Tag: Antony

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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 4, Colorado Rapids 1

Photo by Thomas Lal

The start of Phil Neville’s Portland Timbers era could not have started with worse pregame news. The new head coach was still without his two unannounced designated players. Maxime Crépeau, Claudio Bravo, Felipe Mora, and Evander were also unavailable to play.

Despite the absences, Neville had the guys ready to go. And go they did, scoring three times in the first 30 minutes of the game to come away with a 4-1 win.

“I’ve got to say, it felt like a Champions League type feeling,” Neville said. “You know, there’s a buzzing in the air. There’s an anticipation.”

The players have commended Neville’s training structure, as well as his emphasis on team-building and fostering strong relationships with everyone in the organization.

These bonds and trust in one another led the Portland Timbers to a Saturday night rout over the Colorado Rapids.

Lineups

Despite the aforementioned player absences, the Timbers were still able to put together a strong XI—especially in midfield. Cristhian Paredes sat next to Diego Chara in more defensive roles, while Eryk Williamson played underneath Dairon Asprilla, with Williamson having the flexibility to roam back deeper into midfield.

Williamson, who has gone through significant setbacks in the past two years, has never wavered one bit. With Evander out, he stepped up and played as the team’s No. 10. In the 10th minute, all of the blood, sweat, and tears would be worth it.

Antony, who Neville heralded as the team’s best player all preseason, wasted absolutely no time after Williamson went on the board and tallied a first half brace. In 2023, Antony had made nine appearances and recorded one goal. He bested last year’s scoring mark in his first half of football in 2024.

To make matters even worse for the visitors, they surrendered an own goal to make it 4-0 for the home side going into halftime.

The Rapids would made the proceedings a bit precarious for Portland in the second half, but the game was already out of hand by then.

Neville’s first memory as Timbers head coach would be of sweet victory.

“I’ve had a lot of messages over the last 24 hours, and I’ve been really calm,” he said. “I’ve been really calm because what I’ve seen and how I’ve been accepted here, it’s been so good. It feels like home.”

The Zen garden

Williamson took to gardening in 2023 to stay mentally strong while rehabbing from an ACL injury.

“I stayed really big on vegetables and gardening,” he said. “Little things like that kept you grounded. You didn’t realize how long you were away from the game.”

After working his tail off nonstop for the past few years, Williamson scored his first goal since 2021 only nine minutes into the 2024 regular season. There isn’t a player who deserved that moment more than him.

“Eryk had trained in the No. 10 position earlier in the week when Evander had a day recovery” said Neville. “So it was pretty straightforward.

“Eryk Williamson—from day one of preseason, he’s worked every day of the offseason. In his own mind, he’s probably got a lot of time to make up because of the amount of time that he’s missed. And to score the goal early in the game gave him a massive boost.”

In the absence of Evander, Williamson took on the No. 10 role and shined. He has made it clear his goal is to make it back on the USMNT, and if he keeps racking up performances like this, another call-up is coming.

After everything he’s been through, he continues to persevere and find joy in the game again.

Photo by Thomas Lal. (Fun fact: Zac McGraw said Eryk Williamson is his best friend on the team.)
A star has arrived

All preseason, the Timbers coaches, especially Neville, were talking up Antony as the best performer. Their faith in him was rewarded immediately.

“I’m excited that he got to start tonight, and he got to produce some really fantastic moments” said Neville. “You know, funny enough, I thought some of his best moments were defensively as well, in terms of the work that he put in.”

After staying in Portland all offseason, the winger is looking to build upon a huge 2024 campaign. Now he is playing for so much more, his newborn son and family.

“It was a very happy night for me,” Antony said. “Most of you all know that my son was actually born recently, so I think it was a perfect way to show him how good it is to play football, especially after scoring two goals.”

Portland by the numbers

xG: Portland Timbers: 0.45, Colorado Rapids: 1.51

Shots: Portland Timbers: 7, Colorado Rapids: 13

Goal contributions: Eryk Williamson (1 goal, 1 assist), Antony (2 goals)

Shots: Antony (3)

Ball possession phases: Juan David Mosquera (55)

Passes: Kamal Miller (42)

Crosses: Antony (4)

Clearances: Zac McGraw (9)

 

 

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