Categories
NWSL Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Portland Thorns 0, North Carolina Courage 0

Three games into the 2025 NWSL season, the Portland Thorns are still searching for their first win. The club has managed to net only two goals across one away loss and two home draws. Last season, former head coach Mike Norris was given four games (3L, 1D) before being promoted to Technical Director, so head coach Rob Gale is on a very short leash before a potential reassignment. A failure to win all three points at home against a North Carolina team who are perennially terrible on the road should have been the final straw, but alas, it was not. Instead fans are left dissatisfied headed into the international break.

Game over game, there has been tremendous growth in the Thorns team—and that trend continued against the Courage. Gale fielded a starting XI with an average age of 24, the second-youngest in Thorns history, and Mackenzie Arnold had far and away her best game in Portland colors. The centerback pairing of Isa Obaze and Sam Hiatt is already strengthening, and the duo of Reilyn Turner and Caiya Hanks up front is one of the most exciting forward lines in the league in terms of raw potential.

It’s hard to look at a 0-0 draw and say that it was a good game or deserved, but for the defensive unit in particular, it was. Arnold played out of her mind, making five saves (including a penalty). She was commanding of her box, putting her body on the line several times. Her effort seemed to set the tempo for the rest of the team. Reyna Reyes won the most duels in the match (10) and Kaitlyn Torpey was the most accurate passer (94%), as both were tasked with starting the attack from the wide channels as well as defending. To complete the line, both Obaze and Hiatt had nine defensive actions apiece—and stifled the Courage’s forwards.

Leo wrote a very good article about the pressure that a new general manager is under to build a roster for a perennial powerhouse in under two months, and the roadblocks he has faced. I would like to expand on one signing in particular, Deyna Castellanos. By the time Jeff Agoos was named GM, there were very few free agent signings available, and most Big Name Players had already resigned with their clubs or chosen a new one by January. Castellanos was not a free agent, and had to be bought out of her million-dollar contract after a lackluster season in the Bay Area in order to be picked up by the Thorns. Castellanos has a lot of starpower in the NWSL, is the face of a new Nike campaign alongside Sophia Wilson, and was absolutely the Thorns’ biggest signing in their short offseason.

So, why would the coach bench her? Against the Courage, Gale tried a new formation, a 4-4-2, with a diamond midfield that relied heavily on progressing the ball through the center of the field. Castellanos played the point of that diamond, and in theory, this should have been a very successful lineup given the available players on the Thorns, with a lack of traditional wide forwards and outside backs healthy. Without Wilson to tailor the formation to, Gale seems to be setting up the team around Castellanos.

Unfortunately, during the 60 minutes she was on the field, it felt as though the Thorns were playing down a person. Her zero chances created, zero touches in the Courage’s box, zero accurate long balls or crosses, zero tackles, and one defensive action all point to a player that might as well have not been on the field—not someone who is supposed to be a creative centerpoint of a team’s attack. By not putting in much effort, Castellanos effectively stranded the two target forwards, Turner and Hanks, who then had to drop back further to receive the ball and had more work to do and players to beat once getting it.

One possible formation change could be sliding Olivia Moultire into the point of the diamond, allowing her more freedom centrally. I am also eagerly awaiting Pietra Tordin’s first start, as she has looked particularly bright in her fifteen minute cameos so far. The flare and vision that she has shown in limited minutes could also be positive for the No. 10 position, despite her playing more as a No. 9 in college.

Post game, Gale mentioned that there was “no way to keep the upward momentum going when you have 11 players gone for international break,” but perhaps that is not necessarily a bad thing. The Thorns have played better each game, but are still experiencing the same poor results. The break in play will allow for a reset before these next stretch of games against the Utah Royals (one point), Seattle Reign (four points) and NJ/NY Gotham (two points), all of which are winnable games.

Categories
Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Portland Thorns 1, Angel City 1

To view this content, you must be a member of the Rose City Review Patreon
Already a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.
Categories
NWSL Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Kansas City Current 3, Portland Thorns 1

The Portland Thorns started their season on the wrong foot when they lost 3-1 to Kansas City Current last Saturday. It was an expected result, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

A new season has begun and with it a new reality for the Thorns. Gone is the mighty team that was feared by other clubs, gone is the experienced roster, and gone is Portland as one of the top spots in the world for players.

Of course, this piece is not meant to be a depressing one, but if you watched the club play in this 2025 season, you know what I’m talking about.

So, despite the loss, how did the Thorns do? Let’s see.

The backline

After Becky Sauerbrunn retired and Kelli Hubly went to Bay FC in the offseason, Portland’s backline ended up with a serious lack of experience.

Coach Rob Gale chose Reyna Reyes, Jayden Perry, Isabella Obaze, and Kaitlyn Torpey as the four-back for the debut against the Current. We have to remember that Obaze didn’t have the best of seasons last year, and Reyes wasn’t that impressive either. Nonetheless, Portland plans to rely heavily on them this season.

It was great to see Reyes stepping up big for the Thorns on Saturday. She recovered many balls, and since the team was playing mostly on the left side, the Mexican had to stay sharp. She did.

If we talk about the the less experienced defender on the field, it was a difficult game for Perry. It was expected, though. Imagine you’re a rookie and your first match as a professional soccer player is against one of the top teams in the league, and you’re tasked with marking 2024 Golden Boot and MVP Temwa Chawinga—a forward that if you blink, you’ll miss. What is more, Perry had to perform in a very new backline that is just getting acquainted with one another.

Nonetheless, and despite that, Perry did well in some departments as you can in the table below.

Defensive stats by the back four. Source: Opta

The Thorns got the short end of the stick in their opener. And that’s the thing: Facing KC in your first game of the season without the firepower Portland had last year, with a very new backline, and on the road was a recipe for disaster.

When it comes to defending against tricky players such as Chawinga or Debinha, you have to be tricky as well. On the first goal the home team scores, maybe it would’ve been good to make Chawinga fall into an offside trap, but to do that Portland’s entire backline needed to be on the same page.  That wasn’t the case in Saturday’s match and maybe won’t be for some time.

It would’ve been great to have Sam Hiatt available, since she has been around in the league for some time now. and she knows the drill. “Sam had a knee injury at the end of last year and a long RTP [return to play],” Gale said after the match. “We haven’t got her up to 90 minutes yet, as we just had to build that back. The medical and performance department has done a really good job in getting her close to being able to go 60 minutes.”

With Hiatt not ready to play, we can expect the coach to keep using the four defenders he used against Kansas City for the next few games. Hopefully, they will get more acquainted with one another and improve little by little.

We have the ball… Now what?

Portland tried to, in true Portland fashion, build from the back. The problem is that the team doesn’t currently have the personnel to do so.

Below we can see an image that was repeated over and over again on Saturday. Mackenzie Arnold passed the ball to the center-backs, and they moved it between them while Sam Coffey approached to help. Kansas City put a line of players high enough to prevent them from passing the ball to the middle.

The Current’s plan worked, and as a result, the Thorns’ backline was disconnected from the middle, which resulted in the center-backs sending long, aerial balls to the midfielders. After losing those aerial duels, Portland lost possession.

Credit: NWSL

The Current had many tools to make Portland pay for losing the ball so easily. Speed, individual brilliance, and scoring prowess are just some of them, and all of them were on display during the three goals the home team scored on the Thorns. Of course, the visitors didn’t make the task that hard.

Kansas City’s first goal was the result of a bad defensive effort. Their second was the result of individual brilliance, and the third a combination of both factors. Debinha’s class shined through in that third goal, but Portland’s entire defense was also hypnotized by the ball and didn’t mark her. As a result, she pushed the ball—which Obaze then couldn’t clear on time—against the back of the net.

Credit: NWSL
Olivia Moultrie

In brightest day, in blackest night, Olivia Moultrie will always show up. The youngest player on the roster is playing her fifth season with Portland, and she’s not even 20-years-old. How cool is that?

It’s really amazing to see her as one of the “veterans” and and as someone who has so many responsibilities in the team. Of course, it’s not ideal, but seeing Moultrie take on those responsibilities with no hesitation shows her maturity as a player. The first game of the season showed her strong mentality on the field; even though she contributed with a goal for Portland—the Thorns’ only one—she also missed another.

However, Moultrie had enough guts to step up on the penalty spot against a mighty opponent at a pivotal point of the match. If she had scored, the Thorns would have been back in the game. Yes, she missed. Some surely asked why Coffey didn’t take it. But Moultrie was also qualified to do so. Moreover, the penalty was also a learning opportunity and part of her journey as a player.

“I’ve grown as a player,” she said after the match. “I’ve grown as a person as I’ve been on this team. These things are a natural evolution for me. And it’s just like, how can I help my team? How can I do whatever I need to do for us to win games?

On Saturday, one of the few positive things we witnessed was that growth Moultrie referred to. She will keep showing up for Portland because that’s the kind of player she is. Age has never been a problem for her. Since day one, she was ready to take on the mantle of being the youngest player in the league, and she has always been up to the challenge.

That attitude and leadership will be key for the Thorns this season. Hopefully, her teammates will observe that and follow her example.

Categories
Soccer Thorns

Preseason: Portland Thorns 1, Utah Royals 0

It feels as though the universe is playing a cruel joke on the Portland Thorns. With the large number of offseason departures, even the most sadistic person would not have expected—or even imagined—four of the Thorns’ starting XI missing the entire season before it even had a chance to begin. With Marie Müller and Nicole Payne’s ACL injuries, the Thorns are down to one outside back (Reyna Reyes) and out a massive defensive force and outside playmaker in Müller. With Morgan Weaver getting reinjured, presumably right after returning from her USWNT call up in January (we have no specific data or timeline released from the club) and Sophia Wilson announcing her pregnancy, the offensive structure that the Thorns have been built around since they went one-two overall in the 2020 NWSL College Draft is gone. 

In isolation, these injuries and absences are devastating, but combined with the general ineptitude that has plagued the front office since 2021, the Thorns seem to be on a downward spiral with no signs of slowing. On Friday night, the gates of Providence Park opened for fans for the first chance to see what this new Thorns team was going to look like during a preseason game against the Utah Royals. It left everyone with more questions than answers.

The Thorns lined up in a 4-3-3, the same formation they used for the majority of the last season. Let’s look at how each line played and worked together.

In defense, new signing, Australian (not Austrailian, as the Thorns spelled in their press release) Kaitlyn Torpey slid right into the starting XI. Sam Hiatt started alongside Isa Obaze at center back, with Daiane not dressing for the game. Reyes got the start as well, to no one’s surprise. While individually all four defenders are solid players, what they lacked as a unit was a leader. With both Becky Sauerbruun and Kelli Hubly departing, the Thorns need a player who is willing and able to dictate play and organize the backline, and this became abundantly clear whenever Utah was on the attack. On the Royals’ lone goal, Mackenzie Arnold came up big one-on-one from a close range shot, but no one was tracking the runners on the far side. Torpey lost sight of Ally Sentnor completely, and Sentnor was able to score a fairly simple goal in the bottom corner. Set pieces in particular were a struggle for Portland, with players losing their marks on corner kicks and not tracking Utah’s runs. It was these lapses in defending fundamentals that caused the defensive line to collapse. Luckily, both Arnold (and Bella Bixby, when she came in at the 60th minute) were able to make the necessary saves. 

Hiatt was the eldest starting defender at 27. As she has the most NWSL experience over her career with the Seattle Reign and NJ/NY Gotham FC, and as a center-back, I have the expectation and hope that she will step up into that leadership position. However, I am also trying to keep my expectations reasonable and acknowledge that the Thorns are running on a skeleton crew of players and do not have the necessary coaches to help guide them. The Thorns are still without a goalkeeping coach and have only had two assistants since head coach Rob Gale was promoted last summer. By leaving these positions open, the Thorns are shooting themselves in the foot, with no time for a new hire to acclimate and disseminate their knowledge during preseason—when there are no consequences to trying new formations or tactics.  

The midfield trio of Jessie Fleming, Hina Sugita, and Sam Coffey was the best line on the field, and it was a shame that they were unable to dictate more play. Hina and Coffey both sat deeper, playing box-to-box, and read each other’s game very well; both were far-and-away the best players on the pitch. On both sides of the ball they retained possession, won tackles, and made clean passes to break through the lines, and Thorns fans should be manifesting that they maintain their health over the course of the season. Fleming, an utterly frustrating player last season, seemed to have more direction and intentionality in her play. Instead of merely running around the pitch, she helped start a high press, and was able to put lots of pressure on the Royals’ backline. While it became clear over the course of the match that Gale wanted to build the play out from Arnold through the wide channels, Coffey—as captain—should advocate for herself and her skills to switch up play centrally, particularly now that Weaver and Müller—the strongest wide playmakers—are out for the season. 

As everyone could have guessed once they heard the news that Wilson was going to be out this season, the Thorns’ biggest struggle for this year will be to score goals. Deyna Castellanos, the Venezuelan marquee signing of the offseason, offers some qualities similar to Wilson in the way she drifts on the backline and looks to poach space over the top, but she does not have the speed that Wilson does, nor does she have the defensive abilities or willingness to cover and run deeper. The way the Thorns set up in a 4-3-3 did not serve to highlight Deyna’s skillset, which we were able to see in flashes in her playmaking, dummines, and through-balls. There were several times over the course of the game where she put the ball on a platter for a tap-in, and a teammate fumbled or missed the target entirely. 

In particular, Payton Linnehan was incredibly frustrating to watch on the wing, with probably the most chances on the night. Unironically, I think that the now-retired Christine Sinclair would have been a good partner for Deyna, where her ball-knowledge and control would allow Sinclair to dink the ball in the perfect corner of the goal off of Deyna’s set-up. Currently, neither Olivia Moultrie or Linnehan have that control, nor did they show any flashes of it. 

If I were Gale and were looking at my teamsheet, I would opt to play a two-front of Deyna with either Reilyn Turner or Pietra Tordin, and push Moultrie more centrally. This would allow Deyna to work off of a pure striker in Turner or Tordin (both of whom seem to be on minutes restrictions due to lack of playing time across all three broadcast preseason matches) and allow Moultrie to play the way she likes, with the ball at her feet centrally, thus maximizing the skillset and potential of each player. 

Off the bench, both Turner and Tordin looked promising, but we are at risk of another Izzy D’Aquilla situation, where Portland’s head coach forces a natural striker to play out wide and eventually causes them to lose their spot on the team entirely. Jayden Perry looked relatively strong at center back and had the confidence to move the ball up through the middle more than Hiatt (who she replaced) did. After those three names, the Thorns’ bench was incredibly thin and offered no real league-ready depth, something that they will need with a season that stretches through November. 

Ultimately, I think that the Thorns are one serious goal-scorer away from being a mid-table team that sneaks into the playoffs. The squad looked shaky, but I feel inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt that they are still getting used to one another. They are doing the best with what they have—barely meeting the roster minimum, not having enough coaches, losing four starting players in the last two weeks—but time is running out to right the ship before the season gets underway, and the hole is dug too deep. 

If Gale is out there reading this, I urge him to build your tactics around the team in front of him, not the one that he had a few weeks ago. 

Categories
NWSL Soccer Thorns

Portland Thorns’ 2025 Roster Breakdown

To view this content, you must be a member of the Rose City Review Patreon
Already a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.
Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Seattle Sounders 1, Portland Timbers 1

The Portland Timbers drew in enemy territory Saturday and are the kings of the Cascadia Cup! What’s more, they get to host a playoff game!

The XI

It was surprising to see head coach Phil Neville put James Pantemis in goal for Decision Day instead of Maxime Crépeau. Kamal Miller was suspended due to yellow card accumulation, hence we saw the debut of Finn Surman.

Santiago Moreno was out due to injury, while David Ayala was on the bench.

Although this was an important game behind enemy lines, the Timbers had the odds in their favor; Seattle hadn’t won against their rivals at home since May 2017. 

Foreshadowing much? Image: Timbers FC

Encouraged by their fans at home and by what was at stake, Seattle took the driver’s seat. But in the first 15 minutes, the Timbers were defending well. As you can see in the video below, they were applying a high press, to force the Sounders to play the ball back.

However, the home team started to tip the scales in their favor, and Portland had to hold on. Dropping back  gave some of the players such as Surman the opportunity to make some amazing defensive actions.

Despite the defensive efforts, the Sounders were getting closer and closer to opening their tab. Portland endured 20 minutes under siege (as you can see in the excitement index below), which ended only after the hosts found the opening goal they were looking for. They did so through a set piece, which wasn’t a surprise, since Seattle has found the back of the net 13 times in that way this year.

Excitement index. Source: aiscore

A corner on the left, while nobody was marking Yéimar Gómez, was the recipe for disaster. The Seattle centerback only had to take two steps back to connect with the ball and score with his head.

The second half was another kind of game

Although the Timbers started the second half in a better way, their midfield started to disappear little-by-little. That’s why after the hour mark, Neville made the first substitutions for Portland. Diego Chará and Cristhian Paredes went out, while Ayala and Eryk Williamson were subbed in.

After that, Portland found it  easier to disrupt Seattle’s play, but they still couldn’t gain enough control. However, not even 10 minutes after the subs came in, the Timbers found the equalizer.

Up until then, Jonathan Rodríguez hadn’t been able to impact the game much. But in the 68th minute, Williamson made a tackle. Then the Uruguayan recovered the ball and passed it immediately to Evander, who, in turn, sent it to Antony. Antony put his ability to drive past defenders into action to find the back of the net.

The goal was a bad omen for the home team, who had a player sent off literally one minute after Portland scored. Added to that, Albert Rusnák saw a yellow for dissent.

Of course, with Seattle being down to 10 men, the Timbers felt more at ease and started to create more chances. Nonetheless, their expected goals for this match was low (only 0.6). Good thing they could beat that stat once again, huh?

Evander

The Brazilian couldn’t do much in the first half. As we can see in the graphic below, most of his touches were in the middle of the park, not close enough to a place where he could hurt Seattle.

Evander’s first half touches and distribution maps. Source: Opta

His distribution map from the first half shows most of his passes directed toward the back line, and the rest of them were horizontal. Through passes and key passes to advance the ball were pretty much nonexistent. The few Evander attempted weren’t successful.

The second half was different, since the midfielder could get closer to Seattle’s box and be more dangerous. He was credited the assist for Antony’s goal, and with that, he reached 15 assists this season. (He’s now second in MLS in assists after Cincinnati’s Luciano Acosta, who has 16.

Evander’s second half touches and distribution maps. Source: Opta.
Final thoughts

The Timbers’ stats are not the best. Just seeing they had two shots on target says a lot, but props to them. They did what they had to do to claim the Cascadia Cup, and for this reason, the draw feels like a win. The draw tastes even sweeter because Seattle thought for some minutes that they could take it away from their rivals’ hands, but Portland’s designated players showed up when needed and helped to get the result.

And not only the designated players but the whole team. This result was indeed a team effort, and a valiant one, from the Timbers. The effort is important, but so is the fact that they’re honest and know their limitations and strengths.

“I feel like we don’t deserve a home game, to be honest,” centerback Dario Župarić said after the game. “There were a lot of times when we didn’t play as a team that deserved playoffs, but in the end, we have points. We deserve that. Now is the time to bring something more because I think we could be much better. We didn’t play as we know we could play.”

Besides that, this team has lady luck on their side. And now they’re hosting the wild card game today, due to a conflicting event at BC Place. Since there are no other venues available in the Vancouver market, fans will head to Providence Park to see if this team can pull another result.

This will be a single-elimination game, and the winner advances to a best-of-three series against top-seeded Los Angeles FC.

Do not miss the action. The match starts at 7:30 p.m. PT.

Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Vancouver Whitecaps 1, Portland Timbers 1

With the Cascadia Cup at stake, the Portland Timbers drew with the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday. Jonathan Rodríguez was the lone goalscorer for the visitors.

The lineup

Portland’s most noticeable absence was. of course, Evander, who missed the match due to yellow card accumulation.

Dario Župarić started in the centerback position along with Miguel Araujo, while Claudio Bravo was benched. Kamal Miller started on the left, with Juan David Mosquera in the right-back position. In the midfield, David Ayala wasn’t available, and Eryk Williamson was benched so, coach Phil Neville decided to start Cristhian Paredes and Diego Chará. Antony, Rodríguez, and Felipe Mora were the attackers, with the Brazilian going through the right and the Uruguayan on the left.

The Timbers vs Vancouver lineup
Image: Portland Timbers

Maybe the greatest challenge for the Timbers in this game was to see if they could create magical moments and get a good result without their most valuable player.

The expected goals

In the game against Real Salt Lake, the Timbers overperformed and beat their expected goal probability. In this match? Not so much. Even though they had more shots (11 to Vancouver’s nine) and shots on target (four to the Whitecaps’ three), it was Vancouver who had a better probability of scoring (0.51 Timbers to 0.98 for Vancouver).

The Timbers actually were lucky to have drawn a point away from home. Rodríguez’s first goal was disallowed due to offside, and two different Vancouver players barely missed their shots when they hit the post.

Portland had a hard time creating looks without their playmaker Evander. In the absence of the Brazilian, Santiago Moreno assumed some of Evander’s responsibilities, but Moreno is simply not an MLS MVP candidate. However, he was able to do enough to help his side rescue a point.

The goal and the protagonists

Vancouver infringed some damage, with Sebastian Berhalter sending crosses from the Timbers’ left side. That’s how their goal came. It’s never good to see Portland concede first, but the scenario was made worse by the fact that they did so only three minutes into the match. It is as if Portland went back to catch those bad habits they left at the beginning of the season, and they can’t shake them off now. Well, you know what they say: “Old habits die hard.”

Portland hit the snooze button when the referee blew the first whistle of this game and stayed like that for the first 20 minutes, until they finally decided to start playing. Up until then, what they showed was a very poor performance.

After a subpar opening, the dynamic changed. The two balls Moreno put up for Rodríguez were superb. Too bad the Uruguayan was offside in the first goal; a cross from the right all the way to the far post and a one-touch finish would’ve made for a great goal.

The forward didn’t agree with the offside call, but he didn’t have much time to lament because only one minute later, Moreno sent another great pass to him—this time from the middle of the park—and Rodríguez was able to put it past the goalkeeper.

Getting the equalizer before halftime was important. Despite not  being the goal scorer, Araujo also did excellent carrying that ball to the middle of the park, showing his dribbling skills in the process.

However, there was another player who did a lot for this team in the first half: Mosquera. The defender was everywhere, intercepting balls, adding himself to the attack, sending dangerous crosses, creating chances. He ran out of gas in the second half, but the man showed up when needed.

Of course, Paredes also put out a well-rounded performance. During the last couple of months, he has taken a more secondary part in this squad, but the midfielder put on a great shift when he was given the opportunity.

If you look at the graphic below, you can see some of Paredes’ individual game actions. Green triangles are tackles won, recoveries are in blue. Duels are represented with green diamonds.

Paredes' individual actions
Paredes’ individual actions. Source: Opta.

Paredes was also good in the passing accuracy department, connecting 88.1% of his passes. Only Chará did better with 95%.

Paredes' distribution. Source: Opta.
Paredes’ distribution. Source: Opta.
Cascadia Cup

In this game, not only was securing a playoff spot was on the line but also the Cascadia Cup. Portland didn’t do themselves a favor by getting a draw against Vancouver, but what are you going to do, right?

The good thing is that if the Seattle Sounders beat Vancouver by at least one goal, Portland will still have their destiny in their own hands when they meet Seattle in the last game of the season.

That Oct. 19 matchup will undoubtedly be a day to remember—and an exciting one. Hopefully, the Timbers will have secured their playoff spot by then. Right now they’re on the verge of dropping out of playoffs altogether if they continue losing points. The good thing is their next two games—against Austin and FC Dallas— are winnable; the bad thing is Portland should’ve also won against Vancouver.

The difference? These next matches are going to be played at home.

Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 1, Colorado Rapids 2

The Portland Timbers couldn’t get the win on the road Saturday.

Inconsistency

With only six games to go, the Timbers haven’t been able to find consistency in this final part of the season. In their last five matches, Portland had a big win against Real Salt Lake, then a loss against LA Galaxy, then a fun draw against St. Louis with lots of goals, the win in the Cascadia Rivalry game, and now this loss against Colorado.

What is head-scratching about this result is that the Timbers recently trashed the Rapids in the Leagues Cup. It was a 4-0 win that showed the team’s scoring prowess. Antony, David Ayala, Mason Toye, and Santiago Moreno, all put the ball in the back of the net that day. True, the Rapids’ started a different XI than they had in the League’s Cup, but Portland’s didn’t change so much.

So, what happened? Let’s take a look.

A defensive and offensive problem

It’s interesting how Portland is third in MLS in goals scored with 56 (the Galaxy has 57 and Inter Miami 65), but we’re still talking about how the team are wasting good chances. The most obvious example was the opportunity Antony wasted near the end of the first half. In the 43rd minute, Antony went one-vs-one with the goalkeeper, but he took too much time to make up his mind about when to shoot and ended up wasting one of the biggest chances the Timbers had in the entire first half to put the score in their favor.

Going off the team’s expected goals, they should’ve scored at least one more goal and should’ve prevented the Rapids from scoring the winning goal. Portland had 2.12 expected goals, while Colorado had 1.3.

How do we explain this result, then? The graphic below gives us a clue:

Graphic source: MLS Statistics and Analysis

According to the MLS Statistics and Analysis Twitter account, this graphic shows which teams’ defenses limit their opponents’ chances and those who fail to prevent good chances. The first of these are in the bottom left, and the latter group is in the top right.

The Timbers are in neither of those quadrants, but they’re dangerously close to the top right, which goes hand-in-hand with their latest result against Colorado.

Not through the middle

Colorado did well preventing the Timbers from sending passes into the box from the middle, so Portland had no choice but to do it from the wings.

In the video below, Evander is carrying the ball after a Colorado turnover near their box. The home team did well to organize the defense quickly and deny the playmaker the opportunity to pass the ball through the middle, making him go sideways. (Because he’s Evander, he was able to find a shot on target. However, the goalkeeper stopped it.)

Colorado is keeping the marks tight in the image below, with both man-to-man and zonal marking. No doubt, they were very disciplined.

Caption: MLS/ Apple TV

In the graphics below you can see that the events of the above clip happened during the entire match. The Rapids let the Timbers pass the ball from the middle to the sides, and never to the box.

Graphic source: MLS Statistics and Analysis
Antony and Moreno, you have a problem

We’ve already gone over how the Brazilian winger missed a great opportunity at the end of the first half. However, there was another big chance he missed at the beginning of the second half.

Santiago Moreno and Evander were carrying the ball on the right wing while Antony was going through the middle. Then, Evander put the ball on a platter for his fellow countryman. Antony only needed to redirect it, but he couldn’t do it and missed the biggest chance in the entire match. He had more looks, but the outcome was the same.

Source: Opta

Moreno, on the other hand, uploaded a video to his personal TikTok account on gameday that created a big feeling of discomfort among the fans.

In the video, Moreno was celebrating a Brazilian club’s interest in him. We know that players have hopes and dreams of playing for their dream club someday, and who knows? Maybe Moreno’s dream is to play in Brazil, and we shouldn’t have a problem with that.

However, the video left a terrible taste in the mouths of many, many fans. The fact that he posted that video on a game day, as a prominent player on the team and knowing his team is battling to secure a playoff spot, shows no class at all. It’s understandable if fans are pissed at him. On the other hand, Moreno had a good game, even though maybe Portland is not the place he wants to be anymore.

What’s next

After the international break, the Timbers’ week got shortened. They’re playing LA Galaxy on Wednesday night. That’s going to be a huge home game against the top team in the conference. Hopefully, Ricky Puig won’t have Portland’s number this time and the defense can keep him and the rest of the team at bay.

Last but not least, a big shout-out to David Ayala, who scored his first MLS goal and always shows up for the team. Let’s hope he can be one of the Timbers who will make the difference on Wednesday.

Categories
Soccer Timbers

Leagues Cup Takeaways: Portland Timbers 4, Colorado Rapids 0

The Timbers came in hot, smashing the Colorado Rapids 4-0.

Coming off a last minute win over Club León, the Timbers were back at Providence Park and needed at least a draw against the Rapids to clinch as spot in the Leagues Cup knockouts.

Head coach Phil Neville opted to rotate his lineup with five different starters: Juan David Mosquera, Miguel Araujo, Claudio Bravo, David Ayala, and Cristhian Paredes.

Temperatures in Portland rose up to 100 degrees on the day, and it was 92 degrees at kickoff. The toasty conditions would make for an interesting matchup—especially on artificial turf.

Crépeau, Mosquera, Araujo, K. Miller, Bravo, Ayala, Paredes, Antony, Evander (C), Rodríguez, Mora Subs: Muse, Pantemis, Mabiala, McGraw, E. Miller, Zuparic, Chara, Williamson, Loría, Moreno, Fogaça, Toye

Maxime Crépeau

Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau’s performance against Colorado gave us a lot to talk about.

Crépeau was absolutely incredible, showing his great reflexes—and saving Portland multiple times in the process. He ready the second he stepped on the field, showing his concentration in the first couple minutes and not letting the Rapids take him by surprise, even if they did just that to the rest of Portland’s defense.

Look at those couple of saves. The defense was cooked, and Colorado’s Omir Fernandez and Rafael Navarro shot at point-blank range. Most keepers would have let the ball in, but not Crépeau. You could tell by his performance that he wanted that clean sheet so badly, and in the end, he got it. He showed why he is Portland’s No. 1—even though James Pantemis did great during Crépeau’s absence.

No wonder his coach only had words of praise for him. “Max is a leader,” Neville said. “He is a character. He’s got a big personality. He’s a big game player, and he knows what to win. He’s just driving everyone on every day.”

Is Portland a good team now?

Back in the beginning of May, that question would have made the entire North End laugh but now… Portland has only registered one loss in their last 10 games. That was an unthinkable record some months ago.

A lot of credit goes to Neville. The coach arrived in Portland with a lot of criticism surrounding him, and although those negative comments were justified, he put his head down and got to work to bring the Timbers some of their former glory.

Neville has been making the right signings and giving the youngsters the confidence and time they need to be game-ready. One of those people is David Ayala. The 22-year-old has cemented his starting position little-by-little this year, and as we have seen, he can become that player for the Timbers.

The Argentine not only is becoming a pivotal player in the midfield; his fierceness is contagious. After battling with injuries here and there, Ayala got his reward against Colorado when he scored his first professional goal. He still has big shoes to fill, but he’s on his way to get where Diego Chará is someday.

Just like Neville said, it was good to see players other than Evander, Jonathan Rodríguez, and Felipe Mora on the score sheet. Sure, you have to give part of the credit to the Rapids’ defense. That backline looked like the Timbers’ from not very long ago. But we don’t want to take anything away from Mason Toye and Santiago Moreno.

Toye showed well, especially for a player who was traded to the team in the middle of the season. Moving his entire life from one place to another requires more than just developing chemistry with his new teammates, but also basic things, such as finding a proper place to live. He’s adapting, and at the same time he’s impacting the game on the field. That speaks volumes about Toye and the Timbers scouting department.

It is also important to highlight the work rate Antony put in during his short time on the field. He kept that right flank permeable and helped to force some turnovers along with Mosquera. It’s unfortunate he had to be subbed out in the 38th minute, but hopefully he’ll be back for the next match.

Despite the individual names, it will be important for all the Timbers to go day by day. More than half of the season is over, but they still have games to play. Every point will be hard to earn but also very important.

The growth the Timbers have shown under Neville is important, and hopefully, they have left that terrible version of themselves behind. Coming into this final part of the season, it is important to remember that, as the coach said, “Football is more than just systems and tactics.” In Neville’s words, it’s about “building a culture, about building a winning culture.”

Portland has always been all about the culture, and it’s good to see that they’re getting that back, little-by-little. This team has always had that special something, even if it got lost a little in the past few years. Now, fans can see that they’re getting that back step by step. “I think we are building something really good,” Neville said, “and we’ve still got a long way to go in this competition.”

Portland is not among the top five teams in the MLS’s Western Conference yet, but they’re in the playoff position, and their game has significantly improved.

So far, so good.

Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 2, LA Galaxy 3

The Portland Timbers did more than a decent job Saturday, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the LA Galaxy at home. They ended up losing 3-2.

It was definitely a fun game. Portland faced off against the leader in the Western Conference, and they played a great first half, where they looked very dangerous but couldn’t find a way to finish the looks they created.

DP stuff

Riqui Puig might not be one of the fans’ favorite players in MLS, but the guy can ball. He proved so against the Timbers. He was LA’s engine in the midfield, the one distributing passes here and there, and his through balls were great. The way Puig uses his body is very smart; he knows he’s not the biggest guy in town and takes advantage of that. After one or two tricky touches on the ball, he tried to squeeze himself into little gaps between defenders to keep progressing the ball or to win fouls. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, but in the end, it helped LA keep possession. He was always connected to the game, which surprised Portland at the beginning of the second half when Puig beat James Pantemis with a low shot.

Gabriel Pec also had a great game, putting Claudio Bravo to work during the entire time the left-back was on the field. In the end, Pec was just having fun and helped his team to guard the margin lead to secure the three points at home. 

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

But enough talking about the opposition. What about Jonathan Rodríguez and Evander? 

Well, Rodríguez showed once more that he’s comfortable on the left wing.

Jonathan Rodríguez's heatmap. Image: Opta
Jonathan Rodríguez’s heatmap. Image: Opta

He was best when he remained wide open on that wing, receiving the ball, interchanging positions with Bravo or Santiago Moreno, and getting into the half-space.

He didn’t need much space to get a shot, as the first part of the video above shows. He could take a shot even with a defender inches in front of him and two more behind that one.

So, when given as much space as he was in the 52nd minute, it’s not surprising that he scored especially given Rodríguez’s great form as of late.

In the case of Evander, he didn’t have the best of first halves. He did have some good chances in the first half—and some others in the second that he couldn’t put away, but the midfielder still looked more alive in the second half. It wasn’t the best of his matches for sure, and that’d have been okay if he wasn’t playing against the Galaxy. However, in games like this, when the team in front is at the top of the table, everyone needs to bring it during the entire game, especially the DPs.

Santiago Moreno

Santiago Moreno’s season has been full of ups and downs. Against the Galaxy, however, he looked great. Not only did he prove he can be a perfect army of one when needed with that great goal, but he also showed that he could play comfortably the team can use him.

Santiago Moreno's heatmap. Source: Opta.
Santiago Moreno’s heatmap. Source: Opta.

Moreno’s incredible goal gave Portland life and drove them to search for the equalizer until the final whistle. His tally—with an expected goal chance of only 5.76%—happened with him recovering the ball in the midfield and going from there to the Galaxy’s box. 

We already spoke about how Rodríguez was at his best when staying wide. In this goal, Rodríguez went to the left and took two defenders with him while Evander served as a decoy inside the box. Having only one defender in front of him, Moreno knew he could bury that ball, and he did.

His goal was important not only for the individual effort but also because it gave Portland life and put them back into the game, helping the team fight until the end.

Not good enough

The Timbers should’ve taken at least a point out of this match. Both teams recorded 16 shots, but the Galaxy had two more on frame than Portland, with six to the Timbers’ four. Despite the stats, Portland should’ve been better in possession in the final third and more careful when passing the ball.

As you can see in the video below, the Timbers were good at trying to create passing networks and find spaces, but then they would just give the ball away to the opponent. Sometimes, they made it too easy for the LA defense.

Portland is showing a good quality of soccer, but they’re not just where the Galaxy is: playing no-look passes or playing by memory, thinking a teammate will be there just because he should.

They also need to be more clinical or make better decisions when other teams do the kind of giveaways like the Galaxy did below:

We know these kinds of teams don’t usually make these mistakes, but when they do, the opponents need to make a profit out of them. That’s what the Timbers didn’t do, and the Galaxy made them pay for it.