The Portland Timbers collected another loss Saturday in a hard-to-watch game.
The Timbers continued their quest on the road, this time against Charlotte FC. The Eastern team is not the brightest in that conference, but Portland had a flat match with almost no chances on goal.
Both teams finished with only three shots on goal, but the hosts got 14 chances to test goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, while the Timbers only had six shots total.
A Portland team without Evander is something that is not pretty at all. The Timbers also had to play without Diego Chará, which contributed to the poor final product on the field.
Passing sideways
Eryk Williamson, Cristhian Paredes, and David Ayala were tasked with distributing the ball, but their ball distribution was not the best, to say the least. When we see the maps below, we can see how most of their passes were sideways, and they failed to progress the ball properly, contributing to the lack of opportunities the Timbers had in the final third.
Six shots are not enough, and we know the Timbers have had a hard time being clinical.
Due to the absence of Evander—or any other true playmaker—Felipe Mora had another very quiet game. The balls weren’t getting to his feet, and he finished his shift with zero shots, six passes, and only one touch inside the box.
Portland’s new designated player, Jonathan Rodríguez, was on the field, but couldn’t put his name on the scoreboard like he had against LAFC. He could’ve scored at the end of the first half; Charlotte’s goalkeeper gifted the ball inside his box, but Rodríguez failed to make a simple finish that could’ve changed the whole dynamic of the game.
Rodríguez’s performance in this match was disappointing. He has been hired to score goals, and in matches like this one, he needs to get his hands dirty and show why he’s Portland’s biggest signing this year.
That was ’embarrassing’
“The two goals we gave away again were embarrassing,” Timbers head coach Phil Neville said. “Things have to change and change very quickly because if they don’t, we’re in trouble.”
The thing is, the Timbers are already in trouble and have been for some time now. They haven’t won in almost two months and have conceded goals like crazy. It looks as if every Portland opponent has gotten a check with at least two goals in their favor before every game, no matter who the Timbers play.
And Neville was right about how embarrassing the goals were. Even before the second half started, Portland was getting roasted in defense. Kamal Miller couldn’t suit up due to illness, so Zac McGraw started in his place. According to Opta, McGraw finished the match with eight clearances, four blocks, five recoveries, three duels won, three duels lost and one foul won. That’s not exactly impressive, but in the end, they’re just cold numbers.
However, when we combine those stats with what we saw from him… Well, we can say he’s not in the same form we saw last season.
It was a miracle the Timbers went to halftime without having conceded. (Though VAR saved Portland from conceding a penalty kick at the end of the first half.)
Nonetheless, the parity in the score didn’t last long. In the 54th minute, Nikola Petković left McGraw and the rest of the defense behind.
“Embarrassing” indeed.
It didn’t help was that Miguel Araujo had to be subbed off at the end of the first half, and Dario Župarić replaced him. Araujo didn’t have an excellent performance. but he did well and covered for some of his teammates’ mistakes. Putting a centerback who has been surrounded by rumors on the field maybe was not the best, but Neville didn’t have much of a choice with Kamal Miller unavailable.
A week set aside
After three games on the road and only one out of nine possible points collected, Portland is finally going home. On Sunday, they’re going to play a very important match—not only for the rivalry but because the team will have a new chance to collect three points again. Their fans will play a very important part in this match, and the Timbers must use them to the team’s advantage.
By this point, the fans are disappointed but keep waiting for a convincing performance from their team. This rivalry match is the perfect opportunity to make them happy again—and to give them a reason to regain confidence. After all, the reality between these two teams is pretty similar. Portland sits 12th in the table with 10 points, and Seattle has the same number of points, although they’re 11th. The big difference between these two? The number of goals conceded. The Timbers have conceded 10 more goals than Seattle but have also scored seven more.
It should be an even match, one where the midfield can make the difference. No doubt the best news Portland(ia) received this week was Adam Susman’s report that everybody was fit and good to go against Seattle, including Evander and K. Miller.
Hopefully, Sunday will be a turning point in the season.