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.

—by Chris Rifer

Everybody knew the Portland Timbers were going to control possession and try to pass its way through the Montreal defense on Saturday night.  And everybody also knew the Impact were going to sit back, absorb the pressure, and look to break out and hit the Timbers on the break.

That’s exactly what happened, and the result was a 2-1 Montreal win that easily could have been more lopsided.

Montreal should have opened the scoring in the eighth minute, when Marco Di Vaio set up a wide-open Felipe at the top of the box, only to have the Brazilian roll his shot just wide of the far post.

The Timbers almost gifted Montreal again three minutes later after Ryan Miller and Andrew Jean-Baptiste thought it more important to hold down their spot on the turf than mark Di Vaio.  Not surprisingly, Di Vaio got a free head to a cross from the right wing only to be kept out by a magnificently reacting Donovan Ricketts.

Although they held plenty of possession in the attacking half, Portland didn’t create a real chance until the 27^th minute, when Ryan Johnson spun through the defense on the left side of the box, but rather than center to Darlington Nagbe, Johnson went at goal himself and was easily denied from a tight angle by Troy Perkins.

Montreal broke through three minutes later.  After the flat-footed Timbers failed to clear a modest Andrea Pisanu set piece and the ball popped up in the box, Hassoun Camara knocked it past a helpless Ricketts with an impressive overhead volley.

The Timbers initially struggled to respond to the goal before eventually settling back into their pattern of possession and, ultimately, frustration.  It was the referee, however, that likely sent Timbers PR staff scrambling to make sure Merritt Paulson’s phone was secured in the 40^th minute, when Edvin Jurisevic wrongfully denied the Timbers a penalty after Sanna Nyassi shoved a free-running Ryan Miller from behind in the box.[1]  Some more positive play from the Timbers before halftime, however, couldn’t find an equalizer.

Coming out of the break, Montreal reset the parking break in front of goal— often putting eight blue shirts in and around the box.  The result for Portland was plenty of possession, but tremendous difficulty making the final pass into a stuffed box.

The first real chance of the half came for Portland in the 57^th minute, when Michael Harrington found some space on the left wing and sent a pretty bending ball toward Ryan Johnson at the far post, but Perkins arrived just in time to punch away.

Montreal gave Portland a mountain to climb three minutes later, however, when, after a botched interchange between Will Johnson and Ben Zemanski, Montreal gained possession in the midfield.  Andres Romero slipped behind Will Johnson on the Timbers’ left flank and received a through ball, pulling Mikael Silvestre into a wider space where his defensing has been inconsistent.  After Romero beat Silvestre with a low cross, Felipe sat all alone at the near post for the cakewalk finish.

It was Romero again that almost put the game away in the 64^th minute when he easily beat a meek Timbers offside trap, but Michael Harrington cleared his Ricketts-beating chip at the face of goal to preserve the two-goal deficit.

Apparently frustrated by the defensive foibles, Andrew Jean-Baptiste tried to pull the Timbers back into the game two minutes later.  Valeri found AJB at the top of the box after a corner was initially cleared, and after a couple nice touches between he and Zemanski, the center back hit a low shot at goal, but Perkins saved to his right.

In the 80^th minute, Portland would finally pull a goal back.  After Diego Chara switched to Zemanski on the right wing, the newcomer sent a quick cross into the far post that fell perfectly for Ryan Johnson to finish.

Although back in business, the Timbers defense would threaten once more to make any kind of result unattainable.  After Romero breezed by Zemanski and got to the byline in the 87^th minute, Donovan Ricketts fell to take the ball off his foot.  The ball fell for Collen Warner, however, whose diving shot was saved by an outstretched, supine Ricketts.

From there, however, it was all about the Timbers’ desperate attempt to scratch out a draw.  Despite finding a few looks, the Timbers couldn’t find anything dangerous enough to pull level and scratch out an improbable point.

Match Observations

The Timbers were lucky to get away with a 2-1 loss.  Despite outshooting Montreal 19-9, holding 63% of the ball, and completing 566 passes, it was the Impact who had six of the eight truly threatening chances in the match.  These facts extend a trend for the Timbers at home early this season, and highlight how susceptible Portland is to having teams come into Jeld-Wen, park the bus, and leave with a result delivered by counterattacks and Timbers’ defensive mistakes.

That Montreal was well suited to sit behind the ball and counterattack does not make their strategy unviable for other teams to emulate.  As I discussed in The Morrison Report last week, the Timbers’ tactics make them especially susceptible to teams taking advantage of the considerable space in behind the Timbers’ very, very high fullbacks.  Look back at the second concession.  Although Johnson’s giveaway certainly wasn’t ideal, the Timbers were in real trouble because a moment before Michael Harrington had made a very premature, very aggressive run forward.  Johnson failed to recognize the vulnerability and stayed in his central midfield defensive position, allowing Romero to run behind him into the space where Harrington would normally be.  The result was Silvestre had to come out to try to cut off the cross, leaving nobody in front of goal to pick up a near post runner.

While Montreal may be better than most at lying deep and counterattacking, their tactics on Saturday weren’t rocket science.  Given the Timbers’ defensive vulnerability, it is reasonable to be concerned that other teams could similarly sit back, knowing the Timbers’ defense will yield a handful of quality chances.

Almost any MLS team, at this point, has every reason right now to think that they can come into Jeld-Wen, play conservatively, get one or two goals out of it, and leave with at least a point.  After all, including competitive first team preseason games, three of the last four teams to come into Jeld-Wen have scored multiple goals despite being significantly out-shot and out-possessed.  It’s far from nonsense to think that other teams could employ a Montreal-like gameplan to some measure of success in Portland.

Timbers Grades

Donovan Ricketts, 7 Boy, did the big fella ever show his old team!  Joking aside, Ricketts was fantastic, making not one, but two tremendous saves.  He still creates some nervous moments, but on Saturday they all turned out to be harmless.

Ryan Miller, 3 Ineffective in the attack and poor in defense.  What was he doing on that free Di Vaio header?  Clearly neither covering it nor warning AJB of the danger.

Andrew Jean-Baptiste, 5 Had some really nice moments of defending, but also was caught sleeping once or twice—including as noted above.

Mikael Silvestre, 4 Had a much better outing than against New York, but still had his perimeter defending exposed on the second concession.  Wasn’t entirely his fault, as his fullback was hanging out around midfield and nobody was covering, but he’s not exactly cleaning up others’ mistakes.

Michael Harrington, 3 Is being put in a tough spot tactically, as its clear Porter has told him and Miller to play very high.  But still, he needs to be a little bit more discerning about when he makes a run forward, or he’ll continue to hang his defensive partners out to dry.

Diego Chara, 6.5 Completed over 90% of his 96 passes, won tackles, and recoveries.  Typical day at the office for Diego Chara.

Will Johnson, 4 Rough day from Will.  Although he was his typical, solid self in the midfield, he fell asleep a little bit on the second concession and failed to cover for the absent Harrington on the left flank on the second concession.

Kalif Alhassan, 4.5 My initial thought was this was a pretty poor performance from Kalif, but as I looked back my view softened a little bit.  He had a couple wayward touches, and, as usual, didn’t contribute much defensively, but on the whole wasn’t awful—if a little more anonymous than we’ve seen him in his last few outings.

Diego Valeri, 6 This has more to do with Montreal than anything, but Valeri really had nowhere to go much of the night.  Always looking to make the final pass, Valeri more often than not looked up to see a wall of blue shirts in front of him.  Still the most dangerous Timber on the field, though.

Darlington Nagbe, 6 He didn’t make it on the scoresheet, but Nagbe had some periods of good work on the left side with Michael Harrington, and also contributed some handy defensive work.

Ryan Johnson, 5.5 A tough game until the 80^th minute.  Scoring really helps a forward’s grade.

Ben Zemanski, 5 Had some absolutely brutal moments,[2] but his cross to Johnson was high, high quality.

Jose Valencia, 5 Had a little bit of a quiet outing on Saturday.  He hits a little bit better ball on that shot in stoppage, however, and his grade would have skyrocketed.

Rodney Wallace, INC. Short, unspectacular spell for Rod.

Preseason Prediction: Timbers 2, Impact 1.  Johnson, Nagbe.

Actual Result: Impact 2, Timbers 1.  Johnson.

Onward, Rose City!

—By Garrett Dittfurth

What are we here for? We love our team, our town, our culture and everything about that. We are here to support our boys night in and night out despite their record. We were here in 2006 when Chris Agnello ruined everything. We were there in 2008 supporting when our overachieving club of 2007 shat the bed and finished dead last. We celebrated in 2009 when we won the regular season and crashed out of the playoffs. We underachieved in 2010 and we were still there. We changed the game in 2011 when we went to MLS and took everything to a new level. You don't need me to tell you that. Just look at quotes from every person affiliated with MLS on any level to confirm that.

There is nothing personal involved here. It's just something that needs to be said. This isn't Manchester United. This town will never be reveling in championship after championship as we're a small market and L.A. and N.Y.C. will always blow a ton of cash on players. That's not us. We're as close to St. Pauli in the U.S. as anyone is going to get. We get that and understand it. What we also get is passion for our club. What we connect with is players that understand that same passion. Troy Perkins got it and we also are well aware of how he was treated on his way out and want him to understand we appreciated him. I hate to make another sport reference but because there is a lack of other professional clubs here I have to do it. There is a reason every Blazers player from the 80s and 90s are idolized here. It is because of how involved they were personally. They made a connection here with the fans and many of them still live here despite being traded off or finishing their careers elsewhere.

Don't get me wrong. I understand soccer is a business and players are traded or sold and it happens. It's part of the game. What I want to be clear about is that players come and go but that connection between fans and players is really what is valued. We may not win a cup every year but the player who goes out of their way to make it clear how much they care will always be valued by every supporter. Especially here.

Byron Alvarez and Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar don't have a mural of them painted on the side of a building at a patio near the field because they were just some dudes collecting a paycheck. If you want to play here and collect a paycheck I guess that's cool. You'd better produce because I myself care about more things than collecting a paycheck. Whenever Scot Thompson shows up on the field he's going to get a big S-C-O-T Scot with One T chant because he was more than collecting a paycheck. Cameron Knowles earned his 6-6-6 chant for how he left his heart on the field and in our hearts. Ian Joy was here for one year and I can still sing his chant word for word as many others can do because he was the charismatic captain.

Those players got it. David Horst gets it. It may look like I am picking on him because he posted something but I'm not. He is a player that I know gets it. I'm just trying to make it clear why Troy Perkins got chanted off the field tonight. Remember the name on the front and they'll remember the name on the back. Troy was someone that did just that.

It's as simple as that. Remember the name on the front and we'll remember the name on the back. 90 minutes we supported our team with everything. At the end Perkins got clapped and chanted off because he remembered the name on the front when he was here. We'll remember the name on his back.

*My opinion is my opinion and does not reflect the 107ist board or anything of the sort*

You're the person who really likes going to games but doesn't have a season ticket or you're looking to grab a couple extras for friends. Maybe you're looking to sell an extra ticket because you're friend can't go. Hopefully this will be a good guide on how to do that without being scalped.

1. Don't go to a scalper. They are leeches. Ignore them both online and at the stadium.

2. Before the day of game check the Timbers Ticket Exchange page on Facebook. It is moderated and anyone trying to sell a ticket for over face value gets the boot. We know everyone doesn't have Facebook but this is really the only method out there that offers some way to moderate it so that fans aren't scalping to fans. Spread the love folks. So if you're looking to buy or looking to sell before the game that's the easiest place to go.

3. On the day of the game check out the Fanladen located just a block away from the stadium at 1633 SW Alder St. It is staffed by friendly volunteers who will try to connect those looking to sell a ticket with someone looking to buy a ticket. The Fanladen opens about 3 hours prior to the match and closes about an hour before the match so the volunteers can get to their seats in the stadium too.

4. Stop by the No Pity Van at Rack Attack just across the street from the stadium at 1737 SW Morrison. The No Pity Van accepts ticket donations only and sells them for face value with the proceeds going into the tifo fund (how we pay for those giant banners). Did you also know Rack Attack is awesome and also gives 107ist members 20% off MSRP on all racks and rack systems, excluding Sportrack products? Well now you do.

5. Do not feed the scalpers!

Thursday April 4; 7:00 pm

Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd

$12 in advance; $15 at the door

Join Operation Pitch Invasion, the 107 Independent Supporters Trust and 5 Minutes to Kickoff for an evening celebrating Soccer City USA's past and creating Soccer City USA's future.

To help build Bless Field in the New Columbia community, a field on which a future Timbers or Thorns (!) star will be born, we'll look back at the roots of major league soccer in Portland with some of the legends who played here, men who filled the stadium with fans and stayed on to help turn those fans into a true community of soccer players and supporters.

Come see highlights of the Timbers playing against Pele and his Cosmos in Portland in 1976; the Timbers playing the Chicago Sting at Wrigley Field in 1982; and, in an extended cut, the Timbers playing the Seattle Sounders in a playoff semifinal before a record crowd in Portland in 1975.

Commenting throughout the evening will be the players on the screen themselves, among them Willie Anderson, Bernie Fagan, Roger Goldingay, Mick Hoban, Bill Irwin, and Jimmy Kelly, along with “5MTKO” hosts Bob Kellett and Steven Lenhart.

Thanks to the Hollywood Theatre's generosity, every cent of admission goes directly toward building Bless Field at New Columbia.

Bless Field, scheduled to open later this year, will be an all-weather turf field serving kids from 22 countries who speak 11 languages -- plus, of course, the international language of soccer.

With the organizational support of the Regence Boys and Girls Club (immediately adjacent to the field) and instructional guidance from the Timbers Academy, 107ist volunteer coaches and mentors will institute a program of instruction and organized play on Bless Field (named for the late Timbers Army stalwart General Timber Howie Bless). The field will also support programming by AC Portland in concert with Rosa Parks Elementary School (also adjacent).

And someday -- not far long from now, either -- one of those kids who learns to play the game at Bless Field will score a meaningful goal for the Timbers or Thorns (!) at JeldWen Field, and the connection of Team-Town-Timbers Army will be complete.

Efforts are now underway to raise the approximately $200,000 needed to see the project through, and this event marks the launch of that fundraising drive. The Portland Timbers and 107ist are already committed to significant contributions to the campaign, but you can take part, too, by attending this evening.

“Beating Seattle Never Gets Old” promises to be one of those epic Soccer City USA events that you’ll brag about attending years from now. Only 350 tickets are available, so get yours now.