The Portland Timbers did more than a decent job Saturday, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the LA Galaxy at home. They ended up losing 3-2.
It was definitely a fun game. Portland faced off against the leader in the Western Conference, and they played a great first half, where they looked very dangerous but couldn’t find a way to finish the looks they created.
DP stuff
Riqui Puig might not be one of the fans’ favorite players in MLS, but the guy can ball. He proved so against the Timbers. He was LA’s engine in the midfield, the one distributing passes here and there, and his through balls were great. The way Puig uses his body is very smart; he knows he’s not the biggest guy in town and takes advantage of that. After one or two tricky touches on the ball, he tried to squeeze himself into little gaps between defenders to keep progressing the ball or to win fouls. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, but in the end, it helped LA keep possession. He was always connected to the game, which surprised Portland at the beginning of the second half when Puig beat James Pantemis with a low shot.
Gabriel Pec also had a great game, putting Claudio Bravo to work during the entire time the left-back was on the field. In the end, Pec was just having fun and helped his team to guard the margin lead to secure the three points at home.
But enough talking about the opposition. What about Jonathan Rodríguez and Evander?
Well, Rodríguez showed once more that he’s comfortable on the left wing.
He was best when he remained wide open on that wing, receiving the ball, interchanging positions with Bravo or Santiago Moreno, and getting into the half-space.
He didn’t need much space to get a shot, as the first part of the video above shows. He could take a shot even with a defender inches in front of him and two more behind that one.
So, when given as much space as he was in the 52nd minute, it’s not surprising that he scored especially given Rodríguez’s great form as of late.
In the case of Evander, he didn’t have the best of first halves. He did have some good chances in the first half—and some others in the second that he couldn’t put away, but the midfielder still looked more alive in the second half. It wasn’t the best of his matches for sure, and that’d have been okay if he wasn’t playing against the Galaxy. However, in games like this, when the team in front is at the top of the table, everyone needs to bring it during the entire game, especially the DPs.
Santiago Moreno
Santiago Moreno’s season has been full of ups and downs. Against the Galaxy, however, he looked great. Not only did he prove he can be a perfect army of one when needed with that great goal, but he also showed that he could play comfortably the team can use him.
Moreno’s incredible goal gave Portland life and drove them to search for the equalizer until the final whistle. His tally—with an expected goal chance of only 5.76%—happened with him recovering the ball in the midfield and going from there to the Galaxy’s box.
We already spoke about how Rodríguez was at his best when staying wide. In this goal, Rodríguez went to the left and took two defenders with him while Evander served as a decoy inside the box. Having only one defender in front of him, Moreno knew he could bury that ball, and he did.
His goal was important not only for the individual effort but also because it gave Portland life and put them back into the game, helping the team fight until the end.
Not good enough
The Timbers should’ve taken at least a point out of this match. Both teams recorded 16 shots, but the Galaxy had two more on frame than Portland, with six to the Timbers’ four. Despite the stats, Portland should’ve been better in possession in the final third and more careful when passing the ball.
As you can see in the video below, the Timbers were good at trying to create passing networks and find spaces, but then they would just give the ball away to the opponent. Sometimes, they made it too easy for the LA defense.
Portland is showing a good quality of soccer, but they’re not just where the Galaxy is: playing no-look passes or playing by memory, thinking a teammate will be there just because he should.
They also need to be more clinical or make better decisions when other teams do the kind of giveaways like the Galaxy did below:
We know these kinds of teams don’t usually make these mistakes, but when they do, the opponents need to make a profit out of them. That’s what the Timbers didn’t do, and the Galaxy made them pay for it.
