—by Chris Rifer

The best homegrown talent in Portland is moving on to bigger and better things.  Along with losing a tremendous broadcaster and universally admired good guy, however, the Timbers will be losing one of their best ambassadors when John Strong moves to NBC Sports Network this week.

Strong’s departure isn’t exactly a revelation, as John’s promotion has been rumored for a couple months now.  And even if it hadn’t been rumored, it’s been inevitable for some time.  He’s simply too good not to go on to great things.

Since taking a job with 95.5 The Game, you would be hard pressed to find a person who has spread the gospel of the Timbers more enthusiastically and effectively than John Strong.

Just one example of John’s influence is that Strong played a big role in my own Timbers baptism.  Freshly home from college and stuck in a job with long hours, little pay, and even less happiness, I started stumbling upon Strong’s somewhat apologetic Timbers segments on “Strong at Night” during my evening commute home.  Soon enough I was timing my departure from the office to coincide with the end of Strong at Night, so that just when the soccer-hating sports radio listeners were changing the dial in annoyance, I was turning my radio on to hear a little bit more of the good news.  When I got my evenings and weekends back, I met the Timbers Army, and the rest is history.

The only thing extraordinary about my story, however, is how ordinary it is.  Strong was one of the first, and to this day the most effective ambassador for the modern Timbers outside the friendly confines of the North End; a true evangelist of soccer in the Rose City.

Strong’s full time move into the Timbers’ TV booth immediately made him, alongside Robbie Earle, one-half of the best broadcast team in MLS.  While for those of us who religiously attend home matches Strong was too often the bearer of bad news in the team’s first two years in MLS,[1] the fact that he is beloved nonetheless speaks to his undeniable quality as a broadcaster.

There really isn’t any question Strong will be successful at NBC Sports, and his voice will be more than a memory in Portland, as Strong will deliver nationally televised MLS action into the Rose City on a weekly basis.  It is certainly no small comfort to think of how fun it will be to know that the man broadcasting some of the best soccer in North America calls the North End home.  But Strong’s departure from his regular gig in the Jeld-Wen Field broadcast booth will leave a massive void to fill on the club's local broadcasts.

So, before he leaves the Rose City, there’s just one more thing to say to John: Thank you.  And good luck – though I’m sure you won’t need it.

Onward, Rose City.

—by Chris Rifer

Winning when a team isn’t playing its best soccer is a good thing.  A team crushing a playoff-contending opponent while not playing its best soccer is another thing altogether; downright scary.

The Portland Timbers didn’t play their best soccer on Sunday.  And yet, they beat the Colorado Rapids—two points out of playoff position—three-nil.

For the first ten minutes, however, the Timbers looked flat, as though the stretch of five games in 15 days had finally caught up to them. Barely thirty seconds from kickoff Deshorn Brown lined up a free shot from the top of the box. Pa Modou Kah got foot to block it, but the ball still blooped dangerously wide of the post.

Colorado nearly benefited from another deflection a minute later when a deflected cross popped over Kah’s head to Hendry Thomas at the near post, but the Honduran national’s header went nervously wide. And the Rapids weren’t done. Five minutes later, youngster Dillon Powers gathered at the top left corner of the box and took a touch into the center before unleashing a right footed shot that again missed just wide.

The Rapids’ first ten minutes were ten of the best minutes we’ve seen from an opponent at Jeld-Wen Field in 2013.  And then it came crashing to an end.

In the 12^th minute, Rodney Wallace collected a quick Will Johnson free kick near the byline on the left wing and fired it into the box past a distracted Colorado defense.  There, Frederic Piquionne beat Nate Sturgis to the ball and headed off Clint Irwin’s hand, the bottom of the bar, and the line before it bounced into the top of the net.

From there the Timbers seized control of a game they had chased for the first ten minutes.  In the 22^nd minute the Timbers manufactured another opportunity when Diego Valeri used a nice piece of skill to free Will Johnson in the middle of the park.  Johnson found Wallace again on the left side of the box, but the Tico fired wide into the side netting.

The Timbers continued to dominate through the next 20 minutes, as Diego Valeri succeeded in embarrassing every Coloradan that tried to defend him.  Nonetheless, the Timbers struggled to find the right combination to unlock the Rapids defense for a second time.

That is, until Will Johnson made some 45^th minute magic.  After Wallace collected a flicked-on header from Piquionne, he attracted a pair of defenders on the left and cut the ball back across the grain for Will Johnson in the center of the box.  Johnson juggled once and hit a left footed strike that caught Irwin by surprise and scooted under his hand into the net.

Just on the other side of halftime, it was Diego Valeri’s turn to show some sweet skill.  After Piquionne won yet another header on a long ball from Donovan Ricketts, Valeri controlled the second ball in spinning, juggling fashion, before unleashing a quick shot from the top of the box that skipped just wide of the near post.

Down two goals, however, the Rapids had fight left in them.  In the 56^th minute Atiba Harris sent a nice ball to Deshorn Brown at the back post, but the Jamaican rookie scuffed the volley wide.

Two minutes later Brown beat Ryan Miller on the byline and cut the ball back into the box for Nick LaBrocca, but LaBrocca’s ensuing effort to slot far post was cleared away from an open net by Jack Jewsbury.

The Timbers took control back, however, and in the 77^th minute looked to have the goal to kill the game off.  After a Valeri corner bounced around the box, Wallace found Kah sitting just beyond the back post where his cross beat Irwin and was easily tapped home by Ryan Johnson.  The linesman, however, flagged Kah offside; a decision that looked correct in live action but couldn’t withstand the scrutiny of replays that showed the Gambian on the right side of the law.

Robbed of his first chance, Ryan Johnson wasn’t going to miss his second.  After Ben Zemanski intercepted a Drew Moor ball in midfield, the Akronite zipped forward and played Wallace through on the left.  Rodney first timed the ball to Johnson in the center of the box, where the Jamaican finished easily past a helpless Irwin.

Three goal celebrations for the Timbers Army,[1] three assists for Rodney Wallace, and three more points for the Timbers.

The Timbers weren’t especially sharp for extended stretches on Sunday, which only goes to demonstrate how good they are when they have a full roster to choose from.  Indeed, Portland’s 52.8% possession and 80.2% passing were south of the Timbers ordinary home production.[2]  Perhaps even more shocking, the Rose City was outshot 18 to 6.

But the tally of goals leaves absolutely no doubt who was superior on Sunday, as the Timbers dominated Colorado without dominating the match.

Notes & Observations

• Although the Timbers were good in their absence, Sunday showed just how much Portland missed Ryan Johnson and Rodney Wallace.  The team certainly has depth, but is just a little bit more dangerous with those two in the lineup.
• That said, Wallace, Will Johnson, and Frederic Piquionne are all but certain to be heading out on international duty for the Gold Cup.  These absences will once again be extended, as players whose countries get out of the group stage will miss at least three games; at Columbus, home against the Galaxy, and at Philadelphia.  Tack at San Jose on to that absence list if a player’s team advances to the title game, and potentially even the semifinal, as they would play in Dallas three days before the Quakes fixture.
• At this point, it’s hard to see Martinique escaping the Group of Death with Canada, Panama, and Mexico, so it’s likely Piquionne will be back by the time Portland travels to Philadelphia.  I think Canada is likely—though no sure thing—to get through the group stage with one of the two quarterfinal berths for third-place finishers.  In which case, Will Johnson would likely be back in San Jose after a quarterfinal loss to one of the two top teams from the group stage.  Costa Rica is a bit of a wild card.  While most of their best players are on the Gold Cup preliminary roster, it remains to be seen whether they will get the final call in light of their heavy duty in World Cup Qualifying.  If Costa Rica goes all in, however, don’t be surprised to see them playing in the final at Soldier Field.  In which case, Rodney Wallace wouldn’t rejoin the Timbers until August 3^rd against Vancouver.

Timbers Grades

Donovan Ricketts, 6 He was fine, but let’s be honest, he had nothing meaningful to do.  Colorado had two shots on goal, with their first coming in the 83^rd minute when the result was all but decided.

Jack Jewsbury, 5.5 An acceptable game defensively on the left, but his grade gets a nice little bump for keeping the Timbers’ sheet clean in the 58^th minute and preventing Colorado from getting back in the game.

Pa Modou Kah, 6 A nice game from Kah, as he generally controlled his box nicely.  Lost a mark or two, but generally recovered enough to get a foot to any ensuing effort.  Unjustly deprived of an assist.

Andrew Jean-Baptiste, 6 Much the same as Kah.  No big errors from Jean-Baptiste and Colorado were largely limited to half chances.  Good evening for the big man.

Ryan Miller, 6 Getting beat by Deshorn Brown was the only poor moment in an otherwise pretty nice game from Miller, who has reemerged as a viable option at right back in relief of Jack Jewsbury or Michael Harrington.

Will Johnson, 8 Was in and around the action all night, not the least of which being his spectacular first half goal.  It will be fascinating to see how the team operates in his absence.

Diego Chara, 7 While everybody else in the midfield was being all fancy pants, Diego was being Diego.  47 for 51 passing, nine recoveries, and four headers.  You read that right, four headers.  Diego detractors need not read this space.

Rodney Wallace, 9 It’s hard to overstate how good he’s been this season.  In many ways, Rodney is the direct yin to the rest of the midfield’s possession yang.  This is why Rodney fits so well with this team.  When they need somebody to move into the crucial spot and look to immediately create a scoring opportunity, they look to Rodney.  That worked thrice on Sunday.

Diego Valeri, 6.5 His exhibition of skill in the first half was so much fun to watch.

Darlington Nagbe, 5.5 Darlington didn’t need to have a huge game on Sunday and he didn’t.  It’s not that he wasn’t being aggressive, it was just that other guys were asserting themselves.  Darlington was just as good as he needed to be.

Frederic Piquionne, 8.5 He doesn’t combine in the midfield as well as Ryan Johnson, but there wasn’t a header Piquionne didn’t win on Sunday.  That led to two goals on Sunday.[3]

Ryan Johnson, 7.5 Tremendous in relief of Piquionne.  Not only a good scorer, but also a great facilitator of the offense.  Johnson is an all-around good forward.

Ben Zemanski, 7 His best outing as a substitute.  Sparked the final goal and was otherwise very active in the midfield.

Kalif Alhassan, INC. He’ll be back in the lineup shortly.

Preseason Prediction: Timbers 1, Rapids 1.  Will Johnson.

Actual Result: Timbers 3, Rapids 0.  Frederic Piquionne and the Johnsons.

Onward, Rose City!

The 107ist History Committee invites you to bring USL and NASL memorabilia and articles to the Fanladen 1633 SW Alder before the match today for inclusion in the Timbers Army archives. History committee members will be receiving items from 1pm-3pm today, and will add them to the files.

What we are looking for- Newspaper clippings and photos relating to Timbers fan culture from 1975 until 2009. We are looking to build a historical record of what supporting the Timbers has looked like over the years.

—by Chris Rifer

A lot has been made about “Porterball” this year.  Perhaps "Porterball’s" defining feature, however, has been that the commentators and pundits using the phrase have not always been consistent about what it actually is.

As the Timbers have repeatedly shown lately, however, one of Portland’s best attributes has been their tactical flexibility.  Without a doubt, Caleb Porter came to Portland and installed a system – a philosophy – that had previously been lacking on Morrison Street.  The Timbers pressure high defensively, hold the ball high in the midfield, and frequently change the point of attack in the final third.

Within that philosophy, however, the Timbers have had success making tactical tweaks on a weekly basis to match up with their opponent and manage their own lineup.

“Going into the season, my goal was to build a club that had a clear identity, had a clear system, had a structure, but also to not be predictable, but to be flexible tactically,” Porter said after training at Jeld-Wen Field on Saturday.

Against D.C. United, without the team’s primary playmaker in Diego Valeri, the Timbers went direct.  They tucked their two true central midfielders in front of the defense and left the task of breaking United down to the front four of Rodney Wallace, Darlington Nagbe, Frederic Piquionne, and Ryan Johnson.  The result was a 2-0 win with two goals and two assists for that group.

In Chicago, the Timbers looked to create space in the midfield and add width to the attack by aggressively pushing their fullbacks forward, spreading their center backs out wide and dropping a central midfielder back into the hole to provide cover.  As a result, the Timbers ran roughshod over a helpless Fire midfield for more than an hour before the wheels wobbled on Portland’s wagon after Valeri came off.

On Saturday, the Timbers travelled down to L.A. to take on a Galaxy team that has some of the best attacking talent in MLS history.  “You noticed, at L.A., we played with a lower block.  That was part because of managing this window, and part of it also just personnel we had, and part of it also just looking at the match up,” Porter noted.  This allowed the Timbers to control the match by possessing the ball – albeit a little deeper than usual – and provide cover for their backline against a counter-happy opponent.  Porter felt that “if we would have sat deep against L.A. the whole game and never attacked, or never had the ball, we would have got crushed.”  Instead, Portland used possession to manage the game and take the venom out of the Galaxy’s attack.

Three matches, three tactical tweaks that ultimately had their desired effect.

And as successful as the tweaks have been to date, there is reason to expect them to continue on an upward trajectory.  “Over time your players start to see those little tweaks.  And now when we go back to them the second time or third time it’s like clockwork, it’s a lot easier.  It’s typically the first time you throw something out, a little wrinkle, that you need to make sure you’re thorough.  But then when you go back to some of these things, later in the year, in the second half of the year, I think we’ll be even more . . . machine-like.”

The defining aspects of “Porterball,” then, are really just footballing habits that Caleb has ingrained in his team from day one.  Because his system isn’t rigid, Porter can make tactical adjustments on a weekly basis without requiring his players to do anything radically different than they’re used to.  The result is a team that can be tactically versatile without compromising the core qualities that make it successful.

And if you’re still looking for the reason the Timbers have been able to successfully compete against opponents of all different shapes and styles, perhaps you should look no further than Portland’s tactical flexibility.  Or “Porterball.”  Or whatever you want to call it.

Onward, Rose City!

—by Chris Rifer

In many respects, the Portland Timbers were far from great on Wednesday.  They were shut out.  They failed to connect on any number of promising plays in the attacking third.  They did very little to bother the vulnerable Carlo Cudicini.

And yet, Wednesday’s result marks the first time I’ve thought this team has the potential for greatness in 2013.  I don’t mean greatness eventually, or greatness a year or two from now.  I mean the Timbers can win major trophies.  This year.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying they will win the Cup.  Or even that they’re likely to.  Or even that they’re ready to do so right now.  But they can.

Throughout 2013, the Timbers have checked a number of boxes that every good team needs to check.  They’ve shown the ability to win on the road.  They’ve shown the capacity to find goals and results when things aren’t quite clicking.  They’ve proven they can control the tempo, possess the ball, and even bust the nets.

Until Wednesday night, however, Portland had yet to check one vital box—the ability to dominate a good team defensively.  Yet, after a nervous first ten minutes in Carson, that’s exactly what the Timbers did to the L.A. Galaxy on Wednesday.

Over the final eighty minutes at the StubHub Center, the Galaxy had an awkward bouncing header and a small gaggle of half chances to show for their $7 million attack.

The Galaxy’s best chance of the evening came in the 55^th minute when Tommy Meyer sent a partially cleared Robbie Rogers corner back into the box.  The ball glanced off Sean Franklin’s head and blooped toward the far post, but ultimately bounced softly off the woodwork to be eventually cleared by the Timbers.

Otherwise, however, the Timbers defense was in control.  Sure, there was a Gyasi Zardes cross here, and a Colin Clark poke there, but every Galaxy mini-chance found its demise on Portland’s disciplined backline.

Perhaps no play epitomized the evening, however, like Robbie Keane’s 91^st minute run.  After a pinpoint Clark long ball found Keane at the top of the box, Andrew Jean-Baptiste picked his pocket, shielded him from the ball, and casually played back into the Timbers midfield all while the Irish international searched his boots in vain for the ball.  All the talent in the world couldn’t match Portland’s organization and discipline.

On the other end, there wasn’t a whole lot going for the Timbers offensively.  Portland was conservative in committing numbers to the final third, and the Timbers’ usually potent attackers misfired on a handful of occasions.

But the story is the defensive dominance of Portland’s backline.  This team has and will continue to score goals.  This team has and will continue to control tempo.  This team has and will continue to find results.  But now we know this team can lock down the best opposing attacks in the league.

Simply put, the Timbers showed on Wednesday that they have all the pieces of a championship-caliber team.  If they can put those pieces together in the second half of the season, the Portland Timbers may hoist their fair share of silverware by December.

Notes & Observations

• While the Timbers didn’t bunker in, they were very conservative in sending players into the final third on Wednesday.  Looking at the heat maps of Kalif Alhassan and Darlington Nagbe—nominal forwards if you buy into the 4-3-3 theory—you’ll notice a lot of time spent around the midfield stripe on Wednesday.  You would expect to see that if Portland was bunkered down in their own box, but that wasn’t the case against the Galaxy, as the Timbers controlled 54% of the ball and completed 455 passes.  Rather, doubtlessly cognizant of the Galaxy’s potent counterattack, the Timbers were very careful in picking their spots going forward.  If one player on a wing ventured into the final third, the other on that side—be it a fullback or a midfielder/forward—would generally hang back.  This substantially limited the Timbers’ ability to combine in the final third and open up a Galaxy defense that has looked openable at times this year, but also allowed the Timbers to kill counterattacks in the midfield and, when Galaxy did look to run, force them into a fully stocked defense.
• The credit for the defensive performance, then, belongs to more than just Pa Modou Kah and Andrew Jean-Baptiste.  Rather, Ryan Miller, Michael Harrington, Diego Chara, Will Johnson, and even Darlington Nagbe and Kalif Alhassan were instrumental in keeping the Galaxy off the board.

Timbers Grades

Donovan Ricketts, 8 Tremendous once again.  Ricketts controlled his box and put himself in the right places at the right times.  Really didn’t need to do anything heroic on Wednesday, however, as the men in front of him gobbled up almost everything the Galaxy threw at them.

Ryan Miller, 6.5 Perhaps a surprise inclusion in the starting eleven, Miller justified his inclusion in the team with a very solid defensive outing.  Made his way forward a handful of times as well, but—as we’ve seen in the past—didn’t make a whole lot of it.

Andrew Jean-Baptiste, 8.5 Hard to have a much better game from a center back.  Made one or two small mistakes, but they’re easily washed out in light of his physical dominance and outstanding anticipation.

Pa Modou Kah, 8 It would have been easy for Kah to play conservatively after picking up a soft early yellow card, but instead he came through with big tackle after big tackle.

Michael Harrington, 6 Another solid game brought to a disappointing finish by his injury after a late collision.  Harrington may have been in line for a day off on Sunday in any case, but lacking many other options on the left, the Timbers will need Mikey back soon.

Diego Chara, 7 One of the most consistent presences in the Timbers’ sputtering offense on Wednesday, Chara’s grade is primarily justified by his defensive work.  The Timbers’ defensive central midfield did a great job of cutting out Galaxy counterattacks before they had a chance to materialize.

Will Johnson, 7 Although he wasn’t as involved in the offense, Johnson was maybe even a step better than Chara defensively, with seven recoveries.  Both Johnson and Chara completed better than 90% of their passes, as well, serving to further limit L.A.’s opportunities to break.

Darlington Nagbe, 5.5 Perhaps nobody’s postgame line reveals the Timbers’ offensive conservatism more than Nagbe’s.  His eight recoveries led the team, and his heat map reveals he spent much more time around midfield than usual.  Nagbe showed some of the best defense we’ve seen from him as a Timber, but still found time to create one of the Timbers’ best chances with a swerving 25 yard shot.

Diego Valeri, 4 The Timbers isolated Valeri and Ryan Johnson up top, with only occasional help from underlying areas.  This shifted a lot of responsibility to Valeri to be the creator.  He had a difficult job and didn’t quite pull it off.  Diego also didn’t make the most of his service on a handful of dangerous set pieces – a rare area in which the Timbers have struggled in 2013.

Kalif Alhassan, 4.5 He was actually a little bit better than my first impression led me to believe.  Perhaps starting from a deeper lying position than he’s used to, Kalif didn’t make the most of a few moments, but on the whole wasn’t terrible.  That said, Wednesday underscores Kalif’s strength by omission—operating as a facilitator for multiple teammates joining the attack.  He wasn’t really able to do that against L.A., however, in light of the Timbers holding numbers back.

Ryan Johnson, 5.5 Felt like he had to go it alone most of the night, and did well to win his share of balls and create a couple half chances from nothing.  That’s a tough job for any striker, to say nothing of one that lacks blazing speed.

Frederic Piquionne, 4 It was always going to be difficult for Piquionne to make much of an impact.  Porter’s thought was likely to go more direct with Piquionne and Ryan Johnson up top, and let them play off each other, but they never really had the chance.

Ben Zemanski, 5.5 A short appearance for Zemanski, but an effective one.  Gathered a few key clearances and relieved a good amount of pressure on the backline late in the game.  Was a good chunk of the reason the Galaxy could never get set to shell Portland’s defense in the waning moments.

Sal Zizzo, INC.

Preseason Prediction: Galaxy 2, Timbers 0. Magee, Juninho.

Actual Result: Timbers 0, Galaxy 0.

Onward, Rose City!

As you  know the 107ist is all about supporting soccer from the grass roots to the highest level. With that in mind we're partnering with the American Outlaws Portland chapter to ensure that the experience at Jeld-Wen field is as good as it gets when the US take on Belize as part of the Gold Cup.

To do that we need your help. Come out on either June 29th or 30th, and help us get ready. We'll have jobs suitable for all ability levels, and ages. Be sure to dress in "work clothes", bring along some food and drink if you're going to stay with us for awhile, and since you could be working on the ground knee pads or one of those soft gardening pads might be a good idea. Also extra "craft" tools never hurt (paint brushes, scissors, sharpies, etc).

If you are part of a local soccer club, feel free to bring them with you - we want the entire Portland soccer community involved.

In order to manage the number of folks we have showing up at any one time, we'd like you to register via eventbrite. There is no cost, and you can sign up for as many shifts as you like (and don't worry if you have to leave a bit early, just show up and do what you can).

Register here:

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/6823412009

Any questions? Email us: support@timbersarmy.org

—by Chris Rifer

It doesn’t get any better than that.

With league-leading FC Dallas coming to town, commentators throughout the week were asking whether Portland could win games against elite opponents.  They won’t be musing about that next week.

In one of the most thrilling games in Timbers’ MLS history, Darlington Nagbe’s 52^nd minute wonder goal was the difference between what were clearly two of the best teams in the league.

The Timbers’ midfield opened the game in typically steady fashion, but once Portland entered the final third their dynamism often betrayed them.

In the 17^th minute, however, Diego Valeri was unlucky not to find the opener.  After the Timbers patiently worked the ball around the Burn box, Michael Harrington found space on the left and whipped a cross in toward the back post.  Valeri was there to nod it to the ground, but the ball took a heavy bounce and glanced off the bar and over.

It was the other Diego that was robbed in the 39^th minute, when Will Johnson’s free kick found Futty beyond the back post.  Futty nodded across the face of goal where the ball deflected to Diego Chara in the box.  Chara’s low putback looked destined for goal, but Raul Fernandez—who had chased the initial ball well beyond the back post—burst back in front of goal to make the save.

Not to be outdone, Donovan Ricketts came up huge just before halftime. With midfielders all over the field, Dallas worked the ball thirty yards out from goal to Fabian Castillo on the right wing.  The original young DP played the ball back to the top of the box where Jackson was waiting all alone, but the Brazilian’s dangerous strike was knocked away by a heroically diving Ricketts.

Despite a bevy of chances both ways and a wide-open game, neither team could find the back of the net in the first half.  In a game like that every good team needs an individual to step up, make a play, and secure the three points.

On Saturday, the Portland Timbers had Darlington Nagbe.

In the 52^nd minute, Kalif Alhassan fed Nagbe on the left side of the box, where George John appeared to have the future U.S. international bottled up.  With his back toward goal, however, Nagbe struck a brilliant no-look shot that curled past Fernandez and into the far side netting.

The Timbers weren’t done, however.  Seven minutes later, Will Johnson made a brilliant run through the midfield and played Piquionne through, but his shot from a tough angle rattled the near post.

But for more Fernandez heroics, the Timbers would have doubled the lead in the 68^th minute, when Kalif Alhassan lofted a beautiful ball to Valeri in the box.  Valeri controlled magnificently and hit a volley from close distance, but Fernandez reacted remarkably and knocked the ball away.

With as much quality as Dallas has, however, it would have been impossible to completely eliminate their chances, and the Hoops had none better than Jackson’s in the 72^nd minute.  After a sloppy giveaway by Will Johnson, Jackson sped by the remaining Timbers defense and found himself one-on-one with Ricketts.  The Jamaican made himself big, however, and Jackson sent his shot from the top of the box well high.

Five minutes later, Diego Chara capped off his hard working, bad luck day when Darlington Nagbe flicked a beautiful ball to put Chara through on goal, but the only thing he buried after rolling his shot toward the far post was his head in his hands.

The Timbers were well in control, however, and once Ricketts smothered a dangerous Fabian Castillo cross a minute into stoppage time, the Timbers secured one of their biggest wins of the season.

The win puts Portland within two points of the top of the league and extends the team’s unbeaten streak to an improbable 13 matches.  But the streak is not what Saturday will be remembered for.  Rather, it will be remembered as one of the best MLS games played at Jeld-Wen Field won with a tremendous goal from Darlington Nagbe.

Notes & Observations

• The Timbers, at plus-nine, have the best goal difference, the most goals scored, and the best goals-per-game average in MLS.  And for a defense that is supposed to be mediocre, PTFC has allowed the sixth fewest goals.  Not too shabby.
• If there is a nit to pick, it’s that the Timbers are a mere fifth in scoring efficiency – the percentage of shots that result in goals—at 11.4%.  It helps, however, that they’re third in total shots.
• Aside from the stoppage time chance, FCD looked like they ran out of gas a little bit in the last 15 minutes.  Je-Vaughn Watson was the only attacking player on their bench, and he had to come on early when Hassli went down.  As a result, Schellas Hyndman only used one substitute and had a lot of tired legs out there at game’s end.

Timbers Grades

Donovan Ricketts, 8 Simply outstanding from Ricketts on Saturday.  Didn’t set a foot wrong and came up big in several important moments.

Michael Harrington, 6 He’s come out of his slump and settled in at left back.  Although he wasn’t the focal point of Dallas’s offense, Harrington was solid defensively all day and got forward nicely a couple times to join the attack.

Pa Modou Kah, 4 Still looks like he’s in the process of settling in.  Kah wasn’t bad on Saturday, but he has a tendency to get caught out of position.

Futty, 6 A pretty good day from Futty.  Did well to get on the end of Will Johnson’s set piece only to be robbed of the assist by Fernandez.  Whereas Kah is a risk taker in back, Futty is not, making them a logical pairing as long as Futty is healthy.

Jack Jewsbury, 4 Had a tough task on Saturday, as Dallas were looking to attack down their left side with Fabian Castillo.  He was up to the task, but just barely, as he was beat a handful of times—including on Dallas’s late chance.

Will Johnson, 6 Pretty nice outing from Will.  Was solid defensively, but had a number of nice runs forward, including to spring Piquionne on his shot that hit the post.

Diego Chara, 6.5 Was robbed of a goal twice, and failed to finish his third chance—making more chances that Diego usually sees in a season—but if you look past those it was a typical Chara outing.  Nine recoveries, 90% pass completion percentage, and a couple key passes.

Diego Valeri, 6.5 Came oh-so-close twice with his first half header and brilliant second half strike that should have earned him a goal.  Found a lot of room to run in Dallas’s aggressive midfield, and was a key part of a Timbers midfield that has to feel good about its outing.

Darlington Nagbe, 9 Forget the goal for a moment.  Darlington ran at Dallas like a madman all day, and had several nice combinations, notably including his magnificent pass to spring Chara through on goal.  Now remember the goal.  Saturday was Darlington’s best game as a Timber.

Kalif Alhassan, 6 Didn’t have the most active outing, but Kalif had several nice moments, including his assist to Nagbe and entry ball to Valeri.

Frederic Piquionne, 5.5 Had a couple moments where he could have done better, but he was fairly effective in the holdup game and in distributing to his other attacking players.

Andrew Jean-Baptiste, 5.5 Couldn’t make the play when Jackson sped forward, but was effective in relief of Futty.

Ryan Johnson, 6 A very good short stint for Ryan Johnson.  Seemingly won every ball in his half of the field, held the ball up well late in the game, and nearly manufactured a goal out of nothing by contesting a ball that looked bound for Fernandez.

Ben Zemanski, 5.5 A nice short shift as a defensive substitute for Kalif.

Preseason Prediction: Timbers 1, FCD 0.  Valeri.

Actual Result: Timbers 1, FCD 0.  Nagbe.

Onward, Rose City!

—by Chris Rifer

The Portland Timbers’ “simple goal is to win and advance” in the U.S. Open Cup, as Caleb Porter put it after Wednesday night’s game.  And that is exactly what Portland did in their U.S. Open Cup fourth round fixture against the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

The Timbers took control early and never looked seriously in danger of losing their grasp on Wednesday night, as they cruised to a drama-free 2-0 win to set up a quarterfinal matchup at Dallas in two weeks.

Just as they did in their third round fixture against the Wilmington Hammerheads, Portland put themselves on top early on Wednesday.  In the 9^th minute, a Jose Valencia pass was deflected in the attacking third, and Michael Nanchoff let the ball bounce at the top left corner of the box before volleying it first time past Tampa Bay keeper Diego Restrepo and into the far side netting to open the scoring.

After a somewhat anemic start, Nanchoff’s goal pulled the Timbers into the game.  Over the course of the next 20 minutes, the Timbers put the kybosh on any upset ambitions that Tampa Bay harbored, and grabbed a hold on the game they wouldn’t relinquish.

Tampa Bay’s best chance of the first half came via a 26^th minute corner that fell for Raphael Cox at the left corner of the box, but the Tacoma native’s open shot went well high—never seriously threatening Milos Kocic’s goal.

Portland nearly found the soresheet again five minutes later, when Kalif Alhassan nodded a Diego Valeri pass into the path of Frederic Piquionne, but the Timbers’ recent revelation’s shot was saved by Restrepo.

No matter how dominant a team is, however, it only takes a moment to erase a 1-0 lead.  Coming out of halftime, Tampa Bay pushed hard to move back on their front foot and search for that tying goal.

But halftime substitute Jack Jewsbury was having none of it.  After Nanchoff sent a beautiful 55^th minute free kick into the box, Piquionne nodded down into Jewsbury’s path in front of goal, where the club captain finished routinely to put the game out of reach.

The Timbers weren’t finished attacking, however.  In the 68^th minute, recent entrant Darlington Nagbe received a clever backheel on the touchline from Alhassan and fed Jose Valencia in the box, but Trencito’s low, hard shot from the right side was saved nicely by Restrepo.

The young Colombian was at it again three minutes later when he made one of his signature solo runs into the box and unleashed another goalward low strike, but Restrepo was up to the task yet again.

As the minutes ticked down, however, the Timbers became increasingly content to see the match through.  That isn’t to say the Rowdies wouldn’t make some noise.

After Tampa Bay forced an awkward clearance from the Timbers backline, they earned a 78^th minute free kick in the middle of the field 25 yards from goal that Luke Mulholland bent over the wall and off the crossbar.

The Rowdies, however, would never get that close again, as Portland professionally polished off another U.S. Open Cup victory.  Just as they did two weeks ago against Wilmington Hammerheads, the Timbers faced an overmatched opponent at home and never gave them hope.  And the result was a win and the right to advance.

Onward, Rose City!

—by Chris Rifer

Throughout 2013, the Portland Timbers have repeatedly found ways to earn a result on the road.  Multiple times—at Seattle, Colorado, and Vancouver—the Timbers found a way to earn a point from a game in which they easily could have come out empty handed.  Recently, however, the Timbers had increasingly shown their ability to dominate on the road, with a comfortable 2-0 result at D.C. marking the least stressful road fixture in Portland’s MLS history.

And so it was in the early going on Saturday.  In the first minute Frederic Piquionne got free in the box at the near post and cracked a seemingly goalward shot, but Sean Johnson got foot to it and deflected the ball just enough to send it off the crossbar.  Diego Valeri gathered on the far post, however, and rolled the ball back into the box for Diego Chara, whose finish also met its demise on the woodwork.

Three minutes later, the post got into the action.  After Michael Harrington found space on the left he sent a cross toward Will Johnson.  Johnson couldn’t quite get a solid head to the ball, but his looping header caught the Sean Johnson by surprise and floated toward the goal, only to be denied by the back post.

As dominant as the first ten minutes were, however, Portland couldn’t come away with the opening goal—or two—that would have put Chicago on their back foot.  In the tenth minute, the Timbers were the ones fortunate to stay level.  After the Timbers’ defense flattened out, Patrick Nyarko found Chris Rolfe free at the top of the box.  Rolfe’s shot, however, sailed high, aided to some extent by the fingertips of Milos Kocic.

There was no question who the better team was in the first half, however, as the Timbers moved through, around, and over the Fire midfield.  Portland reaped their first reward in the 33^rd minute.  After Milos Kocic found Frederic Piquionne with a long ball, the striker flicked on to Diego Valeri running between Jalil Anibaba and Bakary Soumare.  Valeri used some fancy footwork in the box to earn a foot of space, and put his boot through a ball that once again bounced off the near post, but this time nestled into the far side netting.

With the quality of the Timbers’ chances, going into halftime only up 1-0 was in many ways a disappointment.  As Will Johnson put it in the postgame locker room, “one-nothing at halftime really flattered [the Fire].  We should have easily been up multiple goals at halftime and put the game away.”

The Timbers had the opportunity to do just that in the 57^th minute, when the Timbers carved up the Fire on the counter once again.  Darlington Nagbe sprinted up the left side and laid the ball back for Diego Valeri 25 yards out, but his well-struck ball was saved by a diving Sean Johnson.

There would be no saving the next strike from that distance, however.  After Valeri set Piquionne free on the right wing, the Martinique international took the ball to the byline and cut back to find space to feed Ben Zemanski back into the center 20 yards from goal.  The Akron alumnus took Piquionne’s 58^th minute pass and smashed it passed the Fire defense and into the net in front of more than 150 travelling Timbers Army.  To everybody in the stadium, the rout appeared to be on.

Perhaps sensing the game was under control, Caleb Porter replaced Valeri—who had been fantastic both in the attack and in keeping the ball moving through the midfield—with Sal Zizzo in the 67^th minute.

Porter would come to regret that a minute later, when the Timbers control was fumbled away.  After a turnover in the midfield, Mike Magee slipped behind the Portland defense with only Andrew Jean-Baptiste and Milos Kocic to beat.  Jean-Baptiste appeared to have Magee shielded off from the ball, and Kocic came out to collect, but the keeper fumbled the ball after a collision with the young defender, and Magee tapped into an open net.[1]

From there, the game would look absolutely nothing like it did for the first hour.  Chicago threw numbers forward and the Timbers struggled to relieve the pressure.  The Fire struggled to create genuine chances, however, as their attack from the run of play sputtered in the face of a generally well-organized Timbers defense.

The Fire were successful in one important respect, however, as they earned set piece after set piece in the attacking third.  And ultimately that’s how they found the equalizer.

After an 82^nd minute foul twenty-five yards out that Caleb Porter called “questionable,” Daniel Paladini bent a beautiful free kick over the Timbers’ wall and into the near side netting where Kocic had no chance.

In twenty-five minutes the Timbers had gone from a presumptive rout to facing the real possibility of coming away empty handed.  Portland responded well, however, as the leveled score forced Chicago to pull some of its numbers back.

In the 88^th minute, Darlington Nagbe found the space Portland had been exploiting all day in front of the Fire backline and let loose a shot from his right foot 20 yards out, but the worm burner dragged wide of the near post.

A minute later Patrick Nyarko put a scare into Portland after he collected a nice through ball past Pa Modou Kah and looked to send a dangerous low cross in front of goal, but Kocic stuck it at the near post to preserve the draw.

Under most circumstances, earning a road point while missing three of their most effective players should be nothing the Timbers would shake a stick at.  But after running Chicago off the field for more than an hour and building a two-goal lead, the draw is, as Porter put it postgame, “a bit of a bitter pill.”

Quotes & Observations

• After the game, Porter once again found a positive morsel to take out of the result.  “You know, we’re disappointed.  It’s a bit of a bitter pill, but, you know, I think we’ll learn from it, we’ll be better from it, and we didn’t lose the game.  We still got a point.  We’re still unbeaten on the road.  In 14 games, there has still been only one team that’s beaten us.  So I think it’s a great thing that we’re still getting points, but we’re a little bit ticked off leaving this game feeling like we let two points slip away.”  Porter returned to the topic of learning lessons while earning points, “Again, the fact that we can learn a lesson without losing the game I think is a positive thing.  It will make us a better team . . . A lot of teams have to take losses to learn lessons, and we’ve learned lessons while getting points.”
• Don’t let the disappointment of the result completely overshadow some of the positives, especially in the first half.  As Porter pointed out, “some of the best stuff I’ve seen out of this team happened in this game.  In that first half there was a period of about twenty minutes that was electric.”
• I thought, however, that taking off Valeri so early was a mistake.  He had been Portland’s most effective player through the midfield on Saturday.  Although Chicago were always going to try to push numbers forward, they could do so with a little bit more impunity with Portland’s primary playmaker off the field, as Valeri’s absence muted the Timbers’ remarkable ability to transition from defense to attack.

Timbers Grades

Milos Kocic, 5.5 He probably should have held onto the ball that led to the first concession, but that wasn’t entirely on him.  Otherwise, Kocic’s positioning was fantastic.  Chicago had a handful of dangerous-looking shots go right at Milos because the keeper put himself in the perfect spot.

Michael Harrington, 7 – By far his best game as a Timber.  Solid defensively, but much more involved on the offensive end than he’s been thus far.  As Porter pointed out, “Darlington and [Harrington] have a pretty good partnership.  Because Darlington was warranting a lot of attention coming inside and playing in that little pocket tucked in, I think that opened up space for Mikey.”  He made the most of that space, sending several dangerous crosses across the box.

Andrew Jean-Baptiste, 4.5 Shares responsibility for the first goal, as it was his failure to stay in front of Magee that started the whole play, and ultimately it was him colliding with Kocic that knocked the ball loose.  Otherwise a decent game under difficult circumstances in the final 25 minutes, with the Fire committing everybody forward.

Pa Modou Kah, 5.5 Despite a couple loose passes, Kah’s defense—especially in the first half—was solid.  His only bad habit thus far is he has a tendency to stray a little bit too much from his central position.

Jack Jewsbury, 5 A pretty standard game from Jack.  The Fire didn’t create a whole lot in and around him.  As was part of the game plan, Jack got forward a little bit more than usual, but didn’t create nearly as much of it as Harrington.

Diego Chara, 6 He was the biggest reason why the Timbers crushed the Fire’s midfield in the first half.  His nine recoveries led all players, and Chicago couldn’t handle the speed with which he launched into the attack.  Had a harder time late in the game, as the Fire’s shelling of the Timbers’ backline took him out of his game.  Also probably should have finished his first minute chance, but there’s no real surprise there.

Ben Zemanski, 6.5 Doesn’t have Chara’s positional know-how, but looked better in a central midfield role than he has in the past.  His beautifully struck goal is really what sends his grade soaring.

Will Johnson, 5.5 Was more involved in the attack than usual, but really wasn’t the most threatening creative force.  Nonetheless, a more than adequate game from Will.

Darlington Nagbe, 6 I agree with Porter’s sentiment about Nagbe’s work creating space on the left side.  Although Nagbe didn’t get on the scoresheet, he freed up a lot of real estate that the Timbers exploited over and over on Saturday.

Diego Valeri, 8 The best player on the field by a bit of a margin.  Connected on 22 of his 24 passes, had a very well taken goal, and sprung Piquionne to eventually set up Zemanski’s goal.  His late absence was conspicuous.[2]

Frederic Piquionne, 7 After four goals in the Open Cup opener and two assists on Saturday, Caleb Porter will have decisions to make in the next couple weeks.  It’s going to be hard to keep Piquionne off the field.

Sal Zizzo, 5 In limited opportunities, Sal did what he does—fly down the right wing.  He was fairly effective in doing so, as he created a couple half chances for the Timbers on the right.  Ultimately, however, he couldn’t help relieve the Fire’s pressure.

Jose Valencia, INC. Probably came on too late to make a whole lot of a difference.

Preseason Prediction: Timbers 2, Fire 1.  Ryan Johnson, Nagbe.

Actual Result: Timbers 2, Fire 2.  Valeri, Zemanski.

Onward, Rose City!

—by Chris Rifer

One year ago today the Portland Timbers hit rock bottom.  While there were more embarrassments to come in 2012, five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes ago the Portland Timbers lost to Cal FC.  Given where the Timbers stand today, second in the West on 22 points, coming off a 5-1 U.S. Open Cup 3^rd Round victory, how can we measure the year since Cal FC?

The feeling standing in the North End on the evening of May 30, 2012 was one of numb disbelief.  What we’d just seen was impossible.  The Timbers, a team with once-reasonable playoff ambitions, had unleashed 37 shots – 15 on frame – on Cal FC, a U.S. Adult Soccer Association side, and come up empty in a mind boggling 1-0 extra time defeat.  Everything that could go wrong did go wrong.  And then some.

Merritt Paulson tweeted an embarrassed apology and the dreaded vote of confidence in John Spencer.  To that point the results had been poor, but not disastrous.  But after the stunning loss to Cal FC, the Timbers’ season went from disappointing to disastrous.  Six weeks later Spencer was gone.  And the rebirth of the club began in earnest.

Looking back, the firing of Spencer was at once unfair, bold, and brilliant.

Appointed on August 10, 2010, Spencer had been at the helm of the club for a day less than 23 months when he was let go on July 9, 2012.  He had managed exactly a season and a half of regular season football.  By any definition, the hook that yanked him from the sidelines was quick.  So quick, in fact, that Spencer didn’t truly have time to fully develop his vision for the club.

Paulson must have known that the criticism for firing Spencer would be intense.  As it turned out, it came from every direction.  Any number of pundits objected to the swiftness of Spencer’s firing.  Supporters chafed at the promotion of Gavin Wilkinson to interim manager.  Kris Boyd, the offseason’s splashy multimillion dollar signing, could barely contain his disappointment, and faded from stardom to irrelevance.

It was not the string of poor results that was the proximate cause of Spencer’s undoing.  Viewing his year-and-a-half as a whole, Spencer’s results were mediocre, but not disastrous.  In 2011, the Timbers finished just four points out of the playoff picture, having preserved their postseason hopes until the second to last round of fixtures.  At the time of his firing, the Timbers sat, again, four points off the playoff pace with a big home match against the as-yet underwhelming L.A. Galaxy.

But, as the Cal FC embarrassment showed, the Timbers were afloat.  They had decent talent, but no guiding philosophy.  The system was ambiguous, at best.  The tactics were lacking.  The coach was a good motivator of players, but what, exactly, was he motivating them to do?

Ultimately that’s led to Spencer’s dismissal.  And that is also what required immediate attention from the front office.

Seven weeks later Caleb Porter was hired, even if he wouldn’t formally join the club in Portland until December.  Moves were made, even if not all popular.  Experiments were run, permitting the reemergence of Bright Dike.  And slowly results started to improve, culminating in the return of the Cascadia Cup when the Timbers captured their first away win of 2012 – in their last away fixture – by shocking the Vancouver Whitecaps 1-0.

As we stand here a year later, the decision to relieve Spencer of his duties was brilliant.   It would have been easy to ride out the rest of 2012 with Spencer at the helm, endure some disappointing results, and part ways during the offseason when there would be any number of ready and willing candidates.  Given two full seasons at the helm, one that fell well short of expectations, and an abysmal road record, there would have been fewer cries of a quick hook from Spencer supporters.

But the rebuilding needed to begin immediately.  And beginning that process in June paid considerable dividends in December.

On December 3^rd, just two days after the MLS Cup Final and on the day the MLS transfer window opened, the Timbers made what may wind up as the most consequential move in their MLS history by bringing Will Johnson in from Real Salt Lake.  The same day Michael Harrington was acquired from Sporting Kansas City, and a week later Ryan Johnson from Toronto FC.  When, on January 10^th, the Timbers brought Diego Valeri in on loan from Lanus, the Timbers had already assembled most of the key pieces of a major overhaul.

This swift movement gave the Timbers the vast majority of camp to get acquainted with each other, their new coach, and the new system.  While the road wasn’t always smooth – especially with respect to the defense, which was still very much a work in progress on opening day – by the time Houston came to town on April 6^th, the Timbers were in a form that was unimaginable on that ill-fated May evening a year ago.

It’s likely very little of this would have happened if the Timbers had spent the months of November and December resolving their coaching situation.  Rather than joining the Will Johnson Sweepstakes,[1] or plotting to turn Joe Bendik and the 3^rd pick in the SuperDraft into Ryan Johnson and Milos Kocic, the Timbers would have been largely in a holding pattern while they looked to fill the downstairs office.

While there are any number of moments that precipitated the radical changes the club began in the summer of 2012, the loss to Cal FC was the first time it was clear the wheels had fallen off the wagon.

After Cal FC, the club went into the tailspin that would eventually lead the Timbers to where they are today.

Perhaps nothing symbolizes the progress the club has made in a year than Wednesday’s dominant win over the Wilmington Hammerheads of USL Pro.  What the Spencer-led 2012 Timbers couldn’t do in 120 minutes, the Porter-coached Timbers did in two.  And seventeen.  And thirty-four.  And forty-five.  And seventy-three.

While the Timbers still have work to do to reach the top of North American soccer, standing in the North End five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes ago, it was impossible to envision the Timbers being where they are right now.  However you measure a year, this one has been a year of immense change and growth for the Timbers.

Onward, Rose City!