Tag: Diego Chara

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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 2, LAFC 3

Photo: Kris Lattimore
Photo by Kris Lattimore.

Not even a point. The Portland Timbers fell 3-2 at BMO Stadium on Saturday.

Portland was disappointing to watch once again. They conceded two goals to Los Angeles FC, which made them chase the match as they have countless times this season.

Can’t stop conceding

“We cannot keep giving teams a two-nil [lead] and expect to win games of football,” Timbers head coach Phil Neville said after the match. “It’s unacceptable, it’s on me. We need to fix it, and we need to fix it quickly.

“We are so close to being a good team if we learn that one bit. If we don’t learn that one bit, it will be a long season.”

And Portland’s coach couldn’t be more on point. The Timbers have shown so much potential—not only this season, but we could see glances of what they were capable of last year. It’s a shame, though, that they keep making the same defensive mistakes. And Neville is once right, too, that it’s on him—and on previous Portland coaches. You don’t wake up one day and become terrible in defense. This problem has a history.

The Timbers remain in second place for most goals against in MLS this season, reaching 21 in the match against LAFC. On the flipside, they’ve scored the second most goals of any team in the Western Conference. Is that enough for this club?

“We’ve been receiving a lot of plaudits for the way we attack,” Neville said. “To be honest, right after the game on Saturday, the first thing I thought about was, ‘I’m getting fed up with that.’ I want people to praise us for winning games of football, not playing well and losing.”

By winning Saturday’s match, LAFC inclined the scale in their favor, since the California side has only won three of their last 11 regular season matches against the Timbers. Nonetheless, LA seemed the stronger side going to this game, since they were unbeaten in eight straight home games and, just like the Timbers, had scored multiple goals in seven of those eight matches.

What fullbacks?

LAFC found themselves very comfortable in Portland’s wings, especially in the left. Denis Bouanga, Mateusz Bogusz, Eduard Atuesta, and Ryan Hollingshead found space and time to do as they pleased.

 

Timbers Miguel Araujo and Juan David Mosquera had a complicated night, which helped the home team find their way to open the score. Mosquera was caught ball-watching, completely unaware of Bouanga until too late. As a consequence, Araujo had tried to stop Bouanga but couldn’t. The LAFC attacker crossed the ball, and Kamal Miller ended up pushing into the back of his own net.

Capture: MLS / Apple TV
Capture: MLS / Apple TV

Portland wasn’t having a good first half. LA’s wingers were killing them, and if not for some lucky offsides, the match would’ve gotten very ugly very early. But even so, scoring an own-goal hurt a lot. Friendly fire is always hard to deal with, and if we add another goal against just seconds before halftime… well, let’s say it was a hard pill to swallow.

It feels like the Timbers are under a lot of self-imposed pressure to not concede, and that’s playing against them; it’s messing with their heads instead of making them play with a chip on their shoulder to prove everybody wrong.

Diego Chará’s Series of Unfortunate Events

On the day when Portland’s iconic captain, Diego Chará, became the player with the most appearances for a single club in MLS history, everything went south for him.

Not only could he not enjoy the special day with his fans in Portland, but he collected a loss. And he he, in his good old-fashioned way, collected a yellow in the 72nd minute.

One minute later, Santiago Moreno scored the equalizer for Portland, and two minutes later, Maxime Chanot received a yellow for a foul on Chará. Then, Chará received his second yellow, when, after being dispossessed by Atuesta, he fouled the LAFC midfielder trying to recover the ball in the 76th minute.

As a result, Cristhian Paredes had to come into the match for Felipe Mora, who had a quiet game. The absence of Evander harmed Mora, since he wasn’t fed with as many balls as needed.

LAFC grew after Chará’s send-off, and goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau had to intervene many times to keep Portland in the game.

Outside of the box

Due to Evander’s absence, the game’s fluidity wasn’t there. Portland’s goals weren’t as fancy as they have been.

However, it was good to see Jonathan Rodríguez finding the back of the net again for Portland’s first goal of the evening. He showed great technique in his tally and was the Timber with the most shots in this game, with six (two blocked, two off target, and two on target).

It was also good to see that the Timbers had some luck in this game. If it wasn’t for a deflection, Santiago Moreno’s goal—Portland’s second—wouldn’t have happened.

It was a shame the Timbers couldn’t get at least a point. Bouanga’s confidence was high after scoring not only a brace in the previous game against LA Galaxy but also the equalizer in stoppage time.

The Timbers showed they have problems defending second balls, and Bouanga took advantage of that when he showed up completely unmarked after Crépeau stopped a header and the defense couldn’t clear it. The striker shot a diagonal ball that hit the far post and got in. As a result, Bouanga scored the winning goal in stoppage time again and left Portland empty-handed.

The Timbers will continue their string of road games against Charlotte when they play at Bank of America Stadium May 4 at 4:30 p.m. PT.

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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Columbus Crew 2, Portland Timbers 2

Photo by Kris Lattimore.
Photo: Kris Lattimore

The Timbers got their third draw in a row Saturday, this time against the Columbus Crew. It was a more rounded performance for Portland, but a Steven Moreira screamer tied the game and forced the spoils to be divided.

Has Portland found their new centerbacks?

It’s not news that Portland’s defense has been struggling for more than a year. Last season, Zac McGraw showed a lot of growth in the centerback position, which cemented his spot on the team and helped him to get a call from the Canadian national team.

This year, he hasn’t had the best of performances in, and then an injury sidelined him from the last two games.

Dario Župarić, on the other hand, has been surrounded by rumors that he has requested a trade and has missed training due to personal reasons.

Župarić and and McGraw’s unavailability forced Timbers head coach Phil Neville to make changes in the defense, and changes to Portland’s backline look like they have been for the best. Neville put Kamal Miller and Miguel Araujo as the new centerback pair, and despite the newness of this, it seems to be working out. 

However, there’s a lot of work to do. In the screen capture below, we can see one of the reasons why Portland let the Crew get 24 shots off . A huge space between the centerbacks allowed Cucho Hernández space to run through the middle and receive a pass that would, seconds later, finish with a goal. VAR intervened, and it was disallowed in the end, but it was a very close call.

Image: MLS/ Apple TV
Image via MLS/Apple TV.

And it happened again in the 44th minute, this time with Cucho onside and in a one-vs-one with Timbers goalkeeper James Pantemis. However this time the keeper came off his line in time and closed his shooting angle, which helped the defense clear the ball in time. You might argue that Pantemis should’ve kept that ball, but let’s look at the bright side and be grateful that it didn’t end in a goal.

Image: MLS/ Apple TV
Image via MLS/Apple TV.

While the new centerback pair needs time to work as a well-oiled machine, but the raw material is there. Let’s see if Neville gives McGraw another chance to start in the next game or if he’s committed to the Miller and Araujo partnership.

A goal-scoring machine and the holes in defense

We have already gone over how Portland’s defense has not been on-point, although the team is working on it. The Timbers are the second team with the most goals scored against them in the West Conference with 18, only behind San Jose with 24.

However, Portland has also been a goal-scoring machine. So far, they have registered 18 goals, making them the team with the second-most goals scored, only behind the LA Galaxy, who sit at the top of the table. The Vancouver Whitecaps, second in the table, have tallied 17 goals so far.

Portland’s second goal against Columbus was the product of beautiful teamwork and a demonstration of the beautiful soccer we have caught glimpses of the Timbers playing in moments of the game. However, knowing the defensive problems, every player should be committed to helping the backline.

In the screen capture below, we can see Evander has dropped to “help” with the defense, but it would’ve been the same if he hadn’t been there at all. The playmaker just stayed there, watching Diego Rossi get inside the box, receive a pass, and make the assist for Cucho.

"On your left." Image: MLS/ Apple TV
“On your left.” Image via MLS/Apple TV.

And then suddenly we have too many opponents unmarked inside the box and nobody is marking Cucho at the top of the box. Portland’s defensive line realized the striker was unmarked too late, and when he received the ball, the damage was already done.

Image: MLS/ Apple TV
Image via MLS/Apple TV.

In the capture below, we can see Cucho once again wandering at the top of the box, and no one is paying attention to him. This leads to Diego Chará having to wrestle with him once he gets in possession of the ball inside the 18-yard box. The Timbers were lucky the referee didn’t award Columbus a penalty kick.

Image: MLS/ Apple TV
Image: MLS/ Apple TV
Eryk Williamson had the job done

Neville has been alternating between a 4-4-2 and a 4-2-3-1 formation in possession while trying to see what works best for Portland. It’s good that he hasn’t settled for just one formation, since it gives some flexibility to the team.

In his search for what best suits the team, Neville has used a midfield double-pivot when in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Chará and Cristhian Paredes occupying those positions.

Chará has been the unmovable piece in that space, except in the draw against Sporting KC, when Neville used Paredes and David Ayala, and Eryk Williamson came to the field in minute 96’. Williamson has been gaining consistent minutes after the game against the Houston Dynamo, and he started in the match against Columbus.

In Saturday’s game, Williamson made 12 passes, had 66.7% passing accuracy (70% in the opponent’s half), and won three duels and lost six. Compared to Paredes and Ayala, the ball hasn’t passed through Williamson’s feet his feet as much, but he’s been used mostly as an attacking player. No wonder he registered one chance created, one shot on target, and one assist against Columbus.

The double-pivot has allowed Williamson to go up while Chará has been staying back as usual. In this lineup, Evander drops deeper than Williamson, which explains why the ball is not going through Williamson’s feet as much.

Going forward, it’d be good for the Timbers to start Williamson if he’s available. He’s an attacking-minded player, and since the defensive issues are going to take some time to be fixed, Portland needs goals to keep compensating for their lack of defensive awareness.

The introduction of Paredes to the game didn’t bring much to this match, to be honest; Neville still needs to figure out where he can create the most impact.

Congrats, Diego Chará!

The Colombian is a city-wide treasure at this point, and nobody would dare to argue that. Most recently, he gave the fans another reason to build his statue outside Providence Park, when he tied Chris Wondolowski for the most MLS regular season games played with one club in league history.

Image: MLS Communitcation
Image via MLS.
What lies ahead

The Timbers have another tough test on the road, this time against LAFC. After three draws, it’s time to see if they can get three points. It will be difficult, but if they keep working like they did against Columbus and the coach can keep tweaking the defense, they might be able to get the win.

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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 2, LAFC 2

Photo by Kris Lattimore

After a dramatic tie against Sporting KC, the Portland Timbers returned home to Providence Park—to earn another draw against Los Angeles FC.

“I thought it was a brilliant game of football,” said Timbers head coach Phil Neville. “We spoke three weeks ago about mentality, and I think we showed that mentality today. There’s a clear identity forming with our mentality, and I’m super proud with the way that they played.”

In one of the most aggressive moves of his tenure, Neville opted to play Jonathan Rodríguez on the left and Felipe Mora in the middle, starting the Timbers’ two best attackers in the same game for the first time. Their limited time together has been super effective—and one the head coach was forced to field due to Mora’s stellar play.

Neville also put Diego Chará and David Ayala in a double pivot for the first time. Ayala has been drawing rave reviews from Neville and the coaching staff. He has been influential in every game thus far.

Crepeau, Mosquera, Araujo, K. Miller, Bravo D. Chara ©, Ayala, Antony, Evander, Rodriguez Mora Subs: Pantemis, Mabiala, E. Miller, Moreno, Paredes, Williamson, Asprilla, Fogaça

In the 12th minute, Evander slipped in a beautiful ball to Mora, who somehow guided it home for the 1-0 lead. The home team’s sequence of play started with Juan David Mosquera winning a turnover and dribbling toward the right side of the box before laying the ball off to Evander.

Portland dominated the early proceedings. They didn’t allow LAFC’s first shot until the 21st minute (and by that time the Timbers already recorded four shots).

Unfortunately, all it takes is one bad moment. In the 22nd minute, the Timbers’ backline fell asleep, and Mateusz Bogusz made them pay dearly with a perfectly pinpointed far-post shot past Max Crépeau. Kamal Miller tried to close it down, but he had absolutely no help from Miguel Araujo, who was nowhere to be found in the sequence.

After being outshot four to zero in the following 10 or so minutes, Mosquera hit a nicely-weighted cross to Evande,r who smashed home a  gorgeous volley in the 34th minute. That goal came against the run of play.

Unfortunately, the second half could not have started in worse fashion for the home side.

In the 48th minute, Crépeau came off his line hard, but could not win the ball and was given a red card for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. This forced Portland to take off Mora and bring on James Pantemis.

Bogusz struck the ensuing free kick brilliantly to equalize for LAFC in the 52nd minute.

In the 66th minute, Evander struck a nice free kick at the top of the box, but it hit off the post. Even down a man, the Timbers continued to fight.

The teams traded shots back and forth the rest of the way, but neither was able to put together enough for a win. The game ended with a 2-2 draw.

Although they went down a man, the Portland Timbers worked their butts off to preserve the point.

No ZZs
Photo by Kris Lattimore.

Zac McGraw and Dario Župarić were both unavailable for the game, due to a concussion and personal reasons, respectively. That left Miller, Araujo, and Larrys Mabiala as Portland’s only options at centerback for the game.

Miller and Araujo ended up with the starts. Miller has been a starter all season, and Araujo made his second consecutive start.

The results were very mixed in their first start together. In this regard, Neville had no choice due to lack of options.

“It’s growing better and better,” said Miller. “Those goals […] could have been avoided, but all throughout the run of the 90 minutes, I feel like we’re defending strong. And to go man down with so long left in the game, against a team like LAFC that keeps possession of the ball so well. I felt like we defended well, and I believe we got a clean sheet with a man down.”

Their chemistry is building, but I do think McGraw should be starting all future games alongside Miller.

Jon and Pipe

The first start together for Rodríguez and Mora was not a surprise and was the right move by the head coach. Neville has spoken to the media about the sense that they paid to play Rodríguez as the No. 9. Mora’s stellar play as a reserve forced Neville’s hand, and rightfully so.

Although their connection is new, the duo are currently Portland’s best two goalscorers and finishers. They only got to play 48 minutes together, but the team looked extremely dangerous, with the attention both of them draw opening space for Evander, Mosquera, and Antony.

Moving forward, they are going to scoring tons and providing a ton of assists. This is just the start for the dynamic duo.

Another new pair
Photo by Kris Lattimore.

Neville and his staff have talked up Ayala big time since his return. He does all of the hard work necessary in the midfield and has an accurate left foot. His passing has surprised some, but it shouldn’t. Ayala can switch the point of attack, do the defensive work, and keep the attack moving.

His pairing with Chará is a bit special, as Ayala has been seen as a possible heir apparent.

This midfield looked sharp with those two rotating the defensive and attacking assignments. Their chemistry looked smooth and efficient. Although the Timbers have Eryk Williamson and Cristhian Parades, who are both extremely talented, Ayala offers the perfect balance. Depending on the matchup, Williamson should still get his fair share of starts, as should Parades.

Neville’s range of available options in the midfield is a blessing. For now, it seems like he has finally found the right mix (especially once Ayala returns to full fitness).

The Evander

“I think Evander is the best player in the conference at this moment in time. He’s playing incredibly well,” said Neville. “I don’t see a better No. 10 in either conference at this moment in time than Evander—that’s how highly I rate him.”

In the past three games, Evander has five goal contributions (three goals and two assists), including his golazo against LAFC.

He has quickly become one of the most dangerous players in all of MLS and is heating up at the perfect moment.

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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.

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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.

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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 Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 1, FC Dallas 1

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

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

Ivačič is back

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

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

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

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

Strong defending

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The crossbar denies Moreno, but Boli saves the day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The aftermath

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

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

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

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

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

The Timbers Played a Soccer Game Last Night and Downtown Someone Was Shot to Death

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

On a scary and chaotic Saturday night in Portland, with far-right demonstrators terrorizing the city, the Portland Timbers played a soccer game.

Someone was shot to death in downtown Portland while the game was being played.

It was horrifying and absolutely everyone saw it coming.

I still wrote about what happened in the game, because I didn’t know what else to do. You can find that below.

It was an exciting, disappointing game that ended 4–4 among feelings of worry and numbness at the violence being carried out on the streets of Portland.

From the opening whistle, the Timbers pressed RSL high up the pitch. Nipping at the heels of Real, the Timbers saw immediate results, turning over RSL multiple times in the attacking end in the first five minutes of the match.

That high pressure paid off in the seventh minute when the Timbers opened the scoring after a turnover in the RSL box. As the visitors tried to play the ball short off a goal kick, the Timbers swarmed them. After three short passes between keeper Andrew Putna and his defenders failed to get the ball clear, it was Diego Chara who snuck past midfielder Pablo Ruiz and was clear in on goal. Putna charged forward, but Chara took a quick touch around him and calmly rolled the ball into the now-open net.

The goal served as a clear wake-up call for the visitor as RSL worked the ball forward into the Timbers’ end and refused to leave, sending ball after ball into the Timbers box and foiling their attempts to break out.

A handful of chances later RSL found their equalizer. Off a free kick in the attacking end, RSL sent a ball into the Timbers box that found Nedum Onuoha at the back post. The Real center back sent a headed ball back across the face of goal where it was knocked down in front of winger Corey Baird. With the Timbers defense still scrambling, Baird only had to slot it home from close range to even up the score at 1–1 in the 19th minute.

The Timbers answered immediately. Just two minutes later, the Timbers took the ball down the pitch and won a corner kick. Diego Valeri served a curling ball into the box off the restart, finding the head of Jaroslaw Niezgoda as he separated from his marker and made solid contact. Niezgoda’s header flew toward goal and skipped off the head of RSL midfielder Maikel Chang, taking it over the diving form of Putna and into the goal to restore the Timbers lead.

With the Timbers back in front, the game settled into a more familiar pattern: the Timbers sat back, presenting a strong defensive block, and dared RSL to come at them. RSL obliged, but were unable to assert themselves in the same way as they did after the first Timbers goal, leaving openings for the Timbers to break out and counter.

Shortly after the half, RSL equalized again. Off a corner kick in the 48th minute, Chang flicked the ball on, sending it arching up into the air and dropping at the back post where Damir Kreilach was alone in space. As the ball fell in front of him, Kreilach took its measure and struck it on the volley, giving Steve Clark no chance at the save as he finished from close range.

After a back and forth battle through most of the second half, Sebastian Blanco stepped up with a moment of magic to retake the lead. In the 70th minute, Chara won the ball in the Timbers half then immediately looked upfield and picked out Blanco on the right with a pass into space. Carrying the ball forward, Blanco drove toward the RSL box, cut toward the center of the pitch, and hit a curling shot on goal. Despite a heroic dive from Putna, Blanco’s ball was placed perfectly and nestled into the back of the net, giving the Timbers a 3–2 lead.

In the 85th minute, the Timbers got their insurance goal. Moments after a shot from Onuoha pinged off the Timbers’ post and was snatched off the goal line by Clark, the Timbers broke down the pitch. A throw from Clark found Blanco with enough space to look up and pick out a bursting run from Felipe Mora through the center of the pitch and into the attacking end. As Mora continued his run, Blanco hit a perfectly placed pass forward that skipped just out of reach of a defender and found its intended recipient. Mora collected the ball on the run, hesitated inside the box, and coolly finished past Putna.

The insurance goal, it turned out, was not enough to secure all three points for the Timbers as RSL stormed forward and the Timbers wilted under pressure.

First, in the 90th minute, the visitors found Gioseppi Rossie in the box with his back to goal. The RSL sub took a smooth touch to settle the ball, turned, and—the Timbers defense scrambling to recover—slotted a close-in shot past Clark.

Then, in the fifth minute of stoppage time, Baird took off on a juking run through the Timbers defense, dribbling around a pair of defenders before touching a short pass forward to the feet of Sam Johnson. Once again the RSL player was able to turn and shoot from point-blank range and once again Clark had no chance at the save as RSL pulled even in the final seconds of the match.

Categories
Thorns Timbers

Questions and Answers with the Rose City Review: One Day Too Early

Well, that was some bad timing.

On Wednesday night, full of optimism about the start of the Thorns’ preseason camp and also willing to talk about the start of the Timbers’ season, we held our first question and answer thread over on our Discord server.

Since then, the sporting situation in Portland and around the world has changed drastically. Still, how Kyle feels about Eryk Williamson or how we all feel about Amandine Henry will not change just because some dumb virus is reshaping society as we know it.

With that in mind, here are a few of your questions from Wednesday’s Q&A on the Rose City Review Discord.

(Some of the questions and answers have been edited for clarity.)

Which former Thorn is the most likely to return to the team?

Do not take this as a prediction or as actual reporting, but I know the Thorns would love to have Amandine Henry back. The question is whether she has any reason to ever come back to the States (or, as we’re calling it now, STATES). It’s probably not impossible, but don’t get your hopes up.

-Katelyn Best

I would say probably Haley Raso still, just because of her connections here. But I don’t see it as being particularly likely that anyone is returning.

-Tyler Nguyen

Who is your favorite player on either team who may not necessarily be the best or see regular minutes?

For me, that has to be Marvin Loria. I am convinced that Loria has what it takes to be a starter-level player in MLS. He is fast, creative, and a hard worker. Of course, he is also injured pretty regularly, which is why we rarely saw him later on during the 2019 season.

 

Loria may never get the chance to regularly start for the Timbers, as the team has been pretty dead set on using their DP slots on wingers and forwards, but I could certainly see him making an impact off the bench or in spot starts and either getting traded within the league or (more likely) sold outside of it. To me, the latter seems even more likely now that MLS has increased the amount of money that teams get from selling players on.

 

Of course, I would also be happy just having him stay with the Timbers and doing dope stuff like this.

-Will Conwell

I think for me, that answer is Eryk Williamson. He seems to be on the bubble between the first team and Timbers 2. I watched quite a bit of T2 last season and he was arguably the best player, controlling the game, and I think was in the top half of USL in assists a season ago.

 

In what I’ve seen of him when he gets first-team minutes, I think he has a lot of potential. He is smooth on the ball, and I believe would be a good creator. He can play as a No. 10 in the middle of the action, but he can also play as a connector in the No. 8 slot, which is what he told me that he envisions himself being.

 

I think we might see more of him in the future when it comes time to rest Diego Valeri during condensed stretches of play in the summer. If anything, his defense might need the most improving, but creativity wise he could help the Timbers when it comes to breaking down low blocks and be an overall asset to the first team.

-Kyle Pinnell

I’m super partial to Marissa Everett this year because of her skill set and the fact that she’s a Duck. I think fans should be into that stuff. She’s a smooth-passing forward, and there’s no reason that she can’t be a bench player on the Thorns for a long time.

-Tyler

Photo by Nikita Taparia
Is the Thorns’ youth movement perfectly timed or exquisitely timed? Which of the Thorns’ young players should I be frigging stoked for, and which will need some time or never contribute?

Take a huge grain of salt with this because I watch zero college soccer, but my understanding is that we should all be pretty fucking excited about Sophia Smith. She scored a bunch of goals at Stanford, but reportedly her intelligence, for a player her age, is off the charts. She might really be the mythical goal-scoring forward Thorns fans are always begging for—as well as having the technical skill and athleticism the Thorns coaching staff wants up top.

 

As far as timing? I’m not sure. As I’ve said in a few other places, the whole league is in a kind of purgatory right now as we wait for expansion to blow everyone up—that, plus Sinclair’s eventual retirement, is going to necessitate a rebuild within the next few years. That could mean Portland builds a new roster with their existing young players, or—possibly more likely—it could mean they trade them away post-expansion for some star power. Or, y’know, a mix of both.

-Katelyn

The youth stuff is funny because, yes, the Thorns are getting young in offense, but they’re also getting older on defense, and this club is constantly trying to refresh its roster. The new shit is that we have youngsters with pedigrees. That’s weird.

 

It will be great to see if we can have even better results teaching blue-chip talent instead of doing the usual miracle work with players who other teams didn’t see the value in

-Tyler

Who is Chris Duvall’s backup?

This is a good question and one that the Timbers seem far too likely to need to answer to at some point, given the early-season injury history among their defenders.

 

To my mind there are three different approaches that Gio and company can take here:

 

1. Flip a left back: just figure out which of Farfan or Villafana have a better right foot and move them on over.

2. Convert a center back: send Julio Cascante out there. He has done it before (I think). If he was not injured already, Bill Tuiloma would be another possibility in here, but as a left-sided player, playing him on the right would kind of fall back into category No. 1.

3. Get a little crazy: play a Chara at wing back. Or try out Renzo Zambrano out there. Why not?

 

Really, though, my bet would be Cascante.

-Will

Photo by Kris Lattimore
Does Providence Park or the training facility have super low doorways, or are there other reasons our team [the Timbers] is so damn short?

It is Diego Chara’s fault.

 

And, in a way, Kris Boyd’s.

 

Chara was the Timbers’ first big signing and, ten years in, is their most influential player. His success—followed by Boyd’s failure—has heralded an approach to player signing from Gavin Wilkinson and company that focuses on technique and ball retention. For Chara, his ability to win the ball, pivot on it, and take it around a defender with a simple juke are all amplified by his short stature, low stance, and somehow subterranean center of gravity.

 

Plus, the Timbers just signed his brother, who is actually even shorter. That can’t have helped their average height.

-Will

Does Gio-ball actually exist and did they play it at Cosmos? If so, was it because of him or despite him?

My understanding of Gio-ball is that it’s the kind of front-foot, attacking, high-press soccer we’ve seen glimpses of from the Timbers over the last month. Specifically, the first 30 minutes or so in the opener felt a lot closer to how I’ve always thought Gio wants to play than we’ve seen from the Timbers before. Obviously, it’s not an easy style to master because, as we saw, the defense has to be very disciplined to not get caught way out of position, but with more and more signings during the Gio era, one would imagine the team will continue to progress in that direction.

-Zach Kay

Is Andy Polo the fastest Timber? why don’t we EVER play him into space?

He’s definitely fast, and while I appreciate what he does in the middle third, he’s definitely shown that he doesn’t consistently have a killer instinct or top-quality decision making in the final third. Putting someone into space is really only useful if they can turn that advantageous position into a goal or an assist, so until he’s doing that on a regular basis, it makes more sense to use his athleticism for other things.

-Zach

I agree with a lot of what Zach said. Polo is fast, but he also only has one regular season goal in over two seasons which is not… ideal considering he takes up one of the attacking spots. He does need some better decision making in the final third like Zach mentioned because, ideally, wingers in a sit-back-and-counter setup would help combine and unlock the opposing defense, and if he is not able to do that often, the Timbers lack an advantage at one of their attacking options.

 

What has piqued my interest over the past month is how Gio is using him in the offense. In preseason, Gio played him in midfield a lot, which, as you mentioned, doesn’t take advantage of his pace or the space afforded. The wingers have also been tasked with playing an entire sideline. For example, Blanco and Yimmi both seem to be playing in the defensive third as much as in the attacking third, which takes focus away from what they are best at. This actually benefits Polo, as he is a decent defensive option, but on the offensive end, he is most important as an attacking winger, and that’s a facet of his game that he needs to work on.

-Kyle

Will Renzo Zambrano and Marvin Loria disappear again, or will they take another step this year?

I hold a ton of Zambrano stock, and (up until Polo started playing more in central mid this year) I’d been excited for him to be the first-off-the-bench CDM. The times he played next to Paredes last year really sold me on those two next to each other being the future of the Timbers central midfield. Obviously, there’s still some growth that needs to happen before then, but I would be very disappointed if he doesn’t get significantly more minutes this year. Zambrano also happens to be my answer to “who is your favorite player who may not see regular minutes”.

-Zach

I made it out to training today, and Gio mentioned Loria as someone who, when he returns to the team from his time with the Costa Rica u23s in Olympic Qualifying, would make an impact for the side. I take that, along with my general enjoyment of his style of play, to mean that he is in the Timbers’ first-team plans this year.

-Will

 

Categories
Soccer Timbers

Adjusting to Life Without Moreira

Photo by Kris Lattimore

An already tough start to the season gets even tougher as the Portland Timbers prepare to deal with the lengthy absence of starting right back, Jorge Moreira.

ESPN’s Taylor Twellman broke the news of a potential long-term injury on Saturday afternoon, and Timbers.com writer, Richard Farley, later shared that the Timbers believe Moreira could have a partial meniscus tear in his left knee that requires surgery.

There have been no reports as to how long a potential surgery would sideline the Paraguayan, and with his loan from River Plate expiring in June, it’s a devastating blow for both the player and the organization.

But injuries happen in sports, and there’s nothing that the Timbers can do other than continue forward. What Moreira brings to the team is difficult to replace, but adjustments will have to be made. However, before looking at how the Timbers can move forward, it’s important to understand what Moreira brought to the team.

What the Timbers will be missing

Anytime an MLS side signs an experienced player from South America, especially from teams such as Boca Juniors or River Plate, they expect a talented player that can come in and contribute right away. A season ago, the Timbers needed a starting-caliber right back, and they found their guy in Moreira—a player with 57 starts for River Plate under his belt.

The 30-year old plays a huge role in the Timbers’ attack, often tasked with making overlapping runs into the final third, sending in crosses for strikers in the box, and, if necessary, using his speed to track back and win the ball back in defense.

https://gph.is/g/4L5K11r

When Portland plays out of the back, Moreira’s job is straightforward: find a way to beat the first line of defense. In the clip above, Moreira does a good job of beating Minnesota United’s initial pressure before finding Sebastian Blanco with plenty of room to exploit down the left wing. By beating that first line of defense, the Timbers create advantages in midfield that they hope to exploit.

Sometimes, defenses can’t stop him, and when this happens Moreira is more than happy to blaze by and immediately burst into the final third. In the clip above, Moreira continues to run into the vacated space before whipping a cross into the box. While the play didn’t result in a goal, Moreira’s aggression is on full display as he creates another dangerous opportunity for his team.

However, Moreira can be most advantageous in the final third when the Timbers need to provide service to runners in the box.

https://gph.is/g/Ev15RJg

https://gph.is/g/4MkL196

Oftentimes, Moreira will play a one-two with a midfielder as he makes an overlapping run before swinging a cross into the box. Above are two different examples of the crosses that he makes. Against New York Red Bulls, Moreira’s cross is low, finding the feet of Cristhian Paredes near the penalty spot. In the game against Vancouver, Moreira sends a lofted cross into Jeremy Ebobisse at the perfect height for an attempted header.

Just Moreira’s presence in Portland’s attacking third adds another layer to the Timbers offense. When plays break down, he serves as an extra player in and around the area, another body that can capitalize on a stray bounce or get on the end of a cross.

https://gph.is/g/aXJlPVn

In the goal above, Moreira pulls out a moment of individual brilliance as he quickly thinks to chip a rebound over the head of Chicago’s keeper.

https://gph.is/g/aN80OG9

In Columbus, his late run to the back post provided Paredes with a passing option. Moreira took advantage by helping the Timbers secure their first win of the 2019 season.

If there are any areas of his game that gave Timbers’ supporters headaches, it is in Moreira’s aggression to get forward whenever possible. While he can hold his own defensively, Moreira is often caught too high up the pitch, leaving acres of space for opposing attackers to run into. In the season opener against Minnesota United, all three of the Loons’ goals came from a counter-attack that involved players streaking down the vacated space in the flanks.

Being caught upfield on the wings is a common problem that can be fixed through adjusting playing style or tactics. What Moreira brings to the game, and the spacing that he provides, is valuable and will be missed—he is a TAM player after all.

Ultimately, all of this begs one simple question: How will the Timbers adjust to life without Moreira for a prolonged amount of time?

How can the Timbers adjust?

If there’s one area where Timbers couldn’t afford to lose players to injury, it’s the defense. With the loss of Zarek Valentin and a majority of Portland’s depth concentrated at center back, head coach Giovanni Savarese will have to get creative when it comes to the outside back position.

The Timbers have employed a four-man backline throughout a majority of its MLS history, but maybe it’s time that Savarese has to think about converting to a back three to fit the personnel.

The utilization of a back three has been gaining traction within the league—and in international soccer—over the past few years. This setup has a number of benefits which include the ability to create a numbers advantage in the midfield, make life difficult for teams lining up with a single striker, and being more defensively sound at the back.

Atlanta United made the switch to a back three under former head coach Tata Martino and rode it to large amounts of success, including an MLS Cup. In Martino’s system, Julian Gressel, Atlanta’s right back, was free to roam up and down the entire right side, picking out crosses and helping the team in transition moments.

Another proponent of a back three is Manchester City, where, under the leadership of Pep Guardiola, they won the Premier League. City don’t have an outside back like Gressel, but the ability to re-allocate their numbers to provide advantages elsewhere on the field proved to be very beneficial.

In the Timbers’ system, a back three would most likely consist of Dario Zuparic, Larrys Mabiala, and Chris Duvall. The question in that situation would be how Portland wants to play in midfield. Do they experiment with Andy Polo in that position, something that they did in the preseason? On the opposite side, does a shift in formation force Jorge Villafaña to the bench? Would all of this force Yimmi Chará to play a Gressel-eque role on the right side?

A side benefit of playing a 3-5-2 or 3-4-3? Unleashing Diego Chará as an ultimate force in the midfield by allowing him to focus solely on doing what he does best: destroying plays. With two center backs, Chará is often tasked with dropping into the backline, either to help defend or to start possession from the back. With a third center back, Chará wouldn’t have to worry as much about screening the backline or dropping back to receive the ball; he would be free to roam around the defensive midfield and put out fires.

However, it’s significantly more likely that Savarese sticks with the tried and true four-man backline. Twenty-one-year old Marco Farfan has MLS experience at right back and could slide right in to replace Moreira. This would allow Villafaña to stay in on the left and requires the least amount of change tactically. The only thing that could be an issue is how Portland deals with the ever-increasing talent of MLS wingers. In the next few weeks, the Timbers will come up against David Accam, Gustavo Bou, the duo of Carlos Vela and Diego Rossi (!!!), Ilsinho, and Alberth Elis. A 30-year old and 21-year old having to deal with that quality could very well put the Timbers in dangerous predicaments on defense.

Another question that needs to to be asked: regardless of tactical formation, does Savarese still push both outside backs high? Or does he play more conservative, with one, or both, players sitting in the defensive half?

Pushing both outside backs high limits dangerous wingers by forcing them to defend, but throughout the preseason and one game of the regular season, Portland has been continuously exploited down the flanks. Without a purely attack-minded defender for the distant future, Savarese could decide to take this more conservative approach on the wings. Time will tell.

This injury to Moreira, arguably one of Portland’s most important defenders, couldn’t have happened at a worse time. With Savarese still searching for defensive solutions after last week’s 3-1 defeat—and a two-game road trip coming up—the Timbers will have to come up with a fix quickly.

Hindsight is 20/20, and after playing a few games, the Timbers may be wishing that they had a little more depth in defense.