Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 4, Nashville SC 1

To round out their third game in eight days, the Portland Timbers faced off against Nashville SC Sunday at Providence Park. The match was one of the most complete performances Portland has put together all season, and they continue to rise in the table.

Unfortunately, both head coach Phil Neville and Evander were suspended for this match. Dave Van den Bergh and Eryk Williamson  took Neville’s and Evander’s places, respectively.

The city of Portland is in the midst of a heat wave. The kickoff for the game was 98 degrees. Luckily, there was absolutely no sun on the pitch.

Pantemis, Mosquera, Araujo, Zuparic, Bravo Chara (C), Ayala Moreno, Williamson, Rodríguez Mora Subs: Muse, McGraw, Mabiala, E. Miller, Paredes, Enriquez, Antony, Fogaça

In the early going, neither team could muster much going forward. They were feeling each other out and trying to find the game.

However, the flood gates opened right after that for the Timbers.

In the 18th minute, Jonathan Rodríguez stole the ball near midfield and proceeded to drive to the top of the box. He slipped a ball into Felipe Mora, who calmly finished for his tenth goal of the season.

In the 21st minute, the team executed a perfect counter. Juan David Mosquera initiated it with a dribble and a great ball out wide to Williamson. Williamson returned the ball to Mosquera, who “passed” it to a wide open Rodríguez for an easy finish.

Minutes later, the Portland Timbers won a spell of possession. Santiago Moreno served the ball from midfield out wide to Rodríguez, who calmly took a few dribbles and smashed it far post past Nashville’s Joe Willis.

In the 29th minute, Williamson made it 4-0 off a perfect, low-driven cross from Moreno. This marked his second goal of the season and first since the season opener.

After that, the cooling break took effect, and Nashville SC interim head coach Rumba Munthali had a chance to get after his team for their abysmal showing in the first half.

Unfortunately, that didn’t cool them off one bit and only made it worse. After a VAR check, in the 35th minute, Brian Anunga’s yellow card was upgraded to a red card after video showed Anunga’s  studs going into the back of David Ayala’s leg. The visitors were down four goals and had to play with 10 men for the rest of the game.

In stoppage time, Forster Ajago’s goal was called offside.

In the next Portland possession, Rodríguez was taken down in the box. The official called it right way, but reversed it after going back to VAR.

The first half demonstrated the prolific attack Portland possesses and how dangerous this team is when they are allowed to play on their own terms.

In the second half, the Timbers were on cruise control.

With Rodríguez on hat trick watch, the team did everything they could to feed him the ball.

In the 82nd minute, Nashville’s Sam Surridge found a tap-in goal after the Timbers could not stop their opponent’s initial through ball or the following low-driven cross. They gave up the clean sheet on a very well-worked goal. It was Portland’s only blemish on a beautiful evening of football.

Photo Taken By The Matthew Wolfe

“A bit of a hiccup, obviously, last Thursday, so we wanted to have a bounce back,” said Van den Bergh. “And I think this was a good game for that, so very happy with the three points. On the other side of things, a little disappointed we couldn’t keep a clean sheet that would have been really big for James [Pantemis], for our defenders, but at the end of the day, when you’re facing Nashville at home, and you tell me in advance that we’re going to win 4-1, I would have signed a dotted line. So, all in all, a good win. I would have liked to have scored a couple more goals in the second half, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. But all in all, was a good performance by our guys.”

Eryk

With Evander out, Van den Bergh opted for Williamson in that role.

In the first half, he tallied his second goal of the season.

Once Antony was subbed on in the second half, Williamson moved back to a double pivot with Diego Chará to help preserve the win.

However, after Moreno came off, Williamson moved back to the No. 10.

His versatility, dynamism, and creativity makes him extremely valuable to have on this team. Even though MVP candidate Evander and rising star David Ayala, are ahead of him on the team’s depth chart, there is still a role for Williamson.

“Eryk Williamson showed why he is a very, very good player for us and why we have him on the roster” said Van den Bergh. “I mean, he was outstanding tonight, not just his goal, but overall, I don’t think he lost three balls tonight […] He’s been good in practice, and he deserved his chance.”

History

For the first time since 2022, an MLS club has had three different players to score at least 10 goals or more: Rodríguez, Mora, and Evander.

The three designated players have been money all year and show no signs of slowing down.

“You can see we got along so well, and we try a lot to have fun while we’re playing” said Mora. “And I think we’re enjoying playing alongside each other.”

Image
Graphic via MLS Communications

“Extremely happy with the fact that we have three players on 10 goals,” said Van den Bergh. “I found out that it’s the first time in Timbers history, which is pretty wild. Very happy for those three. They’ve been putting in the work since the day I got here.”

Hat trick watch
Photo by Matthew Wolfe

Never in the history of the Portland Timbers has a player scored a hat trick. Rodríguez was the latest one burned by the team’s curse.

Rodríguez had a brace in a matter of minutes, and had the rest of the game to make club history. He drew a penalty late in first half stoppage time, but for some reason VAR overturned the call. Although the initial ruling was a tad soft, reversing the decision still doesn’t make much sense. After that, the team tried to find Rodríguez every time they got down in the attacking third, but it was not meant to be.

The wait continues…

Photo of the night
Diego Valeri with drums in Timbers Army. Photo by Matthew Wolfe.
Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Columbus Crew 2, Portland Timbers 2

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.

Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 4, Colorado Rapids 1

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

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

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

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

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

Lineups

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Zen garden

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Portland by the numbers

xG: Portland Timbers: 0.45, Colorado Rapids: 1.51

Shots: Portland Timbers: 7, Colorado Rapids: 13

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

Shots: Antony (3)

Ball possession phases: Juan David Mosquera (55)

Passes: Kamal Miller (42)

Crosses: Antony (4)

Clearances: Zac McGraw (9)

 

 

Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland 4, Seattle 1

Heading into Saturday’s game, the Seattle Sounders were first in the table and were the top scoring team in the West. The Portland Timbers, meanwhile, were 12th in the table and had not won a game since their regular season opener against Sporting KC on February 27. The Timbers were winless in their last six matches.

After losing Eryk Williamson to season ending injury, this team could of continued their downward spiral.

After playing one of their best halves of football, the Portland Timbers looked down and out.

In the 58th minute Sounders superstar Raúl Ruidíaz scored to put the visitors up 1-0.

But all it takes is one moment to change all the momentum. In the 71st minute, Dairon Asprilla scored the MLS goal of the year to tie it at 1-1 with a brilliant bicycle kick.

That goal gave the Portland Timbers a sense of belief and ignited the attack for the first time all season.

Nathan Fogaça gave Portland the 2-1 lead with a beautiful dribble and two touches to get around Sounders defender Yeimar. Seattle Goalkeeper Stefan Frei managed to get a hand on Fogaça’s shot, but it wasn’t enough to stop the ball from going into the back of the net.

Jarosław Niezgoda has struggled to find his form all season and was subbed in the 72nd minute for Franck Boli. Less than 10 minutes later, he put away a rebound to score his first goal of the season.

Juan David Mosquera put the game away in the 89th minute, with a rocket on a quick counter.

The Portland Timbers completed the comeback to win 4-1, with all of their goals scored in the last 20 minutes.

These are the games where we are reminded why we love this game and these players.

Best lineup of the season

Since the season started, Portland has not had their strongest XI. Although Williamson is out for the year, the Timbers had a majority of their first choice squad for the first time.

This starting XI came out on the front foot and outshot Seattle 7-4 in the first half. Unfortunately, they lost control of the game early in the second half.

Once Portland head coach Gio Savarese made substitutions, they regained the upper hand. Many of the Timbers starters for the game are still coming back to full fitness.

When Yimmi Chará returns, they will have all of their first choice starters except Williamson.

The starters played well in the first half, and the substitutes’ fresh legs will give this team a lot of positives moving forward.

Franck Boli starts
Franck Boli made his first start for Portland as they took down Seattle 4-1.Credit: Matthew Wolfe
Franck Boli made his first start for Portland as they took down Seattle 4-1.
Credit: Matthew Wolfe

The Timbers signed Ivorian forward Franck Boli from Hungarian top-flight side Ferencvárosi on March 13.

Boli has been getting up to speed, learning the system, and building a rapport with his new teammates over the past month.

In two sub appearances, he had played 28 total minutes before the Seattle game—including time in which he scored the game tying goal at FC Dallas.

Boli made his first start against the Seattle Sounders.

After the match, Savarese said he was impressed with Boli’s performance and extremely excited to see him with more opportunities. “He started to figure things out,” Savarese said. “You can see the special things that he has. In some moments, you saw how quick he was to get in front of the Seattle defender… He can get in good areas.”

The Timbers head coach believes Boli’s only going to get better with more time to learn the system.

“He has a good understanding of the way we want to play,” said Savarese. “Now it’s about generating the chemistry with the guys. He just arrived. Evander just started to play with him. Some of the guys started to get to know the two of them more and more.”

Forwards can score, too!
Nathan Fogaça scored his first goal of the 2023 season against the Seattle Sounders.Credit: Matthew Wolfe
Nathan scored his first goal of the 2023 season against the Seattle Sounders.
Credit: Matthew Wolfe

The Timbers had only scored six goals in their first seven games. Out of those, each line had contributed two each. The only forwards who had scored prior to the Seattle game were Boli and Tega Ikoba.

That all changed in this game.

Asprilla, Fogaça, and Niezgoda all opened their scoring accounts for the season. If their frontline can continue to produce, this team is going to be scary the rest of the way.

David vs. Goliath

The first place team facing off against the 12th place team. The Sounders went into the game with a +12 goal differential, while Portland was at -6.

Still, the Timbers started off the game on the front foot, outshooting the Sounders in the first half.

At the start of the second half, Seattle could not have started much better. They found the opening goal in the 58th minute and nearly scored again on several occasions.

Seattle’s attacking soccer and ruthless barrages continued, and they kept chasing a second goal.

The Timbers being down a goal with 20 minutes left in the game, things were not looking good to even get a result.

Portland has been beat up all season, but they got up and fought like heck the rest of the way.

Thanks to their forwards, Santi Moreno’s assists, and the return of their dangerous counterattack, Portland was able to take down Goliath.

Shoutouts
JDM celebrates his second goal of the season versus the Seattle Sounders. He continues cement himself as one of the best right backs in MLS. Credit: Matthew Wolfe
JDM celebrates his second goal of the season versus the Seattle Sounders. He continues cement himself as one of the best right backs in MLS.
Credit: Matthew Wolfe

Juan David Mosquera scored his second goal of the season and continues to put in the effort on the defensive end. He led the team in touches, shots, shots on goal, crosses, and possessions won.

Claudio Bravo made a goal-saving intervention in the 39th minute before Jordan Morris could put it in the back of the net. Bravo was near the team lead in a bunch of stats.

The first three goals had Santi Moreno‘s signature all over them. He assisted on the first two goals to Asprilla and Fogaça. On the third goal, he followed up Fogaça’s shot, which allowed Niezgoda to finish it.

Fun stats
  • Portland has now beaten Seattle four consecutive times
  • Portland Timbers xG: 1.38 – Seattle Sounders xG: 1.33
  • Portland had more total shots and shots on goal
    • Portland: 17/8 – Seattle 15/5
  • Diego Chará completed  97.2% of his passes
  • Dario Zuparic led the team with seven aerial duels won
  • Dairon Asprilla also had eight dribbles and six successful dribbles to lead the team.
Coaches’ corner

Savarese on the win: “When you don’t get too many good results, and you’re putting in a lot of work, and you’re trying to manage a lot of things in a difficult way, the way we started—a win like today’s is incredible. It’s amazing, because we needed it. We needed it. We needed the three points; we needed a win like this to feel that we’re capable of competing at the highest level. And we still have some players that need to come back.

“I think with that said, I felt tonight the guys wanted to win. You felt it. And I think, as I said, a goal like Asprilla’s just gives that energy at the end to make sure that the guys just felt that we can win this game.

“Now we have to continue to work. It’s not staying on one game and that’s it. It’s about all the games that are coming, and we need to prepare very well, because now we have Cincinnati. We have the U.S. Open Cup. Then we have to go to St. Louis. We have a difficult schedule, but now with players coming back and finally getting a bench that is full, we can compete to a better level.”

Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer on his postgame message to the team: “I told them I don’t feel that it’s a rivalry. That’s my initial gut thought. At 1-0, we have to have that killer instinct against a team that has beat us three games in a row, that’s had our number. At their place, stick the knife in, kill the game. I don’t give a shit if it was the second goal or extending possession. After the game, some of our staff members, everybody talking, laughing. It’s like another loss. It’s not another loss; it’s against the Timbers.

“We have to get back to understanding that this is a rivalry. And that’s what I said to everybody. That’s the reflection that I have. It’s not good, it’s not good. We don’t have the killer instinct to put them away. We gave them life; we talked about it, messaged it before the game. They were using this game as a springboard. They have to go to Cincinnati next week. They get a bad result here and have to go to Cincinnati, that could doom them. But we give them life.”

Quote of the night

Asprilla, on if practicing bicycle kicks during practice attributed to his goal: “Yes. I talked to [David] Ayala before the game. ‘You wait for [the] bicycle’. It’s my confidence.”

Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 0, Vancouver Whitecaps 1

Good grief, Charlie Brown! That was a tough game to watch, uh? Bear with me while we break down this Cascadia rivalry game.

After the Timbers got a point against FC Dallas with a last-minute goal, we had some reasons to believe. They defended well as a unit in that match, cutting Dallas’ passing lanes.

Of course, the major and obvious difference between that game and this one against Vancouver is the score, with Portland losing by one in this case. No one on the team was able to provide the Franck Boli heroics of the Dallas match this time around.

How did the defense do?

Head coach Gio Savarese decided to put Justin Rasmussen in the starting XI instead of Claudio Bravo, a surprising decision surprising after Bravo’s strong performance against Dallas.

Rasmussen had an okay game in defense but he lost the ball too many times in the Timbers’ half. In fact, he ranks first in this department with 11 losses. The player from the back line that ranks second in this regard is Zac McGraw, with five.

Nonetheless, he added himself to the attack and is the only Timber that registered a chance created (xA = 0.31), which came from this cross. 

Portland had serious problems trying to create something in the first half, but that changed a little in the second. Still, Rasmussen’s cross was the only real chance the Timbers created for this match.

Savarese referred to it in the post-game press conference. Yes, the buildup wasn’t ideal in the first half,” he said. “But then the second half was completely different. We had more of the ball, we created more than just moments, we had an opportunity to score with [Juan] Mosquera, and we could’ve tied the game. But Vancouver today put us in a lot of trouble, and it was just a difficult game.”

McGraw was once again the player with the most clearances made with 12, followed by Eric Miller with seven.

Jazzy makes an impact

After Aljaž Ivačič’s good performance against Dallas, he polished his work in goal and made a total of 8 saves against Vancouver. 

McGraw praised his teammate’s performance after the match. “He proves day in and day out why the Timber’s offered him a contract extension,” McGraw said. “He made a huge save at the end, where there was a ball over the top, and the second ball the midfielders just popped over our back line. And one-on-one with the keeper and all the pressure is on the attacker in that situation, and he just came out big because statistically, that’s a goal every time. He had great saves in the first ten minutes of the game. Ball went back post and was headered down in the bottom corner, that’s a hard save to make for any goalie in the world and he made that, keeping us in the game.”

For such an outstanding effort, Ivačič was included in the MLS’s Best XI for Week 7:

What about the midfield?

With Eryk Williamson unavailable for this match (more on that in a minute), the Timbers suffered. Williamson is usually one of the few players who can carry the ball from defense to offense effectively—and someone who draws many fouls in the midfield. He and Diego Chará usually complement each other well; while Williamson has the freedom to go forward, Chará covers his back. And of course, the American midfielder creates chances for the team, something few Timbers have proved capable of in this first part of the season.

As a consequence of his absence, Savarese decided to start Diego Gutiérrez. It is true that is not easy to fill Williamson’s shoes, but it is also true that Gutiérrez should’ve been more involved in this match. In the 45 minutes he was on the field, he only made eight passes—and completed six—and touched the ball 13 times, per Opta.

Gutiérrez and Evander's touches maps. Source: Wyscout.
Gutiérrez’s and Evander’s touches maps. Source: Opta.

So, it wasn’t a surprise when the coach decided to put Evander in Gutiérrez’s place. No doubt Portland found more fluidity in the second half because of this. What is more, the Timbers attack leaned heavily to the right, according to Wyscout.

Attacks by flanks and danger level. Source: Wyscout
Attacks by flanks and danger level. Source: Wyscout

If we speak about Chará, he had a consistent game as usual. Among the starting midfielders, he was the one with the biggest percentage of pass completion (84.6% out of 52 passes) and the one who won the most duels, with five. If we talk about his defensive work, he registered three tackles, two interceptions, and one clearance.

Finally, Santiago Moreno didn’t have a performance as good as the one he had against Dallas, but he was okay. Moreno was one of the few who contributed to the attack in this game with a blocked shot (xG = 0.03) and tried to cross the ball once—although unsuccessfully. The thing he has to work on, though, is duels; he attempted 10 and was successful in only one.

A positive thing we can point out here is the return of David Ayala, who came in the second half for Moreno. It was good to see him on the field again, winning duels, winning tackles, and earning fouls.

Attack? What’s that?

I think this pass network says it all, but we still need to say something here.

Timbers' pass network. Source: Wyscout.
Timbers pass network. Source: Wyscout.

Besides Moreno and Juan David Mosquera, none of the Timbers had a shot in the 90+7 minutes of the match. We already pointed out the best chance the Timbers had in the game, but it is true they had some good combinations throughout the game that ended up in nothing thanks to Vancouver defending well in their own box.

We don’t have to downplay the Whitecaps’ good pressing work, which effectively prevented Portland from creating dangerous plays when they tried.

Maybe if the Timbers would’ve played more directly and didn’t try so many passes, they would’ve created more chances. Another choice could’ve been to circulate the ball at a higher tempo, so the opponent’s pressing wouldn’t have been so efficient.

It was no doubt a difficult game for Portland, and Vancouver’s good job was rewarded in minute 74, when Julian Gressel sent a cross that was blocked by Rasmussen. Nonetheless, the rebound fell to him, and Gressel immediately sent a cross again that this time connected with Brian White, who put the ball in the back of the net.

Some news

Considering the way the team has played lately, it is no wonder that the fans are praying for the starters to come back as soon as possible. Fortunately, their prayers have been heard: Sebastián Blanco, Cristhian Paredes, Yimmi Chará, and Marvin Loría were back in training on Tuesday. What is more, Savarese has said that Loría and Paredes will probably be available for the game against Seattle next weekend, according to Oregonian reporter Ryan Clarke.

But not everything is good news. That same day, we found out that Williamson would miss the remainder of the 2023 season due to an ACL injury. The procedure was scheduled for April 12, and he is expected to be out of the fields at least for nine months.

“Eryk is an extremely important component within the team who was performing at a high level again, making it difficult news to accept,” said Timbers general manager Ned Grabavoy. “We will support Eryk both on and off the field during his recovery process, and we are confident that he will make a full recovery in reestablishing himself within the team again next season.”

 

Coming up next…

The rivalry games continue on Saturday, when the Timbers host Seattle Sounders at Providence Park. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. PT.

Categories
Soccer Timbers

The Next Timbers Superstar

Timbers midfielder Eryk Williamson is ready to terrorize defenders this season.

“Last year, I was able to make the final pass,” he says, “Continuing that, I can always get better at that, but it’s a fact of also finishing.” He’s hoping to change that in 2023—and to continue to grow as a box-to-box midfielder, working in tandem with Diego Chará. 

Williamson’s ambition of becoming an even more complete player for Portland feels in line with his trajectory since he joined the team in 2018.

A Star is Born

On January 23, 2018 the Portland Timbers made a rather under-the-radar move to acquire the MLS Homegrown Player rights from D.C. United. In turn, they gave up $100,000 in 2018 general allocation money, $100,000 in 2019 targeted allocation money, a 2018 international spot, and a second-round pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. Portland used those Homegrown Player rights to pick up a player who had spent three years at the University of Maryland and been on the USYNT scene.

Williamson joined a team with a legacy of superstar talent in the center of the park. From Chará to Diego Valeri to Sebastián Blanco and Darlington Nagbe, outstanding star power has always been present in the Timbers midfield.

In a year that halted sports—and life—across the globe for months and months, Portland managed to find a bright spot. The Timbers’ 2020 MLS season was the chance for Williamson to show off his ability, and did he ever. After getting his first taste of MLS by making seven appearances in 2019, he balled out in 2020, playing in 26 games and tallying three goals and six assists.

The Timbers had found their future star.

Williamson has shown himself to be an absolute playmaker for Portland and the USMNT when given the chance to be himself. He sees the game with elite eyes and picks out passes that are, frankly, ridiculous, with an insanely high degree of difficulty. The way he plays soccer is one that reminds you what is so special about this sport. It’s about being unique and true to who you are.

Williamson is a gamechanger, with moments of brilliance that can alter the momentum of a game.

Nothing is Ever Easy

By 2021, Williamson had cemented himself as a key part of the club’s core and future—and he was also finally in the USMNT discussion.

He made his senior national team debut in July 2021 in the Gold Cup against Haiti, helping the team to a tournament title. But on August 29, 2021, against the rival Seattle Sounders, Williamson suffered a season-ending ACL injury. 

Everything had to be put on hold. 

Williamson attacked rehab with intentions to make it back on the pitch better than ever. He worked tirelessly to make his triumphant return after seven months (or 210 days), but wasn’t able to make it back into the national team mix ahead of the 2022 World Cup. 

“To be somewhat in the conversation is a good feeling,” he says of the beginning of 2023. But he wants to cement himself as a regular on the USMNT. 

“I’m not satisfied with it,” Williamson says. “It’s an honor to wear the crest, and I think I want to do it on the biggest stage. The only way to do it is to continue to push. Knowing that I’m lucky enough to wear the crest, I’ve been able to wear it a couple games. It’s getting that first go-around out of the system and making sure it’s a consistent performance for the national team, but also here.”

If the Timbers are able to rebound from last year’s disappointment and be in the MLS Cup chase this year, Williamson will be a catalyst for their ascent. 

It’s about “being a player we can’t go without,” Williamson says. “Try to make sure I can play 90 minutes every game and continue to help guys around me. Also, just gel with the midfield we have. We have a lot of talented players, lot of pieces that we brought back, few pieces we brought in. It’s exciting.”

Better Than Ever

Portland made their biggest full transfer in club history this offseason by acquiring Brazilian midfielder Evander from the Danish club FC Midtjylland.

The move puts Evander, Williamson, and Chará in the position to be an elite midfield and one of the best in MLS.

“It’s honestly scary,” Williamson says. “Diego is Diego. You know what he is going to bring, but he has added this attacking side as well. Evander is the new piece that we started to fit in. We want it to be where guys can’t stop us, they can’t defend us, and making sure that we are beating teams with not only talent, but how hard we are working off the ball, too. 

“I know we can learn from each other,” he says. “We all have different pieces that gel it all together, which is exciting.”

After an offseason focused on decompressing without the pressures of rehab, Williamson is rearing to go. “I’m flying,” he says. “It’s the best I’ve felt in a preseason. 

“That’s kind of the biggest thing for me: making sure that my body and mind was in a good place to start this year,” he says, “knowing that the comeback story is just starting. It’s good to be back with the national team, but [I’m] not satisfied with just one call up—trying to make it a regular thing.”

He’s also focused on “performing here, with Portland, and making sure that we are a top three team in the West.”

In the Timbers’ preseason game against the LA Galaxy, Williamson is already showing off his incredible talent. He was brilliant with his connecting play and had two assists.

He’s going to have a monster year.

And maybe, we’ll get to see the return of the brilliant journalist William Erykson, who made a memorable reporting debut for the Alexander Times at the Portland Thorns’ 2022 NWSL Championship media day. 

“I think we have a few things brewing,” says Erykson.

Categories
Not Soccer Thorns

Soccer with the Stars: A Conversation with Kelli Hubly

To view this content, you must be a member of the Rose City Review Patreon
Already a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.
Categories
Soccer Timbers

From Coast to Coast: The Story Behind Jeremy Ebobisse and Eryk Williamson’s Close Bond

Portland midfielder Eryk Williamson’s downtown apartment is pretty simple. There’s furniture and standard appliances, but nothing out of the ordinary. In both appearance and purpose, it’s just a place for him to crash between team training sessions and games.

Just two canvases hang from the apartment’s beige walls. One is a classic world map. The other is a picture of Williamson and his close friend—and Timbers teammate—Jeremy Ebobisse.

The lack of pictures and wall art throughout the apartment gives more weight to what is hung up. That’s certainly true with the cropped picture of him and Ebobisse, which was taken during Portland’s 2019 media day. In it, Ebobisse is hanging onto Williamson’s back. Both are smiling.

“It’s one of the two canvases I have up in my place,” Williamson said. “It’s one that really speaks to our relationship. About how I have his back, and he has my back.”

Ebobisse and Williamson have built a rapport on the field, but their relationship didn’t start in Portland. They’ve known one another since they were teenagers playing youth soccer in the Washington, DC suburbs. When they grew older, they became teammates in the United States youth national team system and competed at the Under-20 World Cup in South Korea together.

Now, they’re both expected to play important roles for a Timbers team with MLS Cup aspirations. The photo from that 2019 media day serves as a humbling reminder of where both players started and how they’ve progressed in their careers. Most importantly, it’s a symbol of their close bond years in the making. 

“We’re always joking around, Ebobisse said. “They just so happened to capture that moment with a picture.”


It’s not uncommon to hear multiple languages at Portland’s training sessions. Those nearby are just as likely to witness coach Giovanni Savarese belting out instructions in Spanish as they are to hear players shout at each other in French or English during a heated drill.

Listen carefully and you also might also hear the word “sice.” It sounds natural in conversation, but like other regional jargon, it stands out.

The term is DC lingo used after a hyperbolic or exaggerated saying, commonly after jokes. Williamson gave the example of calling someone’s foot bigger than their head. Because that isn’t true, it’s often followed  “sice” or “I’m sicing you.” It’s a small thing, but speaks to a commonality Williamson and Ebobisse share from growing up just miles apart.

“That’s something that me and Jeremy have on a lot of guys,” Williamson said. “We have this lingo and can get around explaining it to them, or use it as our own little word that we use until they figure it out.”

Photo by Kris Lattimore

Williamson grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, just south of downtown DC, while Ebobisse grew up north of the city in nearby Bethesda, Maryland. Both were ‘97 kids who played a year up for their club teams—Williamson for the Annandale Firestorm and Ebobisse for the Olney Rangers.

The two first played against one another when they were 12 or 13 years old. Williamson said Ebobisse’s style immediately stood out, specifically the frosted tips the young forward sported. However, the hair—which Williamson later learned came from the chlorine in pools Ebobisse competitively swam in—paled in comparison to Ebobisse’s talent on the field.

Just five minutes into the game, Ebobisse took a shot 40 yards from goal, which rattled the crossbar and rebounded to Williamson in midfield. The Firestorm lost 6–1 that day.

As they grew older, the pair continued to compete against each other, Williamson in Virginia’s Olympic Development Program (ODP) system and Ebobisse for Maryland’s ODP.

Eventually, Williamson and Ebobisse became teammates on the United States U-20 youth national team, where they roomed together at international competitions. They often joked around and enjoyed each other’s company, but also spent plenty of time discussing their game on the field, providing one other with suggestions and constructive criticism.

The occasional deep conversations at night—whether about their personal lives or struggles on the field—helped their relationship blossom.

“We were really able to understand each other’s tendencies,” Ebobisse said. “The things that made us uncomfortable [and] the things that made us really click. By the end of our time there, it wasn’t one of those situations where we didn’t want to be around each other any more.”


The text popped up on Ebobisse’s phone out of the blue.

“RCTID…,” it read.

It consisted of just an acronym, but Ebobisse knew right away what Williamson meant. RCTID: Rose City ‘Til I Die, the Timbers’ recognizable social media hashtag. His close friend, who he grew up competing against and later roomed with, was about to become his teammate in Portland.

“I told him that he better not be messing with me,” Ebobisse said. “But it turns out that he had made the decision and what happened, happened. He was due to fly in 24 hours later and I was just excited.”

Ebobisse had spent a portion of that summer at his home in Maryland. He sometimes played pickup soccer at the nearby University of Maryland campus, where Williamson went to school. Right before Ebobisse returned to Portland for preseason, the two had an honest conversation about the young midfielder’s career goals.

At the time, Williamson was mulling over the decision to either stay in school and play collegiately for another season or to go pro. If he chose to go pro, Williamson told Ebobisse, he would probably end up at one of two different clubs, one being Portland. Still, Ebobisse never thought he would actually share the field with Williamson that very season.

Then the text arrived, sending Ebobisse scrambling to come up with a plan to welcome his friend to his adopted home. 

He first volunteered to pick Williamson up from the airport, but a team official had that covered. Instead, Ebobisse took Williamson out to dinner at one of his favorite sushi spots in Portland, Bamboo Sushi, later that night. In a way, Ebobisse wanted to give his friend—completely new to the west coast—something he didn’t have when he first arrived in Portland.

“The previous year, I didn’t have many close relationships on the team,” Ebobisse said. “As a young rookie in an older locker room with a lot of cultural experiences, I didn’t necessarily find my footing immediately. That was definitely a helping hand in my process as much as I helped him as well.”

Off the field, Williamson and Ebobisse played board games like Settlers of Catan and explored the city, often taking trips to local coffee shops. They also roomed together on road trips, where they continued the honest conversations they had while with the youth national teams. 

Photo by Nikita Taparia

In 2019, specifically, those discussions really helped Williamson, who struggled to earn minutes with the first team while Ebobisse began to break into the starting eleven. The midfielder asked his friend about what he needed to get out of training and how he could stand out. While nothing changed immediately, those exchanges, which stemmed from their close bond, proved pivotal. 

“When you spend that much time with someone, it’s not always going to be joking and laughter,” Ebobisse said. “Sometimes, it’s going to be about serious personal growth on both of our ends. We’ve both gone through a lot on the athletic front and then we’ve also had a lot of different experiences personally. They shaped the way that we do our jobs in the world and we trust each other to give and receive that advice.”

At the time, Ebobisse treaded lightly. He knew Williamson was working as hard as he could to earn time with the first team beyond US Open Cup games and heavily rotated midweek lineups. So, Ebobisse became his friend’s sounding board, having experienced similar early struggles prior to his breakthrough.

“I think he realized that he stepped in right when I think I needed it the most,” Williamson said. “There have been times, it may have been car rides either to or from an event or something along those lines, where it was reassuring. Although I’m not playing, people believe in me and want me to keep pushing.”

They’ve had those conversations more recently too, after neither received a call-up to the United States U-23s to take part in the 2020 Olympic qualifying tournament. Both Ebobisse and Williamson made the preliminary roster, but didn’t make the final cut for manager Jason Kreis’s 20-man team.

“I think we were both a little frustrated there, but we both know that this is a big year for us,” Williamson said. “We sat down and had that conversation. We can’t dwell on it and we have to keep moving forward. Ultimately we have each other and we will do it together.”

As the 2021 MLS season approaches, both are preparing to take another leap forward in their careers. Despite not making the Olympic qualifying roster, they are more confident than ever before, and a lot of that stems from those conversations and their close bond.

What began as a competitive relationship in the DC club soccer scene developed into a close bond built up during their time on youth national teams and now with the Timbers. So, regardless of what happens this season or in the future, the pair will always have one another.

It’s something Williamson is reminded of every day, thanks to the picture, in canvas form, that hangs from his apartment walls.

Categories
Soccer Timbers

Timbers Snap Winless Streak with 5-2 Romp Over LA Galaxy

The Portland Timbers had gone three games without a win coming into Wednesday’s match against the LA Galaxy at Providence Park, but that streak was ended in emphatic fashion on the night as the Timbers’ attack exploded past the Galaxy in a 5-2 win.

As has been their style in 2020, the Timbers opened the scoring early, putting the first ball in the back of the net in just the sixth minute. Running onto a ball down the left from Yimmi Chará, Jorge Villafaña clipped a cross into the Galaxy box that found Jarek Niezgoda cutting in front of Nicholas DePuy. The Timbers striker nodded the ball toward the far post, sending it skipping off the turf and past the dive of Jonathan Klinsmann to put the Timbers up 1-0.

The Galaxy had a chance to pull one back in the eighth minute, when a Cristian Pavón corner kick found the leaping form of Yony González rising out of the press of bodies in the Timbers box. González struck a strong header toward goal, but the chance clanged off the post and bounced away, with the following rebound hitting a forest of legs and deflecting clear.

The Timbers extended their lead in a chaotic fashion in the 19th minute. After a Diego Valeri corner kick was cleared away by the Galaxy, the Timbers had a pair of chances to put the ball back into the box. First Villafaña fired a shot toward goal that was deflected back out of the box and fell to Pablo Bonilla. The Timbers’ other fullback took his opportunity to fire a second shot into the box. This time the ball into the box found the head of Niezgoda for a snap header on goal. Niezgoda’s quick reactions were enough to beat Klinsmann again, putting the ball into the net and the Timbers up 2-0.

Niezgoda had a chance to complete his hat-trick in the 30th minute when the Timbers were sent to the spot for a handball in the Galaxy box, but instead, it was Diego Valeri who stepped up for the Timbers. The Maestro left no doubt as to who should be taking the Timbers’ penalties, striding up to the ball and hitting a powerful and precise shot that tucked perfectly between the post and the outstretched fingertips of the Galaxy keeper.

Now up 3-0, the Timbers were firmly in control for the remainder of the first half.

After cruising into half-time, the Timbers were given a rude reminder that Pavón is very, very good in the first minute of the second period. Moments after the restart, Sebastian Lletget, a half-time substitution, played a diagonal ball into the Timbers box. González was the first man to the ball, but let it run through his legs and onto Pavón in space. With the Timbers stepping toward González, Pavón was left to line up his shot and slam a simple finish past Steve Clark to get the Galaxy on the board.

In the wake of the Galaxy goal, it still took the Timbers several minutes to shake off the lethargy that had infected the team. As the second half continued, however, the Timbers shook it off and more.

In the 60th minute, Eryk Williamson received the ball from Niezgoda at the top of the Galaxy box and went on the dribble. Artfully cutting around his defender, he was in one on one with Klinsmann and, as the Galaxy keeper rushed off his line, Williamson picked out a simple finish to regain the Timbers’ three-goal lead.

Then, in the 74th minute, Andy Polo looked to top Williamson’s effort with a stunning goal of his own. A long ball from Chará on the Timbers’ left found Polo wide on the right. As the long ball fell to him, Polo took its measure and lined up a volley, hitting a spinning, dipping ball that swerved perfectly around Klinsman and inside the far post for the Timbers’ fifth goal of the night.

Although the game was fully over, the Galaxy did manage to grab back a second goal in the first minute of stoppage time. After a no-angle shot from González was parried away by Clark, the rebound fell to Pavón in front of goal for an easy finish, putting the final scoreline at 5-2.

Categories
Soccer Timbers

Portland Timbers Overrun by LAFC in 4-2 Loss

Despite starting Sunday night’s match on the front foot, the Portland Timbers were sent reeling by LAFC late in the first half and never recovered, losing 4-2 to the Californian side.

Playing on the conspicuously wet field at Banc of California Stadium, both sides seemed hesitant in the early going. While the Timbers weathered some early pressure from LAFC, they were soon able to settle into their familiar low defensive block, leaving the more adventurous play to the home side who had struggled to score in their previous two matches.

Chances were scarce for both sides until the Timbers opened the scoring in the 25th minute. After running on to a ball down the left flank, Diego Valeri cut a pass back to the top of the box where Felipe Mora was lurking. Rather than taking a shot into a pack of defenders, Mora spun and continued the progress of the ball across the field, rolling a pass into the path of Eryk Williamson on the left. With space in front of him, Williamson drove toward goal before juking an LA defender and slotting the ball past LAFC keeper Pablo Sisniega for the score.

The goal was enough to energize LAFC and the home side responded with a flurry of attacks that the Timbers struggled to contain. A series of balls into the Timbers box asked questions of Steve Clark and his backline, with the ball even winding up in the net once only to have Diego Rossi’s finish called back because he was in an offside position.

Finally, in the 37th minute, LA got their equalizer. A corner kick whipped in by Brian Rodriguez found the run of Bradley Wright-Phillips at the near post where the journeyman goalscorer flicked the ball on with his head. The helpful touch perfectly evaded the Timbers defense and fell at the back post just as Mark-Anthony Kaye arrived for a straight-forward touch over the line.

The hosts’ second goal of the night came from the run of play but was no less well worked than their first. Breaking down the pitch and into the Timbers’ end in the 41st minute, Brian Rodriguez played a diagonal ball from the center of the pitch to Rossi making a darting run inside from the Timbers’ right. Timing his run perfectly, Rossi received the ball in behind the defense and, as Clark rushed out to close him down, hit a curling shot past the keeper for a simple, smooth finish.

With the Timbers still reeling and unable to recover, LAFC kept the pressure on and, in the first minute of first-half stoppage time, the hosts scored their third. After a dangerously placed free-kick was knocked down in the Timbers box, Rodriguez got on the ball and played a square pass across the face of goal to Wright-Phillips. Unmarked, Wright-Phillips had no trouble putting a boot to the ball and knocking it over the line to take a 3-1 lead.

In the final minute of first-half stoppage time, however, the Timbers snatched the momentum back. Pushing quickly down the pitch, Jorge Villafana hit an early diagonal ball into the LA box that dropped into the path of Jeremy Ebobisse. Rising up to the ball, Ebobisse nodded it forward; dropping the ball over Signiega, under the bar, and over the goal line to pull the Timbers back within one.

The Timbers came close to pulling even in the 62nd minute after Diego Valeri was tripped up at the top of the LA box. After earning the foul, Valeri stepped up to the free-kick and hit a cutting ball through a gap in the wall onto to see it sting off the woodwork and fly away from goal.

The remainder of the second half was less promising as the Timbers struggled to get the ball into the attacking end with any sense of purpose. Despite flashes of skill from the attacking group, the Timbers could not find an equalizer in the final half-hour of the match.

Adding one final insult, LAFC grabbed an insurance goal in the 95th minute when Kaye played substitute Danny Muovski in on goal for a one on one finish around Clark that sealed the deal for LA and sent the Timbers home without a single point.