Author: Melina Gaspar

I like pizza, fútbol and beer.

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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 0, Houston Dynamo 5

Credit: Matthew Wolfe
Credit: Matthew Wolfe

The Timbers traveled to Houston with the goal to do something different in this last part of the season and, hopefully, get some points.

Nonetheless, the game turned out to be a nightmare only 15 minutes into it.

Starting XI. Credit: Timbers FC
Starting XI. Credit: Timbers FC

The Portland Timbers went back to regular season action after playing in the Leagues Cup. Despite the results, the way they performed in the tournament gave fans hope again that they could have a better end of the season, and maybe push for a playoff spot.

Important absences contributed to the disaster

Without Diego Chará due to yellow card, suspension and without Zac McGraw due to an unspecified illness, Portland suffered defensively once again. Not only were they absent, but also Santiago Moreno and Marvin Loría. The defense looked sloppy, to say the least, and in some parts of the match, it looked nonexistent.

Only five minutes into the game, Claudio Bravo fouled Griffin Dorsey inside the box and Amine Bassi scored from the penalty spot.

After that, Houston kept sending through balls to their forwards that could’ve pretty much ended up in more goals. Not much time passed until the Dynamo scored its second of the night through Nelson Quiñones.

Houston’s third goal was unbelievable with Corey Baird going on a 1v1 with Ivačič after Adalberto Carrasquilla destabilized Portland’s defense with a backheel to Baird. Three goals in 14 minutes.

Things could’ve gotten so much worse at the 37th minute but the wood played for the Timbers when the ball hit the crossbar. But another goal was bound to happen and the Dynamo scored one more before halftime.

After the disaster that was the first half, Giovanni Savaresse changed almost 30% of the team at the start of the second half. One might say it worked because the Timbers stopped leaking so many goals but they didn’t improve enough to be near to scoring, let alone equalize this match.

Houston still had something left in the tank and after 60 minutes of soccer, they scored their fifth tally of the match through Brad Smith. 

Portland couldn’t catch a break in the entire game. The injuries ghost that has haunted the Timbers during the entire season appeared again. Jeroslaw Niezgoda entered the game in the 69th minute but he wasn’t going to stay on the field long. Only six minutes later he had to leave on a stretcher. This meant that the visitors played with one man down for the remainder of the match.

Claudio Bravo, we need to talk mister

Not to point fingers and look for a scapegoat but the performance of some of the Timbers in this game was truly disappointing. How did Claudio Bravo, as a fullback, manage to have zero tackles, zero clearances, zero blocked shots and zero interceptions? 

What is more, he looked as if he was bolted to the floor while Houston was attacking Aljaž Ivačič without merci. It is true that the entire backline did a lazy defending the entire night but Bravo’s attitude and the way he was – or wasn’t – doing his job are unacceptable.

No wonder why he was one of the four players the coach subbed off at halftime.

Bravo is just one example, but there are a lot of players that need to examine themselves and wonder if they’re giving their best to this team.

Who are the Timbers?

After this game it is fair to ask about the identity of this team. That question must be in every single fan’s mind, because Portland has shown multiple personalities this year.

Are they the fun team we saw in the Leagues Cup? Or are they the team that always can’t find the final pass? Are they the promising team that fights the entire match but ends up losing in the end? Or are they this pale version with no defensive skills whatsoever and no attack?

We don’t have the answer but one thing is sure: They’re not a reliable team and cannot score consistently even if their lives would depend on it.

“It was definitely a hard match. We need to be realistic: we played a horrible game tonight, and now we just need to look forward and focus on the next match,” said Cristhian Paredes after the game. He couldn’t have put it in better words.

The team had a lot of time to prepare for this match. This road game was supposed to be the Timbers’ final push to get into the playoffs. Fans were even a little hopeful after what they saw in the Leagues Cup, but the Timbers failed them again.

Now a playoff spot looks farther and farther away, and the end of their season looks nearer than before.

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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 0, Rayados de Monterrey 1

Credit Matthew Wolfe
Credit Matthew Wolfe

The Timbers played Rayados de Monterrey in the Leagues Cup Aug. 4 and lost by a narrow margin. After losing to Tigres off a late André-Pierre Gignac goal, Portland had two objectives: obtain a win, and minimize mistakes that could cost them the game, as happened in the previous match.

Soccer repeats itself

Although the Mexicans had the first look of the match, the Timbers grew attacking-wise as the game went on. Santiago Moreno was on fire in the first half, distributing the ball here and there, setting his teammates with through balls, and carrying the ball to the final third. Franck Boli had two great chances in the first half. On both occasions, he fired a diagonal shot, but unfortunately, both went wide.

On the other hand, Monterrey tried to play on the counter and attacked with dangerous crosses, which Zac McGraw cleared over and over again. And although Rayados didn’t get as many chances as the Timbers in the first half, they broke through with a banger. Luis Romo carried the ball on the left and found Maximiliano Meza completely unmarked on the right, on the top of the box. Claudio Bravo tried to get there and block the shot, but it was too late, and Meza beat Aljaž Ivačič with the cleanest of technique.

The way the first half finished was a shame, but at the same time we have seen this story before: The Timbers start playing well, they’re fun to watch and generate great opportunities, but in the end, nothing ends up in the back of the net, and they have pay for not capitalizing on their chances.

Acres of space. Credit: MLS / Apple TV
Acres of space for Meza. Credit: MLS / Apple TV

The Timbers, once again, showed basic defensive mistakes. Monterrey’s came from a throw-in, and Portland had left Meza unmarked since the very beginning of the play. The Timbers defensive line never looked back to see who was sneaking behind their backs, and Meza took advantage of it—something Portland couldn’t do in the entire 90 minutes.

A very different second half

All the positive things we saw in the first half—the energy, the passing network the Timbers built so skillfully, Moreno controlling the tempo of the team—changed drastically in the second half.

Portland was clearly frustrated with how the first 45 minutes finished, and they couldn’t shake it.

But not everything was negative. The team still created some opportunities, and the defense did a good job overall. As is customary by now, Timbers’ centerbacks cleared almost every ball that fell into their box. That is how McGraw finished the game with 11 clearances.

Once the clock hit the 60-minute mark, head coach Gio Savarese decided to move the bench and sub in Felipe Mora and Yimmi Chará while benching Marvin Loría and Boli. More changes came as the minutes passed by in order to try to find the equalizer. 

Monterrey could’ve doubled the lead, but fortunately for the Timbers, the ball hit the post. Dario Župarić had the last look of the game, but goalkeeper Esteban Andrada made a great save in the 95th minute to claim a clean sheet.

Some controversy

A potential handball inside Monterrey’s box late in the match could’ve given the Timbers the chance to equalize—and therefore, to stay alive in the Cup. But the referee didn’t award the PK, so Portland’s run in this Leagues Cup came to an end.

Savarese referred to that potential PK twice in the post-match press conference, and understandably so, knowing that that could’ve kept Portland in the competition.

Despite the elimination, he was happy with the way his team performed, knowing that Rayados de Monterrey is a Mexican powerhouse.

“We knew we were going to play against a great team. We prepared ourselves pretty well; we believed in ourselves,” he said. “We wanted to compete, and I think we did that against a powerful club, with a deep bench. I think both teams gave everything and played with their hearts.”

But the game didn’t end peacefully. After Luis Romo elbowed D. Chará in the dying seconds of the game, things got heated on the field. The referee showed Romo a red card, but after checking VAR, he changed his decision. Both D. Chará and the Rayados player were shown a yellow.

Savarese referred to this incident, too. “In the end, both competed with intensity,” he said, “and the way the game ended made perfect sense. I think it was a great game, and what happened at the end proved it. We both wanted to keep playing, but in the end, we got eliminated from the competition. The only negative thing is the potential penalty the referee could’ve awarded to us to make the result more fair.”

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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 0, Colorado Rapids 0

Credit: Kris Lattimore
Credit: Kris Lattimore

The Portland Timbers had to wait eight days to finish their game against the Colorado Rapids. On July 4, bad weather made it impossible to play the second half, and therefore the match was postponed. On Wednesday, the game resumed. The energy was different, but the score didn’t change. 

A more entertaining second half

The first half didn’t give us much to be excited about, with the Timbers only shooting three times and with Nathan Fogaça being the only player who had a shot on frame. 

The energy was different on Wednesday, though. Added to the bad soccer the Timbers are playing nowadays, they have some off-the-field problems regarding Santiago Moreno and head coach Gio Savarese. The Oregonian’s Ryan Clarke had previously reported that the Colombian had requested to transfer from the team. Now, after an extended stay in his home country, Moreno is back with the team and denies any conflict with Savarese.

Therefore, Moreno wasn’t among Portland’s available subs, and Dairon Asprilla took his place on the bench. 

Despite this, the group somehow found some much-needed energy and gave us some good moments in the second half of this game. Franck Boli could’ve scored a worldie when he hit the crossbar with a powerful shot from downtown. As the central forward, he was the most involved in the attack, with a total of three shots—one on frame, and two off frame.

In the end, the Timbers didn’t create much, but they did better than they had in the first half. It would be good for them to be clinical and not waste opportunities, like the chance you can see in the video below.

In that attack, the Timbers outnumbered Colorado, but a heavy pass by Claudio Bravo killed the opportunity. They just don’t have the luxury of wasting looks like that. Being able to take advantage of chances means the difference between one and three points.

 

In a match where was hard to find something positive to say, defender Eric Miller found something to highlight. “I think for us a clean sheet on the road is always a really good thing,” he said. “I think obviously we’re in a situation now where we need wins. So, I think it’s a little disappointing […] but I think a clean sheet on the road in MLS is always a good thing.”

Last but not least, congratulations to Victor Griffith, who got his first start in this game in the midfield.

The future doesn’t look good

At this point, most Timbers fans are not hopeful anymore. The team hasn’t been able to get three points since June 11, when they got a 1-0 win against Dallas. And they haven’t won a game with multiple goals since May 13 when they won 3-1 against Vancouver.

Right now, Portland is 12th in the table, five points shy of the last team in playoff position.

May Saturday be different

Despite the tough reality the Timbers are going through nowadays, Saturday will bring something to look forward to.

Not only does the team goes back to play at home against Columbus Crew, but it will mean the return of Portland’s legend and Maestro, Diego Valeri.

The former Portland midfielder will be inducted into the Timbers’ ring of honor, and fans will want to be present at the stadium to cheer for such a special and beloved player.

Hopefully, that special day will bring much-needed a victory for the Timbers.

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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 1, Minnesota United 4

Credit: Kris Lattimore
Credit: Kris Lattimore

On Saturday, night the Portland Timbers played Minnesota United to a 1-4 loss. The Timbers were pretty bland the entire game, but they reached their pivotal moment in the second half, when they looked defeated and even more out of ideas than they had in the first—if that’s even possible.

No vibes, just pain

We can add this match to the long stack of Timbers games that have been hard to watch this season. In the first half, Portland looked as if they didn’t know what to do with the ball. It didn’t help that Evander was out for this match due to suspension. But to be honest, the team has looked lost in the last few games, even with him on the field.

You can call it patience, sure. But what we can also see in that video is almost one minute where the Timbers pass the ball 16 times and get nowhere—except to lose possession in the midfield.

Outside of that clip, Portland was making bad decisions in the few chances they had in the attack.

In the 35th minute, the Timbers had the ball and the option to go forward, and so they did. Minnesota’s defense was out of shape, and Portland should’ve taken advantage of that. Instead of playing at a high tempo and passing the ball quickly to Noel Caliskan on the right, Franck Boli decided to pass it to the left. In this way, they gave Minnesota the time they needed find a good defensive formation.

Another stark difference between these two teams in attack is the width. Look how wide Minnesota is:

That positioning allowed Minnesota to send precise long passes and dangerous crosses to the Timbers’ box. The Timbers’ defense allowed the home side to have far too many touches in Minnesota’s attacking end, as we can see by looking at the touches and heat maps.

Source: Opta
Source: Opta

Despite what I saw as uneven first half, Timbers head coach Gio Savarese thought differently. “A game that for 43 minutes was even, was managed well,” he said after the match. “We created our chances, they had other chances… It was a very even game… And then all of a sudden, we find ourselves 1-0, and then the second goal comes right away.” 

It is true that coaches don’t usually think like the rest of us, but the fact that all the Timbers combined created only three chances in the entire game—one each by Santiago Moreno, Cristhian Paredes and Nathan Fogaça—is very telling.

To make things worse, one Minnesota goal came from friendly fire—more specifically, a Diego Chará own goal—and the other was an Olímpico.

Things didn’t improve in the second half

It’s true: Boli earned one back—with the help of Nathan’s good pass—and gave Portland reasons to believe in a comeback.

Nonetheless, the illusion didn’t last long. Less than 15 minutes later, Minnesota’s Bongokuhle Hlongwane restored the two-goal lead, and three minutes later Emanuel Reynoso scored his brace and knocked the Timbers down.

The fourth goal was a tough blow. The way it was scored—with the always reliable Chará passing the ball unintentionally to Hlongwane instead of clearing it and Reynoso getting to the far post totally unmarked while the Timbers were asking for a nonexistent offside call—was terrible to witness.

No one, not even Chará, had a good game. He was beaten in the race with Hlongwane, and that resulted in the attacker ending in a one-on-one against Timbers goalkeeper Aljaž Ivačič. We also mentioned the own goal Minnesota opened the counter with and the nail in the coffin scored by Reynoso.

Maybe the only positive thing we can highlight is the fact that Boli scored again. In a season where goals are rare, the fact that Portland’s No. 9 has scored five times in 10 games is not irrelevant.

This game was tough, no doubt, but the competition continues. Portland will have to move on fast, since they have a game tonight against Colorado.

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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 1, New York City 1

Credit: Kris Lattimore
Credit: Kris Lattimore

The Portland Timbers hosted New York City FC last Saturday and got a 1-1 draw. Evander scored for the home team, while Keaton Parks did so for the visitors. It was an entertaining match where the Timbers created the most chances but couldn’t put more than one in the back of the net to secure a win at home.

Déjà vu

Saturday’s night game was fun to watch—to some extent. We had two teams who were playing under similar circumstances this season, and the question was which was going to take advantage of the other to earn three points. Both sides created chances, and we saw action from box to box in the second half.

The lineup. Credit: Timbers FC
The lineup. Credit: Timbers FC

The visitors didn’t create much in the first forty-five minutes. NYC only had one shot in the entire half, while the Timbers had seven, two of which went on goal. So it was only a matter of time—we would think, as if soccer usually works that way!—for Portland to open the score. In the 38th minute, Evander found the back of the net.

Nonetheless, it didn’t take long in the second half for NYC to find the equalizer.

The visitors woke up in the second half, and the game turned out to be more open, with looks for both teams. Santiago Moreno had the best opportunity for the Timbers in the second half, but he didn’t hit the ball properly and ended up shooting way too wide. Another good Portland chance came in the last minute of the game, in a free kick, when Evander hit the post.

In the Timbers’ previous game against Chicago, Portland looked very sterile in all the lines of the field. This time was different. They played better but didn’t create many quality chances (xG = 1.03), and in the end, they only got a point out of this match.

“Déjà vu. It’s the same story every day,” Timbers head coach Gio Savarese said after the game. “Played really well. The guys are giving it everything despite injuries and limitations. I don’t know what happened; somebody put something around the goal that doesn’t let us put goals in.”

I agree with the coach. Can someone please, break the curse, so the Timbers can start scoring multiple goals in a single game again?

Maybe the visitor’s center-back Maxime Chanot had something to do with Portland’s struggles, since he registered 17 clearances in the entire game. You could say he’s NYC’s Zac McGraw.

More help is coming

Felipe Mora is back, and that’s something to celebrate. 

“I’m glad to have another quality player available, especially Felipe,” Savarese said. “We know how important he has been. Only 20 minutes available today. but hopefully he continues to build up in the minutes and we continue to have a competition in that position.”

When the Chilean entered the game in the 76th minute, the entire Providence Park cheered for him.

“I’m very grateful,” Mora said. “I honestly didn’t expect so much love and noise when I entered the pitch tonight. That felt really nice. It felt like I was born again when I came in. They’ve been sending so many messages throughout this whole time and since I got here to this club.

“I’m just very happy and very grateful for them,” he said.

Another Timber who deserves a mention is Noel Caliskan. The German made his debut in this game, after signing a contract first with the first team at the end of April. 

The 22-year-old came into the game in the second half for Cristhian Paredes who, according to his coach, had some hamstring pain and had to leave the field.

The youngster did well in the midfield, especially in the passing accuracy department. He had 91.3% passing accuracy overall—and 88.9% in the opponent’s half.

Still, there’s room for improvement in Caliskan communication and aerial duels. NYC’s equalizer from a set piece came after Juan David Mosquera lost Keaton Park’s mark, and Calistan couldn’t win the aerial duel. But the truth is, Keaton did very well getting rid of his mark, rose higher than anyone, and headed that ball home—a shot with an xG of 14.72%.

The backline had a good game overall

Savarese was very happy with the performance his backline put on. He said it was difficult to leave Eric Miller on the bench but that he went with the four defenders he felt could get the job done. They did a “phenomenal job,” he said. The coach also highlighted how well his team managed the ball and their success defending as a unit and in transitions.

In the absence of Zac McGraw—one of the best defenders on the team this season—Portland did well and didn’t give many opportunities to NYC. It’s too bad that Keaton found the back of the net in that set piece. 

Aljaž Ivačič also had some good saves that prevented NYC from finding what could’ve been the winning goal.

Final thoughts

This game marked the end of three matches in one week, with the Timbers collecting only two points out of a possible nine. It is a no-brainer that this isn’t good enough, but what is more, Portland is now three points shy of the last playoff spot.

As we already said, they need to find a way to score multiple goals in a single match again. But more importantly, Portland needs to start getting wins.

In the following days, the attention won’t be just on the attack but also on the defense. We will see how the Timbers manage to play without McGraw—who will be on duty with the Canadian National Team—a player who has become instrumental in the backline.

We can’t wait to see Mora getting more minutes and see if he can help to fix the Timbers’ lack of goals. Now the players get to rest a little, with the next match coming next Saturday when they take the road to face Minnesota.

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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 0, San Jose Earthquakes 0

Credit: Kris Lattimore
Credit: Kris Lattimore

The Timbers got a scoreless draw against the San José Earthquakes on Saturday night. 

There were some positive points to highlight, although finishing continues to be Portland’s Achilles heel.

David Bingham or Jazzy?

Now that Slovenian goalkeeper Aljaž Ivačič is with his national team, backup goalkeeper David Bingham had the chance to showcase himself. He has done very well in the chances he’s gotten this season.

When comparing both goalkeepers’ stats, you can see that there’s not much difference between these two—at least when we talk about their numbers. So far, Ivačič has played the double amount of games as Bingham, but both have recorded four catches and three punches. Bingham has one more clean sheet than Ivačič, but the Timbers have played better defensively in the last handful of games, so this is a team effort.

It’s Bingham who has done better in terms of saves. He has a 78.3% success rate in this department, while Jazzy has a 69.8%.

What about distribution? The Slovenian has made 361 passes in 12 games—30.1 passes per 90 minutes—with a 47.1% success rate in short passes. He’s completed 32% of long passes. Bingham, on the other hand, has made 181 passes in six matches—putting him at 30.2 passes per 90 minutes—and has a slightly better success rate than Jazzy, completing 57.5% of short passes and 41.5% of long passes.

As you can see, both have been pretty similar in terms of numbers with Bingham being slightly better. The American goalkeeper did well against San José, and he made two incredible saves that helped the team get another clean sheet.

 

Cristhian Paredes continues to be in good form

Ever since Cristhian Paredes came back from injury, he has been one of the best on the field. This match was no exception. He contributed to the attack by creating three chances and helped the team in defense with six tackles—two more than Dario Župarić, who was second in the team. He also registered two clearances, two blocked shots, and two interceptions.

Is good that Paredes is helping so much with the defensive-offensive transition, even more so now that Santiago Moreno has dropped in form a little. He hasn’t been as good as he was some weeks ago and the team needs him to go back to be in his old form.

Good defensive performance

Despite San José being a tough opponent, Portland did well to limit give their space to work in. It is true that the Earthquakes finished the game with 12 shots total, but only two of them went on goal. The most dangerous was the free kick that hit the crossbar and left Bingham’s goalpost shaking.

“They feel that they have more support, and by that, I think they feel more comfortable,” said head coach Gio Savarese when asked about Portland’s defensive performance. “The good thing has been the fact that the communication has improved. There’s more talking on the field. Also, the team is fitter. The guys feel strong and we saw that they put in a very strong performance all the way through the end.”

And speaking about strong performances, shout-out to Diego Chará and his 13 recoveries.

Diego Chará's recoveries against San Jose. Source: Opta.
Diego Chará’s recoveries against San Jose. Source: Opta.

With the scoreless draw against San José, the Timbers got their third straight clean sheet and the question is how long will they be able to keep it like that? How will they do defensively against Chicago on Wednesday night?

Good chances, no goals

Portland did well moving the ball in San Jose’s part of the field. They didn’t try to shoot right away, but they made the Earthquakes chase the ball to try to find spaces to get clear shots.

The Timbers also pressed high, which resulted in the home team losing possession many times, especially in the right wing.

But despite the chances created and the pressing and recoveries, Portland just couldn’t change the score. It looks like the final pass or some decisions are not the right ones, and promising looks end up in nothing.

Is the coach concerned about his team not being clinical in the final third? “Today we created the chances,” he said. “Now we just have to put them away. That is the next step, but I’m very content in what I saw from the team in regards to the opportunities and now we have to make sure that we can capitalize on those opportunities.”

And no pointing fingers here, but this counter-attack showed so much promise that it was a waste to finish it in this way.

The xG also indicates the Timbers should’ve scored at least one or two goals, since they finished the game with 1.62 expected goals, to San Jose’s 1.21.

Final thoughts

The Timbers did well against San Jose. It was a convincing performance in so many ways, but they still need to find success in the final third. They’ve managed to score only two goals in their last six games, and that’s just not enough.

Right now they’re in the ninth position of the table, barely hanging on the last playoff spot, and we already have passed the first half of the season. It’s getting real, and Portland needs to start to make stronger performances in the final third and find a way to score more goals ASAP.

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Soccer Thorns

Olivia Moultrie’s Time is Coming

Olivia Moultrie. Credit: Matthew Wolfe.
Olivia Moultrie. Credit: Matthew Wolfe.
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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 0, Seattle Sounders 0

Credit: Taylor Vincent
Credit: Taylor Vincent

With a must-win mindset, the Portland Timbers traveled to Seattle for a Cascadia Rivalry game. And with the Thorns playing OL Reign later that day, the doubleheader was supposed to be a double party. 

Both the Timbers and Seattle Sounders entered this match off a losses a couple days before, so they wanted to leave that behind and look better against their opponent.

Of course, the intent was there. But neither team could gain control of the game in the first 20 minutes. Portland tried to exploit the left side, with Cristhian Paredes and Evander sending balls to Dairon Asprilla, but Asprilla couldn’t get a shot off.

Quality vs quantity

Although it is true that the Timbers generated the most chances in this game, it was the home team who had the best opportunities to open the score. Not that Seattle created many, but their final xG was 0.35 while the Timbers had an xG of 0.27.

It was Asprilla who could’ve opened the scoring on the counter twice, but missed in his attempts.

The fact that those were the best chances the Timbers could create says a lot.

“I think we did create some moments in the final third. I remember the one with Asprilla, I remember not too many, but two or three,” said Timbers head coach Giovani Savarese about the chances his team created. “We were aggressive with shots. Maybe not so much with crosses. In order to get more players a little bit more into the box, I think what was missing today was a little bit of that final product.”

As shown below, the coach was right. The Timbers were not aggressive with their crosses at all.

Timbers' crosses. Source: Opta.
Timbers’ crosses. Source: Opta.
Cristhian Paredes did everything well

“Our two defensive mids had to go press higher so the space in behind was big, and [Nicolás] Lodeiro kept looking for that space,” said Savarese. “But we always had one player stepping to make sure that we can manage the situation, and they did it very, very well.”

One of those players that stepped in was Cristhian Paredes. The Paraguayan was great in the midfield, winning duels (he was first in the team with 10) and creating chances (he was second after Evander with three).

Midfielder boss. Cristhian Paredes' heat map. Source: Opta
Midfielder boss. Cristhian Paredes’ heat map. Source: Opta

He was also first in tackles with and second in recoveries with 11, after Claudio Bravo.

Cristhian Paredes recoveries. Source: Opta.
Cristhian Paredes recoveries. Source: Opta.
Final thoughts

As much as both teams tried, the match was truly disappointing, and neither club looked good in the final third. Seattle looked even more sterile than the Timbers, and what was supposed to be a big rivalry clash ended up being a dull game without much to celebrate.

But what I think was way more disappointing was to see Seattle fans leaving the stadium after the match finished. It was a doubleheader; they’re supposed to support Seattle soccer, and that includes the women. Shame on you, Sounders fans!

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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 1, Sporting KC 4

Credit: Kris Lattimore
Credit: Kris Lattimore

*Cue sad music*

The Portland Timbers played a depressing game on Sunday afternoon at Kansas. What it looked like a winnable match ended up a nightmare for the Timbers, who finished with a 1-4 score.

A good start and a terrible second half

The future looked bright for the Timbers when Franck Boli scored early in the game—minute 8’, to be exact—with a definitive one-touch. And even though Portland handed the ball over to Kansas City, the team didn’t look bad… at least in the first half. 

The Timbers’ defense was compact—as you can see in the video below, where Sporting can’t find the proper channels to move the ball ahead and they’re forced to switch the point of attack, which leads to an unforced error.

Nonetheless, that discipline got lost in the second half, when Kansas City figured the Timbers out. 

A massive hole in the defense

Dario Župarić missed the match due to yellow card accumulation, and his absence was felt. Larrys Mabiala replaced him, but unfortunately, he had a forgettable performance in the backline, even scoring own goal for Sporting. Mabiala also caused some turnovers that left more than one fan asking for him to be benched.

We already said that Portland lost their discipline in the second half, and that was clear in the second goal KC scored. If you look at the image below, you’ll see the huge gap the centrebacks left, which Sporting’s Dániel Sallói took advantage of.

Huge gap. Source: MLS/ Apple TV
Source: MLS/ Apple TV

Then, in the third goal, the Timbers got caught out of shape after Claudio Bravo’s pass didn’t find its target. Kansas City recovered the ball and sent a long pass that left Portland bewildered. Mabiala didn’t make things better by taking down KC’s forward inside the box and scoring an own goal.

The last tally of the game represented the second half in a nutshell. As you can see in the image below, the Timbers left attacking channels open, and KC had not one but two passing options that could’ve scored. The home team attacked the spaces pretty well, and Portland didn’t find a way to close them down, not even in the dying minutes of the game.

Source: MLS/Apple TV
Source: MLS/Apple TV

“We didn’t finish the game the right way,” said head coach Giovanni Savarese of the result. “But also I will take responsibility in substitutions, in changing the shape to a diamond to try to throw more players forward and try to create something more in the hope that we could find a way to tie with the players that we had. I take that responsibility.”

Boli as a No. 9

Boli has been the Timbers’ No. 9 in the last four games. He got the start for the fourth consecutive time against Sporting, and just like he did against Vancouver, he opened the score early.

It’s good that he’s getting playing time. But while Boli has managed to produce some goals in the final third, he also has missed clear chances in the last few games.

Against Kansas City, he had a clear chance at the end of the first half. Goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh was already beaten, and Boli had an empty net. Despite this, he couldn’t head the ball properly. (The chance yielded an expected goal probability of 36.36%.)

“It was hard to see the goal. I just tried to put it in, but, yeah, unfortunate,” said the forward regarding this chance. “We have to keep going and try again. It’s not easy.”

Time to find a new No. 9? Most likely, but the Timbers are almost out of options. Boli’s backup, Nathan Fogaça, has produced even less in the final third, and that’s maybe why coach Savarese keeps betting on Boli.

With this in mind, the news about Felipe Mora finally being in training for the first time in the season couldn’t be more welcomed. According to Oregonian reporter Ryan Clarke, he might be back in three weeks.

Timbers struggling with injuries again

It is no secret that Santiago Moreno has been one of the Timbers’ most reliable players this season. Sadly, he got injured against Kansas.

“Santi had a spasm in his back, and then he started feeling dizzy. I actually tried to hold it as much as I could on the field to finish the half. That way we made a substitution at the half,” said Savarese. “And still, with a little bit of dizziness, he was able to create a few moments, but he couldn’t run back. At some point, he couldn’t do some things because especially the spasm in his back beside the dissonance. So we had to change him.”

Despite that, Moreno was in training on Tuesday, which is a relief knowing the important match the Timbers have on Saturday.

When Moreno got injured, Yimmi Chará replaced him, but unfortunately, Chará also couldn’t stay on the field for long. He, too, got hurt, but unlike Moreno, he wasn’t in practice on Tuesday. 

What comes next

The Timbers don’t have the luxury to dwell too much on this result. They have only a few days to lick their wounds and be ready for the game against the Seattle Sounders in Seattle on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. PT.

It’s going to be a doubleheader, with the Thorns playing later, so we expect a good atmosphere—and hopefully some points.

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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 0, Real Salt Lake 0

Photo: Kris Lattimore
Photo: Kris Lattimore

A midweek game with few quality chances gave the Portland Timbers a point on the road, earning a scoreless draw against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday.

After an hour and a half-long weather delay the game finally started. Head coach Giovanni Savarese put on the the same starting XI that he used last Saturday in the game against Vancouver, with the goal of getting three points on the road.

Strong defense

We’re not gonna lie: the Timbers didn’t create as much as they should’ve in the final third in this match. Maybe it was due to the weather delay, or maybe because this is the second game they played in four days.

Whatever the cause, the home team was the one that dominated the match, but Portland defended well. They worked as a unit, blocking a total of six shots out of the 17 Real Salt Lake produced.

All RSL blocked shots. Source: Opta
All of RSL’s blocked shots. Source: Opta

After the game, Savarese praised the work done by his defense, especially his fullbacks Juan David Mosquera and Claudio Bravo. “I think Mosquera and Bravo had a great game,” he said. “They gave us a lot of balance with two very difficult players that are very fast.”

RSL “had a fast team at the beginning,” Savarese said, “with [Anderson] Julio, [Maikel] Chang, and [Andrés] Gómez, with [Jefferson] Savarino inside—players that are very fast. We managed those moments that they tried to find in transition very, very well.”

Speaking of Mosquera, he was the player with the biggest percentage of passing accuracy on both sides of the field, with 90% overall and 85% in the opponent’s half. That means he only missed three passes out of a total 30.

Juan David Mosquera's passes. Source: Opta.
Juan David Mosquera’s passes. Source: Opta.

Bravo was really good in this game, too. He was second in duels won with eight,  created the most chances with two, made the most tackles with six, and was third in clearances with four.

Besides the fullbacks, the team could count on defender Zac McGraw, who was available again after missing a game due to yellow card accumulation. He was good as always, except maybe for his new look.

What Gio thinks of Zac McGraw blond hair. Source: Timbers FC
What Gio thinks of Zac McGraw’s blond hair. Source: Timbers FC
Jazzy with the big saves, again

Aljaz Ivačič finished the match with four saves and one catch. Maybe it was not the most saves he has made in a game, but those were crucial to collect his first clean sheet of the season and help Portland get a point on the road.

 

“Finally, no? Who would have said in Salt Lake?” said the goalkeeper when asked about his first clean sheet of the year. “I’m very happy about that, but as I said: we need to be more hungry. We could’ve won this game, so we need to work now and look forward to the next one.”

Ivačič might be right about the team not being hungry enough because the Timbers produced some worthy looks, although not many.

Not many quality chances 

Portland looked a little out of ideas in the attack, maybe because they were burned out after playing on Saturday. 

After two standout performances, Evander didn’t impact this game much. He didn’t create a single chance and was unsuccessful with all seven of the crosses he attempted. Nonetheless, he was the player who attempted the most shots with four, three of them on target.

Out of all the Timbers, it was Franck Boli who had the most promising chance of the entire match—an xG of 21.05% in minute 57’. Too bad RSL goalkeeper Zac MacMath made a great save, denying him what might’ve been the winning goal.

Other than Boli’s chance, the Timbers didn’t create much. Evander had a free kick on frame, but it was an easy catch for MacMath. And it was a true shame that Dairon Asprilla’s shot in the 75th minute hit the post; it was a nice low shot.

The Timbers finished this match with an xG of 0.45, while Salt Lake’s was 1.01. Given the better and more chances the home team had, we have to be grateful that they couldn’t put the ball in the back either.

What the coach said

As always, coach Savarese spoke to the media and shared his thoughts after the match.

“We created some very good moments that, if we maybe would’ve managed a little bit better, we could’ve gotten out from here with three points,” he said. “The point is a good point. It is always difficult to play at Salt Lake. And as I said to the guys, I thought we did a lot of good things in the way we managed the game and move the ball. With the possession probably at the beginning, we were strong in the first few minutes and then we started to play very, very well.”

Last but not least, we gotta give a special mention to Christhian Paredes. The midfielder put on a great performance, contributing everywhere.

He was first in duels won with 12, first in tackles with six, was tied with Bravo for second in recoveries with seven, made three clearances and one interception, and created one chance.

Here is an example of one of those seven recoveries he made. He was brilliant!

 

The Timbers will be back in Providence Park on Saturday, May 20th, when they play Minnesota. The kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT.