Category: Soccer

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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 1, CF Montréal 4

Photo by Matthew Wolfe.
Photo: Matthew Wolfe

The Portland Timbers took to the road to play CF Montréal on Saturday. Portland had their playoff destiny in their hands, but they let it slip away by losing 1-4 against the Canadian club.

Well, that was disappointing.

It is true that Montréal came to this match with some momentum after drawing their previous game against Houston Dynamo in the last minute, but still. The Timbers were facing a team that hadn’t been able to get a win since Aug. 26. And Portland brought momentum as well after that battle against LA Galaxy. So, there was no excuse for their poor performance other than the fact that soccer is a game where you win and lose.

Key absences

The fact that Zac McGraw wasn’t on the Timbers’ backline due to injury was already bad news. The team suffers a lot when he’s not on the field, and this match was the perfect example of it.

When we look at the stats, McGraw always excels in the clearances department. Without him, no one in the backline had more than three clearances. And that’s just one stat.

Cristhian Paredes was also unavailable due to injury, and that left Portland’s midfield very vulnerable. Diego Chará was available after his appendectomy but didn’t start.

Image: Timbers FC
Image: Timbers FC

D. Chará came back in the second half, but by then, the Timbers were already trailing 0-2, and Montréal was highly motivated. Still, speaking of the midfield, if there’s someone you can say had a decent match, that was Santiago Moreno. The Colombian usually has good games, and this was no exception for him. Too bad one player can rarely make up for poor performances from everyone else.

Fast counterattacks 

The hosts put the visitors in a jam with long balls and fast counterattacks. Exhibition A was their first goal that showed how they only needed to make five passes to score. Ibrahim Sunusi sneaked on the backs of Portland’s center backs, and nobody tracked him. So, he was unmarked on the far post to push that ball in the back of the net.

A deflection put Montréal 2-0 minutes later, when Kwadwo Opoku shot. The ball got deflected on Dario Župarić’s leg, which left David Bingham with no chance to stop the shot.

The score was a reflection of what was happening on the pitch: you could see the home team was feeling it and was on a mission. After beating Evander in the midfield, Opoku rushed to Portland’s box. A quick succession of passes put the ball in the box, but Juan David Mosquera cleared it. Then Claudio Bravo lost the ball against Sunusi, who, in turn, assisted Opoku.

After halftime, Antony and Evander were subbed off, and Franck Boli and D. Chará came in. It was a logical change after both Brazilians didn’t do much in the first half.

Antony and Evander weren’t alone; the Timbers as a team couldn’t produce much in the attack in the first half. Other than a chance in the 4th minute, they barely stepped a foot in Montréal’s box.

Portland's 1st half touch map. Source: Opta
Portland’s first half touch map. Source: Opta

We had to wait almost one hour to see Portland being dangerous in the opponent’s box again. By that time, Sebastián Blanco had Bryan Acosta and Eric Miller did the same with Bravo.

Portland’s lukewarm defense

Despite what I said in the previous paragraph, Montréal was going to slap the visitors again with another fast counterattack. This time, it only took four passes for Mathieu Choinière to score a golazo.

Bravo had a quiet match, true, and maybe interim head coach Miles Joseph was expecting Miller to do a better job. Neither Bravo nor Larrys Mabiala challenged Choinière for the ball, and nobody stepped in front of him to stop him from shooting. Bingham tried, but he was positioned one or two steps too far for to be able to reach the shot.

Not even Bingham

After Joseph took over as interim head coach and the organization had some problems with Aljaž Ivačič, Bingham cemented his position as the team’s No. 1 goalkeeper. He has been doing well enough, but not even he was spared from Portland’s collective lackluster performance.

And that’s how Montréal scored their fourth goal. Bingham was able to stop the initial shot by Ariel Lassiter, but he didn’t catch it, which gave Mason Toye the chance to shoot on a pretty much open net. Props to Bingham, who got up quickly to get to the second shot—even if he wasn’t fast enough.

But let’s not put everything on Bingham. At the end of the day, it was Toye who started the play, changing the point of attack to Lassiter, but none of the Timbers tracked him. That left Toye completely unmarked on the far post to finish what Portland couldn’t stop on time.

All that is without mentioning Bingham’s giveaway that could’ve ended up in Montréal’s fifth goal in the dying minutes of the match.

Consolation goal

With 15 minutes to play and 0-4 down there wasn’t much for the Timbers to do. Only a miracle would make the visitors revert the score. That miracle didn’t happen, it was interesting to see how they were going to finish the game.

Portland’s goal was truly controversial, with Yimmi Chará’s handball first and Boli’s offside second, but the referee didn’t disallow it in the end. How does VAR work again?

After the goal, Boli looked more dangerous. He even had a great chance, but it went wide. Montréal wasn’t reduced to defensive work, but they tried to make the gap in the score wider. Fortunately for the Timbers’ well-being, the Canadian side didn’t succeed. But the damage was already done.

Playoff picture

With this loss, the Timbers have yet to clinch a playoff spot. They have to play the always-dangerous Houston Dynamo at Providence Park on Saturday to do so. If that doesn’t work out, they’ll need a loss or draw from both Sporting KC and Minnesota United. We hope Portland doesn’t have to rely on other teams’ results and grab the bull by its horns.

Categories
NWSL Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Thorns 0, Wave 2

Photo by Kris Lattimore

It seemed as though the Thorns were picking up momentum headed down the final stretch of games coming off of a very positive 2-0 beating of OL Reign, but all that momentum sputtered to a halt in their Saturday night home defeat to the San Diego Wave this past weekend. All season the Thorns have been unable to string together three wins in a row across all competitions, which is puzzling due to the calibre of players on the team and the strong culture that the Thorns have been building over the past two years. 

Forgive me if I sound like a broken record, but I think that the lack of consistent success comes from head coach Mike Norris being too reliant on certain players and formations as opposed to adapting his deep roster to the specific tactics of the team that they’re playing. On paper, the Thorns are an incredibly dominant team. Against San Diego they had 1.10 expected goals to the Wave’s 0.53 from 15 total shots. Portland had a staggering nine corners and eleven additional crosses into the box. However, none of this attacking firepower was able to translate into a goal. 

Photo by Kris Lattimore

I may be biased because I voted for Morgan Weaver as the SPOTY, but it frequently felt as though Weaver was playing hero ball, trying to shoot from absurd angles and hoping that something would slip by Sheridan. Unfortunately, none of her team-leading five shots were on target. The lack of systemic breakdown of San Diego’s very strong defense meant that all of the Thorns’ closest chances came off of rebounds or parries by Sheirdan, which were few and far between. 

Oftentimes a team’s best eleven players on the team overall are the eleven in the starting lineup. However, because the Thorns have more than eleven starting-calibre players on their roster they have more freedom than most teams. Despite this, Norris heavily favours playing the same players in the same positions game after game. 

Looking at the breakdown of regular season minutes, the thing that stands out to me the most is the vast spread between the total minutes played for different players. Sam Coffey and Weaver are the only two players to have started and plate in every game, with Natalia Kuikka, Bella Bixby, Kelli Hubly, Meghan Klingenberg, and Crystal Dunn have started and played in over 90% of the games. That right there is seven out of eleven players consistently getting time together on the pitch, and should theoretically lead to a large amount of chemistry and consistency across games. So, why hasn’t that been the case? 

Of the 23 players who have earned regular season minutes this year, 10 of them have played over 1000 out of 1780 (56%) minutes. Nine players have less than 500 (28%) total minutes. Using Sam Coffey’s 1780 minutes as the highest number, 12 players have played more than 50% of the Thorns total regular season minutes, 890. These players are Bella, Kling, Natu, Kelly, Menges, Coffey, Sinc, Moultire, Hina, Dunn, Sophia Smith, and Morgan Weaver, which coincidentally is the lineup that Norris uses most weeks. Of course, injuries to players like Rocky and Becky Sauerbrunn affected their available minutes, as Norris has shown in the past two games that if they are available they will start. 

Players like Reyna Reyes and Michele Vasconcelos have earned not-insignificant minutes this year, but have largely gotten them coming off the bench, Reyes typically for Kling and Vasconcelos for Weaver. To go back to the game against the Wave, while Kling was an excellent service provider, she got burned on the wing by Rachel Hill and Jaedyn Shaw multiple times. Instead of recognizing this mismatch in the first half, where the Wave scored both of their goals, Norris decided to wait until the 74th minute to sub Reyes in, but took out Kuikka, not Kling, allowing the mismatch to continue. While Kling has much more experience and is an excellent defender, Norris cannot keep her in the game on principle, and instead must adjust his personnel to the game that is being played at that very moment. Maybe if Reyes had gone in at the half she would have been able to use her speed and dribbling skills to open up the left wing and systematically play Weaver in on goal. 

Post game, Norris said, “At halftime we addressed some things. We addressed the energy. We structurally changed a couple of things,” and I would like to argue against this idea. 

While technically the Thorns didn’t concede any more goals in the second half, they didn’t look any close to scoring any themselves. There were no formation or personnel changes at the half— it was as though Norris was instead relying on the individual brilliance of the players on the field in order to try and forge a comeback. Unfortunately, even in a league as competitive and chaotic as the NWSL, good tactics will always win out over the individual. 

Credit Arielle Dror

Looking at the passing network of the game, it’s clear that the Thorns heavily relied on the left side of the pitch. However, against a team as defensively sound as the Wave, if one path up the field is being consistently blocked, it’s probably time to try a different way, either more direct up the middle or up the right flank, as opposed to sending in the same passes for Weaver to try her luck on. Adding a player like Moultrie on the field as a ten would be a great idea. Her visionary passes through backline are one of her strongest assets and should have been used as a way for Betfort and her speed or Weaver and her runs to get behind the backline. Unfortunately Moultrie didn’t get enough time on the pitch to showcase her brilliance. 

Photo by Kris Lattimore

The Thorns have one more home game before the playoffs begin, and it’s probably too late in the season to expect a sudden change of tactics from Norris, who has been so stubborn all season, but I do hope that next year the new coach uses the full depth of the Thorns’ roster. 

 

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NWSL Soccer Thorns

Who is Rikke Sevecke?

Photo: Thorns FC/ Craig Mitchelldyer
September 16 2023; Portland, OR, USA; Rilke Sevecke poses for a portrait at Providence Park. Photo: Fletcher Wold-Portland Timbers
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Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 3, LA Galaxy 3

Photo by Matthew Wolfe.
Photo by Matthew Wolfe.

In an exciting match, the Portland Timbers got a point on the road and extended their unbeaten streak to seven games.  

A Diego Chará- and Evander-less Portland traveled to Los Angeles to play the LA Galaxy on Saturday night. 

Timbers ahead… wait, not so fast!

It didn’t take much time for the Timbers to put themselves ahead. A good team play positioned Dairon Asprilla to run with the ball on his feet on the right wing. The Colombian sent a low pass to the far post, and Santiago Moreno held his run to come from behind and buried that ball home with one touch.

The lead wasn’t going to last for long because Portland failed to defend a corner in the 10th minute. Eriq Zavaleta headed the ball home despite Juan David Mosquera’s marking. 

The Timbers took another hit when Cristhian Paredes had to be replaced by Noel Caliskan in minute 36′ for a no-contact injury. So far, the club hasn’t released any news regarding the Paraguayan player.

Lady luck played its part

Portland put themselves ahead in the score again before the first half finished. A quick combination between Felipe Mora and Moreno made it possible—with some help from Zavaleta who, while trying to defend, scored an own goal.

Sadly, the advantage wasn’t going to last long. LA Galaxy equalized again some minutes later. You can say they got lucky, too, because when Noel Caliskan tried to clear the ball, it hit Raheem Edwards and fell right into the feet of Douglas Costa. The winger was totally unmarked and smashed it home.

The hosts were going to hit again before halftime after a soft foul by Brian Acosta near the box. Tyler Boyd faked the service, but it was Costa the one who sent the ball to the far post. That little movement confused the Timbers’ defense and both Zavaleta and Edwards ended up unmarked—and onside near the 6-yard box—to head the ball in the back of the net.

Image: MLS/ Apple TV
Image: MLS/ Apple TV

Timbers and set pieces… am I right?

The players might have wanted to kick themselves at halftime knowing they let the Galaxy equalize twice and then put themselves ahead on the score in such a crucial moment of the game.

A different attitude

Despite the Timbers conceding a late goal before halftime, the team was able to embrace the words of Fred Astaire sang in his famous song, “Pick Yourself Up.”

“Don’t lose your confidence if you slip,” Astaire says in the song. “Be grateful for a pleasant trip. And pick yourself up. Dust yourself off. Start all over again.” And that’s exactly what Portland did.

In the second half, they created some nice buildups and didn’t get deterred by the absence of a key player like Paredes. Caliskan did well helping Bryan Acosta and Moreno in the midfield. Maybe Portland’s fullbacks were quieter than usual, but other than that, the team worked as a unit.

Captain Felipe Mora strikes again

In the end, the Timbers found the equalizer thanks to the never-give-up attitude they’ve found under interim head coach Miles Joseph. And who else but captain Mora could’ve done it? The Chilean has been instrumental for the Timbers since he fully recovered from injury. (Let’s remember that he was the one who scored the winning goal in Portland’s previous game against the Colorado Rapids.)

Mora’s right-footed shot from the center of the box to the top right corner showed his constant awareness of any goal opportunities that might arise—and how he’ll always do his utmost to take them.

The final recognition of this takeaway is for the substitutes. All of them contribute to something, no matter if they played many or just a few minutes. You could see how lively Sebastián Blanco, Franck Boli, and the others looked and how they kept the energy high.

A point on the road with important players injured is not a poor result. Maybe it can boost Portland in their next match against the Montréal Impact, the penultimate game of the season.

Categories
Soccer

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 3, Colorado Rapids 2

Photo by Kris Lattimore

The Portland Timbers went into Saturday night’s match against Colorado Rapids coming off three straight wins and unbeaten in their last five matches.

The home side desperately needed three points, with the playoff race in the West insanely crowded. Being in eighth place leaves almost no room for error the rest of the way.

With Saturday being Portland’s third game in six days, interim head coach Miles Joseph would rotate in Noel Caliskan, Antony, Felipe Mora, and Dairon Asprilla into the starting XI.

Bingham, Mosquera, McGraw, Zuparic, Bravo, Acosta, Caliskan Moreno, Asprilla, Mora (C), Antony Substitutes: Sulte, Araujo, Mabiala, Miller, Rasmussen, Loria, Blanco, Boli, Gutierrez

In an unexpectedly chaotic game, Portland found a wild 3-2 win over Colorado.

After controlling the early action, in the 20th minute, the Timbers struck first, thanks to a beautiful header by Antony and the excellent service of Asprilla.

Antony’s first goal with Portland could not have come at a better time. Under Joseph, this team has played on the front foot and shows no signs of slowing down. The structure he has put forth highlights this team’s true strengths in attack.

In the 30th minute, Caliskan played a perfectly disguised pass to find Santiago Moreno, who calmly finished to double the lead.

However, for the second match in a row, Portland conceded almost immediately after scoring. Diego Rubio would cut the lead down to 2-1 for the visitors.

The momentum was not done shifting completely. In the 44th minute, Andrew Gutman ripped a shot that deflected off a Timbers defender into the back of the net. Portland went into the break tied 2-2 after a dominant first half where they outshot the Rapids nine to four and out-possessed them 65% to 35%.

Heading into the half with a 2-2 scoreline was unacceptable. “First half, we felt we had the game in hand a little bit,” Joseph said. “Then we let it slip. We gave up a couple opportunities, and it was unfortunate.”

In the second half, the game got chippy, physical, and brutal. Looking to pick up three points, both teams traded blows.

In the 71st minute, though, Mora dribbled around the goalkeeper and slotted home the goal to give his squad the 3-2 lead. Asprilla provided his second assist of the game with another perfect ball.

Photo by Kris Lattimore

“Scoring the goal, I’m just very filled with happiness,” Mora said. “Definitely makes it a lot better when I’m able to score and celebrate with our fans.” 

Although Joseph subbed in defenders Miguel Araujo and Larrys Mabiala, the team never stopped looking for the fourth.

The relentless counterattack from the end-of-the-game backline of Juan David Mosquera, Zac McGraw, Araujo, Mabiala, Dario Župarić, and Eric Miller one-of-a-kind look from the Timbers. That surprise helped preserve the 3-2 win.

Joseph said he was glad Portland made the necessary adjustments to close out the huge win.

“I was happy we got the third,” he said. “In that situation when teams are desperate and they’re in your house, you have to make some changes to play the game out, and I felt we did a really good job getting the guys on at the end of the game to close the game out.”

The Timbers are now unbeaten in their last six matches and on a four-game winning streak.

Timbers U22
Photo by Kris Lattimore

The Timbers young talent stepped up in a huge way on Saturday. Antony, who occupies an international and a U22 Initiative Slot for the team, made his first start and scored his first goal.

“I think you’ve seen the progression of Antony, and he’s still going to progress. Tonight was just a small little highlight of what you’re going to see,” Joseph said. “He’s an electric player. We’re building his minutes, and I think, as we progress and get into the playoffs and then make our run, he’s going to be an important player.”

Moreno also occupies a U22 Initiative Slot and joined the party with his second goal of the year. He led the team with 21 completed passes in the final third and 12 recoveries.

And we can’t leave out Mosquera. JDM put in one heck of a shift. He led the team with five chances created, two successful dribbles, and two fouls won. This player is one of the best young attacking fullbacks in the MLS.

These young players are set to be the future of this team, but they are not willing to wait. The present is also theirs.

More rotation
Photo by Kris Lattimore

Joseph’s willingness to rotate his lineup during short-turnaround weeks has paid dividends. The only players to play full minutes for the three games were the bash bros: McGraw and Župarić. Joseph gave minutes to 17 different players, which demonstrates his trust in the players and his squad’s depth.

The closers

As mentioned above, Joseph presented yet another tactical wrinkle with the late game backline of Mosquera, McGraw, Araujo, Mabiala, Župarić. It was a departure from Joseph’s regular aggressive subbing patterns late in the game.

When you are the one in charge, these decisions impact whether or not you win a game. Joseph continues to surprise with tactics and his ability to make the right call.

Having six on the backline to close out the game was brilliant. Joseph said he wanted to bring on players that would push the wingbacks up but also lock down the team’s defense—especially given all the squad rotation.

“I think closing out—like having experienced guys and at the end of the game—was really important,” he said. “They know how to close games out.”

Photo by Kris Lattimore
Key Stats
  • Bryan Acosta led the team with 46 completed passes, three tackles, and two tackles won.
  • Dairon Asprilla paced the team with two assists.
  • Felipe Mora was an attacking force with six shots, two shots on target, and the game-winning goal.
  • Zac McGraw had a huge game defensively, winning five aerial duels and three tackles.
Photo by Kris Lattimore
Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 2, San Jose Earthquakes 1

Photo by Riya Patel.

The Portland Timbers went into this game coming off two consecutive wins for the first time all season. Unfortunately for them, they had to play three days after Sunday’s dominant 2-1 win over Austin FC.

In the interim head coach Miles Joseph era, Portland have scored two goals in each of their past five games. The 10 goals in that span is the club’s best run of form this season, by far.

This time, however, the Timbers had to do it with a rotated lineup at home against the seventh-place San Jose Earthquakes.

Bingham, Mosquera, McGraw, Zuparic, Bravo, Paredes (C), Acosta, Evander, Moreno, Boli, Blanco Substitutes: Sulte, Araujo, Mabiala, Miller, Antony, Asprilla, Y. Chara, Loria, Mora

Under their interim coach, the home side has played on the front foot quite a bit more than under his predecessor. This would be no different and led to their most complete performance of the year with a 2-1 win. The scoreline does not show their dominance over the game.

“In the first half, I feel like we controlled a lot of the game, especially with our ability to step into the front half of the field and press them and cause a lot of turnovers,” said Joseph. “We gained possession out of that in the front half of the field which is great. We created a lot of chances off that.”

The Timbers had more possession—51% to 49%—shots, shots on goal, crosses, total passes, and better passing accuracy. The offense ran through the midfield and fullbacks. Evander, Cristhian Parades, and Santiago Moreno ran the show in the first half, with support from Juan David Mosquera and Claudio Bravo. Their combinations and link-up play were a beautiful sight to behold. Still, the final product was not there until stoppage time.

In the last minute of stoppage time, Portland unleashed their counterattack, with Franck Boli leading the charge. Boli played it out wide to Bryan Acosta. The newcomer played the perfect ball across goal to find Paredes for the 1-0 lead.

The second half saw much more of the same for the Timbers.

In the 58th minute, Sebastián Blanco blasted a shot that deflected perfectly to Evander, who calmly finished double the lead to 2-0.

There was one slight hiccup. In the 60th minute, San Jose answered, thanks to a Matthew Hoppe goal off a rebound.

True to the Timbers’ new aggressive style, in the 64th minute, Felipe Mora, Yimmi Chará, and Antony were subbed on for energy and to preserve some legs for Saturday.

Instead of parking the bus, also Joseph subbed on Dairon Asprilla for Moreno and looked for the third goal.

“In the second half we continued, and we refreshed with some exciting players again,” Joseph said. “We were able to get in behind and create some more scoring chances. After we gave up the goal, we didn’t have to sit all the way back and protect ourselves. We still tried to progress and keep it in the front half of the field. Really, really good performance from our guys.”

After one of their best performances of season, the Timbers are now eighth in the Western Conference.

They host a reeling Colorado Rapids next, which will be Portland’s last home game until decision day against the Houston Dynamo.

Rotation?

Given the short turnaround, Joseph was required to rotate his lineup. He started Mosquera, Acosta, Blanco, and Boli in place of Eric Miller, Chará, Asprilla, and Mora.

By making this change, Joseph allows the team to play almost a full first XI on Saturday (except Paredes, due to yellow card accumulation).

Joseph’s willingness to trust depth players will pay dividends for this late run. He has refused to play it safe and prefers to turn on the jets, even late in the game.

Luckily, this will be the last short week the Timbers have the rest of the regular season.

Stay on the front foot!
Photo by Riya Patel.

Even if you are accustomed to playing on the back foot, it’s imperative you come out at home stepping on the gas. The Timbers executed their game plan almost to perfection against San Jose and won quite comfortably.

In the first half, the Timbers outshot the visitors five to one. The second half would see Portland grow into the game even more. They continued to attack nonstop, evidenced by their 14 to five shot advantage. In total, Portland outshot the Earthquakes 19 to six.

Much of their success was found by playing through their midfield and having good width with their wingers and fullbacks.

Joseph specifically praised Joseph and Acosta postgame.

Paredes has flourished under Joseph, who has allowed Paredes to be the box-to-box midfielder that suits his game most. He led the game in touches, chances created, shots, expected goals, completed passes in the final third, tackles, and recoveries.

He has been wearing the captain’s armband while Diego Chará recovers from his appendectomy. This year, he is a crucial influence on the team with his play and leadership.

“Cristhian continues to impress, as always, with his energy,” Joseph said. “His positioning has gotten so much better and his ability to control pockets of space with his possession now. I’m just really happy with him.”

Paredes wasn’t the only midfielder who shined on Wednesday.

Acosta played his best match since he joined Portland and paced the team with the game’s only assist. He also led in passing accuracy with 90.2%, chances created, and tackles won.

Evander scored his team-leading ninth goal of the year and led the team in shots on target, chances created, and crosses.

Joseph has the team playing quick, decisive, and exciting football. This is what fans have wanted to see all season, and it’s finally arrived.

Miles is him

In his six games as interim head coach, Joseph has completely turned Portland’s season around. His era is off to a hot start (4-1-1), and it shows no signs of slowing down.

He has changed the team’s mentality, play, and ambition.

“I think we show more character than before,” said Dario Župarić. “When a team changes the coach, something happens. We’re the same team, same group. But I think we’ve changed mentality.”

A team that was on the brink of being eliminated from the playoffs are now at the door for the postseason.

Portland has now found a clear identity. What has been missing all season has been discovered. The structure is clearly defined, and Joseph is making it work by playing to his team’s strengths.

“We were then able to set some structure into place and define some clear roles with everybody available,” Joseph said. “Now, the guys are seeing things much clearer, and it’s been really nice to watch.”

Key Stats

Portland Timbers xG: 2.13
San Jose xG: 1.27

Shots inside the box: Portland 12, San Jose 5

Touches inside the box: Portland 32, San Jose 23

Another Santiago Moreno Performance: He had five dribbles, three successful dribbles, 17 final third passes, and two fouls won to lead the team.

Underrated, Claudio Bravo: Paced the team with three successful dribbles, three aerial duels, and 13 passes in the final third.

Categories
NWSL Soccer Thorns

Endings and Beginnings: F— Seattle

Photo by Riya Patel.

It felt as though the vintage Portland Thorns were back in action Saturday night, as they soundly defeated OL Reign in front of a sold-out Providence Park. It was the last time that the complete trio of Megan Rapinoe, Jess Fishlock, and Lu Barnes would face Christine Sinclair in Portland—which undoubtedly helped increase attendance numbers and added a sentimental tenor to the entire game. All four players reassured the crowd that during those 90 minutes the teams were fighting for more than just three points in a tight end of season table; they were fighting for the pride of their cities. 

It was the first time since the inaugural 2013 season that Portland managed to take both home and away wins against Seattle in the regular season, and their first home win of the rivalry since 2018. Hopefully, such a solid beating of a longtime and fierce rival will propel the Thorns to end the season, helping them pick up their first three consecutive wins since 2019, as well. 

Last week at a league-wide press conference, NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman confirmed that the Thorns were on track to being sold by the end of the calendar year and that Merritt Paulson no longer sits on the Board of Governors. (Portland’s representative is currently Portland Timbers and Thorns CEO Heather Davis.) The process of the sale has taken far too long, but the confirmation that the team will in fact get a new owner (and hopefully new grass practice facility) makes me feel as though the Thorns can start to redefine themselves and their relationship to the city after a few dark years. 

I find it hard to grasp the simultaneous nature of beginnings and endings, and this game represented both. The Thorns that I grew up with from 2013 through 2019 were different from the Thorns post-2020. Of course, the coaching and personnel changes are part of the natural course of a professional team, but since 2020, it has felt as though there is a disconnect between the team and its fans, largely brought upon by poor leadership decisions that have directly perpetuated and covered up abuse. Being free from the shadows of Paulson will allow the team to get their spot in the sun that they deserve. 

Endings

Saturday’s game was the last time that Rapinoe played in Providence Park. Even though she is one of the Thorns’ biggest villains, it seems remiss to not talk about her.  Of  course, a rivalry game is about more than one player (and we will still have to deal with Fishlock next year…), but Pinoe seems to embody what it means to really love what you do and who you play for.

“We’re definitely two different types of people,” Sinclair said of Rapinoe postgame. “But what she’s done for the game, I think she’s helped inspire an entire generation of young soccer fans. And I fully support anyone that wants to grow women’s football, women’s sports. I’m gonna miss playing against her. This rivalry is gonna miss having her. I think our fans are gonna miss booing her.” 

Pinoe has always made soccer fun. Even when I’m watching the USWNT play the most mediocre Vlatko-ball I’ve ever seen in the middle of the night, I know that as soon as Pinoe subs on she will liven things up and add flair and fun. I think that element of fun is something that has been missing from the Thorns’ culture for the past few years. The Thorns love emphasizing their mentality of winning and success, but sometimes I’m afraid that they’ve lost sight of the love of the game.

But then I see Pinoe hamming it up to the North End after scoring a goal or Morgan Weaver pretending to be one of those inflatable car-sale balloons, and I realize that these players do still have fun. Going forward, I want to see more of that: fun celebrations and laughing on the pitch and putting on a show. I want to thank Pinoe and the OGs for always having fun on the pitch, because it makes me have a lot more fun watching. 

I also know how hard it is to remember why you are doing something when people, in particular your employers, are cruel or unhelpful. I sincerely hope that the sale of the team and dissociation from Paulson will fill the North End again and start selling out Providence Park. Even at 3:30 a.m. from my bed in Dublin, Ireland, I could see the influence that the city can have on a game.     

Beginnings
Photo by Riya Patel.

With every ending comes a new beginning. Morgan Weaver came alive as the new embodiment of the “F— Seattle” sentiment that is so necessary for a good rivalry. In a weird parallel with Pinoe, Weaver grew up in Washington but now plays for the rival state. Postgame, when asked about her celebration where she pointed enthusiastically at the Thorns badge on her jersey, she said, “I’m from Tacoma, but I’m just gonna show them where I love, and I love Portland, and I love being here and I love being on this team. So, I just had to let them know Portland’s where it’s at.”

Weaver has really come to life on the field this year. Her past seasons in Portland have by no means been lackluster—she has probably scored the most clutch game-winning goals for the team since she landed with the club in 2020—but she often falls into Sophia Smith’s shadow, being drafted second to her and playing alongside her. On Saturday, Weaver scored her 10th goal in all competitions this season off an incredibly well-struck volley straight back across goal. Her confidence in front of goal has skyrocketed, and it has made her a much more complete striker. 

But what makes Weaver such a dangerous player is her dynamism. She had seven recoveries, the fourth most on the team, and also had the most shots on the team at four. Her involvement at both ends of the pitch is part of her core identity as a player. The fact that Weaver has been able to sustain this level of play throughout the season (she has played the third most minutes on the team) while consistently improving her awareness and skill shows how high her ceiling is. Luckily, she’s signed through 2025, and I can’t wait to see how much more she can grow. 

Like Tobin Heath said in her podcast, “Portland being the best every year, that’s tradition.” And even with some traditions ending, the Thorns will always have players who embody the city and its weirdness and propel the team to greatness—just like Weaver showed everybody this weekend. 

Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 2, Austin FC 1

Photo: Matthew Wolfe
Photo: Matthew Wolfe

The Timbers traveled to Texas to play Austin in hopes of keeping their playoff hopes alive. The visitors had to endure 40 minutes of pressure, but in the end, they came out victorious.

Portland endured and then fought back
Credit: Timbers FC
Credit: Timbers FC

Austin gave the Timbers a wake-up call only 60 seconds into the game, when Emiliano Rigoni scored a goal that was wiped off due to offside. Austin knocked on the door again 10 minutes into the match, when Gyasi Zardes hit the post with a header. Right after that, Sebastián Driussi forced David Bingham to make a one-handed save.

The Timbers had to clear corner kick after corner kick in the first minutes of the game, and they were nowhere near Austin’s box. The home team controlled the ball and the midfield, and they used the center of the park to their advantage in the attack.

It took the Timbers half an hour to shoot on frame. Evander set up a counterattack, sending a diagonal ball from left to right to Dairon Asprilla. Asprilla sprinted but waited a couple seconds for Santiago Moreno to make a run into the box. Moreno took the shot but hit it right to where Brad Stuver was standing.

Portland looked more alive after that. Just minutes later, they opened the counter. Bingham played a long ball that fell to Asprilla after Austin’s defenders couldn’t control it. Asprilla muscled his way to the end line and sent a low cross to the middle. A combination of a lucky bounce and Felipe Mora’s good positioning were enough to score the first goal of the night.

Austin tried to revert things in the second half, but the Timbers were more in control thanks to a better presence on the midfield. So, Austin tried to attack Portland through the middle, as they did in the first half, but to no avail this time. 

The visitors started to win battles in the midfield; Moreno doing just that led to the second goal of the night. Yimmi Chará sent a service from the left to the far post, where Mora was. Mora chested it to assist Evander, who scored with his right foot from close range.

It was unbelievable, but true. 

Of course, the hosts weren’t going down without a fight. After a great save by Bingham, Driussi scored one back in the 75th.

After that, Portland endured and created more chances. Maybe the clearest one was a sitter that Franck Boli couldn’t put in the back of the net in the 81st minute. A real shame.

The cases of Santiago Moreno and Dairon Asprilla

Moreno was playing his best soccer at the beginning of the year. As the season progressed, we learned he wasn’t that happy at Portland, and you could see it since his brilliance started to fade away little by little.

Nonetheless, in this game, the Colombian went back to his old self. We could see him shining in the midfield again, creating opportunities for his teammates and winning duels. 

Moreno is a valuable player for the Timbers, and with Diego Chará absent for the next couple of weeks, Portland needs a strong presence in the midfield. This improvement in Moreno’s game is very welcome.

Dairon Asprilla also had a great match. His presence on the field was evident. He created four chances and used his body pretty well to win 11 battles and five aerial duels. And let’s remember that it he was the one who battled for the ball that he later sent to the six-yard box, so Mora could score.

Hopefully, those two will keep pushing the Timbers forward in this critical last part of the season.

David Bingham, No. 1

Both Aljaž Ivačič and Bingham had opportunities to showcase their talents in the Gio Savaresse era, but in the end, the Slovenian was the one who won the starting position.

Things have changed under interim head coach Miles Joseph, though. Joseph said he’s happy with Bingham’s work, and for now, Bingham’s going to be the starting keeper.

And although many fans would rather see Jazzy on goal, a brief look at the stats helps Bingham plead his case:

Source: Opta
Source: Opta

Ivačič has started 15 games so far and registered many more saves than Bingham, who has 14 starts. But the American has conceded almost half the number of goals that his teammate has. Bingham also surpasses the Slovenian in all the other stats.

True, these are cold numbers. We should analyze who was available in the backline when each of them started and who wasn’t. It would also be important to see who the opponent was and who was in the front line they had to face, among other important details.

Nonetheless, you can’t deny the numbers and how well Bingham has been doing lately.

It is important to add, though, that the Timbers have a tight schedule this week. They play the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday and the Colorado Rapids on Saturday. Joseph has said he’s anticipating some rotation. Will he give minutes to Jazzy?

With the three points they got in Texas, Portland is occupying a playoff spot. Will they be able to keep climbing the table and secure it? Playing at home should help them in this quest, so it’s a good thing the next two matches are at Providence Park.

Categories
Soccer

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 2, LAFC 0

Photo Taken by the Amazing Matthew Wolfe

International duty made a mark on this game for both teams.

Five Los Angeles FC players missed the match due to international duty: Denis Bouanga, Stipe Biuk, Denil Maldonado, Christian Torres, and Cristian Olivera.

Three Portland Timbers got call-ups for their countries: Juan David Mosquera, Miguel Araujo, and Bryan Acosta. However, the most notable absence was Dario Župarić, who was out due to yellow card accumulation.

If you play against LAFC, you never know which stars will show up—even on the road.

Unfortunately for Will Ferrell, who is a member of the LAFC ownership group and made the trip up to Portland for the match, a shorthanded LAFC had no answer for the home side.

Interim head coach Miles Joseph led the Timbers to a 2-0 statement win over one of the best sides in MLS.

Although LAFC is struggling as of late, this takes nothing away from how tough of a season it has been for Portland, and how big of a victory this was.

LAFC goalkeeper John McCarthy misplayed two balls in a span of two minutes that allowed the Timbers to strike first.

In the 28th minute, Larrys Mabiala had his biggest moment of the season with a headed goal off the corner kick.

 

In the 53rd minute, Claudio Bravo finished one of the best-worked goals of the season for the Timbers.

The home side were absolutely dominant in the second half and could have scored even more.

But Portland’s backline was the key. Defenders scored both of the goals and kept the clean sheet.

“I was really pleased with the performance from the start of the game all the way to the end. It was really a complete game for us,” Joseph said. “We even came in at half time and spoke a little bit about some adjust[ments] and showed a little bit of video again, and we came out an scored a goal in that exact way. It was pretty impressive.”

Photo by Matthew Wolfe
No Župerman? No Problem!

Larrys Mabiala filled in for Župarić and Araujo in both of their absences. Did he deliver? Absolutely.

His first half goal set the tone for the Portland Timbers.

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Mabiala led the team in shots and shots on goal and was third on the team in possession won.

“The back line was shorthanded, but those are the same guys that are going out every day on the training ground,” Mabiala said. “We know what we have to do; the instructions are very clear from the coaching staff, and we all try to make a positive point. We are trying to show the coaching staff and everyone that the guys that are not playing that much, we can have a chance, and they can count on us whenever they need us. […] It doesn’t matter who’s playing just as long as we’re all targeting the same thing, which is getting the wins on the weekend to qualify for playoffs.”

His partnership with Zac McGraw and with fullbacks Eric Miller and Claudio Bravo helped preserve a rare shutout for the team.

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Bravo, in particular, was brilliant. It doesn’t get much tougher than Carlos Vela as a defensive assignment, but Bravo met the challenge head-on. He also led the team in tackles, tackles won, possession won, shots on target, and tied for one goal.

Offense! Attack!
Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Joseph has led a resurgence for the Timbers in the attack.

In his four games at the helm, they have scored two goals in each.

Joseph said scoring was something Portland has been focused on in the postgame presser.

If he can somehow lead the team into the top nine of the table, does the interim title get removed for a permanent one?

Don’t say it

Could this Portland Timbers side really make a late season push? Joseph and the team are giving themselves a chance and making things very interesting.

McGraw put everything in perspective.

“It’s known to everyone we haven’t won two games in a row yet this season all year,” he said. “We need to build off this. Obviously, last year we went on a similar run winning games at the end, but it came down to decision day, and ultimately, we didn’t make the playoffs.

“All we can do is really go into Austin, which is not an easy place to play by any means, and push for three points,” McGraw said. “LAFC is a great team; they’re defending MLS champions, and it’s a big morale booster for the team.”

Matthew Wolfe
Photo by Matthew Wolfe
Photo by Matthew Wolfe
Photo by Matthew Wolfe
Photo by Matthew Wolfe
Categories
Soccer Thorns

Takeaways: Racing Louisville 2, Portland Thorns 1

Photo by Matthew Wolfe.

Down Sophia Smith and on the second match of a two-game road trip, the Portland Thorns took on Racing Louisville on Saturday. Portland has yet to take points from two back-to-back road games this season, and they weren’t able to break that streak in Kentucky; after leaving with a draw against the Washington Spirit the weekend before, the Thorns fell 2-1 to Racing in a match that didn’t feel like Portland’s best work—even without Smith.

So, where did the Thorns go wrong?

Set pieces, for one. They’ve been one of Portland’s weaker points all season, and Racing took advantage. Both of Louisville’s goals—an Abby Erceg header and a brilliant strike from Thembi Kgatlana—came off corner kicks.

But that wasn’t the only thing Portland struggled with.

“We’re probably our own worst enemy,” defender Meghan Klingenberg said after the game. “We gave the ball away in spots that we don’t usually give the ball away in, and that led to some counterattacks and transitions that were difficult to defend because we were in a big shape. I think that typically doesn’t happen to this team.”

The first six minutes

Make no mistake: Racing was ready for this one. They came out with an aggressive press in midfield, showing organized marking and pressure when the Thorns had the ball and a commitment to pick off passes, go forward, and turn any chance they had into a shot.

“Credit to Louisville,” Thorns goalkeeper Bella Bixby said. “Their tactic was to be high-pressing and have all their numbers around the ball, and they did that well.”

The Thorns, for their part, were caught on the back foot and were rather lucky (more on that soon) to get out of those opening minutes without conceding a goal.

Perhaps just as impressive was Morgan Weaver, who won the ball off Louisville goalkeeper Katie Lund, took the ball to the left, and sent her shot into the back of the net in the sixth minute. It was a very Weaver goal: making something out of nothing, and—even if it wasn’t in the dying moments of a game—scoring for Portland at a time they really needed it. (In my game notes, I described the goal as, “Morgan Weaver doing Morgan Weaver things.”)

Even if Weaver scoring didn’t allow Portland to shift into the commanding attack we’re used to seeing them Thorns, it at least settled the game down and opened up chances for both sides.

Luck and Bella Bixby

As alluded to above, the Thorns were lucky to go into the half 1-0. Racing finished the match with 26 shots to Portland’s 15—a stat that normally favors the Thorns—putting nine of them on target to the Thorns’ four. They ended the game with 1.8 xG, with many of their best chances coming before Weaver’s goal in the first half:

That the Thorns didn’t concede early—and that Louisville wasn’t able to get on the scoresheet until Erceg broke through in the 60th minute—was largely due to two factors: luck and a stellar performance from Bixby.

In many of those opening chances, Racing struggled to direct their shots on frame, giving the Thorns a lucky break.

But Louisville did direct quite a few of those on target, calling on Bixby to make seven saves on the night. (Prior to Racing, she’d made an average of three and a half saves per game in regular season competition.)

“I definitely think it was one of my busier games in terms of goal-defending,” Bixby said. “I find myself in games, oftentimes, most busy with defending the box in terms of crosses.”

It wasn’t only that Bixby was busy in goal; even with the two goals against, she did well to defend her net. “A really big performance from her,” Portland head coach Mike Norris said. “She kept the [Thorns] in the game far longer than we probably should have been.”

Especially with a shaky—by her standards—middle of the 2023 season, it’s nice to see Bixby finding her form and giving Portland a fighting chance when they were on the back foot, even if they didn’t go on to win.

Formation or fatigue?

“They played a good game,” Klingenberg said of Louisville, “and I think their transition was pretty lethal. But I think we played right into it. We shot ourselves in our own foot.”

It’s not the first time Portland’s come up against that kind of pressure, Klingenberg said. And she’s right: the Thorns have had a target on their backs since the first time they stepped on the field as the reigning NWSL champions and beat the Orlando Pride 4-0 in their opener. And they’ve found ways to win despite that.

For some reason, though, Portland just wasn’t good enough in this one.

We can probably chalk some of it up to fatigue: the Thorns haven’t been home since before their matchup against the Spirit, and being on the road for that long can weigh on you.

“If we were more crisp, if we connected passes, if we skipped over top of their press, then we could have gotten past it,” Klingenberg said, and I think we can attribute at least some of that lack of sharpness to Portland’s road stint.

But I also wonder how much of it is up to tactics and the Thorns’ formation. As Jaiden wrote last week, it’s important for Norris to play to the strengths of the forwards he has available. In this case, that’s Weaver and Hannah Betfort. Weaver, obviously, got her goal, and Betfort got a couple chances off and showed well in her off-the-ball pressure, but I don’t think the Thorns were feeding the ball into either of them nearly enough.

I think some of that could’ve been helped by formation—maybe by pushing Olivia Moultrie more centrally into the space of Hina Sugita and asking Moultrie to open up space while Sugita takes on defenders on the wing.

I think a lot of that could’ve been helped by letting Crystal Dunn play before the 61st minute—maybe in the place of Moultrie and slipping Sugita into that wider position—and letting her open up space going forward. Even in her half hour on the field, Dunn tied Betfort and Weaver for first on the team in shots and was fourth in expected goals—despite playing significantly fewer minutes than everyone in front of her.

Tactics or tiredness, Portland has a chance to rest and regroup after this one. They have two weeks between Louisville and their next match against OL Reign, where they’ll take on a Seattle side that’s won only one of their last five matches but has a lot to play for with Megan Rapinoe appearing in her last Cascadia Rivalry game in Providence Park.