—by Chris Rifer

No unit for the Timbers has seen the amount of turnover during the past year than the strikeforce.  The unit that started 2012 locked down by Jorge Perlaza and Kris Boyd was alternatively populated on a rotating basis by a litany of different starters, including Danny Mwanga, Bright Dike, Darlington Nagbe, Franck Songo’o, Brent Richards, Sal Zizzo, and Mike Fucito.

Whereas 2012 was marked by inconsistency and experimentation, the outlook going into 2013 appears much more settled. Then again, you could have said that this time last year, as well.

Of the list of 2012 starters at forward, only Darlington Nagbe looks likely to spend significant time there in 2013.  Songo’o, Boyd, Perlaza, Fucito, and Mwanga are gone. Zizzo appears out of favor.  Dike and Richards are hurt.

In their place are Ryan Johnson, Jose Valencia, and Frederic Piquionne, who, along with Nagbe, appear most likely to round out Portland’s forward rotation in 2013.

If he hadn’t by default already, Ryan Johnson locked up the starting striker position with his hat trick against San Jose.  Johnson’s ascendancy, once in question under the pressure of a challenge by longtime-Timber Bright Dike, is now entirely certain after a strong preseason tournament and Dike’s likely season-ending injury.

Initial indications are that Johnson is a perfect fit for Caleb Porter’s centrally based offense, as he has shown he excels with balls played to his feet.  Once the ball finds his boots, he has shown the capacity to either take a deft touch or two and get a shot off or hold the ball up and look for a teammate.  Johnson is no one-trick pony, however, as his first Timbers goal indicated he can make himself a target in the box and finish crosses coming in from wide areas.  Finally, and vitally for Porter’s sake, Ryan has shown ample willingness to play effective high defense.

When the Timbers run a two-forward set, expect Darlington Nagbe to be lined up as a second forward that tracks well back into the midfield – often playing underneath Diego Valeri.  This is the ideal spot for Nagbe, as it lets him track back to pick the ball up deep, but also relieves him of the playmaking responsibilities that come with a traditional number ten spot.  Instead, Nagbe can look to quickly play the ball forward – as we’ve seen most often with Valeri – or use his remarkable acceleration and keep the ball at his feet to search for his own shot.

Simply put, by taking the primary playmaking and scoring responsibilities off Nagbe’s shoulders, Caleb Porter has let Darlington do what he’s best at – whatever he wants.  The preseason results have been solid, as Nagbe logged two assists in the preseason tourney and sparked a number of other promising attacks.

Perhaps Dike’s injury affected no position more than the third forward position.[1]  While Dike made a convincing case for himself to start at the end of 2012, and did nothing to harm his good standing in Tucson before the injury, he was always probably an underdog to beat out Johnson for the starting spot up top.  Thus, his injury opened the door for one of Portland’s young forwards – Jose Valencia, Danny Mwanga, or Sebastian Rincon – to step forward and earn consistent playing time.

The news on Thursday was that one of those three – Mwanga – had been shipped to Colorado in exchange for “a” 2015 First Round SuperDraft Pick.  The most important word in that sentence is also the shortest one – “a” – as it’s not clear if that means any first round pick, or Colorado’s natural first rounder.  While you can’t count them out, it appears Colorado’s rebuilding process is going to be an extended one.  Accordingly, it isn’t unreasonable to think the Rapids’ 2015 natural first round pick could be in the top half of the draft.  If so, don’t be surprised if the “a” allows Colorado to trade for a less valuable pick to send Portland’s way in satisfaction of their end of the Mwanga deal.  So, don’t count on “a” first round pick being an especially good one.

The other shoe that dropped Thursday was the signing of Piquionne to a one-year deal.  Merritt Paulson confirmed that Piquionne and Mwanga were essentially a wash in their salary numbers, but that salary cap implications led to Mwanga’s trade.  So what gives?

In all likelihood, the Timbers had to extend Mwanga’s contract when they renegotiated it over the winter.  Accordingly, although they negotiated Danny to a lower number, they had to carry it for longer.  Once it became clear he wasn’t in Caleb Porter’s plans, Mwanga’s 2014 – and perhaps beyond – salary made him a bad asset.[2]

Enter, Piquionne.  In all likelihood the Martinician is little more than Bright Dike’s seat warmer.  He’ll likely be fourth on the strikeforce depth chart, but see time as a spot reserve and in case of injury.  Although he is certainly a different player from Valencia, he will likely now be the player breathing down Trencito’s neck for the first forward off the bench – something that may help keep the youngster motivated and improving as the season progresses.  In all, then, the Timbers got an upgrade over Mwanga, salary cap relief for 2014 and potentially beyond, and a 2015 first round draft pick – even if perhaps not a top 10 selection.  Not a bad day for Caleb Porter and Gavin Wilkinson.

As for Trencito, he’s raw, and it shows with relative regularity.  But make no mistake; the modern Portland Timbers have never seen a forward as oozing with talent.  While he often tries to do too much himself, Valencia’s physicality and ball skills make his potential readily apparent.

Valencia, then, is still in the best spot to most benefit from the sudden scarcity of options at forward.  Trencito’s absurd talent makes him the perfect late game substitute, when his athleticism and ball skills allow him to take advantage of fatigue-loosened defenses.  Notably, in his six-plus minutes against AIK, Trencito substantially outshone Piquionne; suggesting that Trencito will be the primary option off the bench.  He has emerged as not only the best option in the short term, but also as a player the Timbers would like to see getting regular first team minutes to aid his development.

The 2012 strikeforce was decidedly lesser than the sum of its parts.  At times it seemed to be a random collection of decent-to-good players who in no way complimented each other and were disastrously unproductive as a unit.

Version 2013, while not as deep, is much more intentional in its construction.  If this group can stay healthy, it looks like it could be the building block for the Timbers’ strikeforce for the foreseeable future.

Forward Depth Chart

1. Ryan Johnson
   
2. Darlington Nagbe
   
3. Jose Valencia
   
4. Frederic Piquionne
   
5. Sebastian Rincon
   

Onward, Rose City!

—by Andrew Brawley

I’ve written a few pieces related to this over the past couple years, mostly for the benefit of n00bs new people entering the Timbers Army section. Some of them are first-time season ticket holders. Some of them are migrating from other sections. Some of them bought tickets from a scalper.* Some of them were mistakenly given tickets under the impression they’d be in the Key Club section.**

Regardless of how you ended up in the Timbers Army section, please rest assured we welcome you with open arms. We may look and sound obnoxious… no wait, we ARE loud and obnoxious. We are that way because that’s how much we love the boys on the pitch. We hope you leave the match with the same feeling.

While we may come off looking like an anarchist collective, please know that we do have a few guidelines. Some are rules, some are merely suggestions. They’re all stated here to ensure we all have a positive experience in the North End.

• Nothing racist/homophobic/sexist/etc. should come out of your mouth, fingers, whatever. We do not tolerate this AT ALL! The best way to not say anything racist/homophobic/sexist/etc. is to not be a racist, homophobe, sexist, etc. You will get tossed, and you won’t be welcome back. Ever.
• Don’t deal with scalpers. Don’t buy from them. Don’t sell to them. These scumsuckers ruin the beautiful game by overcharging for tickets that were meant to be sold at a price more suitable to our community. By dealing with scalpers, you reduce the odds of poor-but-deserving kids who love the game from being able to attend a match in the future. This is not a ploy to keep money out of Merritt Paulson’s wallet. (Trust me...the scalpers aren't giving him a cut of their profits.) This is a ploy to enable our community to attend a Timbers match within reasonable means. If you apply yourself (ahem), you can acquire tickets in a fair manner.
• Read your chant sheet. Get to know the lyrics and music. If you can’t remember the words, ask your neighbor. They’re friendly. They won’t bite, and they’ve had their shots (some sections more-so than others).
• Follow your capo. That’s the person in front of your section leading the Timbers Army in unified spirit and song. They're a very coordinated bunch. Now that you’ve memorized all the chants, show them respect by singing even louder than they are. They love that even more than beer!
• Speaking of which, don’t throw your beer. It’s rude, and it’s a waste of beer. Studies have shown that drinking your beer is 100% more enjoyable than not drinking it. If you spill your beer on someone, apologize and go get a refill. If you spill someone else’s beer, apologize and buy them a refill. If you drink your beer without spilling it in the North End, congrats, you are match-fit!
• Join 107ist. Those flags. That smoke. The killer tifo display. That stuff isn’t free! For just $25 per year, you help to ensure that the Timbers Army looks its best at every match. Plus, you’ll get that money back in no time with all of the local partner discounts throughout greater Portland.

I’m sure other TA folks will kindly add more suggestions in the comments section below. If you’re not sure, just observe from a safe distance at your next Timbers match. If you ask someone a question, and they’re being a dick, that person is doing it wrong and should be ignored. Just move on to the next person.

We love you. Hugs and snuggles. Now get to Tetris-in’!

* - don't do that!

** - sorry you missed out on the buffet.

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

—by Chris Rifer

Unconcerned with three disappointing results, Caleb Porter pronounced his team ready for the regular season immediately after pulling back a draw against AIK.

Porter’s confidence was borne out early by the offense, as the Timbers opened the game putting AIK’s sterling defense under pressure.

Diego Chara created the first of the chances for the Timbers in the third minute.  After Chara got Portland out on the break with a nice tackle on the right wing, he laid it off to Diego Valeri, who elected to go straight at goal and sent his shot well wide.

Valeri set Darlington Nagbe up for an even better chance eight minutes later at the right corner of the box, but Nagbe’s low shot dragged just wide of the far post.

As good as the Timbers’ offense was in the early going, AIK’s defense was just stout enough to be up to the considerable task of keeping Portland off the scoresheet.  In the 28^th minute, AIK would break through with a goal against the grain.  After Henok Goitom beat the Timbers’ defense and got on the end of a through ball, he sidestepped a somewhat meekly onrushing Donovan Ricketts, and slid the ball just inside the far post from a tight angle.

The Timbers’ immediate reaction to the concession was strong, but AIK was clearly emboldened by the score, and pressed Portland as hard over the next ten minutes as they would all night.  In the 33^rd minute, Celso Borges settled a ball and fired toward goal, but Ricketts—in his best save of preseason— dove to parry away.

AIK nearly found the sheet again in the 35^th minute, as Martin Lorentzson got head to a Gnaget cross, but saw the ball fly just over the bar and onto the top of the net.

Bullets dodged, the Timbers would take one more crack at an equalizer before halftime.  Valeri got on the end of a Ryan Johnson 45^th minute cross, and knocked it to ground toward goal, but the ball—which was almost certain to beat AIK keeper Ivan Turina—bounced just wide of the near post.

Valeri was back at it in the second half, as the Timbers continued to turn up the pressure on AIK.  In the 51^st minute, Valeri sized up a free kick from just beyond the left corner of the box and bent it toward the bottom corner of the near post, but Turina did well to steer it wide.

The Timbers continued to apply pressure, but when they would finally work themselves into a promising spot, they couldn’t find the final pass or the shot was right at Turina.  In both the 60^th and 63^rd minutes, Darlington Nagbe found himself in such a position, only to be kept out easily by the well-positioned former Dinamo Zagreb keeper.

Will Johnson was the first to truly test Turina with a cruelly swerving strike in the 70^th minute, but the netminder palmed it down and collected the little-too-hard-for-comfort back header from his central defense.

As Portland pressed harder and harder, AIK looked to exploit the Timbers’ inexperienced backline on the break.  In the 73^rd minute, AIK should have put the game away, as Victor Lundberg got loose on the right and sent a dangerous cross into the box, but Kennedy Igboananike couldn’t bury the sitter.

The Timbers made AIK pay a minute later, as Michael Harrington set Nagbe free on the byline.  The Akron alumnus collected and fed Harrington right back into the box where he slotted the perfectly teed ball inside the far post.  After painstaking work, the Timbers finally solved the stout AIK defense.

The Gnaget threatened one more time, however, when Borges one-timed an 83^rd minute cross at the back post, but his unimpeded effort went just wide.

From there it was all Timbers.  A minute later, Jose Valencia made a steaming vertical run with the ball at his feet, but Trencito’s outside right foot effort went relatively quietly wide of the near post.

Trencito also had a hand in what was nearly the winner at the death, as well, when he got loose down the right in stoppage time.  After cutting the ball back he forced Turina into a tough save from a narrow angle.  The rebound fell to Diego Chara, but the ball was tackled away in the direction of Will Johnson, who tapped home before being correctly whistled offside.

Porter’s satisfaction with the performance, however justified, does not change the fact that the Timbers’ best eleven dominated two preseason tournament matches without a maximal result.  The question now for the Timbers is whether they can turn aesthetics into results.  That question, however, will have to be answered in games that count.  The preseason is over.

Notes & Observations

• After bring asked a couple questions in the postgame press conference about whether he was concerned about slow starts, Porter gave the best answer to a question in his young Timbers career.  “I thought we actually started the game very well.  A very good start to the game.  If you watched the game—I know you guys always just look at the goals and results all the time, but I’m a coach so I look at the flow of the game.”  After talking about how he didn’t make a few moves because he was pleased with how the game was going, Porter continued, “So in the first half, I thought actually if you watched the game and you know soccer, we played very well.”  The assembled media deserved this mini-undressing.  Porter was clearly correct; the Timbers started off very well, dominating the first twenty minutes of the game.
• Porter’s satisfaction wasn’t universal, however.  While generally positive about how the team is coming together, Will Johnson noted, “Obviously I think there is a sense of disappointment that we weren’t able to win here.  Obviously, a big part of making this team successful is turning Jeld-Wen into a fortress, and it’s one of our goals.  We really wanted to win the game tonight, so we’re a little disappointed with that.”
• As he point out postgame, wearing the armband is something that comes easily to Will.  “I’ve always tried to be a leader.  I try to lead by example, and never take a day off.  Always be the hardest working guy and hope that people see that I like to lead by example.  And it really doesn’t change a whole lot for me—be a little more vocal, maybe be in a few more decisions, try to get the guys fired up, and to make sure that if somebody’s not on the right page, to make sure that they get on the page quickly . . . It’s something that I enjoy, I love the responsibility to make sure that everybody’s here on the same page, because ultimately, when you’re given the captain’s armband, you’ve gotta step up, and you’ve gotta lead by example, and I want to win more than anybody, that’s for sure.”

Timbers Grades

Donovan Ricketts, 5 His weakness on the concession was a contributing factor, but otherwise Ricketts had his best game of the preseason – making several other saves to keep things close.

Ryan Miller, 4 Had some nice moments in defense, but was a little bit sleepy on the concession and had a few errant crosses in the attack.

Andrew Jean-Baptiste, 4.5 As Porter indicated, it was a tale of two halves for the center backs.  In the first, ALJ looked like he wasn’t up to the task of leading a backline.  In the second, he was much stronger.

Dylan Tucker-Gangnes, 4 Was one of the loose players on the concession, but, again, had a much better second half.  I was particularly impressed with his instinct and willingness to come up out of the natural center back position to win a ball and send it back into the midfield.  While DTG is likely to fall out of the rotation once Mikael Silvestre gets here and David Horst and Hanyer Mosquera get healthy, don’t be surprised if he ends up being a serious contributor a year or two down the road.  All told, a very impressive preseason tournament for Dylan.

Michael Harrington, 6 Along with the goal, Michael had a couple nice crosses that nearly got the Timbers on the board in the first half.  He’s looking more and more comfortable.  Further improvement will help provide cover for a backline that is still trying to find its way.

Diego Chara, 7 I don’t grade Diego down too much for his final third foibles because, well, that’s really not his job.  What is his job is stringing passes together in the midfield and harassing the opponent the instant they win the ball.  In that respect, he was excellent on Saturday.

Diego Valeri, 7 The guy is absurd in how he fills up the stat sheet, and seemingly creates chances at will.  The one nitpick I have is that a couple times per game he tends to make up his mind too early and go at goal when he should look to cross.  I will happily live with that as his flaw, however.

Will Johnson, 4.5 Seemed to be a little bit off in the first half, but righted the ship in the second and nearly got the winner. Don’t blame him too much for being offside there, as it was a little bit of a scramble.

Kalif Alhassan, 7.5 Went through a stretch in the first half where he had trouble weighing his passes, but was otherwise tremendous.  Victimized AIK midfielders and defenders repeatedly.  At this point, his offense is too good to keep him off the field—defensive struggles and all.  We’ll see if this keeps up.

Darlington Nagbe, 7 I was a little bit suspicious about Valeri’s effect on Nagbe, but it’s turned out to be just as good as Caleb Porter promised.  Nagbe has been freer, more confident, and much more willing to take a crack at goal since Valeri’s arrival.

Ryan Johnson, 5 Was kept pretty quiet by a very, very good AIK backline.  Was making all the right runs, however, and nearly logged an assist to Valeri at the end of the first half.

Frederic Piquionne, 5.5 A much better outing than against FC Dallas, but was overshadowed by Jose Valencia—which is ultimately the reason his trial is likely to end in failure.

Jose Valencia, 6.5 He only played 6 minutes plus stoppage?  Remarkably influential.  Once he gets a little bit more of his finishing confidence back, Valencia is going to be a handful off the bench.  Forget about more forward trialists.  The Timbers have found their third rotation forward.

Onward, Rose City!

With the season upon us, we have some great volunteer opportunities coming up and you're invited to join us.

Friends of Trees Planting in West Vancouver, February 23rd

This street tree planting has seen an unprecedented number of Vancouver residents purchase trees for their neighborhoods. As a result, it has now increased from the earlier 150 to 260 trees and they really need our help to pull it off. If you live north of the Columbia, come out and join the Timbers Army Northern Alliance in showing our strength in Clark County!

Also, they are still in need of a couple more trucks to move trees along the planting routes. If you have access to a truck, please consider bringing it. If you are willing to rent a truck from U-Haul, you will be easily compensated. If you can bring a truck, let us know at community@107ist.org.

Oregon Food Bank, February 23rd

Both the Portland and Beaverton locations are now full. We’re hoping to have another OFB event scheduled soon to happen in a few months. With the popularity of these events they tend to fill up quickly so, be sure to keep an eye out and sign up for some Timbers Army fun. As always, you are welcome to volunteer with OFB at anytime and they can do amazing things with your financial donations. If you do volunteer, let us know and we can track your service hours to go toward your total for the year.

Shelving books at Cesar Chavez Elementary, Tuesday afternoons

If you have some time on Tuesday afternoons and feel like hanging out with some quality TA, come over and join us. Check it out here.

AC Portland Fundraiser, March 7th

Now in their 3rd year, AC Portland offers after school programs targeting the youth in some of the more marginalized communities of the Rose City. These programs use soccer as a tool to inspire confidence and give kids tools for future success through service learning, creative writing, and nutrition education. The Timbers Army and the 107ist have been strong supporters of AC Portland from the start and we whole-heartedly support their mission to grow the beautiful game and provide mentorship to our, potentially, at risk youth.

On March 7th AC Portland is hosting RAISE 2013, a fundraiser dinner at Casa Del Matador NW with Darlington Nagbe and Sal Zizzo. There will be a silent auction with a wide array of great items you should scope out. While the tickets may be cost prohibitive to some at $100, if you are of the means, please consider supporting this valuable program through your attendance.

Harper’s Playground / Arbor Lodge Park Maintenance, March 9th

The signups are still open with about a dozen spots left. All ages are welcome as we get the park ready for spring. The Timbers Army has played a large role in the creation of this jewel in our park system and we would love for you to help us continue that support as they grow their organizational impact.

Spring Blood Drive, April 5th

The first Timbers Army Blood Drive of 2013 is just around the corner. We will have the signups for donors up and running soon. However, we need your help staffing this fun event and you can sign up to do so now. We need members to work the sign-in table and the cantina in the bloodmobile. These are one hour shifts between 1:30 and 7:30.

Other News:

The Fanladen will be open from 5:00 to 6:30 on Wednesday before the Dallas match and from 1:30 to 4:00 on Saturday before the AIK match if you still need to pick up your membership swag.

The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is expanding the Jeld-Wen Field Event District parking program boundaries. Don’t say no one told you.

At times in our lives we have to take a step back and look at what is really important in our lives and do what is best for ourselves. As many of you know one of our board members, Joanne Couchman, was recently diagnosed with cancer. The latest tests revealed the need for chemotherapy as part of her treatment program. Chemotherapy is a multi-month process and very physically draining. Due to the inclusion of chemotherapy into her treatment program she has decided it is in her best interests to step away from the day to day business of 107ist and focus entirely on her recovery.

As someone who has worked with Joanne over the years from the group that worked on the foundation of 107ist in those days we spitballed ideas at the Watershed through serving as a board member with her I can unequivocally say 107ist would not be the organization it is today without her dedication and tenacity. She has worn every hat there is to wear on the board and has done every single one of them well. The board wishes to thank her for her time, commitment and attention to detail over the years. Here’s to a speedy recovery and seeing her back in her normal spot in section 108 as soon as possible.

The board will be meeting shortly to discuss next steps and will communicate those as soon as they are available.

—by Chris Rifer

Since the introduction of Caleb Porter, most of the tactical and personnel talk has centered around the midfield and strikeforce.  After conceding a net-busting 56 goals in 2012, however, the defense needed as much work as anything.  How did the FO do?  Well, we’ll see.

The Returners

Of the players returning from 2012, nobody seems to be a mortal lock to start on opening day at this point.  Conventional wisdom heading into camp was that David Horst and Hanyer Mosquera would be the starting center backs, but injuries, rust, and solid play from Andrew Jean-Baptiste called that a little bit into question.

As it stands right now, the fullback positions seem the most stable, with Ryan Miller and Michael Harrington – if perhaps by default – almost certain to occupy their respective spots on the flanks come March 3^rd.

The battle for the center back spots is a little bit more fluid now, however.  The Timbers’ depth at the position left with Eric Brunner.  The club made up for the departure of Brunner by adding veteran French international Mikael Silvestre.

At the moment, the race for the starting center back positions is wide open, as Andrew Jean-Baptiste has made an interesting case for himself in training and the Tucson friendlies, but faltered some against San Jose on Sunday.  AJB has shown improved – although still imperfect – decision making, and surprisingly good feet.[1]  While Bright Dike is the best known L.A. loan success story, it is clear the time in L.A. greatly benefitted Jean-Baptiste, who, in a year, has transformed himself from a raw talent to a viable – perhaps promising – option in the first eleven.

In many ways, Jean-Baptiste is a better fit for Porter’s system than David Horst.  The risk in playing a high-pressure style is that you leave your backline a little bit more exposed, especially to attack coming at you with pace.  Simply put, because your midfield is trying to win the ball back higher up, if the opponent gets through they’ll likely be running at your defense with a little more intent than if you sat back a little bit more.

Say what you will about David Horst, but that isn’t his style of defending.  When Horst is forced to defend on the run he has a tendency to take questionable risks to try to compensate for his slight athletic disadvantage.  The result is often disastrous missed tackles.  When Horst can sit in his box and organize it, he can be dominant.  But pull him outside and force him to defend in space, and Horst becomes beatable.

Now, I’m not sure AJB is much better than Horst in this respect right now.  But his superior athleticism gives him more potential in this regard, and if his development continues, he may become a more and more attractive option as the season progresses.  In any case, Jean-Baptiste has shown himself to be an interesting option in the apparently likely event either Mosco or Horst aren’t ready to go.

The Newcomers

Whereas the center back ranks right now are largely populated by returners – one of the few positions on the field for which you can say that – the fullback positions look to be filled by newbies.

Ryan Miller came in as a likely – though not certain – starter at right back and has put a stranglehold on the position in camp.  While Miller has struggled early on to meaningfully contribute to the attack, his defense on the right flank has been as good as any the Timbers have had in the past two seasons.  While he’s been protected to an extent by a dominant central midfield, Miller’s work in shutting down Steve Zakuani was impressive in the first half against Seattle.  On Sunday against San Jose Miller had a little bit of an offensive renaissance, getting forward with regularity early on and assisting on Ryan Johnson’s first goal.

The left back spot seems similarly locked down, although in somewhat less impressive fashion.  Michael Harrington came into camp as the anointed one at left back, and has done nothing to talk Caleb Porter out of that, but has hardly affirmed the Timbers’ faith in him.  The left side of Portland’s defense, through the three matches at least, has been its weakest point and frequently been the target of counterattacking opponents.

That said, we’re all of four matches into Harrington’s Timbers career.  Considering his largely reserve role with Sporting Kansas City last year, it wouldn’t be surprising if Harrington just needs a little bit of time to work his way back into being the man at fullback.  Nonetheless, considering left back became a point of strength at the end of 2012 with stellar play from Steven Smith, Harrington’s early lukewarm impression should give Timbers supporters a very little bit of concern heading into 2013.

The backup spots at fullback have some familiar faces for the Timbers, however.  Rodney Wallace, one of the longest serving Timbers with two years of service, looks to be the second choice at left back.  On the right, captain Jack Jewsbury, when healthy, seems to be the likely backup.  If Ben Zemanski fails to catch on in the midfield – either in the center or on the right – he could wind up being the backup right back considering his experience there for Chivas USA.

On Tuesday Merritt Paulson finally addressed the elephant in the room when he announced the signing of Mikael Silvestre.  I approach the Silvestre situation with a little bit more trepidation than most.  Nothing that I’ve seen thus far makes me think he’s any more than an average MLS center back.  His distribution in Tucson was good, and his defense was solid, if his a little hairy at times.  Given the Timbers’ congested sounding 2014 salary cap situation, it is a little bit troublesome that the Timbers are bringing a 35-year-old defender for a “reported” $230,000 per year for two years with a team option for a third.[2]  The risk is somewhat mitigated, however, considering the Timbers have shed many of their high risk contracts and will have another free offseason buyout next year.

At his point, however, it’s hard to call the Timbers 2013 offseason successful in upgrading the defense.  The primary area of concern was fullback, and the results there are mixed.  While the disaster at right back appears to be somewhat ameliorated, it’s hard to imagine Harrington matching Smith’s late 2012 form anytime soon.

In some ways more disconcerting, however, is that the center back situation is more uncertain than anybody expected at this point.  Yes, ALJ has been a positive, but Mosquera and Horst’s disappointing preseason introduces uncertainty to one of the few positions that seemed settled coming out of 2012.

And additional uncertainty is not what this defense needed.

Left Back Depth Chart

1. Michael Harrington
   
2. Rodney Wallace
   
3. Chris Taylor
   

Center Back Depth Chart[3]

1. David Horst
   
2. Mikael Silvestre
   
3. Hanyer Mosquera
   
4. Andrew Jean-Baptiste
   
5. Dylan Tucker-Gangnes
6. Futty

Right Back Depth Chart

1. Ryan Miller
   
2. Jack Jewsbury
   
3. Ben Zemanski
   
4. Ryan Kawulok
   

Onward, Rose City!

—by Chris Rifer

The John Spencer Era is over.  That much was clear early on at Jeld-Wen Field on Sunday evening, as the Timbers displayed an attacking verve that was conspicuously absent from Spencer’s Timbers teams.

San Jose drew first blood, however, after Shea Salinas crosses to Mike Fucito in the box.  Fucito tapped a seemingly meek ball toward Donovan Ricketts, but it was intercepted by the arm of Andrew Jean-Baptiste for a clear handball.  Chris Wondolowski buried the penalty, and San Jose was in business in the 3^rd minute.

It wouldn’t take long for this Timbers team to respond, however.  Two minutes later, Darlington Nagbe settled the ball near the center circle and the Timbers played a couple quick passes out to Ryan Miller on the wing.  Miller played to Alhassan at the byline, who chipped back to the near post where Ryan Johnson was waiting to send a looping header across the face of goal and inside the far side netting.

Over the course of the next twenty minutes, the Timbers gave the Rose City its first taste of its high-pressure defense and quick-passing attack.  For extended periods San Jose looked lost on the field, as the Timbers moved through the midfield at will.

The attack nearly found a second in the 20^th minute, as Diego Valeri stared things by playing Miller out wide. Miller sent in a hard cross, which found a diving Will Johnson ten yards out, but Johnson’s diving header was tipped away by Jon Busch.

Portland wouldn’t wait long to pull ahead, however.  In the 27^th minute Nagbe again brought the ball into the center of the field were he played ahead to Diego Valeri.  The newly signed designated player played a through ball to Ryan Johnson who found himself in behind the San Jose defense.  Faced with an oncoming Busch, Johnson fooled the Quakes keeper by chipping the ball with the outside of his left foot and into the net for a brace.

The Quakes didn’t go away in the face of Portland’s dominance, however, and after their second concession seemed to settle in and begin to handle Portland’s pressure.  San Jose pulled level in the 39^th minute after Alhassan needlessly chopped down Salinas on the Timbers’ right flank.  Salinas got even by sending a great bending ball into the box, where Victor Bernardez beat Hanyer Mosquera and nodded inside the near post.  Two shots, two goals for San Jose.

Portland opened the second half with more pressure, and it was Johnson again reaping the spoils of a beautifully weighted ball from Valeri.  Dylan Tucker-Gangnes picked off a lazy Justin Morrow pass twenty yards from the Timbers’ goal and played forward for Ryan Johnson.  Johnson laid it to Valeri, who returned it to Johnson playing it ahead to the top of the box.  The Jamaican international beat Busch coming out in the first half, and did it again in the second, as he chipped the diminutive keeper to polish off his hat trick.

Just like the first half, however, the Timbers couldn’t hold the lead for long.  And again, the concession would largely be their own doing.  After Miller did well to strip Salinas on the wing, Kalif Alhassan made a mess of his clearance, sending it back toward the Timbers box.  Morrow picked up and played to the middle for John Bostock.who had his shot parried by Donovan Ricketts.  The rebound, however, fell straight to Mike Fucito who did what he has never done before at Jeld-Wen Field.

Shortly thereafter the substitutions began en masse, and the nature of the game changed dramatically.  The flow of much of the first sixty minutes turned into a choppy mess of half chances and missed connections.  In the end, neither team seriously threatened to notch the winner in the last half hour.

The result leaves supporters with a little bit of an empty feeling.  While the play was at times thrilling, the Timbers’ mistakes in defense numbed what could have been a very promising first home performance.  On the whole, however, while there are still questions to be answered about whether this is a playoff team, there is no doubt that 2013 will be very different from 2012, and likely a whole lot more entertaining.

Match Observations

• Despite the draw, I thought it was pretty clear the Timbers had the better of the play.  They outshot San Jose 15-10, including 6-4 on goal.  More important than raw shot numbers, however, is that the Timbers created the higher quality chances.  The Quakes capitalized on every play in which they had a shot on goal, a fact Donovan Ricketts almost certainly won’t be proud of tomorrow.  The clear theme, however, was that San Jose’s best chances came directly from Timbers mistakes, and the Timbers chances came from the quality of the Timbers attack.
• After the game, Porter noted that “[t]he nice thing is, those [mistakes] are things that are easily addressable.  If we weren’t generating goals and generating chances, that’s harder to address. It’s easier to clean up the defensive side, its easier to sort out a giveaway that can’t happen, its easier to sort out getting your back four tightened up, it’s easier to sort out marking a guy on a set piece.  And those things will be sorted out.”
• While nominally in a 4-3-3, the Timbers shape through the first hour more resembled the 4-2-3-1 they rolled out against Seattle last week. Diego Chara and Will Johnson were deployed as a pair of holding midfielders, with Chara having a great deal of freedom to move where he pleased.  Although listed in the midfield three, Diego Valeri often played higher than listed forwards Nagbe and Alhassan; at times looking like a second striker underneath Johnson.
• The fullbacks, especially Ryan Miller, were much more active getting forward in the first half hour than they were throughout much of the rest of the game.  After the game, Miller said that had more to do with personnel than tactics or a reaction to San Jose.  “You gotta’ kind of adjust to the players you’re playing with.  When I have Kalif up there, I know he likes to come inside and get the ball as almost a central midfielder type player, which allows me to have a lot more freedom on the wing so I can get forward a lot more.”  Considering the starters on the wing are far from settled, it is very much up in the air how much Miller and Michael Harrington will get forward.  On Sunday, however, some of the Timbers’ best moments came when they established possession in the center, then Miller came forward to relieve pressure or spring an attack.  If Miller can replicate that success, don’t be surprised if Porter keeps his midfield narrow to allow him to join the attack.

Timbers Grades 

Donovan Ricketts, 4 Giving up three goals on four shots on goal is never a good night for a keeper.  None were primarily his fault, but he also didn’t play the hero.

Ryan Miller, 6 A nice shift from Ryan saw him more active down the wing in the first half than he was in Tucson, leading to his first half assist.  San Jose committed to attacking down their left side, and Miller generally held his own under duress.

Hanyer Mosquera, 3 Got beat on the set piece and otherwise looked out of sorts.  Keep in mind, however, that Mosco missed substantial time in camp and is playing in just his second game.  All is not yet lost.

Andrew Jean-Baptiste, 4 He’s still in his pattern of making one major mistake per game, and this time it was the handball in the second minute.  If he can break that habit, he will very likely find himself in a starting spot.  If not, he’ll struggle to find himself in the lineup on a regular basis.

Michael Harrington, 5 San Jose really didn’t get much going down their right side, which meant Harrington had a quiet night overall.

Diego Chara, 6 Porter’s set up on Sunday gave Chara free reign to be virtually anywhere he wanted to be.  He took advantage by effectively covering much of the field—from stepping back to be a makeshift center back to flying forward in the attack.

Will Johnson, 6 Held a little bit more than Chara did, but did so effectively.  Between he and Diego, San Jose had nothing going through the middle.  Was also robbed of what would have been a highlight-reel diving header goal.

Diego Valeri, 7 Portland hasn’t had anybody nearly as effective in making the final pass as Valeri.  Had one or two giveaways he would probably like back, but his two assists more than make up for it.

Darlington Nagbe, 6 We’re starting to see a very different Nagbe emerge.  Whereas the old Nagbe would receive the ball in the midfield and try to dribble his way into a good spot, Darlington did a much better job of playing quick to Valeri or another of his midfield colleagues.  The unsung spark of both first half goals, Nagbe’s contributions are likely to be a little bit subtler this year.  And also more significant.

Kalif Alhassan, 4.5 There was a lot of good and a lot of bad from Kalif in his 64 minutes.  It was his run and cross that set up the first goal, and he generally combined well in the midfield with Valeri, Chara, and Nagbe.  But, he committed the bad foul that led to the second concession and whiffed on a clearance to set up the third.  On balance, the bad slightly outweighed the good on Sunday.

Ryan Johnson, 10 Three shots, three goals, and very good high defense earn Ryan the first perfect ten in Morrison Report history.

Onward, Rose City!

—by Chris Rifer

The mindset has shifted slightly at Timbers practice.  Since returning from Tucson, Caleb Porter has raised the intensity level in preparation for the Portland Timbers Preseason Tournament and the ever-closer season opener against New York.

“I would say we’ve just turned the screws up a little bit more this week.  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, those were hard days – we’re pushing it a little bit more than we have because it’s time for us to push a little bit more.”

The focus has now shifted from general training – fitness, passing, and basic tactical work – to a greater focus on getting the players prepared for games and the rigors of 90 minutes of competitive soccer.  On Saturday the team for the first time looked to prepare for a particular opponent, as the Timbers went through a video session to start training, and appeared set to do tactical work before the media gaggle was shepherded down to the media room beneath the North End.

Porter praised the team’s mentality since returning from Tucson, saying, “You could see in the guys, too, their level of focus, concentration, and intensity was a notch higher, as it should be.”

Nonetheless, it is clear the Timbers have not decided on a formation or definite group of guys to play on March 3^rd.  “No, we’re still looking at things.  I think we have a better sense now than we did prior to Arizona because we’ve seen guys in games.  But we’re always going to kind of tinkering, if we need to.  But like I just told the group that’s not starting [against San Jose], I want to have hopefully 18 guys who could be starters, and we make decisions based on what we think is best in that game.  But it may be we rotate our group because a 34 game season means that we need to manage minutes for guys, we can’t be playing the same 11 every game.”

As such, Porter reported that the Timbers would start one group against San Jose, another group against Dallas, and then reevaluate for AIK.  The group of nonstarters Porter referred to included the usual suspects, but also Jose Valencia, Futty Danso, and, perhaps notably, Ben Zemanski.[1]

On the whole, it’s clear Porter has been pleased with the team’s consistency during training camp.  “It’s a solid group.  It’s a very solid group, and they’re very consistent.  That makes me happy because I want a group that’s going to be consistent, where you know what you’re get every single day and every single game, and I think we have that in this group.”

The added intensity and consistency has Porter confident heading into the Preseason Tournament and the season at large.  “You’re going to see a very solid performance, I think, game-in and game-out out of most of these guys.”  In this same vein, Porter noted that “there’s a reason we kept those guys, you know, and a reason we didn’t keep some guys – because we wanted consistency.”

It’s starting to feel more like the regular season every day.  Porter plans to only use three subs per game this week.  The feeling I get is Sunday will feature close to a best eleven, while Wednesday will primarily be those who don’t play significant minutes on Sunday.  Then, expect the Timbers to treat Saturday against AIK as a dress rehearsal for March 3^rd.

It’s almost here.

Onward, Rose City!

—by Chris Rifer

Not many batted an eye on Monday when Eric Alexander was shipped to New York in exchange for allocation money.  Soccer By Ives reported the Timbers received the league minimum $75,000 in allocation for Alexander and will pay a portion of Eric’s 2013 salary.[1]  While Eric played well at times for Portland, and was one of the few players whose deliverables met his aesthetic effectiveness, it was clear in the first three preseason games that he was having a hard time making an impression on Caleb Porter.  The compensation, however, seems light for a guy that led the team in assists in 2012.

The unsurprising turned perplexing at lunchtime on Wednesday, however, when Portland traded allocation money and the rights to Jonathan Bornstein to Chivas USA for Ben Zemanski.  Zemanski is primarily a defensively minded midfielder who can play either in the center or on the right.

Whereas Alexander had six assists in 1302 minutes over 24 appearances and 14 starts in 2012, Zemanski had two assists in 1649 league minutes over 22 appearances and 18 starts.  So Zemanski’s measurables don’t compare favorably to the guy the Timbers traded on Monday for $75,000 of allocation money.

So, then, why did the Timbers trade at least that much allocation money and the rights to a former U.S. national teamer that has extensive experience in a position of need in exchange for a guy who is less proven than the one they shipped out and plays a position of relative surplus?

Well, the most reasonable explanation would be that Caleb Porter is familiar with Zemanski from his days at Akron, rates his former player highly, thinks Zemanski fits well within his system, and likes what he brings as a leader and teammate.

That might be reasonable to everybody except the Timbers.  On Twitter, Merritt Paulson suggested the idea that Porter was looking to bring players he’s familiar with from his days at Akron was a conspiracy theory.  And as The Oregonian’s Geoffrey C. Arnold reported, Caleb Porter chafed at the notion as well, saying “It has nothing to do with [Zemanski] being at Akron . . . I’ve seen [what he’s capable of doing] in MLS.  He’s one of the most underrated midfielders in the league.”  Porter added, “The perception is I want a bunch of Akron players here.  I could care less about having Akron players here.  By no means is that going to be the basis for decisions.”

Apparently in completely unrelated news, the Timbers later on Wednesday traded a 2015 second round Supplemental Draft pick to Vancouver in exchange for the rights to former Akron midfielder Michael Nanchoff.  Oh, and earlier this offseason the Timbers traded Kosuke Kimura to New York for allocation money and the Homegrown rights to Akron defender Bryan Gallego.  And the Timbers drafted former Akron goalkeeper David Meves in the Supplemental Draft.  Coincidences, all.

The troubling thing about this is not that the Timbers seem predisposed to bringing in players with whom Porter has experience.  Instead, it’s that the Timbers are going to such strained lengths to deny it.  Such a predisposition would be natural, to say nothing of completely rational.  In soccer, just as in the real world, managers want to bring in players they are familiar with and like.  And as long as the team isn’t making absurd moves to bring former Zips in, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.  At least until today, all the moves made perfect sense. You could even say some were a steal.

Bizarre denials aside, however, it’s hard to see how the Zemanski trade pencils out in the context of letting Alexander go.  Zemanski’s natural spot is either on the right wing or, although somewhat less likely, at right back.  The spot on the right wing is the most crowded position on the team, with Darlington Nagbe, Sal Zizzo, and Kalif Alhassan all making legitimate claims to it.  Will Johnson and Diego Chara have a mortal lock on the true defensive midfield spots, with Jack Jewsbury likely sitting on the bench as an enviable backup.  And Ryan Miller has looked more than capable of providing the Timbers the best right back play they’ve had in MLS, with, again, Jewsbury and a decent looking Ryan Kawulok there to back him up.

So, in the last 72 hours, the Timbers have traded away their 2012 leading assistant and the rights to a former American national teamer who plays a position of need in exchange for a borderline starter.  And we’re all conspiracy theorists for thinking it might have something to do with Porter’s experience with Zemanski.

Onward, Rose City.

—by Chris Rifer

Nobody knew what to expect when the Timbers boarded a plane to Tucson two weeks ago.  A new roster, new coach, and new system left the Timbers a mystery to even themselves.  The keep away and short-sided games of the first week of camp did little to shed light on this Timbers team’s identity.

Two weeks and four preseason games later, many of those questions have begun to be answered.  Here’s the good, the bad, and the still unknown coming out of Tucson.

The Good

The Central Midfield

It took a little bit of shaking out, but by the end of the trip Caleb Porter seemed to have found his best central midfield combination.  While Diego Chara and Will Johnson initially showed a little bit of confusion playing with each other, their full potential was revealed when deployed in a 4-2-3-1 with the two of them holding and Diego Valeri in the middle of the higher three.  With Valeri, Chara, and Johnson patrolling the center – and Darlington Nagbe floating inside with regularity – the Timbers dominated Seattle’s largely second-choice midfield, and neutralized Mauro Rosales by forcing him into the center to contend with the Timbers midfield.  While this unit certainly won’t be quite so dominant against better opposition, if the midfield can come close to replicating that effectiveness, 2013 will be much more enjoyable than either of the previous two seasons.

Ryan Miller

When Miller was signed, I was one of the few that was skeptical that he would come in and win the starting job right away.  Through three weeks, Miller already looks like the best defensive right back in Timbers MLS history.  Although he has not provided as much going forward as I’m sure Caleb Porter would like, that hasn’t been as much of a problem with the Timbers dominance in the middle.

The Second Unit

Between an on-form Andrew Jean-Baptiste, a healthier Jose Valencia, and an impressive trial from Michael Nanchoff, the Timbers are leaving the experimental phase of the offseason with substantially more depth than in the prior two years.  Add in Danny Mwanga, Jack Jewsbury,[1] Rodney Wallace, and Sal Zizzo, and the Timbers have viable second options at almost every position.

The Bad

Michael Harrington

The Timbers looked to the former Sporting backup left back to replace Steven Smith and hold down the Timbers left back position.  While it is far too early to write off The Hair, his modest start as a Timber doesn’t compare favorably to his fellow newbie on the right.  Harrington has been ineffective in the attacking third and the weakest link in a defense whose jury remains sequestered.  Harrington’s brightest play has been in the midfield, where he has occasionally provided a little bit of a relief valve for the men in the middle.  Still, Mike has a good amount of work to do to justify his substantial salary and make us forget Steven Smith’s late 2012 form.

ACLs, MCLs, and Menisci

Seriously, what the heck?  First Brent, then Bright?  Go ahead and knock out two of the TA’s most beloved, why don’t you?  Dike’s injury is particularly disappointing, however, as he was starting to look more and more comfortable with his opportunities coming through the middle.  The Dike v. Johnson debate was going to be the most interesting on the last couple weeks of camp. Now, we just hope for a speedy recovery for both of these guys, although, considering the timing and nature of their injuries, it seems like a relative longshot to see them back in the eighteen this season.

The Unknown

The Last Two Roster Spots

With Eric Alexander gone and Franck Songo’o all but officially shipped out, the Timbers have two remaining available roster spots.  One seems likely to go to a defender.  Mikael Silvestre stated his case with a decent couple weeks in Tucson.  The question with Silvestre must be price, as in Tucson he looked like he could still fill the role of a decent MLS center back, but at what cost?  If it’s much into the six figures, expect the Timbers to look elsewhere.

Word broke last week, and Monday’s practice confirmed, that the Timbers were bringing in English-bred, American-educated, and Swedish-employed center back Calum Angus.  Angus has played significantly over the last three years with GAIS in the Swedish first division, appearing 61 times, and earning a trial with West Ham at the end of 2011.  Because his team was relegated in 2012, Angus has been set free to seek opportunities elsewhere, apparently including Portland.

In addition to reinforcement at the back, Porter has stated that he intends to take a look at a few more strikers in the wake of Dike’s injury.  In that vein, and to my personal delight, the Timbers have brought Belizean talisman Deon McCaulay into camp on trial.  Considering he’s spent most of his career in the Premiere League of Belize, McCaulay is a little bit of a longshot to earn a roster spot, but 15 goals in 26 international appearances aren’t completely insignificant, especially considering Belize just shocked the Yucatan by taking fourth in the Copa Centroamericana.  But, still, Belize.[2]

The Formation

This is a little bit academic, but we still don’t have a strong indication of how the Timbers will line up.  Entering the preseason tournament, one could still make a case for a diamond 4-4-2, a 4-3-3, or the 4-2-3-1 we saw against Seattle.  What’s more important, however, is that we do have a good idea of how the Timbers are trying to play – high and central.  So, regardless of how Porter constructs his lineup, expect to see a number of guys in the midfield given an invitation to float into the interior and control the game from there.  Conveniently, that suits much of Portland’s wing personnel just fine.

Onward, Rose City!