Tag: Dario Zuparic

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Soccer Tennis

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 1, Philadelphia Union 3

Photo by Kris Lattimore

The Portland Timbers match against the Philadelphia Union Saturday was headlined by the arrival of new Portland designated player Jonathan Rodríguez. Rodríguez’s signing was announced Wednesday of last week, and he was cleared to play the day before the game. Sadly, his first match was a mix of emotions, with Rodríguez opening up his scoring account, but his new team falling 1-3 at home.

Before we get into the game: If you are wondering if he prefers to go by his famous nickname, he does not. He prefers to be called, Jon or Jonathan.

The game, at a glance

 

 

 

Pantemis, Mosquera, McGraw, Zuparic, E. Miller Williamson, Chara ©, Moreno, Evander, Antony Rodriguez Subs: Sulte, Mabiala, Ayala, Paredes, Asprilla, Fogaça, Mora

After dominating the early proceedings of the half, the Timbers just could not find the back of the net. The woodwork denied them twice, and they created multiple scoring opportunities on top of that.

In the 28th minute, Philadelphia scored against the run of play on a header from Julián Carranza off a corner kick.

Both clubs traded haymakers back and forth for the rest of the half. Despite mostly dominating the first 45 minutes, the home side had nothing to show for it. Even worse, they were somehow down a goal.

In the 58th minute, the Timbers had another breakdown in communication, when a misplayed pass allowed the Union to counter. James Pantemis came up big, but the rebound landed right to Quinn Sullivan to make it 0-2.

Ten minutes later, Philadelphia would add another tally to make it 3-0. This time, it came from Carranza, making it a brace for the No. 9.

Portland wasn’t completely out of the game. In the 80th minute, Rodríguez headed home a cross from Santiago Moreno to make it 1-3.

Unfortunately it was too little, too late. One team did all the work needed to win, and the other played beautiful football.

“I’m probably as disappointed as I’ve been since I came to the football club,” said Timbers head coach Phil Neville. “If you don’t take your chances, you’re gonna have a hard time winning games of football.”

Mistakes and miscommunication
Photo by Kris Lattimore

For Portland, this game came down to mistakes. The worrying sign for the Timbers is that they’re conceding and losing games off miscommunication and set pieces. The team is not fully in sync defensively right now, and it’s heightened when they struggle to finish their chances in front of goal.

In the 28th minute, they conceded the opening goal off a corner kick.

In the 58th minute, Portland conceded off a rebound.

In the 67th minute, the Timbers allowed a goal when they were caught in transition off a quickly-taken free kick.

“I hope they’re disappointed. I hope they’re angry in the locker room,” said Neville. “If we don’t do the basics well, we’re not going to be where we want to be.”

The frustration has definitely kicked in for the team over the past few matches.

“As a group we’re incredibly disappointed,” said Eric Miller. “You can’t concede the types of goals that we’re conceding in this league and expect to win consistently.”

Although the Portland Timbers played some of their best attacking football, they did not take care of the basics.

“Who were the best footballers? I think we were by far,” Neville said. “But it’s not always about the technical abilities; it’s about the mentality to win games. It’s about doing the dirty jobs really well.

Jonathan

Negatives aside, Rodríguez did score in his Timbers debut. He was dangerous all match. It is very clear to see that he can work with a variety of different services, as he can score in any way.

“He scored a brilliant header. He hit the post with another shot,” said Phil Neville. “What I saw from Jonathan was that he makes some incredible runs. The more games he gets, the more standing he’ll get. He’s going to be a goal threat in every single game.”

Against Philadelphia, Rodríguez had only trained with the team for a week. He is going to gain more comfort and chemistry with the team from here on out.

Besides Rodríguez, Felipe Mora made his 2024 debut as a second half substitute. Having a healthy Mora and Rodríguez will be a huge boost in attack for the Timbers the rest of the way.

Numbers

Possession: Portland – 72.1%, Philadelphia – 27.9%

Expected Goals: Portland – 2.06, Philadelphia – 1.82

Shots: Portland – 18, Philadelphia – 15 (Rodríguez alone had five shots.)

Passes: Portland – 671, Philadelphia – 258

Evander led the teams in shots on target with three, chances created with five, completed passes in the final third with 24, and successful dribbles with four.

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
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
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Soccer Timbers

Kickin’ It with Dario Župarić

Photo by Kris Lattimore
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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 2, Real Salt Lake 1

Photo taken by the Kris Lattimore

Interim head coach Miles Joseph earned his first win as the leader of the Portland Timbers with a 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake in front the Providence Park home crowd.

The Portland Timbers snapped a four-match losing streak across all competitions—and a three match losing streak in MLS regular season play.

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

Portland came out on the front foot and with a ton of energy.

Back in the starting XI was Zac McGraw, who has been absolutely superb this season. His partnership with Dario Župarić has been one of the few bright spots for the Timbers this year.

Starting in his first MLS regular season game in 2023 was Timbers legend Sebastián Blanco.

In the 13th minute, the home side worked the ball beautifully down near the box. Franck Boli slipped a pass to Evander out wide. Evander played a well-placed ball to Juan David Mosquera, who looped a high cross in the top of the box. Real Salt Lake refused to make any effort to the ball, and Santiago Moreno made them pay with a headed goal to open the scoring.

Felipe Mora subbed on for Boli in the 57th minute. After scoring in the match against Vancouver Whitecaps, he would make it a second consecutive game. In the 64th minute, he doubled the lead for the Portland Timbers, thanks to a well-played assist from Moreno.

Real Salt Lake did not go down quietly. In the 82nd minute, Cristian Arango would cut the lead back down to one with a deflected goal past David Bingham.

Photo taken by the Kris Lattimore

Mora’s continued comfort and ascension is the extra boost the Portland Timbers need to possibly make a late playoff push.

First win

Joseph led the Portland Timbers to a 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake for his first ever head coaching win.

After praising the team’s second half efforts against Vancouver, he was proud of how his team came out for this game.

“I thought it was a good continuation from our last game in the second half,” Joseph said. “So that was kind of the message going into the game to continue on from the second half of the last game and the guys really put a great effort in the first half to start off on the right foot.”

The Santi Moreno Show
Photo by Kris Lattimore

Don’t look now, but Moreno has put up consecutive fabulous performances.

“He did what was asked of him,” Joseph said. “On the attacking half of the field, he stayed wide, and I think his opportunities came pretty frequently.

“I think the important thing is for Santi to get his confidence, and I think tonight was a really, really good start for him,” he said.

Moreno scored his first goal of the season and tallied an assist for a goal contribution brace. The best part? His mom was in attendance to see him play his best football of the season.

“A very special moment for myself to score a goal and also do it in front of my mom,” Moreno said. “I haven’t been able to score this season, so it has been rough. But in front of my mom, it makes it very special and also, for me, to be able to score when we get the three points makes it even better.”

Officiating

The referees have been a bit inconsistent in their officiating against the Timbers for the last few weeks.

Diego Chará mentioned it in the post-game presser, and Joseph seem to agree with his captain’s sentiment about how games are being called for the team.

Next: Seattle

The Timbers make the trip up to Lumen Field to face their rivals, the Seattle Sounders today.

Joseph and the team will be ready.

“This is a great win for us to build momentum,” he said after the RSL victory. “I think every game against Seattle is important.”

Kris Lattimore
Photo by Kris Lattimore
Photo by Kris Lattimore
Photo by Kris Lattimore
Photo by Kris Lattimore
Photo by Kris Lattimore
Photo by Kris Lattimore
Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 1, Tigres UANL 2

Photographer: Kris Lattimore

After securing three points in their Leagues Cup opening game against the San Jose Earthquakes, Portland was in position to clinch a spot in the knockout stage with at least a draw. The Timbers could also advance in a three-way tie through goal differential. 

Tigres is one of the most storied clubs in North America—and in the world. The opportunity to play a team of this historic stature is huge. 

Playing at a disadvantage for over a half would be too much to overcome, as the Timbers dropped the last game of the Leagues Cup group stage 1-2. 

Photographer: Kris Lattimore

In the 24th minute, Evander took on his best Leo Messi impersonation and hit the perfect free kick into to the upper 90 to put the home side up 1-0. 

Photographer: Kris Lattimore

The good times would not keep on rollin’, unfortunately. 

In the 42nd minute, former France international, André-Pierre Gignac scored the equalizer for Tigres.

To make matters even worse for Portland, Evander got sent off with his second yellow in the 44th minute. 

Even down a player in the second half, the Portland Timbers refused to bunker. Both teams exchanged chances, tackles, and shots. 

In the 81st minute, Jesús Angulo beat Juan David Mosquera far post and gave the visitors the 1-2 lead. 

In order to try to get a result out of the game, head coach Gio Savarese made a triple sub in the 88th minute: Franck Boli for Dairon Asprilla, Sebastián Blanco for Claudio Bravo, and Miguel Araujo for Mosquera. The Timbers would play the rest of the game with a three-back of Miguel Araujo, Dario Župarić, and Zac McGraw.

Still, the Timbers did enough to move on in the Leagues Cup. (There is no scenario that existed where they didn’t move on.) 

Evander

The biggest transfer in Timbers history has taken the reigns of this team and won’t let go.

He is putting his stamp on games and has shown his best stretch of play. 

In the 24th minute, Evander delivered once again for Portland. 

The Timbers will continue to win games if this stud continues to take over matches. 

Unfortunately, Evander picked up his first yellow in the 39th minute. Then, the head official decided to get involved in the 44th minute and give Evander his second yellow.

Replays showed that this was not warranted, and it was a real shame, as the game was starting to go end-to-end with a ton of action. 

As a player on a yellow card, you’ve got to be extremely careful and not put yourself in that position. 

It was a frustrating way for Evander to end his time in the game, especially with such a big start. 

Felipe Mora

Mora has worked his tail off to come back and has recently returned to play. However, this start was a huge milestone for him. 

His professionalism through it all shows his character. There aren’t many players who have committed to the city and team the way he has. These moments and opportunities are more than deserved for the Timbers’ No. 9. 

Officiating 

Instead of playing this entire game at full strength, Evander’s second yellow card put us down to 10 players for the second half. 

The official decided to intervene and have the main say over the game.

The atmosphere was amazing throughout, and the fans would have loved to see these teams go at it with everything they’ve got. 

Make no mistake, the official allowed both teams to play. But Tigres is a phenomenal side and did not need the extra assistance.

“I just think the referee ruined the game,” said Savarese. “The referee ruined the game on a red card that was not conscientious of what is happening in the game. For me, there was no need. We were facing a very good team that didn’t need any extra help.”

It’ll a long time before we ever see these two sides go at it again, if ever. It’s a shame that a game was decided in that fashion.

Photographer: Kris Lattimore
Quote of the Night

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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 2, Austin FC 2

"I’m happy because we looked like a team the last two games." Credit photo: Kris Lattimore
"I’m happy because we looked like a team the last two games." Credit photo: Kris Lattimore

The Timbers got a draw at home on Saturday night.

After winning on the road against St. Louis, it looked like Portland would be more than capable of getting another three points at home, but Austin came up from behind twice and got the equalizer in stoppage time.

The one that got away? Let’s analyze the game and see.

Some changes in the lineup

Timbers head coach Gio Savarese had to make changes in the starting XI after the game against St. Louis. David Ayala was among the absentees (ICYMI, Ayala’s season is over after tearing his ACL. The Rose City Review wishes him the best in his recovery process.)

Center-back Zac McGraw also missed the game due to an accumulation of yellow cards, and defender Eric Miller was out due to health and safety protocols.

Given these absences, Larrys Mabiala, Claudio Bravo, and Christian Paredes were on the field from the start. This match had two defenders scoring and Evander having another great game and distributing the ball from the midfield.

Timbers missing chances

It is safe to say that Franck Boli was the hero over a month ago, when he scored the equalizing goal against Dallas FC in the dying minutes of that game.

Boli got the start in this match, but despite a number of the clear chances, he couldn’t put any in the back of the net.

Nonetheless, despite Boli’s misses, the most clear chance of the first half happened in the ninth minute. This chance, which Juan David Mosquera missed, had the highest xG of all of Portland’s shots—12.54%, according to Opta. Props to him for pressing high to recover the ball in the first place and then stay engaged in the play, nonetheless.

In the absence of McGraw

McGraw has cemented his spot in the Timbers’ starting XI, and his absence was felt. And although it is true that Mabiala was the one marking Will Bruin and ergo, let him head that ball to tie the game in stoppage time, there wasn’t much more Mabiala could’ve done.

If we look at the video below, the problem is actually before the cross. Diego Chará lets Ethan Finlay turn, and Finlay passes the ball to Owen Wolff, who ended up serving that ball to the far post. These kinds of dangerous crosses have a high probability of putting a team in trouble when they defend in a high zone like the Timbers did in the last minutes of the match.

“It was too many crosses in the last 15-20 minutes,” Timbers center-back Dario Župarić said. “It’s not easy to play one-v-one inside the box. The guy who scored [Bruin], he’s really good with his head, and he always scores goals like that. It wasn’t easy to mark him.

“First, we need to prevent that cross,” Župarić said, “and then I think Larrys [Mabiala] stayed with him. It was a perfect ball and he scored the goal. If I was in Larrys’ position, I think I would stay the same as he stayed. For me, he marked [Bruin] good.”

Still, Mabiala’s stats for this game are pretty good. He was first in duels and aerial duels won, as well as in clearances and interceptions. And he was third in passing accuracy after Župarić and D. Chará.

Larrys Mabiala's heat map. Source: Opta
Larrys Mabiala’s heat map. Source: Opta

Evander keeps making an impact

After being included in the Week 10 MLS’ Best XI, Evander showed once again why he’s one of the players to watch in Portland.

 “I think we can all concur in the fact that every game he is getting better,” Savarese said. “We’ve seen that he’s getting more comfortable, he’s getting better, he’s looking more for the ball, he’s looking to be the person that is dictating the ball and that is managing the situations a little bit better. We see that he’s adapting to the league. We saw a couple of moments where he found good spaces toward the end in order to hurt them and increase opportunities.

“I think we see every game something better from him,” Savarese said, “so it’s good.”

Evander might have not had shots on goal against Austin, but he created three chances in the match—the same amount as the rest of the team—and two of those were the assists that led to Župarić and Claudio Bravo’s goals. The Brazilian also registered three successful crosses.

All that made him worthy of being included in the MLS Team of the Matchday Bench for Matchday 11.

 

Župarić scores his second goal in three years

The opening goal of this match was great. Evander’s ball was exquisite, and the header by the Croatian was great. Nonetheless, what he said in the post game press conference was equally good.

“I didn’t know how to celebrate,” Župarić said. “That’s for sure. I’m happy, but unlucky we conceded that goal at the end. I don’t care about my goal. I don’t like scoring goals. I like to keep zero [goals conceded]. I just closed my eyes and scored the goal. I don’t do that often, but it happened. I don’t like to score goals. For me, it’s important to win the game and we need to think about that to win games.”

Župarić also got a knock from an opponent’s knee, and everyone was concerned about him. He was the opposite. “I like that,” said about the knock. “I like to be a fighter and get some kicks on my head. When I see blood on my arms and on my shirt, I was happy.”

What can we say? The guy is certainly a warrior.

The verdict

Coach Savarese shared some very interesting thoughts after the game. One of those things was that they left the game “lingering at the end.” The Timbers couldn’t close the game. They didn’t play smart defensively and kept letting Austin cross balls until they found the one that Bruin headed.

It was a true shame that made feel this draw like a loss. That’s also why the coach also said that they need to be more pragmatic and manage moments a little better.

After winning against Seattle and St. Louis, it was expected for them to get three points at home against a team that is at the bottom of the table.

Of course, Portland had their good moments and we could say that in way they overperformed (they had a xG= 0.78 and scored two goals nonetheless) but still. The Timbers cenrtainly let this one got away.

Despite the Timbers playing better than before, they’re still wasting opportunities and letting points slip away due to a lack of concentration.

Categories
Soccer Timbers

The Portland Timbers Win the Weirdest Trophy in the Scariest State in the Worst Year

Aug 11, 2020; Orlando, FL, Orlando, FL, USA; Portland Timbers defender Dario Zuparic (13) celebrates after defeating Orlando City at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

After more than a month away from home the Portland Timbers have emerged from the MLS is Back Tournament undefeated, taking down Orlando City SC 2-1 in the tournament final and booking their spot in the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League.

Continue reading “The Portland Timbers Win the Weirdest Trophy in the Scariest State in the Worst Year”