spell of Timbers possession later, Jack McInerney found his way onto a long chipped pass on the left side and turned on the byline under little defensive pressure.  He chipped the ball over a stranded Ricketts, but Norberto Paparatto cleared off the line at the far post.

The end of the half belonged to the Timbers, however.  In the 39^th minute it was the ball bouncing around the Union box where Nagbe controlled and fed Maxi Urruti twelve yards out on the right side of goal, but Amobi Okugo made the first of a number of saving interventions on the day to deflect Urruti’s goalbound shot away.

Four minutes later, the Timbers got out on the break after a timely Diego Chara interception where Gaston Fernandez fed Valeri thirty-five yards from goal.  Valeri took two touches and whipped a hard shot toward the near corner that had Zac MacMath at full stretch, but the shot buzzed just wide of the near post.

All told, the game at halftime looked a lot like San Jose two weeks before.  The Timbers had a lot of the ball but the poorer of the chances, as Portland repeatedly showed reluctance to pull the trigger in the final third.  And when possession isn’t turned into goals, games that should be filed into the win column can slip away in a hurry.

After dodging a bullet a moment before as Ricketts picked up a Noguiera shot late and could only push behind for a corner, the Timbers got their just desserts.  In the 65^th minute, Maurice Edu caught the Timbers flat footed in attacking the ensuing corner and nodded to the back post where McInerney was waiting for the finish.

The Timbers came right back, though.  Off the ensuing kickoff, Nagbe drove to the byline and put Urruti in goalscoring shape inside the box, but MacMath was quick off his line to get his body in front of Maxi’s finish.

Over the course of the next 20 minutes, the Timbers looked like they might be starting to figure it out.  Whereas they had previously been unable to generate anything genuine in the final third, the Timbers started to play teammates into promising positions.  But every time they did, the Timbers would always find a foot between them and the goal, even if sometimes one of their own.

But as the game progressed into stoppage time, the Timbers looked out of gas.  But oh the value of one last gasp.

After a dangerous Steve Zakuani shot was deflected out for a corner well into the third minute of stoppage, Will Johnson’s quick corner deflected off Brian Carroll’s foot and straight to the head of Fernandez at the far post where he nodded into the open net.

On one hand lucky and on another deserved, the Timbers had their equalizer.  On Saturday night the Timbers showed some of the flaws that caused hands to wring in preseason as well as some flashes that perhaps suggest light at the end of the tunnel.

Just how quickly those flashes turn to flames, however, will go a long way to determining the Timbers success in 2014.

Match Observations

While it’s easy to look at finishing as the problem for the Timbers—and indeed, on Saturday it was contributory—Portland’s offense has not done a good job of keeping pace in the transition from middle to final third.  In many respects, the middle of the field has looked as good early on as it did in 2013.  While Will Johnson and Diego Chara each had a little bit of an off day on Saturday, recent experience suggests that was more fluke than trend.

But Nagbe, Fernandez, Valeri, and Urruti have been wonderful…until they get 30 yards from goal.  They’ve been effective at moving the ball quickly through the midfield, cutting defenders out of the play and finding the spaces the defense gives them to put them in prime position to attack the box.  But then, for some reason, the Timbers have shown a tendency to slow down.

Once the Timbers have launched into their midfield run, opponents have learned to back into a tactical retreat to their own box; giving Portland plenty of room outside, but nothing inside.  Slowing down, then, often undoes the advantage gained by stellar work through the midfield, as cut out defenders recover and pack the final 15 yards—leaving the Timbers, already without a genuine direct threat, looking for an inch of space to pass their way into a decent shot.  Even when that space is found, however, more often than not somebody like Okugo is there to make sure it never gets anywhere near goal.

There really isn’t any remedy to this problem short of improving the transition from middle to final third.  The good news is fixing this problem is probably just a matter of time—once Urruti, Valeri, Nagbe, and Fernandez all get on the same page, they should be able to markedly improve their transitional efficiency. But the bad news is it’s probably a matter of time.  Time, now that the regular season has begun, comes at a cost.

Timbers Grades

Donovan Ricketts, 6 After the game, a funny story started spinning around the press corps about Ricketts once again being a hero.  While, yes, his first save was good, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for a good goalkeeper like Donovan.  Of the Union’s other five shots on goal, only one troubled Ricketts, and that was because he picked a ball up late.  In the end, it was a solid, but far from heroic outing for Ricketts.[2]

Michael Harrington, 4.5 Harrington was quite good for the first sixty or sixty-five minutes, but struggled in the late stages.  Mikey fluffed a couple crosses he normally whips and even had a couple defensive lapses that—while ultimately not costing the team—were uncharacteristic.

Pa Modou Kah, 4 Decent defensively, but making a mess of the finish on the corner in the 4^th minute was a big missed opportunity.

Norberto Paparatto, 4 Had the clearance off the line, but that was partially precipitated by a lack of communication between he and Jewsbury in handling a 2-on-2 situation.  Also shares some culpability for the concession, as he let Edu come across him.

Jack Jewsbury, 5 Made the mistake in letting McInerney go down the left on what ended up the clearance off the line, but otherwise had a passable game defensively and contributed nicely on the offensive end after Alhassan came on to give the Timbers more of a threat down that right side.

Will Johnson, 5.5 Was in some respects the Timbers’ biggest offensive threat for much of the day, as his late runs were one of the few things the Timbers did that required emergency defending from the Union.  Joined his midfield companions in having a couple loose passes out there.

Diego Chara, 4 It’s been a long time since I’ve seen somebody get the better of Diego like Noguiera and Maidana did.

Gaston Fernandez, 5 Rescues his grade—and the team—with the finish at the death, but otherwise was a step or two slow in offensive movement for much of the day and had a number of loose touches and passes.

Diego Valeri, 4.5 Had a frustrating night, as his touch betrayed him and seemed perpetually out of synch with the attack.  Probably mostly a matter of getting in rhythm, but the Timbers would really like to see Valeri back in form soon.

Darlington Nagbe, 6 The only guy that really asked questions of Philly all night.  Led the team in key passes and kept up his stellar completion rate in attacking areas. Also have to admire his lack of bellyaching after suffering another five fouls.

Maxi Urruti, 4.5 Had moments where he was presenting himself nicely in the box, but with a bunch of self-proclaimed passers around him, Urruti needs to be the guy providing the direct threat or pulling defenders out of position to give his teammates no choice but to take the space he creates.  He’s done neither consistently since Tucson.

Futty, 5.5 Spelled Kah nicely after coming on in the first half.  Classic Futty performance; solid defending, a couple sprayed passes.

Kalif Alhassan, 6.5 Brought a new dimension to the Timbers attack when he came on, as the right side opened up a lot more than it had been.  Won more than his fair share of corners, too.

Steve Zakuani, 5 Took a few minutes to settle into his Timbers debut, but did nicely to pop up in a nice spot on the shot that led to the equalizing corner.

Preseason Prediction: Timbers 3, Union 1.  Johnson, Urruti, and Nagbe.

Actual Result: Timbers 1, Union 1.  Fernandez.

Onward, Rose City!

Featured for the 2014 MLS home opener against the Philadelphia Union.

The tifo drew on the heritage of the Portland Timbers through time and the iconic look of the Portlandia statue. Earlier in the afternoon before the match, the Timbers Army twitter account shared a beautiful poem which accompanies the actual statue. The poem, by Ronald Talney, can be found here.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Kesgard

Photo Credit: Jennifer Kesgard

Photo Credit: Jennifer Kesgard

Photo Credit: Jennifer Kesgard

Timelapse of the tifo taking shape and its unveiling by sama093

—by Chris Rifer

The Timbers play jazz. Most of MLS plays classical.

In the Portland Timbers’ system, the distinction between the various midfield positions and forward is largely one of degree, perspective, and circumstance. Will Johnson is the perfect example. In any given game, he can sit in front of the backline, step up centrally to join the attack, dovetail a wide run to create space like a winger, or even make a run off a player holding the ball up like a deep-lying second striker. While Johnson primarily spends his time as a box-to-box midfielder whose defensive responsibilities are paramount, this role is better viewed as a starting spot than an inflexible positional assignment.

Understanding, embracing, and loving this distinction is necessary to understating, embracing, and loving the Timbers attack. Because while Johnson is extraordinary vis-à-vis the rest of MLS in this respect, the flexibility in his positional duties is thoroughly ordinary in Caleb Porter’s system.

In one respect, the team sheet it easy to fill out. Darlington Nagbe starts on the right wing. Gaston Fernandez starts on the left wing. Like Johnson, Diego Chara starts in defensive central midfield. Diego Valeri starts at attacking central midfield. Maxi Urruti starts at striker. Each player in the Timbers’ first choice starting eleven has a natural role that fits nicely with the others; giving great satisfaction to napkin lineup sketchers and Twitter semicolon connoisseurs alike.

But if you look down at the Timbers’ shape at any given moment, you’ll likely notice the Timbers attacking shape looks little like your napkin. Maybe one of the wingers has floated central or even to the other side to unbalance the formation. Maybe Valeri has dovetailed with a winger—or even fullback—and effectively made an overlapping run. Or maybe Urruti has come back into the midfield and Fernandez assumed a position up top. Or maybe Caleb Porter made a substitution and shaken the proverbial etch-a-sketch that is the Timbers attack.

The point is Caleb Porter has effectively built a modular attack with a base of Johnson and Chara—who just as easily could have been discussed in the defensive preview—a pinnacle of Urruti, and a trio of interchangeable attackers who can float between spots by design and at will to bend defenses out of shape and create space to take the decisive touch.

Defenders like predictability. They like to know who is going to pop up where and what they’re going to do when they get there. Put another way, they like to read the opponents’ sheet music to know where in the song they are and what’s coming next.

The Timbers attack is intentionally built to be unpredictable, force defenders to react rather than predict, pull them out of their spots, and capitalize on the mistake. To their opposing Timbers’ dismay, Caleb Porter doesn’t give his players sheet music.

The challenge with such a modular offense is it is difficult to assemble and execute. It’s relatively easy to teach a unit discrete roles to be executed together to create a larger system. Reading sheet music, while a nice skill, isn’t rocket science. It’s much more difficult to teach a unit the system and set the individuals free to execute the proper role the situation calls for in that moment.

Put another way, most MLS attacks are a string quartet; they have distinct instruments precisely playing pre-written parts with little room for variation. The Timbers’ attack is a jazz combo; a collection of players playing a variety of instruments with general starting points, but only bound by a general chord chart and the expectation that they will improvise and trade functions throughout the tune.

Once healthy, if Caleb Porter wants to add another instrument to Chara and Johnson’s bass,[1] Valeri’s piano, Nagbe’s drums, and Fernandez and Urruti’s guitars,[2] Porter can look to Steve Zakuani on saxophone or Rodney Wallace on trumpet. Smooth and soaring, Zakuani can take on solos as well as anybody in green and gold, even if he perhaps isn’t the player you’d look to support the combo. Similarly, Wallace isn’t going to slip into playing gentle combinations, but can more than effectively—if perhaps awkwardly—deliver the headlining punch that transforms gentle chordal combinations into direct attacks that turn defenders kind of blue.

There’s a special place in any combo for jazz flute, or in the Timbers’ case, Kalif Alhassan. Jokes aside, Alhassan is the ultimate studio player; capable of coming on and competently laying down tracks at multiple positions and even providing a flare of his own once in a while. And in reserve, the Timbers can look to backup bassist Ben Zemanski or secondary saxophone from the horn of Schillo Tshuma.

But regardless of which pieces Caleb Porter[3] puts into his combo, the general chart and expectation of improvisation remains the same. The instruments and roles may change, but the combo’s expectation of continuity, fluidity, and improvisation are constant.

And that’s what makes the difference between the Timbers attack and most of the league Night and Day.

Defensive Central Midfield Depth Chart
1. Will Johnson
1a. Diego Chara
3. Ben Zemanski
4. Steven Evans
5. George Fochive

Left Midfield Depth Chart
1. Gaston Fernandez
2. Steve Zakuani
2a. Rodney Wallace
2b. Kalif Alhassan
5. Jorge Villafana
6. Michael Nanchoff

Attacking Central Midfield Depth Chart
1. Diego Valeri
2. Kalif Alhassan
3. Michael Nanchoff

Right Midfield Depth Chart
1. Darlington Nagbe
2. Kalif Alhassan
3. Schillo Tshuma
4. Aaron Long

Forward Depth Chart
1. Maximiliano Urruti
2. Frederic Piquionne

Onward, Rose City!

[1] While the undeniable captain and metronome of the combo, anybody who thinks bassists can’t take outstanding solo runs hasn’t listened to enough Ray Brown.

[2] Come on, they’re Argentine.

[3] Um, Cole Porter.