—by Chris Rifer

Some days you just can’t find the net.  You do everything right.  Distribute nicely out of the back.  Move the ball through the midfield with ease.  Feed the ball to promising attacking areas around the box.  And still, the ball just won’t go through the wickets.

Thursday was one of those days for the Timbers.  Through a combination of flatness in the final third, bad luck, and good goalkeeping, the Portland Timbers dominated the ball, put 9 shots on frame and many more tantalizingly close, and still came away with the scoreless draw.

A sign of future foibles showed up in the 7^th minute, when Diego Valeri did brilliantly to gather a header from Ryan Johnson and combine with Darlington Nagbe to set him into space, but ultimately the Argentine sailed his volley over the bar.

The true harbinger, however, appeared eight minutes later when Diego Chara set Nagbe one on one with Bobby Shuttleworth, but Nagbe chose to strike it first time from outside the box, ultimately hitting it right at Shuttleworth’s right foot.

Nagbe sent another chance begging in the 30^th minute, when a corner was cleared to him at the top right side of the box.  Nagbe’s volley, somewhat reminiscent of his wondergoal in 2011, elevated just over the bar.

The buildup kept coming, but the Timbers just couldn’t break through.  In the 39^th minute a corner fell dangerously for Valeri, but his goalward shot was deflected behind for a corner at the last moment.

As you so often see in games like this, despite seeing very little of the ball, New England had their chances.  Their best of the first half came in the 42^nd minute, when they worked the ball around the horn to Ryan Guy on the left side of the box, but his dangerous shot was deflected just wide.  There would be no deflection on the ensuring corner, however, as Jerry Bengston got a free head to the ball, but his header looped inches over the bar onto the top of the goal.

The Revs chance was the exception to the increasingly significant rule of Timbers dominance.  As the half went along, Portland’s opportunities presented themselves seemingly at will, but for all the possibilities, none would find themselves nestled comfortably in the back of the net.

How easily determination leads to frustration, however, as the Timbers’ bad luck in failing to find the right touch in the first half quickly turned into a struggle against themselves in the second half.

But for Shuttleworth it could have been so different.  After Will Johnson and Rodney Wallace put in a nice piece of work to free Wallace for a cross from the left side of the box, Ryan Johnson found himself with a free volley at the near post.  Again, however, the shot found the stranded Shuttleworth’s left knee and bounced away.

As every minute ticked by, a growing feeling of inevitability grew throughout Jeld-Wen Field.  It was just one of those days.  It had to be.

Despite their frustration, the Timbers persisted in working themselves into the right positions.  In the 63^rd minute, new entrant Frederic Piquionne got free on the left wing and sent a Premier League cross into the box, but his target—Diego Chara—was a head too short.

Nine minutes later it was another newbie that nearly broke the deadlock, this time for New England.  In the 72^nd minute Saer Sene, the lone goalscorer a year ago in New England, found an acre of space in the middle of the field and pulled the trigger on a left footed shot that beat Donovan Ricketts, but could only tickle the top of the net on its way harmlessly by.

Aside from a handful of chances, the day’s ill fate largely kept the Timbers at bay in the final fifteen minutes.  Only a big Jamaican could keep New England at bay.

After Sear Sene found space between substitute Andrew Jean-Baptiste and Futty, he got through one-on-one with Donovan Ricketts.  Sene is no Darlington Nagbe, however, and his strike looked dangerous enough to beat the towering keeper, but Ricketts, whose splendor has preserved more than one result for Portland in 2013, went down quickly and got just enough of a palm on the ball to send it skipping wide of the post.  In an early season full of good saves, this may have been Ricketts’ best, and it came at a vital moment to keep the Timbers from a crushing defeat.

In the end, as the brief postgame press conference awkwardly indicated, there was really nothing to say.  It was just one of those days.

Notes & Observations

• There isn’t much to be concerned about from the Timbers’ standpoint.  As Caleb Porter pointed out, when you get 22 shots, including nine on frame, you’re doing something right.  The shots weren’t prayers from distance, either.  The Timbers were doing exactly what they wanted to do through he midfield, and even into the final third.  For one reason or another, however, they just couldn’t finish.  If this were a habit, there might be reason to raise an eyebrow, but, as the win in Kansas City demonstrated, the Timbers have been reasonably opportunistic lately.
• As Caleb Porter indicated in the club’s press release, the signing of Ka Pah comes at a relatively desperate time for center backs on Morrison Street.  The absence of Mikael Silvestre was conspicuous after he went out with a torn ACL.  The spaces that Sene and company repeatedly found in the middle were the same spaces that Futty and Silvestre had shut down for over an hour.  While concern about Pah’s resume of late is reasonable, the front office has earned the benefit of the doubt with what, despite early skepticism, turned out to be sharp signings in Silvestre and Piquionne.

Timbers Grades

Donovan Ricketts, 8 It doesn’t get a whole lot better than the save he made to preserve the draw in the 85^th minute.  The simple reality is this: Ricketts has been nothing short of great in 2013.

Jack Jewsbury, 6 A nice outing from Jewsbury.  Porter was a little bit more aggressive with him as the Timbers became more desperate for the goal they deserved, and Jack did well in finding himself a couple dangerous shots and combining well on the left, while not exposing his defensive position.

Futty, 5.5 Had a really nice partnership with Silvestre, as they had New England running at them a couple times, and turned the Revs away with little drama.  It’s clear Futty was the Robin to Silvestre’s Batman, however, as the connection with Andrew Jean-Baptiste wasn’t nearly as good.

Mikael Silvestre, 7 Aside from his aforementioned tremendous defending, Mikael almost found himself a goal in the 45^th minute when he got foot to a Wallace cross.  His loss is very, very significant.

Michael Harrington, 5 A relatively quiet game again from Harrington, which, as long as the offense is knocking the ball around well, I’ll take from my fullbacks.  The other thing is just too silly to merit discussion in this forum.[1]

Will Johnson, 6 A nice game from Will, who had a handful of nice tackles and appearances in the attack, including an 80^th minute strike from outside the box that had Shuttleworth beat, but sailed just high and wide.  Takes a little knock in his grade for being a little too aggressive and occasionally leaving space in front of the center backs.

Diego Chara, 5.5 His grade is deflated just a little bit by a couple instances of uncharacteristically loose defense in the midfield, but showed flashes of the incisive attacking distribution that made him the unlikely early league leader in assists.

Rodney Wallace, 6 I thought he might be a little flat coming off his coming out party in Kansas City, but ultimately many of the Timbers’ best chances came through Rod.

Diego Valeri, 5.5 Had a handful of chances that went begging, but was otherwise effective in the buildup.  Valeri isn’t perfect as a finisher, but his final touches have more of a cool purpose in them that makes them best suited to beat the keeper.  Valeri did just that in the 82^nd minute, but unfortunately his shot that stranded Shuttleworth dribbled wide of the far post.

Darlington Nagbe, 4 There were so many things that looked so good, but he has to finish.  His one-on-one with Shuttleworth was just a disaster.

Ryan Johnson, 4.5 Was as quiet as he’s been all season, but every time I go back and take a second look at a game I find something subtly significant that Johnson did that I didn’t notice on first watch.  This time it was his beautifully cushioned header to Valeri to set up his 7^th minute combination with Nagbe.

Frederic Piquionne, 6 Piquionne is a little bit frustrating at times, such as his 70^th minute free header that was straight at Shuttleworth.  There are moments, however, where he shows remarkable quality.  His cross for Chara was just such a moment.

Andrew Jean-Baptiste, 4 Maybe this is a little bit unfair, but the positioning juxtaposition between he and Silvestre was unkind to AJB.  Then again, that probably has to do with the 16 years of top-flight football Silvestre has on Andrew.

Kalif Alhassan, 4 A little bit disappointing, as I thought he was coming on in a really favorable spot on the left with Wallace shifting to left back.  But Kalif’s bench performances have been inconsistent, which really isn’t altogether surprising.

Preseason Prediction: PTFC 3, Revs 0. Ryan Johnson (x2), Diego Chara.

Actual Result: Timbers 0, Revs 0.

Onward, Rose City!

It’s been an up and down week for the PTFC. There were some great highs combining the dozens of people who showed up to welcome Byron “El Matador” Alvarez back to the Rose City and the unforgettable series of moments with Atticus and The Green Machine and the love they have spread worldwide. Despite the unfortunate inability to find the back of the net and the injury of a Timber who wore the crest well (once the jet lag wore off), it’s not too late to finish on a high note. We have a great crew going out to Great Strides and have raise $2,000 toward finding a cure for cystic fibrosis not including the $869 from the raffling of Bendik and Eric Alexander’s kits.

You can join in the fun of tomorrow’s beautiful morning. We still have room for you to come and help us in Goose Hollow for the ‘Spruce Up the Goose’ neighborhood cleanup. Hope you all had a chance to look around on your way to and from the stadium this week. We definitely contribute to the wear and tear on the neighborhood and it is worthy of our stewardship. There’s a bit of work to do on this cleanup but, we can do this with your help. Oh, and there are rumors of a kegger after the event.

Team. Town. TA. It’s time to tidy the yard.

Click here to sign up!

—by Chris Rifer

Since their big win in Kansas City, the MLS media have been abuzz about how the Portland Timbers are suddenly a force to be reckoned with in the Supporters’ Shield race.  On Wednesday afternoon at Jeld-Wen Field, however, those Timbers couldn’t reckon with the force that is the Atticus Lane-Dupre- led Green Machine.

In the second minute, Atticus himself took the ball straight off of Darlington Nagbe’s foot, ran into the middle, and slotted through Will Johnson’s wickets for the opening goal.

After the Green Machine opened an early 3-0 lead, and with the Timbers Army singing “We always win ten-to-nil,” the Timbers showed some of the fightback that has been key to their early season success.  After Will Johnson freed himself on the right wing, he crossed to Darlington Nagbe at the far post, who tapped home to bring the Timbers back to 3-1.

Three minutes later, however, Atticus was back at it.  After the Green Machine weathered the Timbers’ onslaught, Atticus extended the lead by finishing clinically past a bewildered Jack Jewsbury.

After picking up a yellow card for a hard tackle in the seventh minute, Johnson found the net in the ninth, as Nagbe returned Johnson’s earlier favor by feeding the Timbers’ captain to pull the Timbers back within two.

GMFC responded again, however, tallying a pair of goals in the 10^th and 11^th minutes, respectively, to take a commanding 6-2 lead over the stunned Timbers.

The 12^th minute brought controversy, however.  After more than a year of tough calls at home, the Timbers were gifted one when a clear Ryan Kawoluk foul went uncalled, setting the former Portland Pilot through on goal to narrow Green Machine’s lead to three.

Portland would add one more just before halftime, as Sebastian Rincon made one of his signature runs through the Green Machine defense and scored from a tight angle to give the MLS side hope heading into the locker room.

The halftime team talks were indicative of the first half, however, with Green Machine manager Caleb Porter praising his team’s adherence to Porterball’s high pressure and quick passing, and imploring them to go out and beat the Timbers at their own game.

That they did just one minute after halftime, as Green Machine promptly broke down the Timbers midfield and hit them on the break to extend the lead to 7-4.

What seemed a tall task for the Timbers to get back in the game became seemingly impossible in the 17^th minute, when captain Will Johnson was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for trampling a Green Machine player.

The five-man Timbers had some fight left in them, however, as 19^th minute goals from Nagbe and Jewsbury brought Portland back to within one with just five minutes to play.

Once again, enter Atticus.  After the hardworking men of Mount Tabor earned a corner kick, the ball found its way to Green Machine’s captain beyond the far post, Atticus calmly put it home from a tight angle on the right.

The Timbers’ pressure kept coming, however, and in the 22^nd minute Rincon buried a jumbled Kawulok cross to pull the Timbers within one goal at 8-7.  A minute later, a Caleb Porter side was bit for trying to bunker down defensively for the second time in ten days, as the Timbers broke through a packed-in box to level things at eight.

It was Portland’s defense that got greedy two minutes from fulltime, however, as Green Machine easily passed through a flurry of desperate sliding tackles for the go-ahead goal.

But Rincon wasn’t finished.  Once again flashing the brilliance with the ball at his feet that terrorized the MLS Reserve League in 2012, Rincon tore through the Green Machine defense and seemingly salvaged a point for the Timbers with little more than a minute left.

Atticus, however, has seen tougher scrapes before and come out on top, and Wednesday would be no different.  With time ticking away and the Timbers clutching the draw, it was Green Machine’s talisman who ran into the teeth of the Timbers defense and coolly slotted into the near corner for the winner.

In the end, Atticus and the Porterballing Green Machine were too much for the Timbers to handle.  To the delight of their 3,000 supporters, Green Machine came into Jeld-Wen Field and walked away with the full three points and some of the biggest smiles you’ll ever see.

Team. Town. TA.

Say those words, and then imagine what the perfect blend of those three things would look like.

If you were at Jeld-Wen field today, or if you watched the videos or took a peak at the pictures, then I can pretty much guess what your vision would be. What we all witnessed today was the embodiment of those 11 letters.

By now most of you have the background, but it bears repeating because there is a point here that is so important – a point that, again, embodies the mantra of team, town, and TA.

Atticus was like any other 8-year-old boy playing soccer, when he learned he had cancer. His treatments forced him to miss his final soccer game with his team, the Green Machine.

When Make-A-Wish contacted him and asked what he might like to do, he could have said, “I want my family to go to Disneyworld”. NOBODY would have faulted him for that.

Instead he said that he wanted to do something his whole team could share in – he wanted to play soccer against the Timbers.  He is an 8-year-old boy who is the definition of “wise beyond his years” – he wanted to share it with his friends and community - or, saying it another way, his team and his town.

And, so, a match was set. The Timbers would face the Green Machine in the late morning on May 1^st.

The second – and I literally mean the second – the word of the game hit social media the Timbers Army was flooded by members offering to help out.  It was amazing.

The hardest part of what we did today wasn’t making it happen, it was making sure everyone who wanted to be involved could be involved. The outpouring of love that went into the tifo, the chants, and everything else was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

When over 3,000 of us walked into the stadium we probably thought, “Man, Atticus is going to love this” – and I’m sure he did (at least I hope he did). But, there was something else.

In the midst of all that, some of us were lucky enough for the first time to really feel what it means when we say team, town, TA. It’s nearly 5 hours since the match ended, and there are still tears welling up in my eyes.

I wish I could articulate exactly why. Part of it is because I’m a father, and I cannot fathom how terrifying it would be to have one of my kids diagnosed with cancer. Part of it is because I’ve always believed in the power of sport to bring people together, but this was overwhelming. And, part of it is because I’m completely taken aback by how much love and community I have felt this afternoon.

Atticus wanted to share his wish with his team; I wonder if he had any idea how much it would mean to the rest of rest of us.

I should close there, because really that’s the message – sometimes you think you’re doing something for someone else, but you actually end up getting more out of it than you could have ever put in.

But I can't wrap up with acknowledging all the folks that made today special.

On behalf of the 107ist board of directors I'd like to thank:

• The people who came out to help paint the tifo a few weeks back
• Our amazing capos, drums, and trumpet crew for their contributions
• The flag crew (and ad hoc volunteers) who set up the North End today
• The entire Timbers organization, from Merritt to his staff to the players and coaches, all of whom showed the world the definition of class today
• Make-A-Wish Oregon for reaching out to us
• And, of course, Atticus – Thank you for letting us take part in your wish.

Team. Town. TA.

—by Mike Coleman

Tuesday is one of my favorite days of the week as far as soccer goes. It’s the day when most of the power rankings are released (for those of you who are unfamiliar, Power Rankings are where ‘experts’ look at the 19 MLS teams and rank them based on their current performance and future potential – these rankings are, of course,  100% subjective).

Another one of my favorite things is futzing with data in Excel. I’m not a statistician by any measure, but I love manipulating data and trying to figure out any relationships that might exist (yes, I know, that sounds terribly exciting).

In any case, back to soccer . . .

I read about 5 different power rankings, and have always wondered how they compare. So this week I built myself an excel spreadsheet where I take power rankings from 5 different sources (MLS.com, Bleacher Report, Sports Nation, Soccer By Ives, and The Oregonian) and figure out what the average ranking was, how much (on average) the teams moved from one week to the next as well as the standard deviation in the ranks and movement. Finally, I thought the results of the past 5 matches would be an interesting indicator of a teams "power" (although it would be a trailing indicator at best, and doesn't account for who the opponents were during that time e.g. there is no "strength of schedule" component)

I’m not sure if anyone else cares about this, but I thought I’d share it here this week. If folks dig it, I’ll happily keep doing it. I’m also looking to go back and input the data for the first 8 weeks so I can chart the change in power rankings over the season.

So, without further blathering here are your meta power rankings for Week 9:

Nothing to surprising here, but what’s interesting is what happens when you look at the last point totals from the past 5 matches:

 

 

 

 

 

 It would seem near the top and bottom the last 5 games are pretty well reflected. Houston is ranked a bit higher than their past 5 matches would suggest. The real surprise is San Jose who, despite only earning 3 points in the past 5 matches (which is tied for 2^nd worst in the league) is ranked middle of the pack. One can only assume that the ‘experts’ feel like the 3 points are not indicative of their potential.

 

 

 

 The next thing I looked at was movement. The Union were this week’s biggest losers – their 2-0 loss to New England cost them an average of 3.4 spots in the Power Rankings. On the opposite side of the spectrum Columbus picked up a whopping 3.6 points by virtue of their 3-0 defeat of D.C. United (one could question if beating the consensus worst team in the league warranted such a big leap). D.C. United, Colorado, and Chivas all  held pretty steady week after week, and our beloved Timbers picked up the 2^nd highest number of spots (2.8) with their defeat of Sporting Kansas City (it would be hard for me to argue that they should have picked up more spots as that would put them above Montreal, their lone defeat, LA, and Dallas).

The last thing I looked at were the standard deviation of both the movement and rankings. Like I said, I’m not statistician, but I believe that standard deviation (which basically provides an indication of how much variation there is in a set of numbers) offers interesting insight into what the ‘experts’ all agree on and where there is a lack of alignment.

 

With a standard deviation of 0 the ‘experts’ all agree that D.C. United is the worst team in MLS – every single one of them ranked them 19. On the other end of the spectrum there is considerably less agreement on New York (1.82) and Philadelphia (1.92). In the case of New York the rankings are almost uniformly spread from 7^th (Soccer By Ives and the Oregonian) to 11^th (Bleacher Report). For Philadelphia the main outlier is The Oregonian where they ranked 15^th (compared to 10^th, two at 11^th , and 12^th) – clearly GCA has no love for the Union. It’s also important to note that the teams at the top are generally agreed on by the ‘experts’ (as is the placement of Vancouver).

 

 

 Looking at the deviation in movement – clearly the biggest outlier by a pretty significant margin is New York. In two rankings they gained a whopping 4 spots, in two rankings they gained 2 spots, and in one ranking, Bleacher Report, they actually lost 2 spots, falling from 9^th to 11^th  (for the sake of completeness I will note that they were actually tied for 11^th).

 

 

 

What does all this mean, I have no idea. Like I said, I just like to geek out with numbers. I’m sure some of my conclusions aren’t necessarily that insightful (or even correct). If you have a suggestion on how to improve this exercise, let me know.

For those who want to see the information for themselves, you can find my spreadsheet here on google docs.

—by Chris Rifer

Sporting Kansas City took the field on Saturday looking to send a message coming off a frustrating loss and showcase their new argyle kits.  What they didn’t expect, however, was that the Portland Timbers would put on a show of their own.  With Kansas City having not conceded at home this year, the Portland Timbers marched into Sporting Park and sullied the Wizards’ sheet over, and over, and over.  The result netted a thrilling three points and a royal’s share of legitimacy.

It was never going to be a smooth ride, however, which became readily apparent just 40 seconds in, when Chance Myers ran onto the end of a Matt Besler long throw and nodded inside the near post for the stunning opening goal.

Chief among the Timbers’ many qualities, however, are picking themselves up off the mat.  And they near did just that less than four minutes later when Rodney Wallace played Diego Valeri through on the left side.  Jimmy Nielsen was quick off his line, however, and between he and Paulo Nagamura, Kansas City were able to deflect Valeri’s shot just enough to bloop it off the crossbar, eventually to be cleared by Aurelien Collin.

The Timbers kept pressing, however, and nearly found the equalizer in the 24^th minute when Darlington Nagbe played Wallace through on the left side.  Nielsen could only parry Wallace’s tremendous strike from 25 yards out, however, and on the ensuring corner Valeri found Ryan Johnson elevating over the defense in the center of the box to put things back on level terms.

It wouldn’t last long, however, as Kansas City came right back on a clever set piece play in the 29^th minute to go back ahead.  With every observant pair of eyes expecting Graham Zusi to swing his free kick into the box, the American international played it short to Benny Feilhaber, who chipped to Collin.  The big center back found Myers—who had never scored an MLS goal coming in— at the near post, where he easily tapped home.

If the stout Kansas City defense has a vulnerability, however, it is on the break.  With a penchant for being aggressive with their fullbacks, Kansas City was beaten twice on the break last week at the Home Depot Center, and in the 33^rd minute the Timbers would make it thrice in seven days.  After the Johnsons combined to poke the ball away from Collin in Kansas City’s half, Wallace played the ball forward for Diego Valeri who sent Ryan Johnson through the very high Sporting defense.  Johnson beelined for the box, pulled Nielsen off his line, then played back to Darlington Nagbe at the face of goal, who slammed on the brakes to tap into the open net.

After perhaps the most entertaining half of soccer in Timbers’ MLS history, however, the game still hung in the balance.  It’s one thing to look better on the road and earn draws.  It’s another altogether to go into a place like Kansas City and come away with three points.

Rodney Wallace would help the Timbers do just that in the 58^th minute.  After C.J. Sapong gave away a bad ball to Diego Chara, the original designated player ran into space and found Wallace running behind Myers.  As Rod lined up his shot, Myers took him down from behind.  Not even that could foil the Timbers’ breakout star, as on his way down he slotted past Nielsen and into the net.[1]

The Wizards were far from finished, however.  In the 73^rd minute Matt Besler’s cross was deflected by Michael Harrington but still squirreled in front of goal. Collin’s finish, however, spun harmlessly in the box and Donovan Ricketts collected.

Portland would have to weather a frantic final fifteen minutes, however, that saw Collin, Myers, and Jacob Peterson just miss promising chances to bring Kansas City back into the game.

Sporting’s last gasp, however, would require some of Ricketts’ heroics.  In the second minute of stoppage time Seth Sinovic sent a cross from well outside the box to the top of the six, where Collin headed brilliantly to the near post, but a diving Ricketts steered it away.

Saturday’s match was a major checkpoint for the Timbers along their path to legitimacy.  Not only are Sporting KC a serious contender and dominant at home, but they’re also the team whose style most resembles Portland’s fledgling identity.  Rather than stand by while Sporting imposed their will and christened their new kits, the Timbers took the game to them.  And ultimately, they stole the show.

Notes & Observations

• The Timbers’ 1.75 goals per game lead MLS, adding to the long list of the Timbers’ 2013 accomplishments that were utterly inconceivable a year ago.  If you’re having a hard time grasping what you just read, here’s another way of putting it.  Through nine games, the Timbers have the most potent offense in MLS.  If you’re feeling lightheaded, breathing into a paper bag helps.
• Chance Myers grabbed headlines with his goals, but the Timbers brutalized him defensively.  All three of Portland’s goals were directly or indirectly a result of Portland exploiting Sporting down their right flank—you know, which is where Myers is nominally slated to play.
• The win, and the manner of the win, will likely force opponents to change their tactics to accommodate Portland’s style of play.  This has been one of the more positive developments of 2013 for the Timbers—teams are coming in having to go away from their identity to try to compete with Portland.  On Saturday Sporting didn’t change their identity, and as a result were punished when the Timbers over and over found space in behind the Wizards’ defense.
• The past four games are likely the best four-game stretch in Timbers’ MLS history.  With home matches against Houston and San Jose, and away days in San Jose and Kansas City, 5 or 6 points out of the 12 would have been a respectable result.  Instead, the Timbers took 10, and as a result sit alone in 3^rd in the Western Conference.[2]
• I continue to be impressed with the tweaks Caleb Porter makes in the Timbers’ tactics on a weekly basis.  On Saturday, the Timbers shifted their midfield formation to the left to exploit Myers’s penchant for being caught upfield to tremendous success.  With Ryan Johnson and Rodney Wallace often floating near the left touchline, Diego Valeri found space to pull into the center-left channel and Darlington Nagbe moved more central.  With Myers often plucking dandelions near midfield, this created a numbers advantage for Portland going forward that they exploited frequently in the first half.

Timbers Grades

Donovan Ricketts, 7.5 Another really good performance from Ricketts, as it was his presence in the box, as much as anything, that let the 3-2 result stand up.

Michael Harrington, 6 Moved to the right against his former team, and really got after it early, being aggressive offensively and sending in a few rough challenges on his former teammates.  Most of the action was on the other side of the field, however, limiting Michael’s ceiling a little bit.  Nonetheless, certainly a satisfying homecoming for Harrington.

Mikael Silvestre, 6 Generally, a tremendous outing from Mikael.  Great tackling, good control in the air, and good distribution from the Timbers’ backline centerpiece.  Along with a number of his colleagues, however, Mikael bears a modest portion of responsibility for some passive defending on the first concession.

Futty, 3.5 I feel a little bit guilty giving Futty a poor grade in light of the fact that it was his 30^th birthday and he went down with a serious-looking knee injury,[3] but it was my buddy’s cat’s namesake that lost his mark on Myers on the second concession and was in the gaggle of gagged defenders on the first.  It was otherwise a solid performance, but mistakes often define defenders.  Here’s hoping his knee injury isn’t as bad as it looked.

Jack Jewsbury, 5.5 Classic Jack.  Solid and unspectacular.  The move to the left was interesting, and worked out inoffensively.

Diego Chara, 7 Checked Benny Feilhaber out of the game, and then made the play on the go-ahead goal.  Was a little bit looser in distribution than he normally is, but that probably has more to do with KC’s pressure than anything else.

Will Johnson, 6 One of Will’s subtler performances, but still very effective.  Johnson was the Timbers’ most active player in winning the ball back in midfield, including on the play that would go on to spark the second goal.

Darlington Nagbe, 7 He’s still just sort of frustrating, but on Saturday Nagbe’s measurables matched his influence.  While he was rewarded for running out the play on his goal, his best moment came when he played a beautiful through ball to Wallace on the shot that set up the corner for the opening goal.

Diego Valeri, 7 A little unlucky in the 5^th minute to not find the net, but Valeri was instrumental in both the first and second goals.  It was his ball that sprung Ryan Johnson on the second goal, for which he probably deserved a secondary assist.

Rodney Wallace, 8.5 Tremendous from Rodney, once again.  If he keeps this form up, trading Dax McCarty for him will look like a no-brainer.

Ryan Johnson, 8 He’s not the tallest guy or the best jumper, but he’s surprisingly good in the air.  He’s not the fastest striker, but he is lethal on the counter.  He’s not the burliest forward, but he’s a very good holdup man.  There isn’t one thing that makes Ryan Johnson great.  He just is.

Ben Zemanski, 6 Caleb Porter was in part talking about Zemanski when he noted the substitutes did a better job of slowing the game down than they did last week against San Jose.  Came in and put in a nice shift on the right wing.

Andrew Jean-Baptiste, 5.5 Came in at a very difficult time, just as Kansas City were getting ready to bombard the Timbers’ defense.  He handled the task competently, however, again showing that he is capable of manning the backline until reinforcements arrive.

Froderic Piquionne, 6.5 Came on and did exactly what Caleb Porter would have wanted, chasing down long clearances and holding the ball up.  Showed his quality by nearly scoring a wonder goal that would have put things away.  Oh, and I love Froderic.

Preseason Prediction: SKC 2, Timbers 1. Nagbe.

Actual Result: Timbers 3, SKC 2.  Johnson, Nagbe, Wallace.

Onward, Rose City!

Two friends and former Timbers teammates are joining forces to spread the love and do good work together.

Former Timbers Eric Alexander and Joe Bendik may both be with new squads this year, but they are on the same team when it comes to battling cystic fibrosis. Joe's nephew, Gavin, is battling the disease, and they're both doing their part to raise awareness and funds. They are offering Timbers jerseys via raffle to a few lucky fans. $5 gives you a chance at one of the player jerseys, $10 gets you two chances, and so on. To participate, click the following Paypal link:

Paypal link to enter--every $5 is worth one chance at a jersey

IMPORTANT: your donation will automatically enter your name in the drawing for both Joe's and Eric's jerseys. If you are only interested in being in the drawing for one particular player's jersey, please note it in the comments.

Entries close at 5pm on May 2nd, when the drawing will be held at the fanladen. Winner need not be present to win. Enter early and enter often! It's for a good cause, and you just might wind up with a jersey from a pretty cool former Timbers player.

All proceeds from the raffle will be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

This money will support research that will ultimately help folks like Gavin in their battle against cystic fibrosis.

And by the way, you can also register to join the team or donate directly at the CFF link above, if you want in the running for other cool items, including two tickets in section 118 and $50 in concessions for the 7/13 match against the LA Galaxy.

 —By Mike Coleman

A few months back I wrote a blog on how support for Portland Thorns FC might evolve.

Since then a lot has transpired, and I had intended to write a post-mortem about the Thorns home opener. However, before I could get the proverbial pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, as it were), I received an email from @CaterJunes.

Rather than spending time trying to find the right words, I'm just going to steal his.

But, before I do,  I want to add just a few thoughts of my own:

There has been some question about the 107ist role in the Rose City Riveters (the supporters group for the Portland Thorns FC), and I wanted to clear up any confusion. The Rose City Riveters are being driven by a steering committee on which I sit as a liaison for the 107ist board of directors. The remainder of the members of that committee are 107ist members (as well as members of the Timbers Army). The 107ist is fully committed to providing budget and guidance to the Riveters to ensure that they can build on what we saw at the home opener.

Please also realize that, while some of this may sound self-congratulatory, we know it wasn't perfect today, we're not breaking our arms patting ourselves on the back. We're going to go back, figure out what worked (Proclamer's chants anyone) and what didn't (Enrique Iglesias chants anyone) and try and get better. If you want to help us do that visit http://rosecityriveters.org or look up Rose City Riveters on facebook.

I've already written more than I intended, so I will close by saying thanks to everyone - from folks who painted to tifo to the steering committee members to the supporters - who came out to help ensure that the ladies of the Thorns FC got the support they deserved

And without any more of my drivel, I give you the wise words of Caterjunes:

--------------

Anyone that felt the Portland Thorns FC supporters group was going to be forced from the beginning, rather than growing organically, would be very pleased by what happened today. This afternoon, we were able to see the fruits of a few dozen people's labors. It was imperfect. It was awkward. It was committed. It was awesome.

A true test of the quality of support came early for the Rose City Riveters, as a few members were forced to ask the folks in the 200s – opened up last minute by the Thorns FO – if they would come down for a few minutes to help with the home opener tifo. As it turns out, it's much easier for 40 people to cut a thousand seats worth of table roll than it is to fill those thousand seats. The Thorns version of the North End is going to take time to figure itself out. But when people are willing to do the prep work for the tifo, and brave enough to ask for help when the GA section is roomier than anticipated, the opportunity for a new supporters group to succeed is great.

Despite weeks of snarky comments on Twitter and elsewhere, the chants developed for the first printing of Riveters chant sheets were pretty good. No, not all were stellar, but they were fun and new, and – thankfully – not re-workings of old Timbers chants. Yes, there were PTFC chants and Rose City chants that were used word for word, but no chants featuring the word "Timbers" were used at all. This was a huge relief. We were even able to use a couple of anti-Seattle chants in the first home match. That was a nice touch.

Bottom line, we all have given the Rose City Riveters and its organizers a hard time throughout this endeavor. Turns out they were up to the task, and appear poised to move forward in a positive – and big – way as the main supporters group for the Thorns. Patch and Sunday were the only capos the entire match, and should be commended for reigning in ten sections of fans to the best of their ability. The tifo crew did a fantastic job of planning the display, getting the player two-sticks designed and painted, then presenting them to our newest athletes upon completion of the match. It was nice to be excited and enthused over something that, more often than not, was the butt of so many jokes leading up to the home opener.

Yes, there will be snark in the future, as there is with anything related to Portland soccer. But if this group of supporters continues on in the same way it began, I have no doubt Jeld-Wen Field will be home to the two greatest groups of football supporters the world has ever seen.

Note: Photo Credit - Portland Thorns FC

We're giving away three pairs of free airfare (domestic) and match tickets for Chicago away, June 8.

Just recruit 3 new members (have them put your name in 'referred by' field on the signup page) by April 30 and you're eligible to win airfare and match tickets for two to Chicago Away.

We'll also give airfare and match tickets for two to the member with the highest number of referrals.

And every new member that signs up in April is eligible for a drawing to win airfare and match tickets for two.

So three ways to win for both new members and those referring them.

Contest ends April 30.

—by Chris Rifer

Wins aren’t always dominant. But simply because one win wasn’t as pretty as the last doesn’t mean it wasn’t of similar quality.

In a game short on highlights and long on tackles, the Portland Timbers rode a magnificent Will Johnson set piece goal to a 1-0 victory.

Neither side had much in the way of chances.  In the 25^th minute, San Jose saw their most promising of the match when Rafel Baca got in behind Jack Jewsbury on the Quakes left wing, but Baca’s hard, low shot was right at Ricketts.  The pace on the shot caused Ricketts to give up a little rebound, but the big Jamaican covered up a step before Alan Gordon could get there for the put-back.

Perhaps the unlikeliest shot of the game came two minutes later, however, when Darlington Nagbe found himself free on the left side of the box and unleashed a shot with his left foot.[1]  Nagbe’s shot was predictably tame, however, and Jon Busch covered up.

In the 30^th minute the Timbers would get their traditional penalty shout, as Nagbe made a clever run into the box to the byline, only to be tackled from behind by Baca.  At first glance it looked like Baca may have made contact with the ball before going through Nagbe, but on closer examination the penalty shouts proved meritorious, as Baca appeared to go through Nagbe first.

As Baca’s tackle demonstrated, however, the Quakes came out to be organized and physical.  Ramiro Corrales somehow avoided being booked in the first half despite more than one opportunity for the referee, Alan Gordon picked up a yellow card for a very late challenge on Diego Chara, and the rest of the Quakes midfield used physicality to good effect to keep the Timbers’ offense off balance and largely out of the final third.

The Timbers, for their part, looked satisfied to poke and prod the Quakes defense, and find space where they could, but feed San Jose a steady diet of passing and possession to put some fatigue into the Quakes’ legs.

In the second half both teams reaped what they had sown.  After pressing his luck by calling Will Johnson a homophobic slur in the 60^th minute, the now disowned former Timber was sent off after receiving a second yellow for an elbow to Mikael Silvestre’s mouth in the 69^th minute.

From there, the Quakes began to crumble under Portland’s pressure.  Despite holding the Timbers to 5 shots to that point, Portland fired off six in the ensuing eight minutes.

The last of that six-pack was the winner.  After Corrales took Kalif Alhassan down less than 25 yards out in the middle of the field, Will Johnson bent a beautiful free kick over the Quakes’ wall and inside the post.

Perhaps to some supporters’ surprise, however, the Timbers took their foot off the pedal from there.  Try as they might, however, 10-man San Jose couldn’t break down the suddenly stout Timbers defense.  Chris Wondolowski saw his only real chance come in stoppage time, as a long throw deflected to his head, but the ball had little pace and his header was right at Ricketts.

The win builds on what is becoming a trend for the Timbers that sends a foreboding message to future opponents.  Against Seattle, Colorado, and San Jose, opponents managed to disrupt Portland’s offense and limit its ability to create genuine chances in the final third.  Nonetheless, the Timbers have four goals and five points from those three games.  Over the last several weeks, the Timbers have demonstrated that playing physical and packing it in against them is no guarantee of success, and even when things are difficult, Portland can still find the goals necessary to get a result.  And as the Dynamo found out a week ago, when their offense is firing on all cylinders, the Timbers can overrun anybody.

Notes & Observations

• The Timbers haven’t conceded a goal in 222 minutes.  This clean sheet stretch already ranks 4^th in Timbers MLS history.  The Timbers defense wasn’t unlocked for 225 minutes between April 28, 2012 and May 20, 2012; 255 minutes from April 23, 2011 to May 14, 2011; and a whopping 342 minutes from August 20, 2011 to September 21, 2011.
• While the Timbers defense has been very good over this stretch, the midfield has been the Timbers best defense.  On Sunday, Portland held a dominant 64.3% of the ball, substantially limiting San Jose’s opportunities to build anything in the attack.   So, while the defense has certainly proven an adequate level of competency, its true test will come in games where the Timbers don’t control the flow.

Timbers Grades

Donovan Ricketts, 7 Not a ton to do, as San Jose only had three shots on goal, but Ricketts controlled his box well in coming out to handle a handful of crosses, and, in second half stoppage time, he was in the right spot when the Timbers needed him.

Jack Jewsbury, 6 Got forward more than he did against Houston, including playing the ball through to Nagbe for the could-have-been penalty.  His score is held down just a little bit because he got beat once or twice, including by Baca in the first half.

Futty, 6 A confident performance from Futty, who has risen dramatically in Caleb Porter’s estimation in recent weeks.  Had a difficult task in handling Gordon, Lenhart, and Wondolowski, and did nicely, even if I would have liked to see him win a few more headers.

Mikael Silvestre, 7 Mikael is starting to make those who were critical of his signing look silly.[2]  While he got off to a rough start in Portland, his steady improvement has blossomed into quality.

Michael Harrington, 7 He’s limited in the attack, but Harrington’s defense has come along nicely.  After a rough preseason, Michael is looking like he can fill the void left by Steven Smith’s departure.

Will Johnson, 8.5 It doesn’t get a whole lot better than that shift for Will Johnson.  Was solid in possession and defense.  Frustrated his opponents.  Provided impassioned leadership.  Struck the winning goal in magnificent fashion.  He is our Captain.

Diego Chara, 6.5 A typically nice day for Diego.  Looked more like his usual self, though.  Dominant, if a bit physical, in the center, and then generally making a mess of things in attacking positions.

Rodney Wallace, 6.5 A little bit more subtle game for Rod than against Houston, but not much less effective.  San Jose was forcing the Timbers to the wings for extended periods, and Rod and Kalif Alhassan kept the Timbers offense moving, even if struggling to score, throughout.

Darlington Nagbe, 4.5 Made some really nice runs, but had several opportunities to do more than he did.  His left footed strike, while unique, was wasteful, and Darlington had a number of chances in the second half that similarly went awry.

Kalif Alhassan, 6 Kalif took on a more creative role on Sunday than he did a week ago, largely due to a little bit quieter game from Nagbe.  Although he had a couple instances where he could have done better, his success opening spaces in San Jose’s defense was one reason for the Timbers late surge.

Ryan Johnson, 6 This was a tough match for Johnson, as San Jose’s stellar center backs made it virtually impossible for him to get the ball in a promising position.  Johnson, however, reacted by working harder, holding the ball up, chasing long balls down, and doing everything a good center forward does that often goes unnoticed.

Ben Zemanski, Frederic Piquionne, Ryan Miller, INC – Each guy came on as the Timbers were in the process of shutting it down.  Nobody stood out, which primarily means mission accomplished.

Preseason Prediction: Timbers 1, Quakes 1. Valeri, Wondolowski.

Actual Result: Timbers 1, Quakes 0. Will Johnson.

Onward, Rose City!