—by Chris Rifer

Say what you will about the 2013 Portland Timbers, but they don’t lack for heart.  Three times in their first four games, the Timbers have fallen behind only to come back and earn a draw.

Going into Saturday, however, the Timbers had other plans in mind.  Facing a severely weakened Colorado Rapids team, Portland had its eyes firmly set on three points in Commerce City.

In a game where chances presented themselves seemingly at random, the Rapids found the first one out of nowhere in the early stages.  After Brian Mullan sent a ball into the box from 40 yards out on the right wing, Shane O’Neil somewhat meekly got head to it 15 yards from goal.  The looping header floated its way toward the far post before bouncing back off the inside of the woodwork.  The Timbers were unable to immediately clear the danger, however, and the rebound deflected across the face of goal to Tony Cascio at the near post, but his attempt to tap home was denied by the opposite post.

The danger cleared, Portland began to string together some solid play through the midfield, but ultimately couldn’t find the final pass to put them through on goal.

Instead, the Timbers once again found a way to give up the first goal.  In the 18^th minute, after Donovan Ricketts shanked a routine clearance out of bounds, Chris Klute gathered after Edson Buddle worked himself into a sideline trap.  Klute played Dillon Powers back toward the center of the field, where he found more than enough space to fire into the back of the net from 25 yards.

Portland’s best chance of the first half presented itself in the 21^st minute, when Rapids keeper Clint Irwin failed to clear a corner, and the ball bounced around the box eventually finding Andrew Jean-Baptiste at the back post.  Drew’s poke, however, went well wide under good defending from Marvell Wynne.

Down a goal at halftime is nothing new for this Timbers team.  Come to think of it, neither is being down two goals in the second half.

The Timbers checked that second box in the 48^th minute.  After Ben Zemanski and Jean-Baptiste combined for one of the Timbers’ trademark moments of forehead-slapping defending, Cascio burst through on goal.  Cascio got his steps wrong, though, and was quickly closed down by Donovan Ricketts.  At the same time Ricketts was gathering the ball off of Cascio’s foot, however, Diego Chara clipped the Colorado forward from behind, inspiring the referee to whistle for a very soft penalty.  Hendry Thomas coolly converted, and the Commerce City boys appeared in business.

Moments later, however, the Timbers would benefit from some of the Rapids’ forehead-slapping defense.  After Colorado cleared a Valeri free kick, Michael Harrington played it back to Ryan Johnson on the left wing.  Johnson, completely unbothered by any number of observant Colorado players, sent a cool cross into the top of the six for a similarly observed Will Johnson, who easily nodded inside the near post.

The referee set Colorado up in a dangerous position in the 59^th minute, however, after Deshorn Brown slipped on the ball on the left edge of the box, only to have the man in yellow whistle Andrew Jean-Baptiste for, apparently rudely, not catching Brown to break his fall.  The Timbers nullified the Emily Post foul, however, when the ensuing free kick was cleared by Frederic Piquionne at the near post.

Five minutes later Colorado knocked on the door again, as Shane O’Neill collected an uncleared corner at the top of the box and hit a pretty shot on frame, only to be parried away by a diving Ricketts.

In the 68^th minute, however, it was the Timbers’ turn to apply pressure.  After pinging the ball around the attacking half, the Timbers earned a series of corners and attacking throws.  The third corner was the charm, as in the 70^th minute Diego Valeri found David Horst beyond the back post.  Horst had beaten Atiba Harris and would have had a free header, but Harris grabbed Horst and flung his leg around the center back, which only served to impede Horst.  The referee blew for a penalty, which Will Johnson smashed past Irwin, leading to an arm-flailing celebration that begs for repetition.

From there, neither team could muster more than half chances, as tired legs further dulled the Timbers’ already less-than-stellar attack.  While the result marks the third time in four matches the Timbers have shown the pluck to come back from goal(s) down, the reality of the Timbers’ habit of falling behind is manifestly unsustainable.  Three points from four games is still three points from four games, no matter how hard-earned.

Observations

• While the results have been mediocre, it’s important to keep things in perspective a little bit.  Merritt Paulson and Caleb Porter are correct insofar as this Timbers group has already shown substantially more grit than any of the prior two MLS Timbers teams.  Additionally, while the team hasn’t looked as sharp on the road, the Timbers tactics have much more systematic direction than they ever did in the Spencer Era, even if the execution isn’t quite perfect yet.  Don’t be surprised to see a few more frustrating results in the coming months, but also don’t be surprised to see this Timbers team improve significantly over the course of the season.
• There was certainly a measure of justice in the two penalties.  Although they were both arguably meritorious within the four corners of the rules,[1] they were both the type of play you’ll see go uncalled with regularity.  Nonetheless, considering they were awarded a soft penalty of their own, I thought Colorado’s postgame bellyaching about Horst’s penalty showed considerable chutzpah.

Timbers Grades

Donovan Ricketts, 5 Struggled mightily in distribution in the first half playing against the wind, which indirectly led to the first concession.  Made a nice save in the 63^rd minute, however, to keep the Timbers within one.

Ben Zemanski, 6.5 A couple shaky moments of defending, including in the buildup to the penalty, but was otherwise solid defensively.  Has shown himself over the course of the last three games to be the best crosser of the ball on the team, something that has come in handy time and time again.  Early returns on the Zemanski era at right back are good.  Could he be the one to break the Curse of Kerrea Gilbert?[2]

Andrew Jean-Baptiste, 4 A little bit undisciplined at the back, as he combined with Zemanski to make a mess on the penalty, and also had a couple other hairy moments.  Not AJB’s best effort, but more or less passable.

David Horst, 5.5 Looked a little bit out of place in the first half, but grew into the game as it went along.  Did nicely to find himself in a good spot on the corner that led to the penalty.

Michael Harrington, 6 Had a quietly effective day, as some of the best moments on the left side in the attack involved Harrington, including playing a big part in holding Will Johnson onside on the first goal by dragging his defender down the touchline.  Didn’t have a ton to do defensively, as Colorado was generally pretty quiet on the right.

Diego Chara, 4 Looked out of place again on the right.  Probably not the best idea to make his halfhearted challenge that led to the penalty, but, in his defense, the call was about as soft as they come.  The farther right Diego goes the worse he gets, and, as his heat map shows, he spent a lot of time far out on the wing on Saturday.

Jack Jewsbury, 3.5 If anybody is to blame on the first concession, it’s Jack.  Overplayed his positioning when the ball was on the touchline and didn’t recover in time to pressure Powers.  Then again, it didn’t help that he had to go through the referee to get there.

Diego Valeri, 5 Had a much better first half than I first thought, as he sent a number of balls forward that, with better play on the receiving end, could have turned into something.  Was noticeably out of synch as the game went on, however, looking downright gassed by the end.

Will Johnson, 8 Aside from his brace, which was—to say the least—very nice, Will also had a nice day in the midfield, covering a tremendous amount of ground and winning more than his share of challenges.

Darlington Nagbe, 2 Just awful from Nagbe.  All those good balls from Diego Valeri that nobody noticed? Yeah, that’s because more often than not Darlington was making an indecisive mess of them.

Ryan Johnson, 6 Had another quiet outing, as most of the crosses into the box were carried away by the wind, and the team had a hard time moving the ball through the middle of the field to link up with him.  Had his one moment and made the most of it, however, with a very good cross to Will Johnson for the first goal.

Frederic Piquionne, 5 A more effective outing than against Seattle, as Piquionne found himself in positive spots on the wings a few times and held the ball up nicely. Also sent a wicked cross into the box that perhaps was more impressive than effective.

Rodney Wallace, 5 A quieter outing for Rodney than a couple of his previous substitute appearances.

Kalif Alhassan, 5.5 Found himself on the ball a couple times and made a noticeable impact in a very short spell.

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

Actual Result: Timbers 2, Rapids 2.  Will Johnson (x2).[3]

Onward, Rose City!

Attention 107ist members we are happy to announce some great new partners:

Barista: Enjoy $1.00 of all pints at their Alberta location only.

Radar PDX: 107ist members receive $1.00 off drinks everyday. Also, during the summer, Radar will be showing matches on their back patio, and will have a special reserved area for 107ist members.

Rudy's Barbershop: 10% off all services (cut and color) and 15% off retail pricing on all products

Sellwood Public House:  $1 off the first pint all day everyday and  happy hour of $1 off our entire menu during Timber games.

Uptown Market: Uptown Market offers $1 off the first pint to any 107ist member.

Full details are on the Official partners page

 

The 107IST board met on Sunday, March 24th to consider applications to fulfill the remainder of Joanne Couchman's term. Joanne is a talented, dedicated individual who contributed a great deal to the success of the board and the organization, and the board accepted with regret her decision to resign for health reasons.

With such big shoes to fill, the board had a difficult task, so we were fortunate to have three well qualified candidates apply: Tim Chamberlin, Stephan Lewis, and William Packwood. All three had applications that demonstrated their qualifications, experience, and commitment to team, town, and TA; and two were also available for interviews on Sunday evening. The interviews were very engaging and informative, and our deliberations were lengthy. Having several highly qualified candidates is a good problem to have, and the decision was not an easy one.

Ultimately the board selected Stephan Lewis to fulfill the remainder of Joanne's term, which expires at the end of 2013. Stephan brings a great deal of knowledge and experience: he currently serves both on the community outreach and merch committees, as well as on the Goose Hollow Foothills League Neighborhood Association. The board wishes to thank Bill Packwood and Tim Chamberlin for their willingness to serve, and we hope that they consider running during the open election process as well.

Congratulations to Stephan, and thanks to all of the candidates who were willing to be considered. Your continued commitment is appreciated.

—by Andrew Brawley

People are pretty riled up about the release of the "Feeling Thorny?" shirt now available on the official Portland Thorns web site.

Look, I get it. It comes off as sexist. It’s not empowering for women, and especially younger girls, who will likely be attending Thorns matches in droves this season. With this being the NWSL’s inaugural season, and after two recent failed attempts at creating a successful women’s soccer league, you’d think that marketing personnel throughout would take a more conservative approach in getting the message out and securing the league’s future prospects.

I’m staring fatherhood square in the face, and will soon have to take time in nearly every decision I make to ensure that it, in no way, affects my daughter in a negative fashion. Regardless of my daughter’s age (5, 15, or 35), I wouldn’t buy this product for her. I don’t really care for the connotation. Plus, speaking as a marketer, I just think that Merritt’s marketing team is capable of much better.

HOWEVER!!!

Just as much as it’s my right to not buy this shirt, Merritt has just as much right to manufacture and sell it. Just because we don’t agree with it doesn’t make it wrong. It’s just something we don’t agree with. I don’t agree with most bumper stickers on cars in driveways up and down my street, and consider many of them to be ignorant, but going up to each car's owner and telling them they have to remove their bumper stickers would be just as ignorant. Like my street, this goes two ways. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

Portland has become known as a rather progressive city over the last few decades. I believe the most common term used to describe us is “mustachioed vegan hippies,” but let’s just go with “progressive,” shall we? I would think that as a progressive city, we could take a progressive approach and simply ignore this offensive-to-you-maybe-not-offensive-to-others t-shirt.

Our lack of purchase is the strongest message that could possibly be sent to Merritt’s team. Instead, we had to go and get our PC panties in a bunch and go on a Twitter rampage, bringing even more attention to something that offended us, increasing the public’s awareness of the shirt we wanted to see eliminated. Trust me…that’s a marketer’s dream come true.

If you don’t like it, don’t buy it. Don’t acknowledge it. Just move on. If Merritt sees a warehouse full of never-purchased Feeling Thorny shirts, he’ll get the message.

 

This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 107ist or the TA.

Reminder: the Timbers Army spring Blood Drive is coming up on Friday, April 5th!

Every 2 seconds, a person is in need of blood. By simply putting aside an hour of your day, you can help save up to 3 lives. We all bleed Rose City Red; now it's time to bleed to save lives.

Location: Jeld-Wen Field 18th and Morrison side

Date: Friday April 5th 2013

Time: 1:30-7:30 pm

HUGE thanks to Nick Brock for getting this show on the road, and to the Portland Timbers Front Office for giving us the space.

Click here to sign up for your donation appointment

Participants will also be eligible to win two pairs of tickets to the April 6th match against Houston!

Since this always comes up, we'll mention it here as well: If you have tattoos, you can donate, as long as you got inked in the State of Oregon, at a licensed tattoo parlor.

Any other questions, feel free to ask.

There will also be food/prizes/goodies/entertainment/general surprises, so watch this space for more announcements!

—by Chris Rifer

Aesthetics be damned, the Portland Timbers used pluck to steal a point from the Seattle Sounders on Saturday night.  In the grander scheme, however, the effort showed that the Timbers may have the capacity to gel into a team that can win consistently—even if they still have a ways to go at this point.

Portland opened the chances in the first minute when Darlington Nagbe found Diego Valeri in the middle of the field on a special pass through the Sounders defense from the wing.  Valeri’s swerving shot from distance was on target, but Michael Gspurning made a diving[1] save to his left.

The Timbers’ best chance from their promising early spell came in the 9^th minute when Ryan Johnson played a dangerous cross through the box, but Darlington Nagbe couldn’t quite get to the ball to tap home.

As we have seen over the past several weeks, however, the wheels can fall of a seemingly smoothly running Timbers wagon in a hurry.  Just four minutes after Nagbe nearly found the net for Portland, Diego Chara lazily turned a ball over to Steve Zakuani on the right wing while trying to interchange with Ben Zemanski.  Zakuani took a clear path into the box and crossed to Eddie Johnson who routinely tapped home.

The next twenty minutes marked the darkest period for Portland on Saturday, as the Sounders repeatedly victimized an out-of-place Chara on the Timbers right wing.  In the 19^th minute, Eddie Johnson earned space by faking Chara out of his boots and unleashed a shot that Donovan Ricketts could only nervously parry away.

The Timbers would weather the rest of the storm, however, and before halftime make some noise of their own.

The first noisy moment, however, came courtesy of the silence of referee Kevin Stott’s whistle, as in the 25^th minute the Timbers took their penalty-denying show on the road when Jhon Kennedy Hurtado scissor tackled Ryan Johnson in the box, but nothing was given.  While Hurtado got a touch on the ball, the dangerous nature of the tackle would have made it a sure booking— if perhaps a straight sending off—anywhere else on the field.

After a stretch of positive play, the Timbers looked like they might challenge for an equalizer before halftime, but time and again lacked the touch to finish good build up play.  In the 42^nd minute, a quality Ben Zemanski cross bounced around the box and fell for Darlington Nagbe, but he pulled his shot well wide.

The Timbers promising play became choppier after halftime, as the Seattle team that was looking to attack in the first half essentially shut down to preserve their 1-0 lead.  With the shift in Seattle’s tactics, a feeling grew that the Timbers were going to have to either labor to unlock Seattle’s defense or convert a set piece.  Diego Valeri almost did the latter in the 49^th minute, when his free kick from 30 yard out on the right side glanced off the bar.

From there, however, there would be very little for either side until the late stages.  Seattle was content to sit back and protect the 1-0 lead, hoping an opportunity to counter and get at an exposed Timbers’ defense would present itself.  Portland, for its part, flooded the left side of the field, and tried to generate opportunities by creating imbalance.  While the tactic didn’t directly lead to a goal, it did generate several opportunities for Ben Zemanski to come forward on a vacant right side and send a ball into the box.

The Timbers couldn’t open up Seattle’s packed-in defense, however, until the dying stages.  The Sounders defense showed its first crack in the 89^th minute, when Ryan Johnson ran through a gaggle of rave green-clad defenders, but had his shot deflected just over the bar on top of the goal.

That crack turned into a gaping hole a minute later, and Rodney Wallace took full advantage.  After a Diego Valeri cross was cleared, Andrew Jean-Baptiste gathered in space and sent back into the box.  Rodney Wallace, completely unmarked, ran near post and nodded into the back of the net for the dramatic equalizer.

As was to be expected, the Timbers’ offense lost a good share of its dynamism heading out on the road.  It was still good enough, however, to occupy Ozzie Alonso and, ultimately, scratch out an equalizer.

The story after the match, however, was the improvement of the defense.  Whereas in weeks past, the defense was making multiple major mistakes per game, the backline turned in a much more complete performance against Seattle.  They weren’t perfect, but their performance marked significant progress from the previous two outings.

After justified concern about the defense over the past three weeks, then, the Timbers showed on Saturday that they may be able to gel into a successful one on both sides of the ball.  There is still a lot of work to do, but Saturday showed, if anything, that the defense has the capacity to permit this team to earn results.

Quotes & Observations

• The continued gelling of the team was a clear theme in the postgame comments.  Caleb Porter emphasized the large number of new players being integrated into the team, noting that there may not be another team in MLS starting six players who weren’t with the club last year.  He noted, “But again, we’re three games in and we’re still working out kinks.  But I’m pleased that we’re gelling as quick as we are.”
• Will Johnson echoed those sentiments in the locker room.  When asked what the difference between this defensive effort and those the Timbers put on in the two weeks prior, Johnson answered “More time together.  We were compact. We were unified in our movement and our shape.  We just need some time to get this going.”
• Johnson and Porter’s point is certainly well taken.  Considering the tremendous changes that took place over the offseason, it would have been nothing less than a miracle if the team came in without some kinks to iron out.  Nonetheless, Saturday was the first real indication that the team’s defensive deficiencies were a kink rather than a fundamental flaw.  Now Porter will have to go back to work to figure out the best way to balance the offense, high pressure defense, and cover for the backline.  The success he has at that task will go a long way toward determining the success of this team.

Timbers Grades

Donovan Ricketts, 5.5 Nothing he could have done on the concession, and did well to save Johnson’s effort at a second seven minutes later.  Otherwise, he didn’t have a whole lot to do, as the Timbers limited Seattle to seven shots, only three of which were on target.

Ben Zemanski, 6.5 A really nice starting eleven debut for Ben Zemanski.  Solid game defensively, and did a good job of knowing when to get forward and when to hang back.  Sent a couple dangerous looking crosses into the box, suggesting more assists may be in the cards for him.

Andrew Jean-Baptiste, 6 Overall a decent outing for AJB, but his grade is somewhat depressed by his failure to track Johnson on the first concession.  Johnson went far post and Jean-Baptiste, for some reason, went near post.  Helped get it back, though, with his nice ball to Wallace for the equalizer.

Mikael Silvestre, 6 Still had some squirrely moments, but had many more confident ones.  A much better performance from Silvestre makes for interesting decisions when David Horst gets healthy.

Michael Harrington, 5 Didn’t have a whole lot to do defensively, as Seattle was focused on attacking the Timbers’ right side.  Didn’t have a whole lot to do offensively, as the Timbers were more conservative with their fullbacks.  Capably did not a whole lot.

Diego Chara, 3.5 One of the poorest performances we’ve seen from Diego.  Was noticeably out of place when he was playing wide on the right, which led to a goal conceded and another dangerous situation.  Once the Timbers shifted left, Diego was much more central.  And much more effective.

Jack Jewsbury, 5.5 Steady, reliable, not especially noticeable.  In other words, a good defensive central midfielder.  Also adds the threat of a true crack from distance, which is nice.

Darlington Nagbe, 4 Was a little bit wasteful on the couple instances he had a ball fall to him in the box, and didn’t have much space to exploit.

Will Johnson, 6 Johnson is a little bit of an acquired taste, as his contributions are usually a step or two away from the ultimate payoff, but over the course of a game it’s hard to ignore his propensity for making the right pass and sterling work ethic.

Diego Valeri, 4.5 Was borderline bad when he was at second striker, as it didn’t let him pick up the ball deep and pick apart the defense.  When he was allowed to roam into the midfield toward the end of the first half, things immediately improved offensively for Portland.

Ryan Johnson, 5 A little bit unlucky not to draw a penalty, but was otherwise fairly quiet.  Has shown an ability to work through multiple defenders to get into the box, which will pay off one of these days.

Frederic Piquionne, 3 He didn’t really play a position, or, you know, run.  So that was weird.

Rodney Wallace, 7.5 Twice in three games, now, Rod Wallace has come on and made a real difference.  The guy has earned and taken his fair share of knocks, but his contributions in the first few weeks of the season are undeniable.  Until further notice, Wallace is the first man off the bench in most situations.

Jose Valencia, INC. Should have come on in Piquionne’s spot.

Preseason Prediction: Sounders 3, Timbers 1.  Kalif Alhassan.

Actual Result: Timbers 1, Sounders 1.  Rodney Wallace.

Onward, Rose City!

On Sunday March 24th, the 107ist board will be meeting to determine who shall fill the board vacancy created by the resignation of Joanne Couchman. We are asking for all interested 107ist members to apply and, if available, to appear before the board for a brief presentation and Q&A of why you would make a good appointment. The length of term for this appointment is 9 months (remainder this year) and you would be due for election to a standard 3 year term at the end of the 2013 season.

We ask that individuals give serious consideration before choosing to apply. The qualities we are looking for in our new board member include an individual who:

• Has shown a commitment and been involved in 107ist and Timbers Army activities
• Has taken leadership roles when asked and/or shown initiative to lead
• Has the time to devote to the many hours it takes to be a board member (15 hrs a week on average, one 3 hr board meeting a month, possible multiple committee meetings, and many email conversations daily)
• Has a working knowledge of TA/107ist history
• Has unique skill sets that he/she thinks will help the board address current and future challenges

If you are interested in applying for the appointment please first read our bylaws and then complete the Candidate Information Form. Please be sure to explain how you meet the qualities listed above.

The 107ist board will be scheduling time slots between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 24 at the Timbers Army Fanladen 1633 SW Alder. Please indicate in the form if you would like to be allocated a time slot (approx 10-15 mins), and if you have a time preference for this.

The deadline for submissions is Friday March 22nd at 6:00 p.m.

If you have any questions about this process, please email board@107ist.org

NOTE: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE AVAILABLE TO MEET WITH THE BOARD TO BE CONSIDERED. All applications will be given equal weight.

Thanks, and good luck!

The 107ist

—by Chris Rifer

After two impressive performances which translated to two less than fulfilling results, the Portland Timbers head on the road to Seattle with questions surrounding the feasibility of winning with their current tactics.

While the Timbers’ flood of the midfield has resulted in impressive possession statistics, and substantially limited the number of shots allowed, it has resulted in the backline being exposed on numerous occasions.

In light of the frequent concessions and the rehabilitation of Jack Jewsbury’s hamstring, the Timbers may be looking at a change of tactics in Seattle, if not in the coming weeks.

During the first week of practice, Caleb Porter often lined the Timbers’ presumptive starters up in a diamond midfield formation during short-sided games, with Jewsbury in the first choice team.  This lasted five minutes into the first preseason game against Colorado, when Jewsbury pulled his hamstring.

And so the experimentation began.  The result was a 4-2-3-1 with a gaggle of Timbers in the central midfield.  Kalif Alhassan, who at times last year looked a breath away from sending his career into the wilderness, stepped in to give the Timbers an intriguing attacking look in the 4-2-3-1.

Intrigue turned to concern, however, after the Timbers conceded nine goals in their first four first team games at Jeld-Wen Field in 2013.

Conceding goals at that rate at home is troublesome.  Conceding goals at that rate on the road is fatal.

The reality is, regardless of how many players the Timbers pack into the midfield, they’re not going to hold 65% of the ball and limit opponents to 10 shots on the road with any consistency.  A change in tactics, then, if perhaps advisable at home, is an absolute necessity if the Timbers want to have a prayer on the road.

We return to Porter’s first-choice diamond 4-4-2, then.  Traditionally, a 4-2-3-1 will be wider up top than a diamond 4-4-2, as it typically features two traditional wings in the higher midfield level.  Portland’s 4-2-3-1, however, was very narrow, as all three players in the advanced level like to play centrally.

The result was the Timbers relied on their fullbacks to provide width in the offense and as the only real flank defense.  Because the fullbacks played so high in the offense, they were often caught upfield.  In that instance, Diego Chara and Will Johnson were often faced a difficult choice of either covering the flank and opening up the middle, or holding their position and opening up the wide areas.  While the correct choice was probably to cover the flank more often than they did, doing so wasn’t without risk.

While the diamond 4-4-2, as the Timbers would play it, is no wider offensively, it provides a little bit more cover for the fullbacks when they do venture forward to provide width.  With Jack Jewsbury back to health, he’s likely to feature if Portland goes to the more traditional look, as Ben Zemanski has struggled when asked to play inside.  With Chara and Johnson playing narrow wings, Jack can sit in the hole and play a more defensive role.  Will and Diego will play a little bit wider than in the 4-2-3-1, which will increase their defensive range slightly closer to the touchline.

More importantly, however, the change would remove the tough decision for Chara and Johnson.  Knowing Jewsbury is there to cover the middle, Chara and Johnson can rest assured the middle is covered if they look up to see Michael Harrington or Ryan Miller upfield.

In this way, even though a diamond 4-4-2 typically puts more pressure on fullbacks to cover ground, it may not for the Timbers considering the narrowness of their 4-2-3-1.  To the contrary, it may actually relieve some of that pressure by freeing up Johnson and Chara to cover.

Nonetheless, considering the vulnerability thus far, Porter is likely to hold the fullbacks – or at least one of them at a time – farther back on Saturday.[1]  The unavoidable result is the loss of some width in the attack.  That, though, is the price you pay for defensive cover.

Expect the Timbers, however, to try to generate width in creative ways.  In his role as second striker, Darlington Nagbe will have license to wander wherever he feels, including out wide if the situation calls for it.  We’ve seen Darlington do this from time to time over the past couple weeks, often combining well with Michael Harrington in such a role.

Ryan Johnson has also shown the capacity and willingness to float wide on the left side, something the Timbers could benefit from considering he is one of the few roster players that can hit a cross with his left foot.  Don’t be surprised, then, if the Timbers mix up their front a little bit, and send Nagbe and Valeri into the box to receive Johnson crosses once in a while.

The diamond 4-4-2, however, does somewhat mitigate the Timbers flood of the center of midfield, however.  Instead of five players in the middle, Portland will most often feature four – Chara, Will Johnson, Valeri, and Nagbe.  While that combination certainly wouldn’t show the dynamism of the past several weeks, its fluidity and quick passing may be enough to keep the Sounders’ defense on its toes, occupy a good amount of Ozzie Alonso’s energy, and – ideally – force the Sounders’ wings inside to defend.  If the Timbers’ midfield can accomplish those three things, and especially the last, they may be able to escape the Clink with a result.

If not, however, a struggling Timbers backline may be tested early and often.  That, considering how frequently Portland has been giving up goals on opponents’ chances, could lead to a very, very long night.

Onward, Rose City!

For Immediate Release:

On Wednesday, March 13 Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman will host the Timbers Army fan group at Portland City Council’s regularly scheduled meeting. The Timbers Army of the Portland Timbers Major League Soccer team, incorporated as the 107ist Independent Supporters’ Trust, is the most rabid and community involved fan club in Major League Soccer. In 2012 the 107ist and its members donated over $62,000 dollars and over 5,000 volunteer hours to charities and community activities throughout the region.

Board President Scott Van Swearingen expressed his excitement for the upcoming 2013 season: “I am extremely proud of the unprecedented level of support that the Timbers Army has provided the Portland Timbers in their successful partnership with the City of Portland. I look forward to the Timbers Army raising our level of support for both the Portland Timbers and the City of Portland in the coming season.”

The creation of Jeld-Wen Field, that brought the Timbers Major League Soccer team to Portland, was created through a partnership agreement between the City of Portland and the privately-owned Peregrine Sports LLC. During each of its first two seasons as a MLS stadium, the user fee revenue from Jeld Wen Field events has exceeded the forecast amount in the partnership agreement. Last year’s user fees generated over $750,000 for the City of Portland. This is $120,000 over the baseline minimum in the partnership.

City Commissioner Dan Saltzman stated: “Seeing our partnership agreement so successful is due in no small part to the dedicated fans and volunteers of the Timbers Army. And now with the exciting addition of the National Women’s Soccer League team, the Portland Thorns Football Club, it’s only getting better.”

Please join the 107ist and its members at 9:30am on Wednesday, March 13th at Portland City Hall (1221 SW 4th Ave.) for this opportunity to celebrate all we do for our community.

Contact:

107ist Board Vice President:

Jeremy Wright: 503-358-0694

Commissioner Dan Saltzman’s Chief of Staff:

Brendan Finn: 503-823-4151

...and why you should.

—by Andrew Brawley

To be honest, I got more pressing matters. I got a kid moving into my house soon, and apparently they are like the worst roommates ever. The crying, and pooping, and eating, and Jebus knows what else. Let's just say this nursery ain't gonna put itself together. Plus, there's always that slight chance I could return from Seattle with some weird virus, and next thing I know, my first-born grows up a Sounders fan. Some battles are just more noble than others.

But that really is all it boils down to. Otherwise, I'd be leading the charge.

(Feel free to beat me with the comment stick down below and relentlessly ask me why I hate the Timbers.)

We've all heard about the shenanigans that went down last year. I've been told that steps have been taken to ensure both of this year's Seattle Away trips go down with as little static as possible.

The Timbers will need us there en masse, and we can't let them down. This is going to be one epic battle, and the Sounders will be playing their 4th match in 14 days. Just because Seattle managed to expend a ton of energy beating a 10-man 'B'-squad from Mexico to advance in CCL play doesn't we shouldn't kick them while they're down for our derby match.

However, if you're still a bit concerned for your well being and afraid of getting caught in a pinch, follow these important steps:

1. Have some emergency face paint ready at all times. If you get cornered, slap some on real quick. It doesn't have to look good (seriously), just make sure it's on your entire face. Use words like "woop woop" and "neden" and "hellz yeah bitch!" and you should escape without harm.

2. Name-drop local bands like Grammatrain and Candlebox. For instance: "oh my Gosh that new Grammatrain album is gonna be so great, and I heard Drew Carey is gonna help them make another video, too! Jeepers!"

3. When referring to the invention of soccer (not fútbol), remember the numbers 2-0-0-9.

4. If approached by an ECS capo, steal the nearest microphone and promptly hand it over to them. It's the best diversion out there.

Seattle Away veterans, please feel free to list your suggestions for avoiding a scrum at the CLink.

#GetOnTheBus

 

This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 107ist or the TA.