Tag: evander
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After losing to the Whitecaps 0-1 in Vancouver in April, the Portland Timbers had revenge on their mind when they hosted one of their Cascadia rivals Saturday.
In the previous matchup, the Timbers were outmatched, overwhelmed, and shorthanded. But this time, Portland got their sweet revenge, with a 3-1 win in their most complete performance of the year.
Timbers head coach Gio Savarese was very pleased with his team’s performance.
“Very important win for many, many reasons,” said Savarese. “Three points. Cascadia Cup. Home game. Then we performed very well.”
Still, he said, “I think we can still progress, we can still get better. There’s areas that we have to continue to work, but I think the first 20 minutes and the entire second half, I thought we were very, very good.”
In the second minute, Franck Boli broke out of his scoring drought to put Portland on the board first.
The Timbers continued to create chances after the opening goal, with combination play between Juan David Mosquera, Santi Moreno, and Evander putting another one away in the 18th minute.
You weren't dreaming, this actually happened 🤯
Good morning, #RCTID pic.twitter.com/f3ahl57wrm
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) May 14, 2023
This was some of their finest work all year.
This team has been clicking offensively for weeks, and it showed off big time. Portland outshot and had more shots on target than Vancouver, putting up 13 and seven to the Whitecaps’ seven and four, respectively.
Unfortunately in the 24th minute, Zac McGraw went for a clearance that turned into an own goal.
In the 54th minute, Evander put on a insane move to freeze his defender and then ripped a shot for Portland’s third goal for the final score.
This was his best game as a Timber, and he has let the entire MLS know, too.
The Evander Show
After early struggles with form and injury, Evander has played his best ball the past few weeks. He is playing with tons of confidence, his decision making is so much quicker, and his passing has been very crisp. This is the exact player general manager Ned Grabavoy and Savarese wanted to sign.
Evander is one of the most in form players in MLS right now, and the Timbers are steadily climbing the table thanks to his contributions.
The Portland Timbers are playing their best football of the season, which happens to coincide with his best run of play.
Is that a coincidence? Absolutely not.
After scoring twice tonight, Evander became the first player in @TimbersFC history to produce a multi-goal game following a multi-assist game. pic.twitter.com/yZpqL1j1Ob
— MLS Communications (@MLS_PR) May 14, 2023
“I was going for the hat trick,” said Evander. “Of course, not doing crazy things, but I wanted one more opportunity for a goal. I knew that nobody [on the Timbers] has scored a hat trick in an MLS competition, and I wanted to be the first, but I’ll have to wait till the next opportunity.
Still, he was pleased with his team’s performance. “I think this shows us how good we are” he said, “how good we are when we play together and as a team… When we play together, when we are compact and play soccer and enjoy the game, things become much easier. The win today gives us more confidence for the rest of the season.”
All You Gotta Do is BOLIeve
Boli scored his first goal for Portland in his Timbers debut. Since then, he has been hungry for his second.
His work rate and comfort level has been steadily climbing in the past couple weeks.
“I am a striker. I create goals. Last game I wanted to score so bad, I missed some goals and got angry,” said Boli. “But you’ve got to try again.
“I’m very happy to score today and also that the team won,” he said. “That’s even more important than my goal. As a striker, you want to score every time and I’m happy about that.”
Boli has continued to be get more comfortable with the team and league.
“He’s getting to understand the league,” said Savarese. “He’s getting to feel more chemistry, and he’s getting fitter as well.
“You saw his movements today,” Savarese said. “Now he knows how to move around the defenders because they’re physical here in MLS. He needs to understand how to find good areas in order to make sure to be in good places to get the ball. He created some very good moments, attacking-wise.”
Fun stats
- xG: Portland 1.15, Vancouver 0.59
- Evander led the team in shots, shots on goal, and goals.
- Santiago Moreno paced the team in chances created, successful dribbles, and completed passes in the final third.
- Juan David Mosquera had the most touches, crosses attempted, completed passes on the team.
- Dario Zuparic was stout in defense with 10 recoveries and seven aerial duels won.
- Diego Chará made his 350th MLS appearance.
The Timbers got a draw at home on Saturday night.
After winning on the road against St. Louis, it looked like Portland would be more than capable of getting another three points at home, but Austin came up from behind twice and got the equalizer in stoppage time.
The one that got away? Let’s analyze the game and see.
Some changes in the lineup
Timbers head coach Gio Savarese had to make changes in the starting XI after the game against St. Louis. David Ayala was among the absentees (ICYMI, Ayala’s season is over after tearing his ACL. The Rose City Review wishes him the best in his recovery process.)
📰 | Update on the injury to David Ayala
Wishing you a speedy recovery, @davidayala021 💚#RCTID
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) May 2, 2023
Center-back Zac McGraw also missed the game due to an accumulation of yellow cards, and defender Eric Miller was out due to health and safety protocols.
Given these absences, Larrys Mabiala, Claudio Bravo, and Christian Paredes were on the field from the start. This match had two defenders scoring and Evander having another great game and distributing the ball from the midfield.
Timbers missing chances
It is safe to say that Franck Boli was the hero over a month ago, when he scored the equalizing goal against Dallas FC in the dying minutes of that game.
Boli got the start in this match, but despite a number of the clear chances, he couldn’t put any in the back of the net.
Nonetheless, despite Boli’s misses, the most clear chance of the first half happened in the ninth minute. This chance, which Juan David Mosquera missed, had the highest xG of all of Portland’s shots—12.54%, according to Opta. Props to him for pressing high to recover the ball in the first place and then stay engaged in the play, nonetheless.
In the absence of McGraw
McGraw has cemented his spot in the Timbers’ starting XI, and his absence was felt. And although it is true that Mabiala was the one marking Will Bruin and ergo, let him head that ball to tie the game in stoppage time, there wasn’t much more Mabiala could’ve done.
If we look at the video below, the problem is actually before the cross. Diego Chará lets Ethan Finlay turn, and Finlay passes the ball to Owen Wolff, who ended up serving that ball to the far post. These kinds of dangerous crosses have a high probability of putting a team in trouble when they defend in a high zone like the Timbers did in the last minutes of the match.
“It was too many crosses in the last 15-20 minutes,” Timbers center-back Dario Župarić said. “It’s not easy to play one-v-one inside the box. The guy who scored [Bruin], he’s really good with his head, and he always scores goals like that. It wasn’t easy to mark him.
“First, we need to prevent that cross,” Župarić said, “and then I think Larrys [Mabiala] stayed with him. It was a perfect ball and he scored the goal. If I was in Larrys’ position, I think I would stay the same as he stayed. For me, he marked [Bruin] good.”
Still, Mabiala’s stats for this game are pretty good. He was first in duels and aerial duels won, as well as in clearances and interceptions. And he was third in passing accuracy after Župarić and D. Chará.
Evander keeps making an impact
After being included in the Week 10 MLS’ Best XI, Evander showed once again why he’s one of the players to watch in Portland.
“I think we can all concur in the fact that every game he is getting better,” Savarese said. “We’ve seen that he’s getting more comfortable, he’s getting better, he’s looking more for the ball, he’s looking to be the person that is dictating the ball and that is managing the situations a little bit better. We see that he’s adapting to the league. We saw a couple of moments where he found good spaces toward the end in order to hurt them and increase opportunities.
“I think we see every game something better from him,” Savarese said, “so it’s good.”
Evander might have not had shots on goal against Austin, but he created three chances in the match—the same amount as the rest of the team—and two of those were the assists that led to Župarić and Claudio Bravo’s goals. The Brazilian also registered three successful crosses.
All that made him worthy of being included in the MLS Team of the Matchday Bench for Matchday 11.
Heatin' 🆙@OficialEvander lands himself on the @MLS Team of the Matchday Bench for Matchday 11 👏#RCTID
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) May 8, 2023
Župarić scores his second goal in three years
The opening goal of this match was great. Evander’s ball was exquisite, and the header by the Croatian was great. Nonetheless, what he said in the post game press conference was equally good.
This assist from Evander. 🏹
Dario Župarić finishes it off to give @TimbersFC the lead.
Tune-in now on #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/pyTFM1wt2F pic.twitter.com/kMSs66DDA1
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 7, 2023
“I didn’t know how to celebrate,” Župarić said. “That’s for sure. I’m happy, but unlucky we conceded that goal at the end. I don’t care about my goal. I don’t like scoring goals. I like to keep zero [goals conceded]. I just closed my eyes and scored the goal. I don’t do that often, but it happened. I don’t like to score goals. For me, it’s important to win the game and we need to think about that to win games.”
Župarić also got a knock from an opponent’s knee, and everyone was concerned about him. He was the opposite. “I like that,” said about the knock. “I like to be a fighter and get some kicks on my head. When I see blood on my arms and on my shirt, I was happy.”
What can we say? The guy is certainly a warrior.
The verdict
Coach Savarese shared some very interesting thoughts after the game. One of those things was that they left the game “lingering at the end.” The Timbers couldn’t close the game. They didn’t play smart defensively and kept letting Austin cross balls until they found the one that Bruin headed.
It was a true shame that made feel this draw like a loss. That’s also why the coach also said that they need to be more pragmatic and manage moments a little better.
After winning against Seattle and St. Louis, it was expected for them to get three points at home against a team that is at the bottom of the table.
Of course, Portland had their good moments and we could say that in way they overperformed (they had a xG= 0.78 and scored two goals nonetheless) but still. The Timbers cenrtainly let this one got away.
Despite the Timbers playing better than before, they’re still wasting opportunities and letting points slip away due to a lack of concentration.
After playing in the U.S. Open Cup during the week, the Timbers hit the road again Saturday to play against St. Louis. It seems like Portland is not afraid to go against tough teams this year; they beat the first and second clubs in the Western Conference table during April, starting with Seattle and finishing with St. Louis.
This win by Portland was special for the Western Conference, since the Timbers were the only team from it to win in week 10 of MLS play.
Even though both teams didn’t show much in the attack, the visitors were the ones who dominated the ball in the first part of the first half. It was a little weird to see, since most of the time, the Timbers are used to playing off the ball and making counterattacks.
By the end of the first half, all stats were pretty even, but Portland was slightly stronger than St. Louis in the final third.
Despite the Timbers’ decent half, they suffered a big blow when David Ayala got injured at the 19′ mark. The midfielder was marking Eduard Löwen when he hurt his knee, trying to close Löwen’s passing lanes near the box. The Argentinian had to leave the field on a stretcher.
Christian Paredes, the super sub
Although Ayala’s injury was awful to witness, it was nice to see the game Christian Paredes had. He subbed in in the 21st minute for Ayala, and he started to win aerial duels and create chances right from the start.
Paredes’ second half was even better. He was the player with the most chances created with five. Too bad Portland couldn’t convert more of them.
Besides chances created, Paredes was good in duels. He won seven total—the second-most second on the team.
Who was the first in this department?
Santiago Moreno, the unsung hero
Santiago Moreno finished the match with a total of 12 duels won. The Colombian had another game good game, contributing to both Timbers’ goals. In the first one, he sent this (below) great ball to Franck Boli. The forward couldn’t convert, but the play led to the penalty kick that gave Portland the lead.
Not only that, Moreno he held the ball and left three defenders behind in the look that led to Yimmi Chará’s winning goal:
Defensively, Moreno contributed with five tackles, the most of any player on the team. He was also strong in aerial duels with four. (The only Timber who won more aerial duels than him was Zac McGraw with five.)
Moreno has been instrumental all this time for the team, but for some reason, he hasn’t been recognized as much as he should.
Someone who has indeed been watched and under the microscope, on the other hand, is been Portland’s midfielder Evander.
Evander gets included in the MLS week’s best XI
The Brazilian has been trying to adapt to a new team in a new league this season. That is without mentioning the fact that he has been battling with injuries. It looked like he found some rhythm this week.
Matchday 10 Stars. 🌟 pic.twitter.com/49FdQdBDXM
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 1, 2023
In the game against St. Louis, Evander registered seven shots (two on target, four off target, and one blocked) and one goal, the most shots any Timber attempted. Besides that, he created one chance and was second in the team in interceptions with three, after McGraw.
“I think he has adapted to the change and MLS very well,” Y. Chará said. “I think he will be an important player to us, especially this season. He has a lot of calmness that helps out in the team and will be able to help us out on the field.”
Evander had a good week. Even though he’s coming back from injury, and defense is not really part of his job description, it will be important for him to be better positioned while trying to mark inside the box.
The Timbers cannot afford the luxury of not being smart in defense. Unfortunately, St. Louis’ only goal scored showed exactly that—not only from Evander while he tried to mark Tomáš Ostrák but from the rest of the team, who left space for Célio Pompeu to score.
Célio Pompeu off the bench finds the equalizer.
A great team move and the substitute makes it 1-1. #AllforCITY pic.twitter.com/eqiExpwsm1
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 30, 2023
Welcome back, Yimmi Chará
The Timbers are getting their starters back little-by-little. This game marked the return of the younger Chará: Yimmi.
The Colombian entered the game in the 64th minute and made all the difference in the 82nd, when he finished with a low diagonal shot to score the winning goal.
Just like that, Yimmi Chara makes it 2-1.#RCTID take the lead right back in St. Louis. pic.twitter.com/iHVs8xud92
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 30, 2023
It was promising to see Chará making an impact the very same day he came back to the field.
“I think it’s really nice to come back from the injury,” Chará said. “I have a really nice feeling from being back on the field with the team, scoring a goal, and leaving with three points.”
What the coach said
After the match, head coach Gio Savarese summed up pretty well how the season has been so far and how the game went.
“It hasn’t been easy to have so many injuries and trying to keep the team engaged,” he said. “Credit to the players because anyone I put on the field will put up a good fight, is going to be in a lot of work, and everyone has to believe to keep the Portland Timbers stay competitive. So credit to the players for going through all that difficult time.
“We have been close in all matches except the Atlanta second half,” he said. “I think today, with the mature performance we put in, with guys coming back, that can make a difference. With this maturity, we can get good results like we had today. St. Louis is difficult to play against. They are always high-energy. Today was a good day to get a win away from home.”
Another week, another Timbers takeaways.
Just when we thought the game against the Seattle Sounders was going to be a turning point in the Timbers’ path to success in the season, Cincinnati got in their way.
Nonetheless, the team showed some positive things despite the loss. Head coach Gio Savarese was absent due to health and safety protocol, and assistant coach Carlos Llamosa replaced him in the dugout.
Not the best of defensive performances
Sadly, left back Claudio Bravo was unavailable after the good game he had against Seattle. His absence was noticeable, with lineup replacement Justin Rasmussen giving away balls in dangerous places of the field that led to Cincinnati’s attacks.
As a matter of fact, the first real chance the home team got came after one of Rasmussen’s mistakes.
The same mistakes were repeated in the second half. In minute 55’ Rasmussen did well to stop Cincinnati’s Brandon Vazquez, but then he missed his mark, and that led to a dangerous cross. Two minutes later, a miss when he trying to clear a ball led to another dangerous cross by Cincinnati.
Of course, the Timbers also suffered defensively as a team, not just because of Rasmussen’s mistakes.
In the host’s first goal scored, Portland’s center backs left much to be desired. Despite both of them marking Sérgio Santos, Santos got to head the ball sent by Álvaro Barreal.
Near the end of the first half, Portland fell into this defensive trap in the midfield, and chaos ensued. Cincinnati’s look didn’t end in a goal by mere inches.
Evander
A lot has been said about the Brazilian midfielder, despite his not being on the field. After coming back from his injury, Evander is growing back into his more clinical skills, but he showed some interesting touches in this match.
We could see his game awareness during the match, like in this backheel. Evander knew Portland’s David Ayala was behind him, and this play ended up in a shot. The shot was not on frame, but knowing how much the Timbers have struggled to get multiple shots in past games, the slight improvement is still very positive.
The Brazilian also showcased his great services to the box, as he did in minute 14′.
Learning to be patient and to take their chances
Portland finally didn’t look bad in the attack in this match, especially in the second half when the team was able to create some very beautiful transitions.
The key was in their patience to move the ball from left to right and vice versa. As a matter of fact, the Timbers created three very nice team build-ups in less than five minutes, from minute 65′ on.
The downside of this was the finishing. Portland wasn’t clinical in the final third, and that showed. “For 90 minutes we created chances,” Llamos said. “We just need to be more clinical in finishing those chances. I think we created problems for this team up top and we started to get in the rhythm. Little by little we’re getting much better in the attack.”
Of course, we don’t expect the Timbers to score every single shot they take, but they definitely need to be more clinical—and more so against a tough team like Cincinnati.
Asprilla is a man with a goal in mind
After his bicycle goal against Seattle, Dairon Asprilla’s confidence has gone up, up, up. Too bad he couldn’t get this chance right.
Hopefully, he’ll put his name in the scoresheet again next game.
The Timbers forgot how to play soccer in the first 45 minutes, but they got their memory back in the second half. Even if it wasn’t enough for them to come away with a point against LAFC, Saturdays match saw Evander score his first goal as a Timber, and Cristhian Paredes also put his name on the score sheet.
The odds weren’t right
That Timbers XI 🤩
▪️ Santi returns 💪
▪️ Bingham between the sticks 🙌
▪️ Jaro leads the line 💥#RCTID pic.twitter.com/UQpGHnUYRy— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) March 4, 2023
The Timbers went to California searching to spoil the LAFC title party, but they fell short. According to The Analyst, Portland was the underdogs, with only an 18% chance of winning against the MLS reigning champions, and they just couldn’t beat those odds.
LAFC started to move the ball fast and find spaces from the get-go, putting the entire Timbers XI to work to stop the fast transitions. Portland could only break the pressure twice before LAFC scored the first goal of the game
The host showed they can use the half spaces very well, as we could see in the previous play to the goal. It was Kellyn Acosta who sent a long pass through the half-space, full back Juan David Mosquera lost Denis Bouanga, who got to the ball before it went out, forcing Timbers goalkeeper David Bingham to make the save and send the ball to the corner.
Defending set pieces
One of the many weaknesses the Timbers showed in the first half was their defense of set pieces. That’s how Giorgio Chiellini scored the match’s first goal. Justin Rasmussen lost the mark on Chiellini, and the Italian finished with a tap. Marvin Loría and Zac McGraw contributed to the defensive mistake, obstructing one another and favoring the bouncing of the ball toward Chiellini.
Before the end of the first half hour, the hosts could’ve scored their second goal, but the referee deemed it as a foul. This time, Portland double-marked Chiellini, with McGraw helping Rasmussen. It was the latter who couldn’t clear the ball and gave LAFC’s Ryan Hollingshead the chance to tap it and score. Loría was marking him, but for some reason he stopped following Hollingshead closely and let him get to the ball. The visitors had to thank the referee for calling it off.
Not long after that, LAFC had another corner. Bingham got to punch the ball but it fell to Kwadwo Opoku. Santiago Moreno came too aggressively on him, and the referee granted the home team the PK. LAFC star Carlos Vela took it and scored, and it seemed like the Timbers would have a long afternoon.
Set pieces and defensive problems aside, some of the players looked slow when taking decisions. LA was pressing high during the entire first half, and they were taking advantage of turnovers in the midfield, which led to fast transitions in the attack. So, you would expect the Timbers to pass the ball quickly and be aware of their surroundings.
Well, that wasn’t always the case.
We had to wait almost 50 minutes to see a decent chance from Portland in the attack. This started with Rasmussen sending a good service to the far post. Loría headed the ball but goalkeeper John McCarthy reacted quickly and made a save with his chest. The Timbers created one more chance, but weren’t able to finish it.
Starting the second half with a bang
Just seconds after the start of the second half, Vela could’ve scored a brace, but a great tackle by McGraw denied him of the opportunity.
But LAFC was on a mission, and the slowness of some players was this time reflected in Diego Chará, when José Cifuentes stole the ball from him. The turnover led to Portland’s defense being outnumbered and to Opoku scoring. (Fun fact: Opoku was the LAFC player most involved in attacking sequences in 2022, with Vela coming in second, according to Opta.)
So yeah, LAFC was actually the one starting their second half with a bang.
The impact of the subs
By 54′, it was obvious the Timbers needed some subs to change the dynamic of the game… and quickly.
Head coach Gio Savarese moved the bench. Christian Paredes replaced Loría, Larrys Mabiala entered for Moreno, and Claudio Bravo came in for Rasmussen.
The Timbers finally put one in in minute 62 with a fast transition, outnumbering LA’s defense. Paredes showcased nice off-the-ball work, and left the ball to Evander after sucking the attention of LAFC defenders. That made it possible for the Brazilian to shoot, unmarked.
Off the mark in @MLS 💥@OficialEvander x #RCTID pic.twitter.com/gfELi4C43b
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) March 4, 2023
Jarosław Niezgoda didn’t have a good game in the attack. True, no Timber did in the first half, but at the end of his 72 minutes, he registered zero shots on target, zero duels won, and zero chances created, and he barely stepped a foot inside LAFC’s box.
No wonder he was replaced by Nathan Fogaça. The Brazilian didn’t do well in duels or passes—he missed three out of seven passes total and lost nine duels—but he made his presence notorious in the last 10 minutes of the game. After a corner, McCarthy couldn’t get ahold of the ball and left his goal open for Mosquera to score. The defense reacted, but Fogaça kept the ball inside the box and, by doing so, assisted Paredes.
After that, both teams could’ve scored at least one more, but the hosts kept the three points at home.
What Gio said
If anything, the game against Sporting KC showed us Savarese has some decisions to make regarding the Timbers’ starting XI.
The coach spoke about Fogaça, Paredes, and Bravo and what they brought to the game after the LAFC loss. “[Bravo] didn’t look off at all,” Savarese said. “It looked like he was comfortable, and he created a lot of good moments going forward.
“Bravo and Paredes brought a lot of energy into the team,” he said, “and I think that’s also the reason why the team elevated their level at a particular time.”
Fogaça surely made a case to be in the starting position next game. “Nathan is competing very well,” Savarese said, “and he’s putting himself in a situation that he’s pushing me to get more playing time.”
It is true that the Timbers were missing Sebastián Blanco, Dairon Asprilla, Felipe Mora, and Yimmy Chará, but part of the coach’s job is to find a way for the team to work without them. And this game against LAFC showed that maybe there’s a way for Savarese to do so.
Two of the things to look at are the style and system of play. “We pressed completely differently,” Saverese said. “We pressed 4-4-2 last game. We played more with a 4-3-3 [in this game] that ended up being with five midfielders. That’s why we changed, to be a little more aggressive, to press a little bit higher.”