Author: Melina Gaspar

I like pizza, fútbol and beer.

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 1, Minnesota United 2

Post author By Melina Gaspar
Post date May 25, 2024

Photo: Kris Lattimore

A new loss hit Portland. Although the Portland Timbers scored first, Minnesota United turned the tables in the second half.

It was encouraging to see the Timbers going into halftime winning. The feeling that they were going to concede just before the end of the first 45’ was looming in the air, but they held on.

Individual mistakes

For the umpteenth time, the team wasted clear opportunities to extend the lead. And again, they made individual defensive errors that cost them the match.

Granted, this was their third game in the span of one week, but after the win against San Jose, this was a major setback.

“We have been massively, massively let down by individual errors defensively,” said head coach Phil Neville after the game.

The Timbers’ defensive errors were noticeable even before they opened the counter. After beating Miguel Araujo with a nutmeg, the defense couldn’t stop a diagonal back pass from Joseph Rosales, and nobody was marking Teemu Pukki, who was standing inside the box. Hence, the shot (although it was off-frame).

Image: MLS / Apple TV

To add more, the Timbers had to be grateful VAR didn’t grant a clear penalty against them after Kamal Miller fouled Bongokuhle Hlongwane.

Even though Minnesota was pushing the Timbers against their own goal and generating chances, the visitors scored first. Dario Župarić saw Felipe Mora and Jonathan Rodríguez among the host’s backline and tried to pass the ball to the gap Minnesota left in the middle (as you can appreciate in the capture below).

Image: MLS / Apple TV

The pass was blocked, but David Ayala was around, and he rushed to recover that ball and finish the job. He got there before any ‘loon’ and sent a through pass to Rodríguez, who finished with a diagonal shot.

Three goals in two games? Not too shabby for the Uruguayan.

Image: MLS / Apple TV

When half an hour passed, Portland was playing on their side of the field to defend the lead, and occasionally they’d send a long ball to one of their wingers to produce a counterattack. In the 39th minute, Cristhian Paredes did this. Juan David Mosquera ran toward goal, but goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair prevailed in that one-vs-one.

To his credit, St. Clair won all his one-vs-ones against the Timbers like a boss. It was an amazing thing to witness. And the only time he didn’t, the woodwork helped him.

Another one-vs-one happened at the beginning of the second half after a bad back pass that Rodríguez ended up controlling. He tried to chip the goalkeeper, who came out 40 yards away from his line, but St. Clair made an incredible save with his head.

The Timbers also suffered from bad luck. Mora could’ve doubled the lead, but the crossbar denied him. And even though he argued one of the defenders pushed him, VAR didn’t concede the penalty.

Parking the bus

“We scored the first goal, we then set off and didn’t play our football like we said,” Neville said. “We dropped off too deep, we stopped playing balls and started to play balls long, and we put ourselves in the pressure.”

The second half was mostly Portland’s 10 players defending the short lead. Only Rodríguez was near the midfield to be on the receiving end of long passes and then go in a one-vs-one with the goalkeeper. Sadly, that plan didn’t work much, and the Timbers didn’t have many chances in the second half.

As a result, Minnesota did what they couldn’t do in the first 45 minutes. Teemu Pukki got rid of Župarić and passed the ball to Joseph Rosales. David Ayala was marking Robin Lod but lost him, and Lod put the ball in the back of the net.

It was the nightfall for the Timbers. After that, they suffered a big scare when the referee awarded the host a penalty kick, but VAR overturned the decision.

Things didn’t improve for the visitors. Ten minutes later, Sang-bin scored the winning goal. In the image below we can see him unmarked at the top of the box. Araujo stayed close to him but as soon as he saw Taylor getting inside the box he forgot about Jeong Sang-bin. The South Korean held his run, so he was very much open to receiving that pass and finish.

Image: MLS / Apple TV

The match was long, and with 10 minutes of stoppage time added, Portland had time to search for the equalizer. It looked as if they were going to make it—especially after Miguel Tapias was sent off for a dumb foul away from his box. The Timbers put the hosts against the wall, but in the end, they held and they had to go home without a point.

If we talk about the substitutions, they didn’t make much of a difference. Mora was clearly angry to be subbed off when the clock hit the hour mark, and his complaining pissed the referee off. As a punishment, the ref made the Timbers play with one man down for more than one minute by not letting Eric Miller come in for Mora.

The coach made more substitutions but no one was impactful enough. He then put in another attacking player—Antony—and things improved a little but not enough to find the equalizer.

Three-back

Neville decided to stick with a three-back formation just like he did in the match against San Jose. This time, he put Araujo in instead of Larrys Mabiala, and he moved Župarić from the right to the middle.

In defensive phase, Ayala and Mosquera dropped to help, although the entire team tried to show solidarity and help with defense. This is shown below, where we can see a line of six players defending.

Image: MLS / Apple TV

Although Portland lost, the three-back formation worked well, and we can’t put the blame on that for the loss. If there’s something Neville has shown, it is that he’s not afraid to try new things. It’s just like K. Miller said: “I think we’re just in a position where we’d like to try to find something that works.”

That’s what Neville has been doing, and not just with the defense.

Three-back, four-back… at this point, it doesn’t matter. Neville hasn’t been able to find the key to fix the individual defensive mistakes, and he knows that’s on him. It’s a real puzzler and more so when we think about the regression some of Portland’s former starters suffered, such as Zac McGraw.

Another loss sucks but there are some positives about the next game against Sporting KC: It’s going to be played at home, the Timbers already played them and got a draw, and they’re one point away from being at the bottom of the table. It’s a pretty winnable match—or so it looks like. We’ll see.

Tags Jonathan Rodríguez, Miguel Araujo, Portland TImbers

Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 0, Charlotte FC 2

Post author By Melina Gaspar
Post date May 9, 2024

Photo: Kris Lattimore.

The Portland Timbers collected another loss Saturday in a hard-to-watch game.

The Timbers continued their quest on the road, this time against Charlotte FC. The Eastern team is not the brightest in that conference, but Portland had a flat match with almost no chances on goal.

Both teams finished with only three shots on goal, but the hosts got 14 chances to test goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, while the Timbers only had six shots total.

A Portland team without Evander is something that is not pretty at all. The Timbers also had to play without Diego Chará, which contributed to the poor final product on the field.

Passing sideways

Eryk Williamson, Cristhian Paredes, and David Ayala were tasked with distributing the ball, but their ball distribution was not the best, to say the least. When we see the maps below, we can see how most of their passes were sideways, and they failed to progress the ball properly, contributing to the lack of opportunities the Timbers had in the final third.

Passes by Williamson, Paredes, and Ayala. Via Opta.

Six shots are not enough, and we know the Timbers have had a hard time being clinical.

Due to the absence of Evander—or any other true playmaker—Felipe Mora had another very quiet game. The balls weren’t getting to his feet, and he finished his shift with zero shots, six passes, and only one touch inside the box.

Passes by Felipe Mora. Source: Opta.

Portland’s new designated player, Jonathan Rodríguez, was on the field, but couldn’t put his name on the scoreboard like he had against LAFC. He could’ve scored at the end of the first half; Charlotte’s goalkeeper gifted the ball inside his box, but Rodríguez failed to make a simple finish that could’ve changed the whole dynamic of the game.

Rodríguez’s performance in this match was disappointing. He has been hired to score goals, and in matches like this one, he needs to get his hands dirty and show why he’s Portland’s biggest signing this year.

That was ’embarrassing’

“The two goals we gave away again were embarrassing,” Timbers head coach Phil Neville said. “Things have to change and change very quickly because if they don’t, we’re in trouble.”

The thing is, the Timbers are already in trouble and have been for some time now. They haven’t won in almost two months and have conceded goals like crazy. It looks as if every Portland opponent has gotten a check with at least two goals in their favor before every game, no matter who the Timbers play.

And Neville was right about how embarrassing the goals were. Even before the second half started, Portland was getting roasted in defense. Kamal Miller couldn’t suit up due to illness, so Zac McGraw started in his place. According to Opta, McGraw finished the match with eight clearances, four blocks, five recoveries, three duels won, three duels lost and one foul won. That’s not exactly impressive, but in the end, they’re just cold numbers.

However, when we combine those stats with what we saw from him… Well, we can say he’s not in the same form we saw last season.

It was a miracle the Timbers went to halftime without having conceded. (Though VAR saved Portland from conceding a penalty kick at the end of the first half.)

Nonetheless, the parity in the score didn’t last long. In the 54th minute, Nikola Petković left McGraw and the rest of the defense behind.

Source: Apple TV / MLS

“Embarrassing” indeed.

It didn’t help was that Miguel Araujo had to be subbed off at the end of the first half, and Dario Župarić replaced him. Araujo didn’t have an excellent performance. but he did well and covered for some of his teammates’ mistakes. Putting a centerback who has been surrounded by rumors on the field maybe was not the best, but Neville didn’t have much of a choice with Kamal Miller unavailable.

A week set aside

After three games on the road and only one out of nine possible points collected, Portland is finally going home. On Sunday, they’re going to play a very important match—not only for the rivalry but because the team will have a new chance to collect three points again. Their fans will play a very important part in this match, and the Timbers must use them to the team’s advantage.

By this point, the fans are disappointed but keep waiting for a convincing performance from their team. This rivalry match is the perfect opportunity to make them happy again—and to give them a reason to regain confidence. After all, the reality between these two teams is pretty similar. Portland sits 12th in the table with 10 points, and Seattle has the same number of points, although they’re 11th. The big difference between these two? The number of goals conceded. The Timbers have conceded 10 more goals than Seattle but have also scored seven more.

It should be an even match, one where the midfield can make the difference. No doubt the best news Portland(ia) received this week was Adam Susman’s report that everybody was fit and good to go against Seattle, including Evander and K. Miller.

Hopefully, Sunday will be a turning point in the season.

Tags charlotte fc, Phil Neville, Portland TImbers

Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 2, LAFC 3

Post author By Melina Gaspar
Post date May 3, 2024

Photo by Kris Lattimore.

Not even a point. The Portland Timbers fell 3-2 at BMO Stadium on Saturday.

Portland was disappointing to watch once again. They conceded two goals to Los Angeles FC, which made them chase the match as they have countless times this season.

Can’t stop conceding

“We cannot keep giving teams a two-nil [lead] and expect to win games of football,” Timbers head coach Phil Neville said after the match. “It’s unacceptable, it’s on me. We need to fix it, and we need to fix it quickly.

“We are so close to being a good team if we learn that one bit. If we don’t learn that one bit, it will be a long season.”

And Portland’s coach couldn’t be more on point. The Timbers have shown so much potential—not only this season, but we could see glances of what they were capable of last year. It’s a shame, though, that they keep making the same defensive mistakes. And Neville is once right, too, that it’s on him—and on previous Portland coaches. You don’t wake up one day and become terrible in defense. This problem has a history.

The Timbers remain in second place for most goals against in MLS this season, reaching 21 in the match against LAFC. On the flipside, they’ve scored the second most goals of any team in the Western Conference. Is that enough for this club?

“We’ve been receiving a lot of plaudits for the way we attack,” Neville said. “To be honest, right after the game on Saturday, the first thing I thought about was, ‘I’m getting fed up with that.’ I want people to praise us for winning games of football, not playing well and losing.”

By winning Saturday’s match, LAFC inclined the scale in their favor, since the California side has only won three of their last 11 regular season matches against the Timbers. Nonetheless, LA seemed the stronger side going to this game, since they were unbeaten in eight straight home games and, just like the Timbers, had scored multiple goals in seven of those eight matches.

What fullbacks?

LAFC found themselves very comfortable in Portland’s wings, especially in the left. Denis Bouanga, Mateusz Bogusz, Eduard Atuesta, and Ryan Hollingshead found space and time to do as they pleased.

Timbers Miguel Araujo and Juan David Mosquera had a complicated night, which helped the home team find their way to open the score. Mosquera was caught ball-watching, completely unaware of Bouanga until too late. As a consequence, Araujo had tried to stop Bouanga but couldn’t. The LAFC attacker crossed the ball, and Kamal Miller ended up pushing into the back of his own net.

Capture: MLS / Apple TV

Portland wasn’t having a good first half. LA’s wingers were killing them, and if not for some lucky offsides, the match would’ve gotten very ugly very early. But even so, scoring an own-goal hurt a lot. Friendly fire is always hard to deal with, and if we add another goal against just seconds before halftime… well, let’s say it was a hard pill to swallow.

It feels like the Timbers are under a lot of self-imposed pressure to not concede, and that’s playing against them; it’s messing with their heads instead of making them play with a chip on their shoulder to prove everybody wrong.

Diego Chará’s Series of Unfortunate Events

On the day when Portland’s iconic captain, Diego Chará, became the player with the most appearances for a single club in MLS history, everything went south for him.

Not only could he not enjoy the special day with his fans in Portland, but he collected a loss. And he he, in his good old-fashioned way, collected a yellow in the 72nd minute.

One minute later, Santiago Moreno scored the equalizer for Portland, and two minutes later, Maxime Chanot received a yellow for a foul on Chará. Then, Chará received his second yellow, when, after being dispossessed by Atuesta, he fouled the LAFC midfielder trying to recover the ball in the 76th minute.

As a result, Cristhian Paredes had to come into the match for Felipe Mora, who had a quiet game. The absence of Evander harmed Mora, since he wasn’t fed with as many balls as needed.

LAFC grew after Chará’s send-off, and goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau had to intervene many times to keep Portland in the game.

Outside of the box

Due to Evander’s absence, the game’s fluidity wasn’t there. Portland’s goals weren’t as fancy as they have been.

However, it was good to see Jonathan Rodríguez finding the back of the net again for Portland’s first goal of the evening. He showed great technique in his tally and was the Timber with the most shots in this game, with six (two blocked, two off target, and two on target).

It was also good to see that the Timbers had some luck in this game. If it wasn’t for a deflection, Santiago Moreno’s goal—Portland’s second—wouldn’t have happened.

It was a shame the Timbers couldn’t get at least a point. Bouanga’s confidence was high after scoring not only a brace in the previous game against LA Galaxy but also the equalizer in stoppage time.

The Timbers showed they have problems defending second balls, and Bouanga took advantage of that when he showed up completely unmarked after Crépeau stopped a header and the defense couldn’t clear it. The striker shot a diagonal ball that hit the far post and got in. As a result, Bouanga scored the winning goal in stoppage time again and left Portland empty-handed.

The Timbers will continue their string of road games against Charlotte when they play at Bank of America Stadium May 4 at 4:30 p.m. PT.

Tags Diego Chara, LAFC, MLS, Phil Neville, Portland TImbers

Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Columbus Crew 2, Portland Timbers 2

Post author By Melina Gaspar
Post date April 25, 2024

Photo: Kris Lattimore

The Timbers got their third draw in a row Saturday, this time against the Columbus Crew. It was a more rounded performance for Portland, but a Steven Moreira screamer tied the game and forced the spoils to be divided.

Has Portland found their new centerbacks?

It’s not news that Portland’s defense has been struggling for more than a year. Last season, Zac McGraw showed a lot of growth in the centerback position, which cemented his spot on the team and helped him to get a call from the Canadian national team.

This year, he hasn’t had the best of performances in, and then an injury sidelined him from the last two games.

Dario Župarić, on the other hand, has been surrounded by rumors that he has requested a trade and has missed training due to personal reasons.

Župarić and and McGraw’s unavailability forced Timbers head coach Phil Neville to make changes in the defense, and changes to Portland’s backline look like they have been for the best. Neville put Kamal Miller and Miguel Araujo as the new centerback pair, and despite the newness of this, it seems to be working out.

However, there’s a lot of work to do. In the screen capture below, we can see one of the reasons why Portland let the Crew get 24 shots off . A huge space between the centerbacks allowed Cucho Hernández space to run through the middle and receive a pass that would, seconds later, finish with a goal. VAR intervened, and it was disallowed in the end, but it was a very close call.

Image via MLS/Apple TV.

And it happened again in the 44th minute, this time with Cucho onside and in a one-vs-one with Timbers goalkeeper James Pantemis. However this time the keeper came off his line in time and closed his shooting angle, which helped the defense clear the ball in time. You might argue that Pantemis should’ve kept that ball, but let’s look at the bright side and be grateful that it didn’t end in a goal.

Image via MLS/Apple TV.

While the new centerback pair needs time to work as a well-oiled machine, but the raw material is there. Let’s see if Neville gives McGraw another chance to start in the next game or if he’s committed to the Miller and Araujo partnership.

A goal-scoring machine and the holes in defense

We have already gone over how Portland’s defense has not been on-point, although the team is working on it. The Timbers are the second team with the most goals scored against them in the West Conference with 18, only behind San Jose with 24.

However, Portland has also been a goal-scoring machine. So far, they have registered 18 goals, making them the team with the second-most goals scored, only behind the LA Galaxy, who sit at the top of the table. The Vancouver Whitecaps, second in the table, have tallied 17 goals so far.

Portland’s second goal against Columbus was the product of beautiful teamwork and a demonstration of the beautiful soccer we have caught glimpses of the Timbers playing in moments of the game. However, knowing the defensive problems, every player should be committed to helping the backline.

In the screen capture below, we can see Evander has dropped to “help” with the defense, but it would’ve been the same if he hadn’t been there at all. The playmaker just stayed there, watching Diego Rossi get inside the box, receive a pass, and make the assist for Cucho.

“On your left.” Image via MLS/Apple TV.

And then suddenly we have too many opponents unmarked inside the box and nobody is marking Cucho at the top of the box. Portland’s defensive line realized the striker was unmarked too late, and when he received the ball, the damage was already done.

Image via MLS/Apple TV.

In the capture below, we can see Cucho once again wandering at the top of the box, and no one is paying attention to him. This leads to Diego Chará having to wrestle with him once he gets in possession of the ball inside the 18-yard box. The Timbers were lucky the referee didn’t award Columbus a penalty kick.

Image: MLS/ Apple TV

Eryk Williamson had the job done

Neville has been alternating between a 4-4-2 and a 4-2-3-1 formation in possession while trying to see what works best for Portland. It’s good that he hasn’t settled for just one formation, since it gives some flexibility to the team.

In his search for what best suits the team, Neville has used a midfield double-pivot when in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Chará and Cristhian Paredes occupying those positions.

Chará has been the unmovable piece in that space, except in the draw against Sporting KC, when Neville used Paredes and David Ayala, and Eryk Williamson came to the field in minute 96’. Williamson has been gaining consistent minutes after the game against the Houston Dynamo, and he started in the match against Columbus.

In Saturday’s game, Williamson made 12 passes, had 66.7% passing accuracy (70% in the opponent’s half), and won three duels and lost six. Compared to Paredes and Ayala, the ball hasn’t passed through Williamson’s feet his feet as much, but he’s been used mostly as an attacking player. No wonder he registered one chance created, one shot on target, and one assist against Columbus.

The double-pivot has allowed Williamson to go up while Chará has been staying back as usual. In this lineup, Evander drops deeper than Williamson, which explains why the ball is not going through Williamson’s feet as much.

Going forward, it’d be good for the Timbers to start Williamson if he’s available. He’s an attacking-minded player, and since the defensive issues are going to take some time to be fixed, Portland needs goals to keep compensating for their lack of defensive awareness.

The introduction of Paredes to the game didn’t bring much to this match, to be honest; Neville still needs to figure out where he can create the most impact.

Congrats, Diego Chará!

The Colombian is a city-wide treasure at this point, and nobody would dare to argue that. Most recently, he gave the fans another reason to build his statue outside Providence Park, when he tied Chris Wondolowski for the most MLS regular season games played with one club in league history.

Image via MLS.

What lies ahead

The Timbers have another tough test on the road, this time against LAFC. After three draws, it’s time to see if they can get three points. It will be difficult, but if they keep working like they did against Columbus and the coach can keep tweaking the defense, they might be able to get the win.

Tags Diego Chara, Eryk Williamson

Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 3, Sporting KC 3

Post author By Melina Gaspar
Post date April 12, 2024

Photo: Kris Lattimore

After three consecutive losses, the Portland Timbers finally got a point on the road against Sporting KC on Sunday.

The Timbers proved once more that they’re perfectly capable of scoring goals and getting a result. However, they also proved once again they like to shoot themselves in the feet.

When it rains, it pours

Not only did the Timbers have a terrible first half, but they also had bad luck. Portland wasn’t playing poorly at the beginning of the match, but KC’s fortuitous 13th-minute goal was like a bucket of cold water that sent the team into a spiral, and the home team smelled the blood in the water.

In the 19th minute, Sporting’s forwards counter-pressed near the visitor’s box, and it led to a shot that was just inches off target.

The Timbers’ shambolic defense made another appearance about half an hour into the match. Four players were too focused on William Agada and completely forgot about Dániel Sallói. As a result, the KC No. 10 had all the time and space to receive a pass and shoot.

Image: MLS

Portland was surely grateful that goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau protected his near post well—and that Sallói shot off target. However, this led to a corner, where Crépeau was beaten by Daniel Rosero when trying to make a clearance, putting Sporting up 2-0.

What is more, Juan David Mosquera and Miguel Araujo weren’t complementing well, and space on the left half was a highway for Portland’s opponents.

No wonder Timbers head coach Phil Neville decided to make a change in his backline at halftime—just like he did against Vancouver. He subbed out Mosquera and moved Eric Miller to the right, and Claudio Bravo came in and occupied the left.

It remains unclear what the Timbers were doing in the third goal KC scored on them, but it’s safe to say that they looked like complete amateurs, and the coach had enough.

Source: Twitter

Leveling the score

By now, coach Neville’s halftime speeches must be something worth listening to if they can make the team turn 180° in less than 15 minutes.

Even so, the second 45 could’ve started with disaster, when Agada beat Araujo and almost scored KC’s fourth goal. The Peruvian recovered and prevented what could’ve thwarted Portland’s plans to revert the score in their favor.

We could see the change in attitude early in the half, with the Timbers pressing high and trying to occupy Sporting’s side of the field.

A new disaster loomed on the horizon, though, when in minute 59’, Claudio Bravo fouled Erik Thommy inside the box, and the referee awarded a penalty kick. In play that led to this defensive mistake, Portland left way too much space in between their lines, which helped KC move the ball freely and get to the Timbers’ box in only six passes.

Luckily for the visitors, Agada shot a terrible penalty that went out of bounds. KC’s mood fell after that. Only one minute later, Tim Leibold fouled Felipe Mora inside the box, and the Timbers were awarded a penalty. Finally, a Timber had the chance to step up to the penalty spot. It was Evander who buried the ball in the back of the net and put Portland in the game.

Felipe Mora

Portland was encouraged by Evander’s goal and immediately looked for another. The Timbers stayed wide, and that helped Antony receive the ball and then send the cross that helped Portland to score their second. Sporting did an awful job positioning defensively inside their box, which we can see in the screen capture below. KC left at least three Portland players very open to be recipients of Jonathan Rodríguez’s assist. One of those players was Felipe Mora.

The Chilean forward has been on a mission since he came back from injury. His goal in this game puts him at two goals and one assist in two matches.

Image: MLS

Another important detail: Rodríguez on that left wing did some serious damage, and the Timbers recognized crosses to that side were causing problems for KC.

Antony’s magic

A lot has been said about Evander, and rightly so, but his countryman proved in this game that he can do a lot of damage on the right wing with his crossing and dribbling abilities.

He not only got fouled and earned the free kick that led to Portland’s equalizer, but he sent the cross to the box that Rodríguez headed to Eric Miller’s finish.

Antony has proved in this game that he can certainly make a difference in the team and influence the outcome of a match. No wonder his coach has such high expectations for him.

Source: Twitter

The team was certainly relieved to stop accumulating losses, and after two matches on the road, it’s time to go home. Will Portland be able to play for 90 minutes instead of just 45 and get a win against LAFC next Saturday?

We certainly hope so, since they’ve showed they have the tools for it.

Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 2, Vancouver Whitecaps 3

Post author By Melina Gaspar
Post date April 5, 2024

Photo: Kris Lattimore

The fun is over. The Portland Timbers are officially just as frustrating as they were last season.

Just when we thought Portland did a 180° turn… the last three games were as if reality slapped fans in the face.

“Unacceptable”

In the first Cascadia derby match of the year, Timbers head coach Phil Neville’s squad went down 0-1 only 90 seconds into the match. “I felt that the first 30 minutes were totally unacceptable for a derby game,” Neville said. “You don’t start a derby game like that, going down in the first 90 seconds.”

It’s the same old story: The Timbers look like a world-class team one minute and then look like clowns the next.

On the flipside, the first goal Portland scored was stunning. It’s an example of how the Timbers can play in every game. Those guys have a nag for shooting themselves in the foot, and they showed that outstanding ability again in this game.

Look at the buildup: Cristhian Paredes not only occupied the half space well, but Jonathan Rodríguez did well distracting defenders, which helped Evander stay unmarked at the edge of the box. The positioning also gave Evander enough space and time to produce a world-class finish, one that was almost impossible to stop.

So, the question is: How can the Timbers look that good and then play like complete amateurs?

“You can’t […] concede three goals and expect to win games“

We’ll rephrase coach Neville and point out the way those three goals were scored. Of course, the Vancouver Whitecaps deserve some recognition for finishing them, but we cannot help but think the Timbers contribute a lot to those goals. Heck, they should even get part of the expected goal credit!

In the first one, Ryan Gauld entered the box through the half-space, while Diego Chará failed to track him. Then, Zac McGraw couldn’t clear the ball, and the rebound fell to Gauld’s feet. The forward finished with a shot to the near post that beat Maxime Crépeau.

It didn’t take the Whitecaps much hassle—only four passes on the right wing, in fact—to get to the Timbers’ box for the second goal. Well, that and McGraw’s backheel assist.

For the third… well, Crépeau couldn’t hold the ball, and then Portland’s entire defense forgot to watch their backs, making it too easy for Ryan Raposo to get into the box and hit that ball home.

So, if we rephrase the coach, we would say, “You can’t […] concede three goals in that way and expect to win games.”

Do they know how to build from the back?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but many times it looked as if the Timbers didn’t have a clue about what to do with the ball when trying to build from the back. When Crépeau sent the ball to his centerbacks instead of sending a long pass, the defenders moved the ball here and there, but they had serious issues with the progressive phase.

Actually, that’s what led to Vancouver’s second goal. If we rewatch the tape, we’ll see that after six passes, McGraw tried to send the ball to the midfield where Rodríguez was, but it was blocked. Vancouver took advantage of the interception to regain possession, switched the point of attack, and ended up scoring.

We know the Timbers have more often than not played direct in the past and felt more comfortable being in the back seat regarding possession. They’re used to forcing errors and then going fast in counterattacks. But in this match, it was different.

Vancouver let Portland press in the final 20 minutes of the first half, and then the Timbers took the main seat in the second half. Evander grew exponentially—and he was everywhere, scoring and assisting.

They were things of beauty, his finish and his assist. But no magic designated player can save a team that has serious lapses in defense. As we already established, the three goals scored by Vancouver were preventable if Portland’s defense had stayed organized. And as long as the Timbers can’t get their defense together, no designated player will save them.

Going back to build up, the Timbers need to learn to feel comfortable with their ball at their feet. They need to learn how to build from the back and use the midfield properly. It is true that Chará might not be the same as he has been in seasons past—age is taking its toll—but the team has a true creator in Evander, and Santiago Moreno can be his partner in crime in that midfield.

Speaking of Moreno, he needs to get his act together. He did well against Vancouver, staying high to steal balls and always staying connected to the game, but he needs to connect better with his teammates in the attack to make chances count.

The Timbers will play again on Sunday, this time against Sporting KC. If they want to get at least a point on the road, they need to stop gifting the ball to their opponents, and they need to stop doing that in dangerous positions.

It finally looks as if the attack won’t be a problem this season, but who cares if the team can score beautiful goals if the coach has to sub one of the centerbacks out at halftime due to a very poor performance among other serious defensive problems?

Tags evander, Felipe Mora

Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 0, Houston Dynamo 1

Post author By Melina Gaspar
Post date March 20, 2024

Santiago Moreno. Photo: Matthew Wolfe

On Saturday, the Timbers picked up their first loss of the season against the Houston Dynamo.

It was the second game on the road for Portland, after traveling to NYC where a team effort turned the tables around and they picked up the three points. In this match, the Timbers went down first again, but there was no moment of brilliance from any of the players to collect at least a point.

Outperforming Houston

Although the team lost, the stats don’t lie. They don’t tell the whole story, but numbers are important. And what do they say? They say Portland was superior on shots (16 to Houston’s nine), shots on target (four versus the Dynamo’s three), and corners (again, four to the home side’s three).

Possession was not on Portland’s side, but that is less relevant. At the end of the day, it’s not as if the Timbers couldn’t generate opportunities due to a lack of the ball at their feet. Houston even let Portland play inside their box many times, as we can see in the touch maps below.

Touch maps (Opta)

So, what happened? Houston took one of their few chances, and Portland didn’t. That, added to a miscommunication between Juan David Mosquera and goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, gave the Dynamo the win they needed at home.

The Brazilians

As much as we praised Evander and Antony’s performances against NYC, we have to be honest now.

It’s beginning to look like 2023 again, when Evander was hot in one game and cold in another. That raised many eyebrows among fans, asking themselves if he was worthy of his Designated Player status. After a great performance last week, he had an off night again—as did Antony. Both missed two clear chances that could’ve changed the outcome of this match in the second half.

Leaving those missed chances aside, Evander registered no shots on target, while Antony registered only one. Still, Evander did well in one-on-one situations, with six duels won and four lost, while Antonylost eight and only won one.

In the following video, we can a very nice play constructed by the Timbers. But in the end, Antony decides to cut inside, and the defender reads his intention by a mile and stops him.

Last but not least, Evander did well in winning four fouls, two of them being near the box, which gave Portland dangerous free kicks. Too bad the Brazilian’s aim wasn’t on point that night.

Diego Chará’s match

It is safe to say that Diego Chará usually has solid performances in the MLS, and this time it wasn’t the exception.

In the clip below, we can see the Colombian performing his defensive duties and immediately setting the team to launch an attack. His incisive through passes were always difficult for Houston to read. Too bad the team couldn’t finish the looks Chará helped to orchestrate.

Promising attacks

Despite the loss, the Timbers had their moments of beautiful ball movement, progressing the ball from the initial third to the final third. Houston didn’t have a capable midfield to stop Portland, and the team should’ve taken advantage of that. In the end, a lack of aim and the Timbers’ overall indecision when finishing let the home team come out victorious.

In the clip above, we can see how Santiago Moreno is very close to scoring a golazo. Evander’s key backheel pass is world-class; what a goal it would’ve been if Moreno had bent that ball just some inches more!

Despite the loss, the way the Timbers played can give the fans—and themselves—the assurance that this was just a stumbled stone on the road. And they can bounce back against Philadelphia at home.

Soccer Thorns

Dissecting the Draft

Post author By Melina Gaspar
Post date March 13, 2024

Payton Linnehan. Photo courtesy of Penn State athletics.

On Jan. 12, the Portland Thorns’ coaching staff picked five new college players from the 2024 NWSL Draft. As of right now, three of them—Payton Linnehan, Olivia Wade-Katoa, and Kat Asman—have signed with the club for the 2024 season.

So, let’s get to know this year’s picks a little better and see how they can potentially help the team this season to stay competitive and win some silverware.

Payton Linnehan (forward, 11th overall pick)

Portland’s first-round pick certainly has fans excited to see her in action. This is only logical, since she has not only has played with Thorns midfielder Sam Coffey, but she also helped her school win the Big Ten Tournament Championship in 2019 and 2022.

Linnehan’s certainly fun to watch. The winger is very good at dribbling, with the ability to leave more than one opponent behind or get out of difficult situations when she’s double- or triple-marked.

Her work in tight spaces is great, and she can be unpredictable by fooling the opponent with just one touch. She might not be as fast as a forward like Morgan Weaver, but her dribbling abilities compensate for this. Linnehan has shown that she not only feels comfortable going on the right wing but also through the middle.

The already-existing connection with Coffey, as well as her dribbling abilities makes Linnehan a potential Rookie of the Year in this 2024 NWSL season. Portland has always been able to rely on their Penn State players; let’s hope Linnehan continues that trend.

Olivia Wade-Katoa (midfielder, 23rd overall pick)

Ahead of the draft, the Brigham Young University midfielder appeared on the NWSL Prospect Profiles—and rightly so. Wade-Katoa proved to be a game-changer in her time in college over and over again, notably scoring in BYU’s historic comeback against the University of North Carolina Tar Heels in the 2023 NCAA quarter-finals.

As a midfielder, of course, Wade-Katoa’s position on the field is behind the line of attack. But, interestingly, she always holds her runs, and unless there’s a corner, she stays put in the top of the box.

Her duties as a midfielder for BYU weren’t always to distribute the ball; usually, her work was without the ball. She would stay centrally and wait for her opportunity to arise. Wade-Katoa’s opponents recognized how dangerous she was. As soon as she got the ball on her feet, she would be double- or tripled-marked or would be fouled near the box.

The midfielder doesn’t need many touches or many opportunities to make her shots count, and that’s how she helped BYU to reach an NCAA semifinal last year.

Kelsey Kaufusi (defender, 25th overall pick)

Portland’s first ever draftee from Utah State is also the only defender they selected this year. Kaufusi is an interesting pick. Her natural position in college was right center-back, and she has a variety of qualities that make her an interesting prospect now that Emily Menges is gone.

Although Kaufusi,’s aerial presence is notable, as is her passing range, two other qualities stand out the most. That’s her speed and her passing precision.

Kaufusi can sprint almost 22 yards just under three seconds and 44 yards about five seconds. That feature of her game helped Minnesota many times when school’s defensive shape wasn’t the best in counterattacks.

Kaufusi will remind fans of Menges when it comes to speed, with the former Thorns center-back having saved Portland countless times in that manner.

Kaufusi’s long-passing range precision earned her the nickname “Coast to Coast Kaufusi” from Equal Time Soccer’s Matt Privratsky. And the title suits her perfectly. In this regard, fans will see that she can be likened to a player like Kelli Hubly.

Kat Asman (goalkeeper, 39th overall pick)

Out of all the picks, this was an unexpected one. Knowing Portland already had three goalkeepers, everybody thought there was no need for a fourth. But little did we know that starting goalkeeper Bella Bixby had a surprise for the Thorns’ world—a surprise she announced one day after the draft—which made fans understand why head coach Mike Norris selected a goalkeeper for the club.

Bella Bixby announced her pregnancy on social media. Image: Bella Bixby’s Twitter.

Make no mistake: Asman’s a certified wall between the pipes.

The Nittany Lion made herself a name while defending Penn State’s goal. “You’re gonna get absolutely nothing past her,” Penn State said to the Thorns after Asman was picked. “One of the greatest stories of growth and resilience in Penn State history. Portland, congratulations on drafting Katherine Asman, the best goalkeeper in America!”

Being a goalkeeper in the United States—and specifically in the NWSL—is hard because many of them are potential national team material. If there’s a position where there’s a vast number of options for the US, it’s in goal.

What about in Portland? Well, goalkeeper backup Shelby Hogan barely played last season. When she did, she did very well, but those performances still didn’t grant Hogan more significant minutes in the regular. When Norris decided to use her, it was maybe in the most important game of the year: the playoff semifinal. By then, Hogan hadn’t played in seven games, with the Challenge Cup match against OL Reign at the beginning of August being the last one she started in.

Third goalkeeper Lauren Kozal didn’t feature at all in the entire year. She sustained an injury in her knee last July, which made the club search for a temporary replacement.

Without Bixby, the logic points to Hogan getting the starting position this season. But Asman’s rookie status doesn’t entirely rule out her getting some minutes this year, since she will can battle for the backup goalkeeper position against Kozal, whose rookie year was hindered due to that injury.

Can Asman rise to the challenge? She proved her value in her time at Penn State, and her coach, Erica Dambach, has a high opinion of her. “Even as a young keeper, you could see her potential,” she said of Asman. “She’s brave and communicates well.”

Asman is not afraid to wait patiently until she’s game-ready. In college, she decided to redshirt her freshman year, and she saw the field as a redshirt sophomore in just five games. The goalie later said that was one of the best decisions she ever made because it helped her to develop as a person and understand what it really means to play soccer at a Division 1 level for the Nittany Lions and to be part of a family.

According to her coach, it was in Asman’s penultimate season when she realized she could really affect the outcome of a game. Dambach praised Asman’s consistency and steadiness, as well as the big saves she made to help her team win matches.

Asman is no stranger to winning silverware, having won the championship with Penn State in 2022. In the process, she collected individual recognition: she was named Big Ten Soccer All-Tournament and Defensive Player of the Year. Not only did she make history, but helped her team to do so as well.

Now that goalkeeper coach Nadine Angerer is gone from Portland, there’s this fear that the goalkeeper position will not be as good as it used to be. It is comforting to remember that Hogan has spent three years being coached by the German and can therefore pass all that knowledge to Asman. And although Bixby won’t suit up for matches, she is used to coaching young generations and will be sure to pass her knowledge to the younger keepers.

Katie Duong (midfielder, 53rd overall pick)

Given the success of Stanford’s women’s soccer program, it’s kind of impossible not to get excited about the addition of Cardinal Duong to the team.

Duong was a necessary pick. Portland’s midfield is composed mostly of players that have national team duties, and when they’re gone for FIFA windows, the team suffers because of it.

The Stanford graduate is great with quick short passes, which helped her team to get out of pressure and move the ball forward.

Duong is also very good with passing precision, distributing the ball from the midfield to the wingers. She never disengages from the play, which allows her to win rebounds and second balls. She’s not afraid to shoot from outside the box—although her aim could be better.

When it comes to defending, Duong tends to anticipate her rivals to recover the ball. Once she does, she scans the field to see which teammate is available to receive quick pass to start an attack or to make a key pass.

Tags kat asman, katie duong, kelsey kaufusi, NWSL, NWSL draft, olivia wade-katoa, payton linnehan, Portland Thorns

Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 2, NYC FC 1

Post author By Melina Gaspar
Post date March 12, 2024

Photo by Matthew Wolfe.

The Portland Timbers hit the road to play NYC FC on Saturday afternoon, and after a great second half, they flipped the score in their favor and got the three points.

The Timbers arrived at this match with one win and one draw on the season, and they showed some positive things on the field that were absent in 2023—with the highlight being a better end product in the final third.

A change in the lineup

Due to Eryk Williamson’s absence, head coach Phil Neville started Evander, who supposedly couldn’t go 90 but finished the game on the field as a hero. The rest of the lineup remained the same as last game’s against D. C. United.

“He probably should’ve played 60 minutes maximum coming back from injury,” Neville said of Evander after the match. “He didn’t want to come off; he could smell the game was there for him. He was enjoying his football, and in this league, you are going to suffer adversity away from home, and it’s how you deal with that.”

Not a very good first half

The game didn’t start in the best way for the Timbers. After a corner that Portland never could clear, the marking in the box was a mess, and the post helped Santiago Rodríguez to open the score for the home team. The early goal against in the 10th minute made them lose all their nonchalance, leading them to make bad decisions when passing the ball.

After that, the defense looked shaky, with Zac McGraw not having the best time. Five minutes later he lost the mark of one of NYC’s wingers. Timbers goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau came up big and stopped what could’ve been the second goal of the night for the Citizens. The left wing was a highway for NYC, and if it weren’t for their lack of aim and Crépeau’s timely interventions, Portland could’ve lost the match in only 45 minutes.

McGraw was beaten by his opponent on at least three occasions and didn’t look solid as usual. Still, he had the most duels won of all Portland’s defenders with eight, was second in passing accuracy with 88.2%, was first in tackles with four, second in clearances with seven, and tied with Eric Miller for two interceptions.

It took the Timbers half an hour to produce a nice build-up. At the beginning of the game, they were hasty and weren’t very assertive with their passes going forward. They chose to make long passes, which more often than not ended with a loss of possession in the midfield, helping New York attack Portland’s box over and over again.

In the following video, we can see the Timbers making 10 passes before deciding to go forward. Then, the progression phase is pretty fast, and they lost possession, but Diego Chará recovered it and made a key pass in the process, giving Antony the chance to shoot. Sadly, his finish was very amateur-like.

Although the home team kept controlling the ball and tempo in the first half, Portland started to show more patience after this good buildup.

(The above play also shows how NYC left some space in the right top of the box that the Timbers could exploit—and would in the second half when they found the equalizer.)

A different game, a different mentality

It was nice to see the players’ work ethic in the second half. Unlike the first half, Portland started to press NYC high and recover the ball on New York’s side of the field, near the box, over and over again. They collected second balls and rebounds, won duels, and therefore didn’t let the home team make counterattacks. Portland stopped them before they could cross the midfield, and in this way, kept the risk of NYC doubling the lead at bay.

It was also nice to see how the Timbers took matters into their own hands in the second half. The home team could barely touch the ball from minute 50 on, and if not for NYC’s disciplined defense, Portland could’ve gotten the equalizer sooner.

The plan worked just fine. On previous occasions, Portland had found some space on the right top of the box. Just watch how open Juan David Mosquera is, and how much time he has to send the ball to the box in the following video:

So, it wasn’t a shock when, after a second half of intense pressing, Evander opened up to the right, where Mosquera was above, and sent a low cross to the penalty spot where Antony was placed. The Brazilian beat the goalkeeper with a high shot, and the Timbers still had some minutes to try to turn the score in their favor.

The ball was clearly on the Timbers’ side, and they took advantage of it.

They didn’t give up, not even in the dying seconds of the game. And although it was indeed Evander’s magical right foot that beat goalkeeper Matt Freese, center back Kamal Miller deserves some recognition; he was the one who played smart and sent the precise aerial pass to Antony in the first place.

Then, the Brazilians worked their magic and produced the winning goal in the last minute of the game. A lot has been said about Portland’s next designated player, and the performance by Evander shows why it’s important for the club to sign one and soon. Those are usually the game-changers and the ones who can help a team to win matches.

“You saw the benefit of having a designated player with high quality and what happens when one person on the team shows quality and courage the rest take confidence from that, and that’s exactly what happened,” Neville said of Evander. “I thought his winning goal was just a reward for a brilliant performance.”

Evander’s distribution map. Source: Opta

What could’ve been a loss on the road ended with three points in the bag for Portland, thanks to this team performance, and ultimately, to the Brazilians on the team. Evander’s stoppage time screamer gave the visitors their second win in three games. And what is more, the Timbers are at the top of the table of the Western Conference.

I think it’s safe to say that it’s time to get excited about this team now.