Tag: evander

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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Seattle Sounders 1, Portland Timbers 1

Photo by Kris Lattimore.

The Portland Timbers drew in enemy territory Saturday and are the kings of the Cascadia Cup! What’s more, they get to host a playoff game!

The XI

It was surprising to see head coach Phil Neville put James Pantemis in goal for Decision Day instead of Maxime Crépeau. Kamal Miller was suspended due to yellow card accumulation, hence we saw the debut of Finn Surman.

Santiago Moreno was out due to injury, while David Ayala was on the bench.

Although this was an important game behind enemy lines, the Timbers had the odds in their favor; Seattle hadn’t won against their rivals at home since May 2017. 

Foreshadowing much? Image: Timbers FC

Encouraged by their fans at home and by what was at stake, Seattle took the driver’s seat. But in the first 15 minutes, the Timbers were defending well. As you can see in the video below, they were applying a high press, to force the Sounders to play the ball back.

However, the home team started to tip the scales in their favor, and Portland had to hold on. Dropping back  gave some of the players such as Surman the opportunity to make some amazing defensive actions.

Despite the defensive efforts, the Sounders were getting closer and closer to opening their tab. Portland endured 20 minutes under siege (as you can see in the excitement index below), which ended only after the hosts found the opening goal they were looking for. They did so through a set piece, which wasn’t a surprise, since Seattle has found the back of the net 13 times in that way this year.

Excitement index. Source: aiscore

A corner on the left, while nobody was marking Yéimar Gómez, was the recipe for disaster. The Seattle centerback only had to take two steps back to connect with the ball and score with his head.

The second half was another kind of game

Although the Timbers started the second half in a better way, their midfield started to disappear little-by-little. That’s why after the hour mark, Neville made the first substitutions for Portland. Diego Chará and Cristhian Paredes went out, while Ayala and Eryk Williamson were subbed in.

After that, Portland found it  easier to disrupt Seattle’s play, but they still couldn’t gain enough control. However, not even 10 minutes after the subs came in, the Timbers found the equalizer.

Up until then, Jonathan Rodríguez hadn’t been able to impact the game much. But in the 68th minute, Williamson made a tackle. Then the Uruguayan recovered the ball and passed it immediately to Evander, who, in turn, sent it to Antony. Antony put his ability to drive past defenders into action to find the back of the net.

The goal was a bad omen for the home team, who had a player sent off literally one minute after Portland scored. Added to that, Albert Rusnák saw a yellow for dissent.

Of course, with Seattle being down to 10 men, the Timbers felt more at ease and started to create more chances. Nonetheless, their expected goals for this match was low (only 0.6). Good thing they could beat that stat once again, huh?

Evander

The Brazilian couldn’t do much in the first half. As we can see in the graphic below, most of his touches were in the middle of the park, not close enough to a place where he could hurt Seattle.

Evander’s first half touches and distribution maps. Source: Opta

His distribution map from the first half shows most of his passes directed toward the back line, and the rest of them were horizontal. Through passes and key passes to advance the ball were pretty much nonexistent. The few Evander attempted weren’t successful.

The second half was different, since the midfielder could get closer to Seattle’s box and be more dangerous. He was credited the assist for Antony’s goal, and with that, he reached 15 assists this season. (He’s now second in MLS in assists after Cincinnati’s Luciano Acosta, who has 16.

Evander’s second half touches and distribution maps. Source: Opta.
Final thoughts

The Timbers’ stats are not the best. Just seeing they had two shots on target says a lot, but props to them. They did what they had to do to claim the Cascadia Cup, and for this reason, the draw feels like a win. The draw tastes even sweeter because Seattle thought for some minutes that they could take it away from their rivals’ hands, but Portland’s designated players showed up when needed and helped to get the result.

And not only the designated players but the whole team. This result was indeed a team effort, and a valiant one, from the Timbers. The effort is important, but so is the fact that they’re honest and know their limitations and strengths.

“I feel like we don’t deserve a home game, to be honest,” centerback Dario Župarić said after the game. “There were a lot of times when we didn’t play as a team that deserved playoffs, but in the end, we have points. We deserve that. Now is the time to bring something more because I think we could be much better. We didn’t play as we know we could play.”

Besides that, this team has lady luck on their side. And now they’re hosting the wild card game today, due to a conflicting event at BC Place. Since there are no other venues available in the Vancouver market, fans will head to Providence Park to see if this team can pull another result.

This will be a single-elimination game, and the winner advances to a best-of-three series against top-seeded Los Angeles FC.

Do not miss the action. The match starts at 7:30 p.m. PT.

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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 4, Nashville SC 1

Photo by Matthew Wolfe

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: Portland Timbers 2, San Jose Earthquakes 1

Photo.: Matthew Wolfe
Photo.: Matthew Wolfe

The Portland Timbers got a win at PayPal Park on Wednesday.

Five unbeaten matches. With the win away from home against the team at the bottom of the table, Portland is on a good streak again.

Not much went on

Although a win is a win no matter who the opponent might be, we can question how Portland got those three points. They didn’t show much teeth against the weakest team in the Western Conference.

Striker Felipe Mora is still going through a goal-scoring drought, but he wasn’t the only one who had a bland performance on the offensive side of things.

“It was a good win, but the performance was nowhere near the levels that we expect,” Timbers head coach Phil Neville said. “I’m disappointed in that. Maybe it was the ten days off and coming to San Jose against a team that the boys probably expected us to win easily. It wasn’t like that, and I thought we didn’t create much in the game.”

It was good that the players got time to relax a little bit—the season has been far from easy for them—but there’s always the danger of them forgetting how to play soccer after a much-needed break.

When we look at the stats, we can see that both teams tried a lot, but neither could put the ball on frame as much as they wanted. Portland forgot how to press, and therefore, they lacked intensity. Maybe that changed a little in the second half, but their play was far from the expected performance against a team they had beaten easily last May. It is always pointless to think about the ‘what ifs,’ but if San Jose goalkeeper Jacob Jackson hadn’t made the mistake that led to the Timbers’ first goal, maybe the spoils would’ve been divided at the end of the match.

“I only saw one or two movements that we have been working for and only one or two patterns of play that I thought were exciting,” Neville said of the second half. “Apart from that, we need a big improvement on Saturday.”

Evander’s world and the MVP run

After the game, the coach praised the work the Timbers’ designated players did, and rightly so. “The two DP’s [Evander and Jonathan Rodríguez] won us the game” Neville said, “which was nice, but I hope that was that kind of performance out of the way.”

However, we cannot help but think that this showed Evander carrying the team on his back all over again. He was involved in both goals, and the way he created them is worthy of a standing ovation.

In Portland’s first, Evander didn’t give up pressing the defender high and then chasing the ball when it was passed back to the goalkeeper. He was the only Timber pressing that high, and he got rewarded for it.

Source: MLS
Source: MLS

The way he put that ball for Jonathan Rodríguez for the second goal… the precision of that aerial ball to Rodríguez’s head was top notch.

Source: MLS
Source: MLS

From the capture above, we can see the Brazilian looking at his passing options. One second is all he needed to see Uruguayan raising his hand inside the box and make the assist. The play looked effortless, which shows the level of Evander’s skills.

So, while names of the likes of Lionel Messi, Christian Benteke, Cristian Arango, Luis Suárez and Luciano Acosta are mentioned among those who are being considered for MLS’s MVP award this year, I think the league would make a huge mistake by leaving Evander out. True, he is not playing in a top team, but that is also important because he is doing wonders in a team that pretty recently was struggling to not fall to the bottom of the table.

Look at his numbers compared to the aforementioned mentioned players. He totally belongs there.

Source: Opta.
Source: Opta.
David Ayala, please don’t stop being so awesome

Midfielder David Ayala keeps showing game after game that he can become one of the most important players for the Timbers this year. Since he came back, he hasn’t stopped impressing with his game vision, tenacity, and precision.

Look how quickly he sees and sends a pass to Mora that sets Mora up to shoot. Ayala’s runs are also good, recognizing the space available to receive the ball and shoot.

Ayala not only contributed to the match with quick passes to move the ball forward; he showed strongly on the defensive end of things, recovering balls in critical zones. As seen in the clip above, he helped to make a recovery in the midfield—but the chart below shows where else he made three of his six recoveries.

Source: Opta
Source: Opta

Those three triangles are in zone 14—the central zone in front of the opposition’s penalty area, which one of the most dangerous zones in soccer because it can provide a team with a lot of attacking potential. And that’s exactly where Ayala made half of his recoveries. He was also first on the team—along with Diego Chará and Santiago Moreno—in tackles with four.

The Timbers won, and Ayala was a big contributor to this win. And even though the overall team performance wasn’t convincing, they got the three points. Still, they’re going to need more todaywhen they face Vancouver.

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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 2, Sporting KC 1

Photo by Matthew Wolfe.

The Portland Timbers had a favorable home run, going against the Seattle Sounders, the San Jose Earthquakes, and ending with Sporting KC. All three opposing teams were near the bottom of the table. But Portland fell short against the Sounders. The Earthquakes were on their way to a win before Portland was gifted a late red card to turn a 0-2 deficit into a 4-2 win.

Sporting KC is not a good team this year, which they’ve shown through their play all season long. Playoff teams—as the Timbers hope to be—need to beat these types of sides at home. The Timbers were the better team going into Saturday, and they needed to show it.

Crépeau, Mosquera, Araujo, Zuparic, K. Miller Chara (C), Ayala, Antony, Evander, Rodríguez Mora Subs: Pantemis, Bravo, Mabiala, McGraw, E. Miller, Paredes, Williamson, Asprilla, Fogaça

The main surprise was Portland head coach Phil Neville opting to start a four-back after beginning the past few matches in a three-back. Along with the formation change, he gave Kamal Miller the start at left back for the first time all season.

In the beginning, it was an ugly affair of football. Miscommunication, sloppy passes, and bad decision-making consumed most of the first half.

It took until the 16th minute either side to get a shot off. At the half both neither had registered a single shot on target.  Although the Timbers were the better side, they had almost nothing to show for it. They were ahead in shots (five to one) and expected goals (0.39 to 0.05).

Portland took over in the second half. In the 51st minute, Evander put on a bunch of moves and played a perfect cross into the box. The ball found Felipe Mora’s head to open the scoring.

But true to form, this team struggled to hold a lead or sniff a clean sheet.

In the 62nd minute, Sporting worked the ball in and around the box under barely any pressure from Portland. Alan Pulido laid it back to Memo Rodríguez, who ripped one past Max Crépeau to equalize.

Still, the Timbers were largely the better team on the field, which paid off in the 79th minute. Antony steamed forward with the ball and played it to Jonathan Rodríguez. He found Mora for the header. Mora who steered the ball to Evander, who placed it past KC goalkeeper Tim Melia for the 2-1 lead. Initially the ruled was called offside, but a VAR check overturned the call.

In the last minutes of stoppage time, Crépeau came up with possibly his biggest save as a Timber when he denied Johnny Russell’s header to preserve the win.

Portland needed to take care business, and they did. Outside of one hiccup the Timbers played like the better team, putting up an expected goal margin of 2.05 to KC’s 0.25, and got the job done.

“I’m really pleased with the three points” said Neville. “It’s two wins out of three now, which is what we expect and what we want. I think we’ve seen improvements now over the last two or three weeks. Tonight was probably our best defensive performance in terms of our shape and organization.”

David Ayala’s time?

With Diego Chará at 38 years of age, the Timbers have been looking for his successor. They may have found him in David Ayala. Both play similar brands of football and do all the hard work necessary to be Portland’s No. 6. When either leave the pitch, there is no doubt that they gave it their all.

Ayala was the biggest bright spot for the team in the first half. He led the team in five stats: defensive actions, clearances, chances created, duels won, and interceptions.

This has been a common occurrence for him. He fills the stat sheet with his incredible work rate, efficiency, and soccer IQ.

Neville has spoken glowingly about him all season, and the hype has not slowed down one bit.

“I thought David had his best game” said Neville. “I got him in before the game tonight, and I told him I didn’t want any bullshit tonight… He needed that little bit of tough love. He knows what I think of him.”

The only thing holding Ayala back seems to be his match fitness. After coming back from an ACL tear, he has yet to play a full match. The 75 minutes he played against KC were the most since his return to the pitch.

“I told him I’m not taking him off after 60 minutes anymore,” Neville said. “If you can’t make it to 90 minutes, you can’t make it at this club.”

Kamal Miller LB
Photo by Matthew Wolfe.

Miller was one of the biggest surprises in the starting XI. The shock did not come from him starting, but that he started at left back.

“Kamal obviously is a centerback when I brought him [in],” said Neville. “In a way, he’s my boy. But there’s no way I could leave out Miguel Araujo, or Dario Župarić [who both started the match in the middle of defense]. They’ve been playing really well, and they give us some maturity in that back line.”

With Claudio Bravo returning and only available for limited minutes, Neville opted to start Miller.

Miller provided stability on the left side and ventured forward in opportune times. This was one of the most solid performances from any left back who has started for Portland this season—although we should note that it was against Sporting KC.

Wow

Miguel Araujo led the team Saturday in defensive actions with 15, clearances with six, recoveries with 11, and interceptions with two.

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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.

Categories
Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 2, Vancouver Whitecaps 3

Photo: Kris Lattimore
Photo: Kris Lattimore

The fun is over. The Portland Timbers are officially just as frustrating as they were last season.

Just when we thought Portland did a 180° turn… the last three games were as if reality slapped fans in the face.

“Unacceptable”

In the first Cascadia derby match of the year, Timbers head coach Phil Neville’s squad went down 0-1 only 90 seconds into the match. “I felt that the first 30 minutes were totally unacceptable for a derby game,” Neville said. “You don’t start a derby game like that, going down in the first 90 seconds.”

It’s the same old story: The Timbers look like a world-class team one minute and then look like clowns the next.

On the flipside, the first goal Portland scored was stunning. It’s an example of how the Timbers can play in every game. Those guys have a nag for shooting themselves in the foot, and they showed that outstanding ability again in this game. 

Look at the buildup: Cristhian Paredes not only occupied the half space well, but Jonathan Rodríguez did well distracting defenders, which helped Evander stay unmarked at the edge of the box. The positioning also gave Evander enough space and time to produce a world-class finish, one that was almost impossible to stop.

So, the question is: How can the Timbers look that good and then play like complete amateurs?

“You can’t […] concede three goals and expect to win games“

We’ll rephrase coach Neville and point out the way those three goals were scored. Of course, the Vancouver Whitecaps deserve some recognition for finishing them, but we cannot help but think the Timbers contribute a lot to those goals. Heck, they should even get part of the expected goal credit!

In the first one, Ryan Gauld entered the box through the half-space, while Diego Chará failed to track him. Then, Zac McGraw couldn’t clear the ball, and the rebound fell to Gauld’s feet. The forward finished with a shot to the near post that beat Maxime Crépeau.

It didn’t take the Whitecaps much hassle—only four passes on the right wing, in fact—to get to the Timbers’ box for the second goal. Well, that and McGraw’s backheel assist.

For the third… well, Crépeau couldn’t hold the ball, and then Portland’s entire defense forgot to watch their backs, making it too easy for Ryan Raposo to get into the box and hit that ball home.

So, if we rephrase the coach, we would say, “You can’t […] concede three goals in that way and expect to win games.”

Do they know how to build from the back?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but many times it looked as if the Timbers didn’t have a clue about what to do with the ball when trying to build from the back. When Crépeau sent the ball to his centerbacks instead of sending a long pass, the defenders moved the ball here and there, but they had serious issues with the progressive phase.

Actually, that’s what led to Vancouver’s second goal. If we rewatch the tape, we’ll see that after six passes, McGraw tried to send the ball to the midfield where Rodríguez was, but it was blocked. Vancouver took advantage of the interception to regain possession, switched the point of attack, and ended up scoring.

We know the Timbers have more often than not played direct in the past and felt more comfortable being in the back seat regarding possession. They’re used to forcing errors and then going fast in counterattacks. But in this match, it was different.

Vancouver let Portland press in the final 20 minutes of the first half, and then the Timbers took the main seat in the second half. Evander grew exponentially—and he was everywhere, scoring and assisting.

They were things of beauty, his finish and his assist. But no magic designated player can save a team that has serious lapses in defense. As we already established, the three goals scored by Vancouver were preventable if Portland’s defense had stayed organized. And as long as the Timbers can’t get their defense together, no designated player will save them.

Going back to build up, the Timbers need to learn to feel comfortable with their ball at their feet. They need to learn how to build from the back and use the midfield properly. It is true that Chará might not be the same as he has been in seasons past—age is taking its toll—but the team has a true creator in Evander, and Santiago Moreno can be his partner in crime in that midfield.

Speaking of Moreno, he needs to get his act together. He did well against Vancouver, staying high to steal balls and always staying connected to the game, but he needs to connect better with his teammates in the attack to make chances count.

The Timbers will play again on Sunday, this time against Sporting KC. If they want to get at least a point on the road, they need to stop gifting the ball to their opponents, and they need to stop doing that in dangerous positions.

It finally looks as if the attack won’t be a problem this season, but who cares if the team can score beautiful goals if the coach has to sub one of the centerbacks out at halftime due to a very poor performance among other serious defensive problems?

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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 2, NYC FC 1

Photo: Matthew Wolfe
Photo by Matthew Wolfe.

The Portland Timbers hit the road to play NYC FC on Saturday afternoon, and after a great second half, they flipped the score in their favor and got the three points.

The Timbers arrived at this match with one win and one draw on the season, and they showed some positive things on the field that were absent in 2023—with the highlight being a better end product in the final third.

A change in the lineup

Due to Eryk Williamson’s absence, head coach Phil Neville started Evander, who supposedly couldn’t go 90 but finished the game on the field as a hero. The rest of the lineup remained the same as last game’s against D. C. United.

“He probably should’ve played 60 minutes maximum coming back from injury,” Neville said of Evander after the match. “He didn’t want to come off; he could smell the game was there for him. He was enjoying his football, and in this league, you are going to suffer adversity away from home, and it’s how you deal with that.”

Not a very good first half

The game didn’t start in the best way for the Timbers. After a corner that Portland never could clear, the marking in the box was a mess, and the post helped Santiago Rodríguez to open the score for the home team. The early goal against in the 10th minute made them lose all their nonchalance, leading them to make bad decisions when passing the ball. 

After that, the defense looked shaky, with Zac McGraw not having the best time. Five minutes later he lost the mark of one of NYC’s wingers. Timbers goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau came up big and stopped what could’ve been the second goal of the night for the Citizens. The left wing was a highway for NYC, and if it weren’t for their lack of aim and Crépeau’s timely interventions, Portland could’ve lost the match in only 45 minutes.

McGraw was beaten by his opponent on at least three occasions and didn’t look solid as usual. Still, he had the most duels won of all Portland’s defenders with eight, was second in passing accuracy with 88.2%, was first in tackles with four, second in clearances with seven, and tied with Eric Miller for two interceptions.

It took the Timbers half an hour to produce a nice build-up. At the beginning of the game, they were hasty and weren’t very assertive with their passes going forward. They chose to make long passes, which more often than not ended with a loss of possession in the midfield, helping New York attack Portland’s box over and over again.

In the following video, we can see the Timbers making 10 passes before deciding to go forward. Then, the progression phase is pretty fast, and they lost possession, but Diego Chará recovered it and made a key pass in the process, giving Antony the chance to shoot. Sadly, his finish was very amateur-like.

Although the home team kept controlling the ball and tempo in the first half, Portland started to show more patience after this good buildup.

(The above play also shows how NYC left some space in the right top of the box that the Timbers could exploit—and would in the second half when they found the equalizer.)

A different game, a different mentality

It was nice to see the players’ work ethic in the second half. Unlike the first half, Portland started to press NYC high and recover the ball on New York’s side of the field, near the box, over and over again. They collected second balls and rebounds, won duels, and therefore didn’t let the home team make counterattacks. Portland stopped them before they could cross the midfield, and in this way, kept the risk of NYC doubling the lead at bay.

It was also nice to see how the Timbers took matters into their own hands in the second half. The home team could barely touch the ball from minute 50 on, and if not for NYC’s disciplined defense, Portland could’ve gotten the equalizer sooner.

The plan worked just fine. On previous occasions, Portland had found some space on the right top of the box. Just watch how open Juan David Mosquera is, and how much time he has to send the ball to the box in the following video:

So, it wasn’t a shock when, after a second half of intense pressing, Evander opened up to the right, where Mosquera was above, and sent a low cross to the penalty spot where Antony was placed. The Brazilian beat the goalkeeper with a high shot, and the Timbers still had some minutes to try to turn the score in their favor.

The ball was clearly on the Timbers’ side, and they took advantage of it. 

They didn’t give up, not even in the dying seconds of the game. And although it was indeed Evander’s magical right foot that beat goalkeeper Matt Freese, center back Kamal Miller deserves some recognition; he was the one who played smart and sent the precise aerial pass to Antony in the first place.

Then, the Brazilians worked their magic and produced the winning goal in the last minute of the game. A lot has been said about Portland’s next designated player, and the performance by Evander shows why it’s important for the club to sign one and soon. Those are usually the game-changers and the ones who can help a team to win matches.

“You saw the benefit of having a designated player with high quality and what happens when one person on the team shows quality and courage the rest take confidence from that, and that’s exactly what happened,” Neville said of Evander. “I thought his winning goal was just a reward for a brilliant performance.”

Evander's distribution map. Source: Opta
Evander’s distribution map. Source: Opta

What could’ve been a loss on the road ended with three points in the bag for Portland, thanks to this team performance, and ultimately, to the Brazilians on the team. Evander’s stoppage time screamer gave the visitors their second win in three games. And what is more, the Timbers are at the top of the table of the Western Conference.

I think it’s safe to say that it’s time to get excited about this team now.

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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 Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 2, Austin FC 1

Photo: Matthew Wolfe
Photo: Matthew Wolfe

The Timbers traveled to Texas to play Austin in hopes of keeping their playoff hopes alive. The visitors had to endure 40 minutes of pressure, but in the end, they came out victorious.

Portland endured and then fought back
Credit: Timbers FC
Credit: Timbers FC

Austin gave the Timbers a wake-up call only 60 seconds into the game, when Emiliano Rigoni scored a goal that was wiped off due to offside. Austin knocked on the door again 10 minutes into the match, when Gyasi Zardes hit the post with a header. Right after that, Sebastián Driussi forced David Bingham to make a one-handed save.

The Timbers had to clear corner kick after corner kick in the first minutes of the game, and they were nowhere near Austin’s box. The home team controlled the ball and the midfield, and they used the center of the park to their advantage in the attack.

It took the Timbers half an hour to shoot on frame. Evander set up a counterattack, sending a diagonal ball from left to right to Dairon Asprilla. Asprilla sprinted but waited a couple seconds for Santiago Moreno to make a run into the box. Moreno took the shot but hit it right to where Brad Stuver was standing.

Portland looked more alive after that. Just minutes later, they opened the counter. Bingham played a long ball that fell to Asprilla after Austin’s defenders couldn’t control it. Asprilla muscled his way to the end line and sent a low cross to the middle. A combination of a lucky bounce and Felipe Mora’s good positioning were enough to score the first goal of the night.

Austin tried to revert things in the second half, but the Timbers were more in control thanks to a better presence on the midfield. So, Austin tried to attack Portland through the middle, as they did in the first half, but to no avail this time. 

The visitors started to win battles in the midfield; Moreno doing just that led to the second goal of the night. Yimmi Chará sent a service from the left to the far post, where Mora was. Mora chested it to assist Evander, who scored with his right foot from close range.

It was unbelievable, but true. 

Of course, the hosts weren’t going down without a fight. After a great save by Bingham, Driussi scored one back in the 75th.

After that, Portland endured and created more chances. Maybe the clearest one was a sitter that Franck Boli couldn’t put in the back of the net in the 81st minute. A real shame.

The cases of Santiago Moreno and Dairon Asprilla

Moreno was playing his best soccer at the beginning of the year. As the season progressed, we learned he wasn’t that happy at Portland, and you could see it since his brilliance started to fade away little by little.

Nonetheless, in this game, the Colombian went back to his old self. We could see him shining in the midfield again, creating opportunities for his teammates and winning duels. 

Moreno is a valuable player for the Timbers, and with Diego Chará absent for the next couple of weeks, Portland needs a strong presence in the midfield. This improvement in Moreno’s game is very welcome.

Dairon Asprilla also had a great match. His presence on the field was evident. He created four chances and used his body pretty well to win 11 battles and five aerial duels. And let’s remember that it he was the one who battled for the ball that he later sent to the six-yard box, so Mora could score.

Hopefully, those two will keep pushing the Timbers forward in this critical last part of the season.

David Bingham, No. 1

Both Aljaž Ivačič and Bingham had opportunities to showcase their talents in the Gio Savaresse era, but in the end, the Slovenian was the one who won the starting position.

Things have changed under interim head coach Miles Joseph, though. Joseph said he’s happy with Bingham’s work, and for now, Bingham’s going to be the starting keeper.

And although many fans would rather see Jazzy on goal, a brief look at the stats helps Bingham plead his case:

Source: Opta
Source: Opta

Ivačič has started 15 games so far and registered many more saves than Bingham, who has 14 starts. But the American has conceded almost half the number of goals that his teammate has. Bingham also surpasses the Slovenian in all the other stats.

True, these are cold numbers. We should analyze who was available in the backline when each of them started and who wasn’t. It would also be important to see who the opponent was and who was in the front line they had to face, among other important details.

Nonetheless, you can’t deny the numbers and how well Bingham has been doing lately.

It is important to add, though, that the Timbers have a tight schedule this week. They play the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday and the Colorado Rapids on Saturday. Joseph has said he’s anticipating some rotation. Will he give minutes to Jazzy?

With the three points they got in Texas, Portland is occupying a playoff spot. Will they be able to keep climbing the table and secure it? Playing at home should help them in this quest, so it’s a good thing the next two matches are at Providence Park.

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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