Category: Soccer

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Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Thorns 2, Racing 0

Photo by Matthew Wolfe.

The Portland Thorns claimed sole possession of the top of the NWSL table with their 2-0 win over Racing Louisville on Saturday evening. All time against Louisville the Thorns are 5-0-0, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one. While the scoreline may suggest a dominant performance over Louisville, the game itself left fans nervous that the Thorns would concede a goal late—not closing out the game with the professionalism and deftness the team normally shows. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

The largest reason the Thorns nearly threatened their dominant 2-0 first half lead was due to the sheer number of minutes that this roster has played recently. Portland was coming off of a stretch of three games in eight days that fell right on the end of an international break. Natalia Kuikka, Christine Sinclair, Adriana Leon, Hina Sugita, and Rocky Rodríguez played international matches in Europe, while Crystal Dunn, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Sophia Smith played in the United States. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Here are the minutes that each player played for their country during the week of April 6:

Kuikka: 180’ vs Slovakia

Sugita: 77’ vs. Portugal, 3’ vs Denmark

Rodríguez: 90’ vs Poland, 90’ vs Scotland

Sinclair: 63’ vs France

Leon: 76’ vs France

Dunn: 67’ vs Ireland

Smith: 135’ vs Ireland

Sauerbrunn: 120’ vs Ireland

Six of these eight players already seemed to be heavily favored in head coach Mike Norris’ preferred starting lineup (Leon, the new arrival, and Rodríguez, who consistently comes in around the 60’ mark in the midfield notwithstanding). 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Norris’ starting XI against Houston on April 14 featured nine of 11 players that started against Louisville on April 22. This would not be much of a concern, if five of the players did not also start against San Diego midweek. 

Here are the minutes that the starting XI against Lousiville played during the three game stretch: 

Bella Bixby: 180’

Meaghan Klingenberg: 180’

Becky Sauerbrunn: 148’

Kelli Hubly: 270’

Reyna Reyes: 158’

Sam Coffey: 180’

Crystal Dunn: 137’

Morgan Weaver: 202’

Christine Sinclair: 158’

Hina Sugita: 174’

Sophia Smith: 197’

Compounded with the minutes that these core players played during the international break, many were averaging over 300 minutes in a two-week time span. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

I bring all this up because the Thorns lost the game against Louisville in a clinical sense. Racing did not play a midweek game, and many of their players did not get minutes internationally during the break either. The miles on players legs showed from the initial whistle, and it was both mental and physical fatigue that prevented the Thorns from closing out the game in a clinical sense. Every touch seemed a little heavy, and their passes seemed inches off or hit too hard, allowing Racing’s players to read and intercept them. Despite outshooting Racing 20-12, the Thorns did not outplay Louisville by any means. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

While, like Norris commented on postgame, the Thorns “did not have  a complete performance [and] were just a bit off in moments,” they still were able to persevere and that is a testament to the professionalism of the individual players. 

However, across the highest levels of professional women’s soccer, it seems as though long term ACL, hamstring, and calf injuries are plaguing players. The schedule of women’s players have increased to match men’s sides with the introduction of things like midweek Challenge Cup games, but funding and research toward preventative care and the anatomical differences between different genders has not kept pace. The Thorns have already lost one player to a season-ending ACL injury and have yet to name a new head trainer after the firing of Pierre Soubrier. All the positive culture and fun that the Thorns have at trainings and games cannot combat the “big ask coming back from Wednesday, travel Thursday, manage players [Friday] and then put a performance in [Saturday] to get the three points,” in the words of Norris. 

While the players, except Sauerbrunn, who went off around the 60th minute with an ankle injury that was being monitored all week, seemed to have made it through the three game stretch unscathed, a game against Louisville, a team the Thorns have a comprehensive history of victory against, would have been a good chance to give some of the players who typically come off the bench an opportunity to get regular season minutes. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe
Categories
Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: San Diego Wave 1, Portland Thorns 0

Photo by Kris Lattimore.

The Portland Thorns’ 2023 Challenge Cup campaign began in a manner opposite how they started the NWSL regular season; rather than recording a four-goal victory, Portland came away from Wednesday’s match with a 1-0 defeat to the San Diego Wave.

It wasn’t a bad game by any means. With both teams putting out rotated lineups on short turnaround, the Thorns managed to hold San Diego to seven shots—only one of which was on target. The Wave’s lone goal wasn’t the result of San Diego putting together something brilliant or Portland doing anything wrong on the defensive end; it was the result of an incredibly unlucky deflection that ended in a Meaghan Nally own-goal.

“I feel a bit unfortunate, just in terms of the bounces,” Thorns head coach Mike Norris said postgame, “but we move on.”

In lieu of an analysis of what worked and what didn’t from a team perspective—something that feels less meaningful given all the lineup changes and matches on short turnaround—I’m taking a look at three players who taught us something in their performances against San Diego.

1. Adriana Leon

Short-term loanee Adriana Leon made her Thorns debut less than a week after her first training session with the team.

“I still can’t really believe that I’m back here in the league and playing with Portland,” she said after the match.

Leon looked solid in her first 68 minutes as a Thorn. She showcased a willingness to get into tackles and push forward to put the Wave under pressure. Her two shots on the night—both of which forced San Diego goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan into diving saves—epitomized that pressure: In each instance, Leon intercepted a pass by the Wave defense, dribbled forward to set herself up, and got a shot off.

Her performance in the second half, especially, is what we can expect from Leon with the team, said Norris. “She’s a front-footed winger who likes to get in one-v-one duels from an attacking perspective and produce crosses,” he said. “And if she gets an eye for goal, she’ll take it.”

The key for Leon, as with any new player, will be developing chemistry with the rest of the Thorns’ attackers. “We haven’t had too much time to train together,” she said. “But I’m excited to see what we can pull off moving forward.”

Leon’s already shown her ability to pick out attacking opportunities; if she can do that in-step with Sophia Smith, Portland will have added another lethal wrinkle to their already talent-heavy attack.

2. Reyna Reyes

Last weekend was a bit of a rough go for Reyna Reyes, who made her first professional start in Portland’s 1-1 draw against the Houston Dash.

After that game, Norris said he had no doubt Reyes would bounce back stronger—especially now that she had gotten her first-start nerves out of the way. That Norris was willing to give her the nod for a second game is a testament to his belief in her, a belief that seems well-founded given her performance against the Wave.

“I think she grew from her performance against Houston,” he said. “I think you can see her versatility being able to play on the left and right side, getting stuck into tackles, likes to play forward. I think she’s still coming to grips with the speed of the league, but happy with the start.”

Norris’ assessment feels accurate of what Reyes showed against San Diego. She looked more confident stepping to balls and using her body to shut down Rachel Hill, was willing to take players on on the dribble, and was able to connect with her teammates more often than not. (She recorded a 63% pass accuracy.) If Reyes continues to grow at the rate she has over these first couple games, she’ll cement herself as an invaluable piece of this team sooner rather than later.

3. Shelby Hogan

Sitting behind Bella Bixby in the goalkeeper depth chart, Hogan hasn’t had all that many chances to show what she can do. Still, she had an opportunity Wednesday night, and she made the most of it.

“I think the first thing that stood out was just her presence and her demeanor,” Norris said, “really calm and confident. Really composed, looked like she had a lot of games under her belt… I think it was solid confidence and a composed performance of somebody probably beyond her experience and her years.”

Even with the unlucky deflection-turned-own-goal, Hogan looked solid throughout the night. Her stellar positioning and solid handling made the couple times she came to claim a ball off a corner or cross look easy. And she was ready to deny San Diego’s Sofia Jakobsson an early chance.

It’s safe to say the Nadine Angerer goalkeeper development academy is alive and well.

Bonus: Emily Menges

Emily Menges made her first appearance for the Thorns since Aug. 24, 2022, when she came on as a second-half sub for Reyes. Especially given the last six months, it’s nice to see her back on the pitch and looking like she hasn’t missed a beat.

Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland 4, Seattle 1

Dairon Asprilla's bicycle kick goal in the 71st minute is a candidate for MLS goal of the year. Elite Photo Credit: Matthew Wolfe
Dairon Asprilla's bicycle kick goal in the 71st minute is a candidate for MLS goal of the year. Elite Photo Credit: Matthew Wolfe

Heading into Saturday’s game, the Seattle Sounders were first in the table and were the top scoring team in the West. The Portland Timbers, meanwhile, were 12th in the table and had not won a game since their regular season opener against Sporting KC on February 27. The Timbers were winless in their last six matches.

After losing Eryk Williamson to season ending injury, this team could of continued their downward spiral.

After playing one of their best halves of football, the Portland Timbers looked down and out.

In the 58th minute Sounders superstar Raúl Ruidíaz scored to put the visitors up 1-0.

But all it takes is one moment to change all the momentum. In the 71st minute, Dairon Asprilla scored the MLS goal of the year to tie it at 1-1 with a brilliant bicycle kick.

That goal gave the Portland Timbers a sense of belief and ignited the attack for the first time all season.

Nathan Fogaça gave Portland the 2-1 lead with a beautiful dribble and two touches to get around Sounders defender Yeimar. Seattle Goalkeeper Stefan Frei managed to get a hand on Fogaça’s shot, but it wasn’t enough to stop the ball from going into the back of the net.

Jarosław Niezgoda has struggled to find his form all season and was subbed in the 72nd minute for Franck Boli. Less than 10 minutes later, he put away a rebound to score his first goal of the season.

Juan David Mosquera put the game away in the 89th minute, with a rocket on a quick counter.

The Portland Timbers completed the comeback to win 4-1, with all of their goals scored in the last 20 minutes.

These are the games where we are reminded why we love this game and these players.

Best lineup of the season

Since the season started, Portland has not had their strongest XI. Although Williamson is out for the year, the Timbers had a majority of their first choice squad for the first time.

This starting XI came out on the front foot and outshot Seattle 7-4 in the first half. Unfortunately, they lost control of the game early in the second half.

Once Portland head coach Gio Savarese made substitutions, they regained the upper hand. Many of the Timbers starters for the game are still coming back to full fitness.

When Yimmi Chará returns, they will have all of their first choice starters except Williamson.

The starters played well in the first half, and the substitutes’ fresh legs will give this team a lot of positives moving forward.

Franck Boli starts
Franck Boli made his first start for Portland as they took down Seattle 4-1.Credit: Matthew Wolfe
Franck Boli made his first start for Portland as they took down Seattle 4-1.
Credit: Matthew Wolfe

The Timbers signed Ivorian forward Franck Boli from Hungarian top-flight side Ferencvárosi on March 13.

Boli has been getting up to speed, learning the system, and building a rapport with his new teammates over the past month.

In two sub appearances, he had played 28 total minutes before the Seattle game—including time in which he scored the game tying goal at FC Dallas.

Boli made his first start against the Seattle Sounders.

After the match, Savarese said he was impressed with Boli’s performance and extremely excited to see him with more opportunities. “He started to figure things out,” Savarese said. “You can see the special things that he has. In some moments, you saw how quick he was to get in front of the Seattle defender… He can get in good areas.”

The Timbers head coach believes Boli’s only going to get better with more time to learn the system.

“He has a good understanding of the way we want to play,” said Savarese. “Now it’s about generating the chemistry with the guys. He just arrived. Evander just started to play with him. Some of the guys started to get to know the two of them more and more.”

Forwards can score, too!
Nathan Fogaça scored his first goal of the 2023 season against the Seattle Sounders.Credit: Matthew Wolfe
Nathan scored his first goal of the 2023 season against the Seattle Sounders.
Credit: Matthew Wolfe

The Timbers had only scored six goals in their first seven games. Out of those, each line had contributed two each. The only forwards who had scored prior to the Seattle game were Boli and Tega Ikoba.

That all changed in this game.

Asprilla, Fogaça, and Niezgoda all opened their scoring accounts for the season. If their frontline can continue to produce, this team is going to be scary the rest of the way.

David vs. Goliath

The first place team facing off against the 12th place team. The Sounders went into the game with a +12 goal differential, while Portland was at -6.

Still, the Timbers started off the game on the front foot, outshooting the Sounders in the first half.

At the start of the second half, Seattle could not have started much better. They found the opening goal in the 58th minute and nearly scored again on several occasions.

Seattle’s attacking soccer and ruthless barrages continued, and they kept chasing a second goal.

The Timbers being down a goal with 20 minutes left in the game, things were not looking good to even get a result.

Portland has been beat up all season, but they got up and fought like heck the rest of the way.

Thanks to their forwards, Santi Moreno’s assists, and the return of their dangerous counterattack, Portland was able to take down Goliath.

Shoutouts
JDM celebrates his second goal of the season versus the Seattle Sounders. He continues cement himself as one of the best right backs in MLS. Credit: Matthew Wolfe
JDM celebrates his second goal of the season versus the Seattle Sounders. He continues cement himself as one of the best right backs in MLS.
Credit: Matthew Wolfe

Juan David Mosquera scored his second goal of the season and continues to put in the effort on the defensive end. He led the team in touches, shots, shots on goal, crosses, and possessions won.

Claudio Bravo made a goal-saving intervention in the 39th minute before Jordan Morris could put it in the back of the net. Bravo was near the team lead in a bunch of stats.

The first three goals had Santi Moreno‘s signature all over them. He assisted on the first two goals to Asprilla and Fogaça. On the third goal, he followed up Fogaça’s shot, which allowed Niezgoda to finish it.

Fun stats
  • Portland has now beaten Seattle four consecutive times
  • Portland Timbers xG: 1.38 – Seattle Sounders xG: 1.33
  • Portland had more total shots and shots on goal
    • Portland: 17/8 – Seattle 15/5
  • Diego Chará completed  97.2% of his passes
  • Dario Zuparic led the team with seven aerial duels won
  • Dairon Asprilla also had eight dribbles and six successful dribbles to lead the team.
Coaches’ corner

Savarese on the win: “When you don’t get too many good results, and you’re putting in a lot of work, and you’re trying to manage a lot of things in a difficult way, the way we started—a win like today’s is incredible. It’s amazing, because we needed it. We needed it. We needed the three points; we needed a win like this to feel that we’re capable of competing at the highest level. And we still have some players that need to come back.

“I think with that said, I felt tonight the guys wanted to win. You felt it. And I think, as I said, a goal like Asprilla’s just gives that energy at the end to make sure that the guys just felt that we can win this game.

“Now we have to continue to work. It’s not staying on one game and that’s it. It’s about all the games that are coming, and we need to prepare very well, because now we have Cincinnati. We have the U.S. Open Cup. Then we have to go to St. Louis. We have a difficult schedule, but now with players coming back and finally getting a bench that is full, we can compete to a better level.”

Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer on his postgame message to the team: “I told them I don’t feel that it’s a rivalry. That’s my initial gut thought. At 1-0, we have to have that killer instinct against a team that has beat us three games in a row, that’s had our number. At their place, stick the knife in, kill the game. I don’t give a shit if it was the second goal or extending possession. After the game, some of our staff members, everybody talking, laughing. It’s like another loss. It’s not another loss; it’s against the Timbers.

“We have to get back to understanding that this is a rivalry. And that’s what I said to everybody. That’s the reflection that I have. It’s not good, it’s not good. We don’t have the killer instinct to put them away. We gave them life; we talked about it, messaged it before the game. They were using this game as a springboard. They have to go to Cincinnati next week. They get a bad result here and have to go to Cincinnati, that could doom them. But we give them life.”

Quote of the night

Asprilla, on if practicing bicycle kicks during practice attributed to his goal: “Yes. I talked to [David] Ayala before the game. ‘You wait for [the] bicycle’. It’s my confidence.”

Categories
Soccer Thorns

The Path to Portland

Reyna Reyes made her regular season debut against Maria Sánchez and the Houston Dash. Photo by Matthew Wolfe.
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Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Thorns 1, Dash 1

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

The Thorns dropped their first points of 2023 campaign Friday night against the Houston Dash—but not without a myriad of close chances to earn the win. Since the Dash joined the NWSL in 2014, the Thorns have had an oddly hard time winning outright against Houston at home in Providence Park. In both 2021 and 2022, the Thorns won away in Texas, and lost at home in Portland, and they have already continued their non-winning streak in the 2023 season. 

Luckily, Crystal Dunn seems to hate the Dash as much as I do; she scored her eighth career goal last night, making the Houston the team she has scored on the most in the NWSL. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Statistically, the Thorns were by far the better team on the night. They had 2.84 expected goals to Houston’s 1.47, which came from 22 shots, almost 500 passes, 133 passes inside the final third, and eight corners. So, how did the Thorns, who are currently sitting on a +7 goal differential after two games, only manage one goal? 

The game was won and lost in the final third. An international break that saw Hina Sugita, Rocky Rodríguez, Christine Sinclair, and Natalia Kuikka all go to Europe for games while Sophia Smith, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Dunn played significant minutes in the U.S. was always going to produce a rocky first game back. Thorns fans got their first glimpse at what the team could look like during the World Cup as Reyna Reyes, Olivia Moultrie, and Michele Vasconcelos got their first starts of the season. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

When a team scores as much as the Thorns do, their defense is usually overlooked. Against the Dash, who have one of the most threatening front-threes in the league, Portland’s defense was able to hold strong and only allow a combined 11 shots from Diana Ordóñez, Maria Sánchez, and Ebony Salmon. Reyes, this year’s fifth overall draft pick, got her first professional start as right back, placing her up against a fellow Mexican international in Sánchez. Reyes grew into the game during her 45 minutes, showing her quick feet and aggressive overlapping runs with Vasconcelos on the right flank. 

Postgame, Kling complimented Reyes, saying that, “she is super tough and gets in there and tackles. She has a lot of potential, and it was nice to see her get some minutes and have some fun.”

Thorns head coach Mike Norris acknowledged Reyes’ role in the allowed Dash goal. “She wants that moment back,” he said, “but she’ll be good moving forward. I think the first 15, 20 minutes, how she started, she started positively, and she looked comfortable in the environment.” 

With more minutes under her belt, Reyes will be hungry to show her talent and redeem herself for the missed interception. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

For me, the player of the match was Kling. She was all over the place, and her link-ups with Morgan Weaver on the left side were incredibly productive at launching Weaver one-on-one against Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell. If Weaver can increase her shots on target, the partnership will become lethal. Additionally, Kling had 98 touches on the ball—nearly double what the highest Dash player had—seven crosses, and three chances created. She is also a leader, and her postgame analysis was an honest and unbiased reflection of the game.

“There were periods in the game where we lost ourselves a little bit, and when we do that, teams can compete with us,” she said. “I think Houston is a good team. They’re physical, and they’re high pressure. They’re direct, and that’s difficult to combat sometimes when you’re playing on your backfoot. The part that I was really proud of, though, was that the team didn’t stay on the backfoot. We kicked it into gear, got on the front foot again, and started getting after them, getting good chances. And it was a winnable game. We had chances that we could’ve won and put one away in the first half. The thing about us is that we’re never satisfied even when we win; we’re satisfied being unsatisfied. And I think that’s the story of this match.”

While the draw was won on the backline, it was lost in the front line. The majority of substitutions came through the front line, sans Reyes for Kuikka at half, and it was these changes that took the lethal sting out of the game for the Thorns. Olivia Moultrie has a real talent for seeing potential through-balls, but her actual delivery isn’t quite there yet. If she can get her 54% passing accuracy in the final third up, she will be able to fully put Smith, Sugita, and Weaver in on goal. 

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Vasconcelos will be Mike Norris’ first choice on the wing to fill in for Hina and Soph when they are gone on international duty, and she had flashes of brightness to show that she deserves a valid shot. However, she only had one shot over 64 minutes, which is not quite good enough for a forward. Both Weaver and Smith are high-volume shooters, which usually results in a goal or two for each of them. This tactic is embedded in the Thorns’ recent playing, which regularly sees the team put up over 20 shots. For Vasconcelos to more regularly get that starting position, she needs to start putting up similar numbers to Sugita or Weaver. 

Like Leo said last week, the way the Thorns play during the World Cup will make or break the rest of the season. With more time, players like Moultrie and Reyes will become crucial to winning points during this period. In the meantime however, the Thorns need to practice on tightening up their passes in the final third. With three games this week, they will have plenty of time to try new techniques and improve their chemistry. 

By the way, the new kits are incredibly sick.

Photo by Matthew Wolfe
Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 0, Vancouver Whitecaps 1

Credit: Kris Lattimore
Credit: Kris Lattimore

Good grief, Charlie Brown! That was a tough game to watch, uh? Bear with me while we break down this Cascadia rivalry game.

After the Timbers got a point against FC Dallas with a last-minute goal, we had some reasons to believe. They defended well as a unit in that match, cutting Dallas’ passing lanes.

Of course, the major and obvious difference between that game and this one against Vancouver is the score, with Portland losing by one in this case. No one on the team was able to provide the Franck Boli heroics of the Dallas match this time around.

How did the defense do?

Head coach Gio Savarese decided to put Justin Rasmussen in the starting XI instead of Claudio Bravo, a surprising decision surprising after Bravo’s strong performance against Dallas.

Rasmussen had an okay game in defense but he lost the ball too many times in the Timbers’ half. In fact, he ranks first in this department with 11 losses. The player from the back line that ranks second in this regard is Zac McGraw, with five.

Nonetheless, he added himself to the attack and is the only Timber that registered a chance created (xA = 0.31), which came from this cross. 

Portland had serious problems trying to create something in the first half, but that changed a little in the second. Still, Rasmussen’s cross was the only real chance the Timbers created for this match.

Savarese referred to it in the post-game press conference. “Yes, the buildup wasn’t ideal in the first half,” he said. “But then the second half was completely different. We had more of the ball, we created more than just moments, we had an opportunity to score with [Juan] Mosquera, and we could’ve tied the game. But Vancouver today put us in a lot of trouble, and it was just a difficult game.”

McGraw was once again the player with the most clearances made with 12, followed by Eric Miller with seven.

Jazzy makes an impact

After Aljaž Ivačič’s good performance against Dallas, he polished his work in goal and made a total of 8 saves against Vancouver. 

McGraw praised his teammate’s performance after the match. “He proves day in and day out why the Timber’s offered him a contract extension,” McGraw said. “He made a huge save at the end, where there was a ball over the top, and the second ball the midfielders just popped over our back line. And one-on-one with the keeper and all the pressure is on the attacker in that situation, and he just came out big because statistically, that’s a goal every time. He had great saves in the first ten minutes of the game. Ball went back post and was headered down in the bottom corner, that’s a hard save to make for any goalie in the world and he made that, keeping us in the game.”

For such an outstanding effort, Ivačič was included in the MLS’s Best XI for Week 7:

What about the midfield?

With Eryk Williamson unavailable for this match (more on that in a minute), the Timbers suffered. Williamson is usually one of the few players who can carry the ball from defense to offense effectively—and someone who draws many fouls in the midfield. He and Diego Chará usually complement each other well; while Williamson has the freedom to go forward, Chará covers his back. And of course, the American midfielder creates chances for the team, something few Timbers have proved capable of in this first part of the season.

As a consequence of his absence, Savarese decided to start Diego Gutiérrez. It is true that is not easy to fill Williamson’s shoes, but it is also true that Gutiérrez should’ve been more involved in this match. In the 45 minutes he was on the field, he only made eight passes—and completed six—and touched the ball 13 times, per Opta.

Gutiérrez and Evander's touches maps. Source: Wyscout.
Gutiérrez’s and Evander’s touches maps. Source: Opta.

So, it wasn’t a surprise when the coach decided to put Evander in Gutiérrez’s place. No doubt Portland found more fluidity in the second half because of this. What is more, the Timbers attack leaned heavily to the right, according to Wyscout.

Attacks by flanks and danger level. Source: Wyscout
Attacks by flanks and danger level. Source: Wyscout

If we speak about Chará, he had a consistent game as usual. Among the starting midfielders, he was the one with the biggest percentage of pass completion (84.6% out of 52 passes) and the one who won the most duels, with five. If we talk about his defensive work, he registered three tackles, two interceptions, and one clearance.

Finally, Santiago Moreno didn’t have a performance as good as the one he had against Dallas, but he was okay. Moreno was one of the few who contributed to the attack in this game with a blocked shot (xG = 0.03) and tried to cross the ball once—although unsuccessfully. The thing he has to work on, though, is duels; he attempted 10 and was successful in only one.

A positive thing we can point out here is the return of David Ayala, who came in the second half for Moreno. It was good to see him on the field again, winning duels, winning tackles, and earning fouls.

Attack? What’s that?

I think this pass network says it all, but we still need to say something here.

Timbers' pass network. Source: Wyscout.
Timbers pass network. Source: Wyscout.

Besides Moreno and Juan David Mosquera, none of the Timbers had a shot in the 90+7 minutes of the match. We already pointed out the best chance the Timbers had in the game, but it is true they had some good combinations throughout the game that ended up in nothing thanks to Vancouver defending well in their own box.

We don’t have to downplay the Whitecaps’ good pressing work, which effectively prevented Portland from creating dangerous plays when they tried.

Maybe if the Timbers would’ve played more directly and didn’t try so many passes, they would’ve created more chances. Another choice could’ve been to circulate the ball at a higher tempo, so the opponent’s pressing wouldn’t have been so efficient.

It was no doubt a difficult game for Portland, and Vancouver’s good job was rewarded in minute 74, when Julian Gressel sent a cross that was blocked by Rasmussen. Nonetheless, the rebound fell to him, and Gressel immediately sent a cross again that this time connected with Brian White, who put the ball in the back of the net.

Some news

Considering the way the team has played lately, it is no wonder that the fans are praying for the starters to come back as soon as possible. Fortunately, their prayers have been heard: Sebastián Blanco, Cristhian Paredes, Yimmi Chará, and Marvin Loría were back in training on Tuesday. What is more, Savarese has said that Loría and Paredes will probably be available for the game against Seattle next weekend, according to Oregonian reporter Ryan Clarke.

But not everything is good news. That same day, we found out that Williamson would miss the remainder of the 2023 season due to an ACL injury. The procedure was scheduled for April 12, and he is expected to be out of the fields at least for nine months.

“Eryk is an extremely important component within the team who was performing at a high level again, making it difficult news to accept,” said Timbers general manager Ned Grabavoy. “We will support Eryk both on and off the field during his recovery process, and we are confident that he will make a full recovery in reestablishing himself within the team again next season.”

 

Coming up next…

The rivalry games continue on Saturday, when the Timbers host Seattle Sounders at Providence Park. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. PT.

Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 1, FC Dallas 1

Jazzy Ivačič came up big against Dallas. Credit: Kris Lattimore.
Jazzy Ivačič came up big against Dallas. Credit: Kris Lattimore.

On Saturday night, the Portland Timbers played FC Dallas in Frisco, Texas. After a good first half by the visitors, the tables turned. The Timbers had to find a solution to a home team that pushed them to the brink of another loss.

Ivačič is back

After goalkeeper David Bingham got injured in the game against LA Galaxy, Aljaž Ivačič had to leave any differences he has with head coach Gio Savarese aside and put on the gloves for the Timbers.

The Slovenian had a good game on Saturday night with some heroic saves (five total), like the one we witnessed at minute 62.

‘Jazzy’ made crucial saves during the entire game that helped the Timbers to stay in the match.

One aspect of his game he has to improve, though, is his distribution. Ivačič attempted a total of 34 passes, and he had a passing accuracy of 35.3%. Granted, the Timbers were playing direct, but still. If that’s the plan, you want the team’s goalkeeper to be more clinical with his passes, right? Out of those 34 passes, 30 were long and only 4 were short, which of course gives more room for inaccuracy. 

Strong defending

If there’s a department where the Timbers are lacking more than others, that’s defense. 

Portland has 11 goals against, the second most in the West conference after Real Salt Lake. So, they needed to revamp in this regard—a complicated task playing on the road, since teams tend to be stronger at home. 

Nonetheless, they did improve against Dallas. We could see how the home team didn’t find proper channels to put the ball on the box, since the Timbers would put many people in the middle while staying organized. This made it possible for them to recover balls and make clearances.

Source: Opta
All 32 Timbers’ clearances. Source: Opta

Zac McGraw continues to be by far the King of Clearances for this team. In this game, alone, he made a total of eight, followed by Dario Župarić with six. And what about this block by McGraw?

The Timbers showed they can dominate if the entire team puts in a defensive effort, as we could see in the first half. The second half was a different story, though. The right side of the field became the preferred flank where Dallas would build its attack and Portland focused so much on the players passing the ball there, that they often missed the one coming from the middle, which became the obvious passing option.

That was how a Dallas goal happened. Thank goodness it was called off due to offside.

The crossbar denies Moreno, but Boli saves the day

The most dangerous and best-attacking sequence in the first half for Portland was undoubtedly the one they created 30 minutes into the match. It was a counter-attack that started and finished with Santi Moreno.

In said play, the team got from one end of the field to the other with just three passes. Sadly, the post denied Moreno.

And after an entire half with Portland in the driver’s seat, things leveled in the second half. Dallas ended up outshooting the Timbers 17 to six, with 11 of those shots happening in the last 45 minutes.

Despite this, Portland kept trying to create chances with fast transitions. That is how a promising counter-attack happened in minute 70. It was three Timbers against the world like it happened in the first half, but the difference was that the team was tired and unlike the first half, the ball ended nowhere near Dallas’ goal.

The home team goal came through a set piece, a corner. Portland tried to clear the ball without success and left five (!) opponents unmarked inside the box. One of them, Facundo Quignon, ended up scoring in the 74th minute.

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

Searching for the equalizer, Juan David Mosquera could’ve scored in the 76′, but the goalkeeper Maarten Paes made a great save.

The subs came in at minute 86 for Portland. With Moreno and Eric Miller out, Larrys Mabiala and Franck Boli got into the match. 

The Timbers had to wait until second half stoppage time to level things up. The play started with Diego Chará sending a long ball to Dairon Asprilla, who was on the right wing. He beat his marker and sent a back pass. Boli was faster than any Dallas player and got to that ball first, hitting a powerful diagonal shot that beat Paes.

The aftermath

“Our substitutions came in at the right time, and they provided what we needed,” said coach Savarese after the game. “After they found the goal, the group had that belief that they could not give up and that they could come back. What a great start for Boli, who came into this game and scored the tying goal that gave us the point.” 

The man of the game, Boli, talked with the press about how the game unfolded. “It was a very interesting match,” he said. “There were a lot of moments and chances for both teams. If we could have finished our chances, we could have won the match, to be honest. It was fun to watch from the sideline. We started well, and once I came in, I knew it was for me to get participation minutes. I am thankful that the coach gave me at least five minutes. I enjoyed it, and I was lucky to be there at the right place and the right time to score the goal and help us get the tie.”

For sure, this was a valuable point gotten away from home, and the fact that the equalizer came after the 90 minute mark made it even better. To be honest, it felt like a win: Portland not only played good soccer most of the match, but now they have reasons to believe. Now they can believe that, despite all the injured players, the men coming from the bench have the key to keep going and find results.

Now, what’s next? It’s rivalry week! Portland will continue their road trip and will face Vancouver at BC Place next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. PT.

Source: Ted Lasso/ Apple TV
Source: Ted Lasso/ Apple TV
Categories
Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Current 1, Thorns 4

Photo by Nikita Taparia.

It isn’t easy to follow up a 4-0 season-opening home victory, but the Portland Thorns did just that Saturday in Kansas City. Portland’s 4-1 win over last year’s NWSL Championship runners-up—featuring a dominant first half and a Sophia Smith hat trick—positions them at the top of the NWSL table, tied on points with the San Diego Wave.

Despite soccer being a game of two halves, the match was something of a three-act performance: the opening 45 minutes where the Thorns dominated, Kansas City threatening and scoring early in the second half, and Smith doing Sophia Smith things in the last 10 minutes to dam the Current’s attempted comeback.

Here’s a takeaway from each of those.

 1. The first half (or: Crystal Dunn)

As Jaiden wrote in their takeaways last week, the Thorns have started their 2023 season where they left off last year. Which is to say they’re still absolutely stacked with talented players who are used to playing together and won the NWSL Championship in 2022. And the Thorns have someone who was missing for much of their 2022 campaign: USWNT star, 2019 World Cup champion, and 2015 NWSL MVP Crystal Dunn.

It was Dunn who opened the scoring for Portland on Saturday, when Sam Coffey found her near post on a short corner kick and Dunn had time to control the ball, look up, and slot her shot past AD Franch.

The third-minute goal set the tone for Portland—and for Dunn’s performance, specifically—that first half.

“She was everywhere,” Smith said after the game, “defensively, offensively, spinning people.”

For Dunn, it was exactly the game she was looking for. “I literally love playing in the midfield,” she said. “It’s honestly where I feel like I’m most authentic to who I am as a player. When I’m able to connect with the forwards to be able to put them in the best position to succeed, it fills me with so much joy.”

And find her teammates she did. Dunn completed an impressive 92.3% of her passes against the Current—far ahead of anyone else on the team.

“She was doing it all,” Smith said. “It’s so much fun to play with her because you trust and you know that she’s going to be right there with you when you go to press and she’s going to be right there with you when you’re attacking.”

But Dunn wasn’t alone in her standout first half. “What I felt all of the first half was just us connecting and people making the right passes making the right decisions,” she said. “Even if it didn’t work out, it was collectively just getting back on the same page and working hard to win the ball back.”

2. Beginning the second half (or: the questions)

The thing is, we’ve seen the Thorns look really, really good this season, but we’ve seen them look really, really good against teams that are not at their best. The Orlando Pride were… not great when Portland beat them in their season opener, and Kansas City could almost field an entire star-studded XI from their injury report on Saturday.

That’s not to say that rookie Gabrielle Robinson didn’t make a few key blocks on Smith in the first half or that Franch’s positioning didn’t stifle a couple promising looks from the Thorns, but the Current’s defense was a very scrapped-together-last-minute kind of deal.

But something clearly happened during Kansas City’s halftime because they came out of the locker room ready to fight. After conceding all of one shot in the first half, the Thorns were caught on the back foot in the second, stuck defending as the Current forced one turnover and resulting chance after another.

“They fixed some things,” Portland head coach Mike Norris said. “They came up with a different energy, which we didn’t match. We had to ride that storm.” And though they did ride it, the Thorns didn’t come out unscathed; they conceded their first goal of the season to an unmarked Cece Kizer header in the 58th minute.

“I think how the team responds says a lot more about us riding the wave of momentum,” Dunn said. “We were able to get back into it, keep our heads high, staying together, everyone was positive. I think that’s really what this team is about—just being able to solve problems and do it in a way that’s positive and encouraging for everybody to kind of get on the same page.”

Although the Thorns were able to claw their way back into the game, the early second half is a good reminder that scoring four goals every match is probably not a sustainable practice, especially this season.

Maybe it’s just me still having flashbacks to 2019—does that one Courage game still haunt anyone else?—but there is a pretty large part of me that cares less about winning games 4-0 and more about Seeing That Mike Norris is Preparing for a World Cup Year.

“The key is for us to be consistent,” Norris said of upcoming international player absences, “just in terms of the environment that we create every day. The expectations that we have of the players is a big piece, regardless of who’s in or who’s not.”

All this is to say that the Thorns are really good right now, and it’s probably safe to assume that will hold true in the near future. But Portland hasn’t really played against another full-strength squad yet, and this is a year where we’ll have players in and out of the team more so than usual, and this is Norris’ first season as a head coach in this league. I’m not ready to make judgements about what we’ve seen so far means for the rest of the season yet. Still, I’m excited to watch what we have going in the meantime.

3. The last 10 minutes (or: Sophia Smith)

As mentioned above, the Current came out of the gates swinging in the second half, and it was the first time this year—in the admittedly small sample size of two games—we’ve seen the Thorns stuck trying to simply keep their opponents from scoring. The important part here is that KC cut Portland’s lead in half, and the Thorns needed something to turn the momentum back in their favor.

That something—or, rather, someone—was, unsurprisingly, Smith, who’d already put away a Portland penalty in the first half. In the 83rd minute, Smith scored her first goal in the run of play, taking on four Current players on the dribble before sneaking a shot past Franch.

“Soph is just out there doing Soph things,” Dunn said in the postgame press conference. “I expect nothing less.”

Soph continued to do Soph things in the 88th minute, finding space at the top of the box and sending a low ball into the back of the net. “I was so shocked that I had more than two seconds to think about what I was going to do,” she said. “That was definitely new to me.”

Bonus: KC takes an L (or three)

Mostly I am still obsessed with the KC photoshop here, although I do think there should be three Smiths.

Categories
Soccer

Takeaways: Thorns 4, Pride 0

Photo by Nikita Taparia.

The Portland Thorns’ 2023 NWSL campaign started with an absolute bang on Sunday at Providence Park against the Orlando Pride. Historically, the Thorns have dominated in games against the Pride since Orlando joined the league in 2016, putting more than four goals past them on four separate occasions.

This time was no different: The Thorns picked up right where they left off in 2022 and came out firing. In that victory, Portland emphatically told their fans that they need not worry about the mentality of the team and its off-field messes. 

Inspired by the four goals that four different Thorns scored last weekend, here are four key takeaways about the first league game of the year. 

Morgan Weaver, 16’: High pressure and following shots is key

In the pre-game press conference, head coach Mike Norris said that the Thorns were going to play a much more forward game. This new style of play was evident from the first whistle. The Thorns had 27 total shots, 16 of which were on target, compared to Orlando’s nine and one, respectively. The high volume of shots came from the high press the Thorns implemented. Every ball played out of the back was contested, and anytime a player took a shot, other players consistently flooded the goal, ready to put away any rebound or bobble by the keeper. This is exactly how Morgan Weaver got her first goal of the 2023 season from within the six yard box. 

When asked about her goal, Weaver said, “I think it was something very special. Shot, save, and then I was right there.”

If the Thorns are able to keep up this intensity of play throughout the entire season, then their relentlessness will tire defenses out, forcing them to make more mistakes. Being able to see the fruits of their labor work against an admittedly young and weak Orlando defense will hopefully inspire them to continue to apply the same pressure for future games.  

Sophia Smith, 22’: Christine Sinclair, you have proven yourself. 

When Christine Sinclair was named in the starting lineup, I was skeptical. In the three open-door preseason matches, Sinc consistently seemed a step behind the rest of the team in terms of pace and passing precision. Luckily, Sinc seems to have taken personal offense to the RCR discord messages about her and came onto the pitch with something to prove. She was an absolute machine in the midfield, plowing through the Orlando defense and setting up dangerous opportunities for her teammates. Even when her goal  from the top of the box was called back for a foul, you could see the drive emanating from her. 

“I love seeing Sincy like that,” Weaver said when asked about the aggressiveness of Sinclair’s play. “It’s my favorite. She’s just someone very special to play with, and I’m very fortunate to be with her. It’s just so much fun because I can just look at her and she’ll just be like, ‘Let’s go. C’mon. Keep going.’ And it’s something that’s really refreshing for me, honestly, because if I’m down on myself or anything, I can just give her a look and she’ll be like, ‘You got this. Keep going.’ It’s very supportive and I enjoy it.”

Similarly, Norris said Sinclair “brought a calmness on the ball. She brought a different gear in terms of defending. Just being a bit more front-footed and we did that as a collective group.”

Going forward I will remember to not doubt Sinc’s abilities even in her twenty-plus season of professional soccer. 

Hina Sugita, 49’: HINA HIVE ARE YOU READY??

I am a card-carrying member of the Hina Hive and am absolutely stoked to watch her play this year. She already had the sauce, the skills, and the swagger and has now fully embraced the speed and physicality of the NWSL. This combination is a guaranteed recipe for success, and Hina Sugita’s talent was on full display against the Pride. 

Sugita had a 94% passing accuracy rate and won nine duels, an exceptionally strong number compared to her numbers last season. What continues to amaze me is Sugita’s ability to get out of tight spaces when there is heavy amounts of pressure being applied. Her skill and comfort on the ball has grown tremendously, and Norris recognized that. 

“It’s what you see on the field there,” he said. “I mean, how she got out of that pocket in our half I’m not quite sure. I just turned to the bench like, ‘how did she do that?’ But, I mean, she does that in training. She just brings that energy every day, just a smile that she has and so I’m not sure about maturity. I just think it’s probably a comfort in our environments and being able to express herself.”

Now being asked to play winger in Janine Beckie’s absence, Sugita will continue to grow into that role over the course of the season. 

Michele Vasconcelos, 76’: Substitutes carry the same quality and drive as starters

The Thorns included new nomenclature on their starting XI graphic this season. Instead of just a bench displayed in small print underneath the starting lineup, the Thorns’ have chosen to call the players their “finishers” in order to underscore their importance to playing a cohesive game. Michele Vasconcelos was one of those finishers against the Pride, coming on for Weaver in the 63rd minute. Vasconcelos is poised for a lot of time this year, as it is understood that she is likely going to be one of Norris’ first choices off the bench for the forward line. Being able to maintain the same level of quality and pressure that the three starting forwards bring is a high ask. Luckily, Vasconcelos was able to meet it. 

“Whether we’re playing well or down, just trying to always come in with that same mentality of bringing energy and fire,” Vasconcelos said. “Hoping to always come in that way.”

Her statement encapsulates the drive that all Thorns players must have, whether or not that see many minutes on the field. The Thorns’ advantage in the NWSL is their deep bench and squad mentality, and in order to make a convincing run for that fourth star, all players must fully embrace it.

Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland 0, LA Galaxy 0

Photo by Kris Lattiore.

The Portland Timbers had lost three games in a row heading into their home game Saturday versus the LA Galaxy. The Galaxy came into the match winless in their opening three games, with their last two ending in draws. Both teams desperately needed a result coming into the game.

Both teams would play to a scoreless draw at Providence Park.

In order to inject some life into the club, Timbers head coach Gio Savarese inserted Diego “Guti” Gutierrez and Pablo Bonilla into the lineup. Nathan Fogaça earned his second consecutive start.

The Portland Timbers and LA Galaxy had an injury list that looked like an NFL midseason injury update.

LA had their fair share of issues too. They were missing seven players: Chicharito, Douglas Costa, Jonathan Bond, Marcus Ferkranus, Dejan Joveljić, Kelvin Leerdam, and Eriq Zavaleta.

The Timbers went extremely direct with their play in the first half, and all of the statistics backed it up. It was an ugly display of football and highlighted how sloppy they were with the ball.

Both teams were extremely physical, and there were a ton of fouls committed and not called in the opening 45 minutes. Guti and David Bingham were the two bright spots for the Timbers.

In the first half, the Galaxy dominated proceedings with 10 shots on goal, while Portland had one. The Timbers were out-possessed 29% to 71%. In the 13th minute, Portland got lucky when Galaxy forward Preston Judd’s shot hit the post after he got past the backline of Portland.

In the second half, play continued to be chippy. For 80 minutes, the Timbers were outplayed by the Galaxy.

In the last 15, though, Portland found some magic and dangerous moments. Tega Ikoba brought a spark to the game when he subbed in for the Timbers in the 76th minute. Portland outshot LA Galaxy 9-7 in the second half.

The final possession numbers were terrible for the Timbers: Portland with 32.8% and LA with 67.2%.

Identity crisis

I will ask continue to ask until we get an answer: who is this Portland Timbers team? What are they trying to accomplish on the pitch? Where is the creativity? Is the counterattack completely gone?

The performance early on was sloppy, and they couldn’t manage to escape a single line of pressure. In the second half, the Timbers were a lot better and finally showed the trademark counterattack in the last few minutes.

With the team finally getting healthy, we could see improvement coming sooner rather than later.

“I thought it was a performance of a team that wanted to get a win three points,” Savarese said. “When we have players missing, then players have to step up, and I saw a lot of players stepping up today. It wasn’t perfect, but when you have the desire, the heart, the commitment and determination to give everything that you have, what else can I ask?”

Jazzy benched

Through the first five games of 2023, goalkeeper Aljaž Ivačič has made one start, while Bingham has made four.

Although Bingham has been good in goal, he does not possess the immense upside that Jazzy does.

However, Bingham is as reliable as they come. Savarese knows exactly what he can expect from Bingham each time he’s in goal.

He made huge saves throughout the match to keep the game scoreless. His positioning was very good and played a fine game in goal.

This was his second clean sheet on the season, but unfortunately the turf monster claimed its next injury in Bingham.

We wish him all the best in his recovery.

The tension between Ivačič and Savarese could land him on the bench for the near future. Not a good look for a struggling Timbers side.

Could we see 20-year-old Hunter Sulte start, instead? It looks like it.

Guti & Bonilla start
Diego Gutierrez made his first start against LA Galaxy. Photo by Kris Lattimore
Diego Gutierrez made his first start against LA Galaxy.
Photo by Kris Lattimore

Guti has been strong for the Timbers in the minutes he has received. Those opportunities earned Gutierrez his first start. Juan David Mosquera, who is on international duty with Colombia, was replaced by Pablo Bonilla.

Gutierrez and Bonilla were both active and energetic throughout the game. Bonilla did not have many opportunities to come forward, but he was efficient in defense. He also led the team in crosses. Guti had many bright moments with his dribbling and passing.

After the match, Gio said Guti could see more minutes moving forward if he continues his current form. “Gutierrez played very well,” he said. “Now he’s going to compete and push others, and that’s what we want.”

Injury list

At this rate, the Portland Timbers could field a whole injured side. That’s how long their list is. Players continue to get healthier each week, but so far, when they get players back, more go on it.

“Right now, we’re unlucky with the injuries,” Diego Chará said after the match. “That’s really disappointing for us.”

Still, the Timbers have no choice but to continue on.

Standouts
  • The Post: Soccer is a brutal game, especially when it comes to the score. You could dominate a match and still not get the desired outcome. The Galaxy hit the post twice, and that was the difference in the game.
  • Diego Gutierrez offers something very different as a winger and it will help the Timbers this season. Guti has the ability to dribble and keep possession or take players on. He keeps putting up good performances and should have a role on the team moving forward. He led the team with six dribbles and three successful dribbles on Saturday. He also was near the top for completed passes, crosses attempted, recoveries, and touches.
  • David Bingham got the nod over Ivačič, and it paid off. Bingham was clutch throughout the game, and his positioning was solid throughout. He came up with four saves, all in crucial moments. His injury at the end was the worst news you could get at the end of the game. He has two clean sheets in four starts this year.
  • Tega Ikoba continues to bring the energy and excitement. In his 14 minutes, the Timbers were the better team in the game. Savarese said he will see more minutes in upcoming games.
Tega Ikoba rises over everyone to win a header. Photo by Kris Lattimore
Tega Ikoba rises over everyone to win a header. Photo by Kris Lattimore
Stock down
  • Injuries: Another game, and two more injuries.
  • Officiating: This got out of hand and overly-physical. Referee Chris Penso needed to set the tone earlier and refused to do so. It was very fortunate to not see more players injured. The only consistency was that he was bad for both sides. The game ended with 29 total fouls.

Key stats: Team leaders
  • Claudio Bravo paced the team with 13 possessions won and 64 touches.
  • Zac McGraw led the team with four tackles and three blocks
  • Diego Chará conducted the show with the team’s strongest performance in passing accuracy in the final third.
  • Santiago Moreno was Portland’s most active player in the attack, with 17 passes in the final third.
Quote of the Night

Perhaps the game was best summed up by Savarese: “We are in a good place in our mind and our hearts, and now we have to get more players in.”