—by Chris Rifer

Several times in 2013, the Portland Timbers have used pluck, opportunism, and a little luck to climb out of holes they’ve dug on the road.  On Sunday in Columbus, the Timbers summoned the pluck again, but ran out of opportunism and luck in a 1-0 defeat to the Columbus Crew.

The first twelve minutes undid the Timbers in Columbus.  After conceding an early corner, Federico Higuain found Bernardo Anor a yard outside the six-yard box—with the Timbers defense sitting a yard inside the six-yard box—and the Venezuelan nodded the ball between Donovan Ricketts and Kalif Alhassan for the opener.

Things went from bad to worse six minutes later when Pa Modou Kah—who had already been booked in the sixth minute for taking down Dominic Oduro from behind—lost track of a ball in the box and kicked Aaron Schoenfeld in the head trying to recover.  The referee whistled for a clear penalty and issued Kah a red card for his clumsiness.  With the Timbers down to ten, Pipa breathed life into Portland by pulling his penalty wide in the face of a correctly guessing Donovan Ricketts.

Portland responded well, and over the course of the first half slowly regained control of the match.

If much of the ball belonged to Portland, the chances belonged to Columbus.  After a Crew half chance was cleared as far as Higuain 25 yards from goal, the Argentinian found Josh Williams on the right side of the box.  Ricketts came out, but couldn’t reach the ball before the young right back, who chipped in front of goal only to have Futty clear.

The Crew nearly opened Portland up again in the 32^nd minute when Pipa set Oduro free in the box, but this time Futty cut him off and forced him to lay it back to Schoenfeld whose chip sailed high and wide.

As the half went along, however, the Timbers shifted onto their front foot.  In the 42^nd minute Darlington Nagbe made a great run into the box to have a shot blocked, but regained control and played to Jack Jewsbury on the right.  The captain sent the ball to Ben Zemanski in the middle, but the back-leaning midfielder skied his free effort form 20 yards.

If the chances were lacking in the first half, they weren’t in the second.  After the Timbers had Columbus pinned in their own end for extended stretches early on, Diego Valeri found Andrew Jean-Baptiste free at the back post on a corner kick, but the nearly fledged defender’s header sailed just wide of the far post.

Oduro nearly put the Timbers away in the 65^th minute when Portland turned the ball over in midfield and Higuain fed the Ghanaian at the top of the box, but his shot skidded just wide of the far post.

As the half went along, the extra miles put in by the ten-man Timbers began to take their toll.  In the 75^th minute, that fatigue almost ended Portland’s day, but Ricketts came up huge to keep the Timbers in the game.  After Higuain[1] set yet another Crewmate through on goal, Ethan Finlay nodded toward the top, but a jumping Ricketts caught just enough of the ball with his trailing hand to knock it over the bar.

Two minutes later, things should have been level.  After Jose Valencia tracked a ball down six yards out on the right side, he cut it back to Valeri open at the top of the box, but the Argentine talisman sent it uncharacteristically high.

The Timbers’ third big chance came by way of a one-man show from Darlington Nagbe.  After making a 60-yard run down the left sideline, Nagbe cut back toward the center near the top of the box and unleashed a right-footed shot that looked like a candidate to find the far side netting, but fill-in Columbus keeper Matt Lampson dove well to his left to parry away.

The Timbers heavy legs ultimately kept them from making a concerted push for the point.  Despite controlling much of the match while being a man down, Portland had three good chances to find an equalizer and keep their 15-match streak alive.  Unlike the previous times they’ve faced deficits away from the Rose City, each time on Sunday the Timbers came up short.

Notes & Observations

• Make no mistake, the Timbers probably win that game with eleven men, early concession or no early concession. Portland employed a similar tactical set up to that which they showed in Chicago, where the Timbers pushed both fullbacks forward, split the centerbacks wide and dropped a defensive central midfielder—usually Diego Chara—back into the gap. The result was a fair amount of space in the Columbus midfield, but Portland was unable to take full advantage due to Kalif Alhassan’s absence after Kah’s sending off. In trying to utilize this space, the Timbers desperately needed one more player to combine with to try to bend Columbus’s backline out of shape. That guy would have been Kalif, but he was necessarily sacrificed to bring Futty on.
• Given his druthers, I think Caleb Porter would have liked to bring Frederic Piquionne on for Ben Zemanski[2] at halftime and shift to a diamond 4-4-1 look with Piquionne up top as a direct threat, Ryan Johnson sitting underneath as almost a second forward, Valeri on the right, Nagbe on the left, and Chara in the hole. In this scheme, the Timbers would have held the ball a little bit deeper, but had much more potency playing direct—something they should have been fairly effective in doing with both fullbacks being aggressive, retaining plenty of central-leaning midfield talent in Nagbe and Valeri, and the center back tandem of Futty and Jean-Baptiste looking up to the task of keeping the back on lockdown. Unfortunately, Piquionne was busy trying to make sure Will Johnson returned to the Timbers fold in short order, so Porter found himself with a very depleted set of options off the bench.
• In this respect, while much of the punditry has latched onto the absence of Will Johnson as a reason Portland couldn’t find their way back, I think Piquionne’s preoccupation at the Rose Bowl was even more significant.

Timbers Grades 

Donovan Ricketts, 7.5 To be honest, Donovan didn’t nearly as much to do as you’d expect after playing with ten men for 80 minutes.  His 75^th minute robbery of Finlay was maybe his best save of the year, though.

Michael Harrington, 5.5 Wasn’t a target defensively and wasn’t the focus offensively—other than his role in opening space centrally.  It was a fine performance for Mikey, who has now strung a series of them together.

Pa Modou Kah, 1 Hard to imagine a worse ten minutes for Kah.  He’s shown a knack for risky defending in the past, and it really came back to bite him against Columbus.  Still, ten minutes a player does not break, so don’t quit on Kah just yet.

Andrew Jean-Baptiste, 5.5 His grade is flattened just a little bit because he was in charge of the set piece defense on the near side that was overwhelmed on the concession.  Also needs to put his 55^th minute header on frame, as that was a pretty juicy ball from Valeri.  Other than that, however, AJB did a lot more right than wrong.

Jack Jewsbury, 5.5 Spent a lot of time forward on Sunday and had a few nice balls into the box.  Maybe a little bit upset Zemanski didn’t put his 42^nd minute pass on frame, as it would have been a just assist for Jewsbury.

Diego Chara, 4.5 A little bit flat from Chara.  Zemanski was taking the primary box-to-box responsibilities, while Chara spent an awful lot of time hanging back between the two center backs.  As a result, Diego wasn’t really his sidling, tackling, and distributing self.[3]

Ben Zemanski, 6 Should have done better in the 42^nd minute,[4] but did a pretty darn good Will Johnson impression for much of the game—working his way all over the field.

Darlington Nagbe, 4.5 Bears some culpability on the concession, as he did a poor job of fighting from the top to contest the ball coming in at the near post.

Diego Valeri, 6.5 Needed to do better on his big chance, but was the Timbers’ most dangerous player going forward.  The biggest boon to his grade, however, was his set piece delivery, which was nothing short of expert on Sunday.

Kalif Alhassan, INC. Never really got a chance to work his way into the game before he was sacrificed in favor of Futty.

Ryan Johnson, 4 This was a tough spot for Ryan, as he’s not the type of lone target Piquionne is.  Ryan is best when he can combine in the midfield a bit and make a late run, but—for the reasons discussed above—the Timbers were destined to struggle at that game given the personnel available.

Futty, 7.5 Great game from Futty.  Was tasked with bottling up the Dominic Oduro that was way too much for Kah, and did so seemingly with ease.

Jose Valencia, 5.5 By the time he’d come on, the legs were going and the team was settling for sending long balls forward to him.  Didn’t have many chances from which to make hay, but did nicely in the 77^th minute to set up Valeri.

Michael Nanchoff, INC. Even more than Valencia, by the time Nanchoff came on the rest of the team had run out of gas.

Preseason Prediction: Timbers 2, Crew 1.  Ryan Johnson, Jose Valencia.

Actual Result: Crew 1, Timbers 0.

Onward, Rose City!

Portland, OR, Vancouver, B.C., Seattle, WA — Ahead of this weekend's Cascadia Cup match between the Sounders and the Whitecaps, the supporters groups in Seattle, Portland and Vancouver and Major League Soccer are pleased to announce we have reached an agreement in principle regarding the Cascadia Cup Trademark Issue. The agreement in principle was the result of a transparent and productive dialogue between the league and the Cascadia Cup Council (CCC) representatives.

While final ratification of the agreement is pending legal approval, both parties have agreed to a general framework that includes important provisions regarding trademark and sponsorship. The Cascadia Cup Council will own the name, logo and likeness of the trophy and no party may sell, trade, nor barter any sponsorship to the Cascadia Cup without the unanimous approval of all parties (i.e., CCC, Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps and MLS).

More details regarding the agreement will be released upon legal ratification.

The Cascadia Cup Council is pleased with the agreement in principle with Major League Soccer and is encouraged by the fact that Major League Soccer recognizes the importance of the supporter-owned Cascadia Cup for the growth of soccer in the Cascadia Region. The CCC believes this agreement in principle ensures that the Cascadia Cup will remain a supporter-created and supporter-owned cup.

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About the Cascadia Cup Council: The Cascadia Cup Council is a recognized non-profit entrusted with the management of the Cascadia Cup. The Council is made up of one representative from each of the three founding Cascadia Cup supporters groups. The current representatives are Jeremy Wright - Timbers Army, Greg Mockos - Emerald City Supporters, and Brett Graham - Vancouver Southsiders.

—by Chris Rifer

In light of the Timbers’ successful six-game, eighteen-day stretch over the past few weeks, it is understandable that Wednesday’s friendly match-up with Monarcas Morelia has not been on the receiving end of much of the perpetual buzz following the Timbers this season.  Nonetheless, on Wednesday, the Timbers will inaugurate the Copa Verde – an annual friendly between the Timbers and a Liga MX side.

The Copa Verde provides the Timbers the opportunity to benefit the Mexican Consulate of Portland’s IME Becas Program.  But while friendlies that go to benefit good causes are nothing new, the Timbers and a local woodworker collaborated to create a very sharp looking, locally sourced, Tarascan-inspired trophy for the competition.

After the Timbers were referred to him by a colleague at ADX, a community woodworking shop in southeast Portland, local woodturner Alain Bally and the club settled on a design that was inspired by Las Yacatas pyramids in Mexico and crafted entirely out of salvaged Oregon wood.

The Yacatas pyramids are located in the ruins of Tzinzuntan, the capital of the Tarascan Empire, and completed sometime around 1450.[1]  The rounded, stepped pyramids inspired the top section of the Copa Verde trophy, which sits atop a shaft of Oregon maple and inverts the pyramids’ design to crown the cup.

But the trophy’s inspiration isn’t the only thing that ties it to the community.  Rather than turn to a major manufacturer, the Timbers found their way to Bally, a local retiree who passes the time giving back to the community and turning wood.  His workshop, ADX, isn’t the sort of place that churns out wood products for Cost Plus, but rather is a local community workshop open to wood- and metalworkers of all skill levels to join, ply their passion, and take classes.  And the wood used to fabricate the Cup wasn’t offloaded from a logging truck of freshly felled Oregon forests; instead, Bally found it at The ReBuilding Center, a Portland sustainability nonprofit that reclaims and salvages building materials and flips them back into use.

The design and crafting of the Copa Verde, then, appropriately represent the budding connection between the Timbers and the LigaMX clubs that come to Portland to participate in the Copa Verde, and serves as a symbolic centerpiece for the club’s outreach to the local Hispanic community through the Somos Timbers initiative, and the community at large through Stand Together.  Oh, and it’s pretty cool looking.

Not too bad for a trophy given to the winner of a friendly.

—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!