April 26 2023; Portland, OR, USA; Timbers vs Orange County SC in the US Open Cup at Providence Park. Photo: Craig Mitchelldyer-Portland Timbers
After a tough loss to on Saturday at FC Cincinnati, the Portland Timbers returned home to face USL team Orange County SC in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Both teams were coming off 1-2 losses in regular season play and looking for a huge bounce-back game to advance to the fourth round of the tournament.
The Timbers received huge news and a boost for the encounter. Returning from injury for the was Sebastián Blanco, who would be available to play his first minutes for the club in 2023.
Three players from Portland’s second team received opportunities to play this game. Tyler Clegg started at center back next to veteran Larrys Mabiala, Noel Caliskan—who today signed a one-year contract with the senior Timbers team—started in midfield, and Víctor Griffith came off the bench.
The first ten minutes saw the visitors outshoot Portland three to zero, but outside of a few shaky moments, Portland was in relative control of the match.
Portland would end up winning the game 3-1, thanks to goals from Marvin Loría in the 37th minute, Clegg in the 48th minute, and Jarosław Niezgoda in the 92nd minute.
Here’s some takeaways from the match.
April 26 2023; Portland, OR, USA; Timbers vs Orange County SC in the US Open Cup at Providence Park. Photo: Craig Mitchelldyer – Portland Timbers
The return of Seba!
Blanco is one of the best players in Timbers history. His contributions include 40 goals and 50 assists in his MLS career. He is vital for this team’s success, and his return provided a huge boost.
The star has battled through injury and adversity most of 2022 and at the start of 2023. His pain in the right knee was so excruciating, that it caused him trouble to even walk at certain times. Blanco even had doubts if his comeback was even possible, but giving up was never an option, he said.
“You know me,” he said, “and I never give up. No matter what the people or someone can say to me. If I have the possibility, I will give everything back. I tried to help my team in the minutes that I can do it and what the coach wants also, but I think I have more time for play.”
He played 34 minutes on Wednesday, but just seeing him on the pitch again should bring a smile to every single person.
Blanco, himself, said he was “very happy” to be back. “It was really hard work mentally and physically to get back,” he said. “It wasn’t easy for me, but I was so happy to pass another obstacle and try to help my team in the way that I can do it.”
Congrats on being back on the pitch again, Seba!
T2 stepping up
As discussed earlier, the Timbers made three call-ups prior to the game: Clegg, Caliskan, and Griffith.
Caliskan, 22, was selected in the first round, 15th overall, by the Timbers in the 2023 MLS Superdraft out of Loyola Marymount University.
Clegg, 22, was drafted by Portland in the third round, 85th overall, of the 2023 MLS Superdraft out of James Madison University.
Griffith, 22, joined the club ahead of the 2022 T2 season. The Panamanian international made his first-team debut as a starter in the 2022 U.S. Open Cup match against LAFC on May 10.
Caliskan and Clegg started against Orange County, while Griffith came off the bench. Center back Clegg headed home a corner kick off a gorgeous cross from Pablo Bonilla in the 48th minute.
All three T2-ers played major roles, and head coach Gio Savarese was full of praise.
“They played great,” he said. “They were very competitive. Caliskan [played] the entire 90 minutes, plus [and] did very well. Not only with managing a lot of the middle but also with the ball. Then Griffith came in for Paredes… Griffith did a great job. His second game in the U.S. Open Cup for us, and this is good from a club. When you’re able to play these players and they deliver… [Clegg] looked good in the back. He scored his goal.
“These are the exciting moments for us as a club,” Savarese said, “to see players step up and then deliver.”
April 26 2023; Portland, OR, USA; Timbers vs Orange County SC in the US Open Cup at Providence Park. Photo: Craig Mitchelldyer – Portland Timbers
Savarese said he could see some of the T2 players making appearances for the senior team later this season. He also credited Shannon Murray, the head coach of T2 for all the work he has done.
Stat zone
Portland outshot Orange County 18 to 13.
PTFC xG: 1.54, OCSC xG: 0.86
Bonilla led the team in crosses attempted, successful dribbles, and chances created.
Rasmussen and Caliskan led the team in tackles won.
Loría had four shots to lead the team.
Mabiala was the team’s leader in touches, passes completed, and possession won.
April 26 2023; Portland, OR, USA; Timbers vs Orange County SC in the US Open Cup at Providence Park. Photo: Craig Mitchelldyer-Portland Timbers
Dairon Asprilla's bicycle kick goal in the 71st minute is a candidate for MLS goal of the year.
Elite Photo Credit: Matthew Wolfe
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
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 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
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 SantiMoreno‘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
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.”
Jorge Villafaña turned and put his hands over his face. Diego Valeri started to walk off the field with his head down. Jeremy Ebobisse squatted down and rubbed his forehead.
Seconds after FC Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer dove to his left and punched the ball away, players in green and gold came to grips with the fact that their season was over.
“In a penalty shootout, anything can happen,” Valeri said, “and it’s just a tiny difference that changed the game. We are very disappointed with the way our season is ending, but our team left everything on the field. That’s why we have to be proud.”
Before Sunday night, the Timbers were a perfect 100% in their three games that came down to spot kicks this season. But penalty kicks are a game of chance, and it was Mauer, not Steve Clark, who guessed a kick correctly to help his team seal a playoff win.
The shootout went eight rounds, making it the third longest in MLS history. As it went on, the pressure to match FC Dallas make-for-make eventually became too much for Portland.
Villafaña, who just thirty minutes prior was the hero after he scored what looked to be the game-winning goal in the 82′, was the player whose missed penalty sealed the game.
“When you leave a game to PKs it can go either way,” Savarese said. “It’s unfortunate because we did everything to be able to win this match until that moment.”
That late moment Saverese referenced came in the 90+3′, just one minute prior to the final whistle.
With the Timbers up a goal and on the verge of advancing to the Western Conference Semifinals, 17-year-old Ricardo Pepi got behind Portland’s back line and slotted a deflected ball past Clark for an equalizing goal at the death.
Up until that point, Portland looked to be in control. But from then on, it was all FC Dallas — right until Maurer came up with the final save on Villafaña.
The late equalizer is the sixth goal the Timbers have conceded in stoppage-time this season. It was also the 15th goal the defense allowed after the 75′, which led the entire league.
Finding different ways to snatch defeat (or a draw) out of the jaws of victory is not exactly a new issue for this Portland team. There have been numerous warning signs throughout the year. Eventually, frustrating results turned into a legitimate trend.
Cracks first started to appear in an Aug. 29 game against Real Salt Lake at Providence Park. With just five minutes and stoppage time remaining, all the Timbers had to do was see out a 4-2 lead. Instead, RSL clawed all the way back and Sam Johnson tied the game at four in the 90+5′.
In late October, the Timbers were on track to beat LAFC until Portland conceded a late goal to 16-year-old Christian Torres in the 90+3′.
Four days later, Portland had a golden opportunity to leap over their bitter rivals, the Seattle Sounders, and into first place in the Western Conference. Instead, Will Bruin found himself wide open at the back post to head in an equalizing goal deep into second-half stoppage time.
And just three minutes into stoppage time against FC Dallas, Pepe’s goal swung all the momentum in the visitor’s favor.
“We, in the last minute, allowed a goal to come in that changed the trajectory of everything that we did well during the match,” Savarese said.
So, what made the Timbers so susceptible to conceding those late goals? It’s a question that could be argued all off-season.
At times, Portland struggled to capitalize on early chances that came back to bite when it entered stoppage time only up a goal. You could argue it is chance, but how much of conceding late is a psychological thing when it happens so frequently?
In the team’s MLS is Back Tournament run, they allowed four goals after the 80′, but Portland found enough goals to win those games. That didn’t happen in the MLS Cup playoffs.
But what was a heartbreaking conclusion shouldn’t overshadow all the Timbers accomplished in a season that spanned from March until November with a four-month break in between.
They won the league’s first––and hopefully only––MLS is Back Tournament trophy over the summer, and played some fun soccer doing it.
After months of uncertainty in 2019, club legend Diego Valeri returned to Portland and picked up where he left off. He ended the season with his 100th MLS assist when he played Villafaña in on goal against FC Dallas.
Gavin Wilkinson and the Timbers front office built up attacking depth over the offseason, and they needed all of it after Sebastián Blanco and Jarosław Niezgoda suffered season-ending injuries toward the end of the year. Jeremy Ebobisse, who broke out in many ways this season, dealt with a concussion over the past few weeks, and didn’t enter the game against FC Dallas until the 88′.
“It’s very frustrating,” Valeri said. “It’s a tough emotion, it’s hard to process now. But we have to rest well and scout the season to see why we had a good season, [find] what the positive things were that we did during the whole season and try to reinforce it.
An argument can be made that Portland was the better side Sunday night. Saverese alluded to that sentiment multiple times in his post game press conference. But MLS isn’t always fair; Portland learned that lesson the hard way against FC Dallas.
“We believed that even though we had adversity and players who were not with us, we still had a group that could go all the way,” Savarese said. “Unfortunately, now we are out and we have to plan for next year.”
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.
The Portland Timbers grabbed their fifth win in a row on Sunday night, taking down the San Jose Earthquakes 3-0 at Providence Park. Snapping the Quakes’ three-game winning streak was enough for the Timbers to maintain control of second place in the West and move even on points with the Seattle Sounders once again—after their Cascadian rivals stumbled against LAFC earlier in the night.
The Portland Timbers brought home all three points from Saturday night’s road match against the San Jose Earthquakes, dissecting their hosts in a game that finished 6-1 to the good.
The Timbers started the match looking energized, taking advantage of the fresh legs in Giovanni Savarese’s starting XI to put the Quakes under pressure from the opening whistle. That pressure nearly paid off early on, as the Timbers were able to quickly create several chances off turnovers—including a Jeremy Ebobisse shot from the top of the box in the third minute that skipped just wide.
As things settled down into a pattern of fouls and disrupted passes, the Timbers lost some of their early advantages, but soon found a new avenue of attack through Bill Tuiloma and Julio Cascante carrying the ball forward from their positions at centerback and forcing the Quakes to lose their marks in order to step out and confront them.
With the match once again opening up for the Timbers, the visitors were quickly about to find a pair of back to back goals in the span of just three minutes.
First, in the 25th minute, off a corner kick Cristhian Paredes fought for control of the ball at the top of the San Jose box with Shea Salinas. In an attempt to touch the ball past the Quakes defender, Paredes popped the ball up into the air only for it to strike Salinas on the arm. Referee Rosendo Mendoza had no hesitation in blowing his whistle and pointing to the spot, and, despite the protestations of the Quakes, his call was upheld by the video assistant referee.
Diego Valeri, back in the XI after staying on the bench for the Timbers’ midweek draw against San Jose, stepped up to the penalty spot and hit a low, hard shot to the tight of Daniel Vega, beating the Quakes keeper for the opening score.
Just two minutes, later the Timbers were once again back in the attacking end, and again they struck in the aftermath of a spot kick—this time a free kick served in from long distance by Diego Valeri that was not properly cleared. After the ball was headed away from the box, Paredes played it back to Jorge Villafaña in space, and the Timbers fullback hit a curling cross into the box. As the ball dropped at the back post, Ebobisse rose up above the crowd and hit a skipping header off the pitch that bounced off the pitch and past Vega before nestling into the back of the net.
Of course, it would not be a Timbers game without opposition chances late in the half.
A pair of chances for the Quakes called Aljaž Ivačič into action during his first start for the first team. First, a chipped ball into the Timbers box found Carlos Fierro lurking between Cascante and Tuiloma for a snap header from inside ten yards. Ivačič was equal to the moment, though, and came up with a fantastic reflex save to palm the ball away before sticking out a leg on the follow-up shot to deny Nick Lima as well.
In the 44th minute, however, the Quakes opened their account. A low cross from Salinas out wide on the Timbers’ right found the run of Fierro entering into the box. The Quakes midfielder took the ball in stride, hitting a swerving first-time shot that blew past the dive of Ivačič and splashed into the back of the net to pull the scoreline to 2-1.
Early in the second half, the Timbers reclaimed their two-goal lead. In the 58th minute, Diego Chará pounced on a loose ball in the Quakes’ end and cut an angled ball back toward the top of the box. As a group of players scrambled toward the ball, it was the late-arriving run of Valeri that got the Maestro to the ball first. Valeri hit the ball on the run, powering a shot into a crowd of defenders that pinballed off two pairs of legs before wrong-footing Vega and rolling over the goal line to put the Timbers up 3-1.
The Timbers further extended their advantage in the 70th minute when they capitalized on another moment of confusion in the Quakes’ end. After a turnover deep in the San Jose half, Ebobisse got on the ball at the top of the box and, after creating space for himself on the dribble, hit a low shot along the turf that forced Vega into a diving save. The San Jose keeper got a hand to the ball, but it was Yimmi Chará who was first to react, dashing forward past the Quakes backline and tapping home a side-footed shot from point-blank range.
As the match wrapped up, the Timbers grabbed another. After D. Chará took the ball into the corner and was fouled in the 85th minute, Valeri stepped up to the free kick and served an out-swinging ball into the box. The service was perfectly weighted for Cascante, who had pushed forward for the opportunity, and the Costa Rican center back outjumped his defender to put a nodding header down off the turf and past Vega for goal number five.
Now facing a thoroughly demoralized San Jose side, the Timbers scored their sixth in the 87th minute to close the match out. A string of passes through the Quakes end carried the Timbers into the box and it was D. Chará who played a square ball into the path of Jarosław Niezgoda ten yards from goal. Jarek swept a shot forward that deflected off a defender and over Vega for the final goal of the night.
On a scary and chaotic Saturday night in Portland, with far-right demonstrators terrorizing the city, the Portland Timbers played a soccer game.
Someone was shot to death in downtown Portland while the game was being played.
It was horrifying and absolutely everyone saw it coming.
I still wrote about what happened in the game, because I didn’t know what else to do. You can find that below.
It was an exciting, disappointing game that ended 4–4 among feelings of worry and numbness at the violence being carried out on the streets of Portland.
From the opening whistle, the Timbers pressed RSL high up the pitch. Nipping at the heels of Real, the Timbers saw immediate results, turning over RSL multiple times in the attacking end in the first five minutes of the match.
That high pressure paid off in the seventh minute when the Timbers opened the scoring after a turnover in the RSL box. As the visitors tried to play the ball short off a goal kick, the Timbers swarmed them. After three short passes between keeper Andrew Putna and his defenders failed to get the ball clear, it was Diego Chara who snuck past midfielder Pablo Ruiz and was clear in on goal. Putna charged forward, but Chara took a quick touch around him and calmly rolled the ball into the now-open net.
The goal served as a clear wake-up call for the visitor as RSL worked the ball forward into the Timbers’ end and refused to leave, sending ball after ball into the Timbers box and foiling their attempts to break out.
A handful of chances later RSL found their equalizer. Off a free kick in the attacking end, RSL sent a ball into the Timbers box that found Nedum Onuoha at the back post. The Real center back sent a headed ball back across the face of goal where it was knocked down in front of winger Corey Baird. With the Timbers defense still scrambling, Baird only had to slot it home from close range to even up the score at 1–1 in the 19th minute.
The Timbers answered immediately. Just two minutes later, the Timbers took the ball down the pitch and won a corner kick. Diego Valeri served a curling ball into the box off the restart, finding the head of Jaroslaw Niezgoda as he separated from his marker and made solid contact. Niezgoda’s header flew toward goal and skipped off the head of RSL midfielder Maikel Chang, taking it over the diving form of Putna and into the goal to restore the Timbers lead.
With the Timbers back in front, the game settled into a more familiar pattern: the Timbers sat back, presenting a strong defensive block, and dared RSL to come at them. RSL obliged, but were unable to assert themselves in the same way as they did after the first Timbers goal, leaving openings for the Timbers to break out and counter.
Shortly after the half, RSL equalized again. Off a corner kick in the 48th minute, Chang flicked the ball on, sending it arching up into the air and dropping at the back post where Damir Kreilach was alone in space. As the ball fell in front of him, Kreilach took its measure and struck it on the volley, giving Steve Clark no chance at the save as he finished from close range.
After a back and forth battle through most of the second half, Sebastian Blanco stepped up with a moment of magic to retake the lead. In the 70th minute, Chara won the ball in the Timbers half then immediately looked upfield and picked out Blanco on the right with a pass into space. Carrying the ball forward, Blanco drove toward the RSL box, cut toward the center of the pitch, and hit a curling shot on goal. Despite a heroic dive from Putna, Blanco’s ball was placed perfectly and nestled into the back of the net, giving the Timbers a 3–2 lead.
In the 85th minute, the Timbers got their insurance goal. Moments after a shot from Onuoha pinged off the Timbers’ post and was snatched off the goal line by Clark, the Timbers broke down the pitch. A throw from Clark found Blanco with enough space to look up and pick out a bursting run from Felipe Mora through the center of the pitch and into the attacking end. As Mora continued his run, Blanco hit a perfectly placed pass forward that skipped just out of reach of a defender and found its intended recipient. Mora collected the ball on the run, hesitated inside the box, and coolly finished past Putna.
The insurance goal, it turned out, was not enough to secure all three points for the Timbers as RSL stormed forward and the Timbers wilted under pressure.
First, in the 90th minute, the visitors found Gioseppi Rossie in the box with his back to goal. The RSL sub took a smooth touch to settle the ball, turned, and—the Timbers defense scrambling to recover—slotted a close-in shot past Clark.
Then, in the fifth minute of stoppage time, Baird took off on a juking run through the Timbers defense, dribbling around a pair of defenders before touching a short pass forward to the feet of Sam Johnson. Once again the RSL player was able to turn and shoot from point-blank range and once again Clark had no chance at the save as RSL pulled even in the final seconds of the match.
It looked like the Timbers were well on their way to a 1-0 win over a bunkered in FC Cincinnati side Tuesday evening when, out of nowhere, goalkeeper Steve Clark made things interesting…
Match after match, the Portland Timbers continue to impress.
Two games in, and it seems as if there’s something new and more creative to take away from each game—something that we did not see back in March.
Against the Los Angeles Galaxy, we saw an increased sense of confidence throughout the team that manifested itself through the team’s combination play and intricate movement. In its game against Houston, we saw a team both creating and exploiting space all around the field, playing long balls with a purpose to unlock the Dynamo defense while shutting down one of Major League Soccer’s most potent attacks.
Portland did it again on Thursday night, coming in with a disciplined and compact defensive shape that managed to contain what is usually a LAFC buzzsaw to win Group F.
I don’t have much to say to open this column other than just to mention how impressive this Portland team has been over three games. The shape that the Timbers played last night required a lot of discipline (which I will go into later). I mentioned on Twitter than containing LAFC for 90 minutes is a Herculean effort––both the Dynamo and Galaxy learned that over the past week––and Portland looked defensively solid for more than 75 percent of the game. I guess what I am saying is that the Timbers look primed to make a run in this tournament and that my outlook on the team is a lot brighter than what it was when I left Providence Park back in March.
And … I guess I should mention that I had to put my bonfire-building supplies away late into the match. It’s time for the Timbers to get revenge for what was an embarrassing defeat a season ago.
Goals
7′ – Jaroslaw niezgoda
The Timbers got out to a dream start against LAFC, striking first in the seventh minute.
Taking advantage of LAFC’s aggression, Portland found success in testing the opposing backline early and often. Thanks to ESPN’s aerial cam, it’s easy to see what went into Niezgoda’s opening goal, the Pole’s first as a Timber.
During this transitional moment, Portland creates a mini-overload on the right side of the field. During this, Niezgoda is sitting between the right center back and right back, waiting to pounce. The overload pulls Tristan Blackmon towards the sideline while Latif Blessing, the right back, is caught cheating a little too far up the field. This leaves Niezgoda with yards of space to run into, and he makes the finish look easy.
Conceding first is not a new trend for Bob Bradley’s men: They did it against both the Houston Dynamo and LA Galaxy. This may be looked back upon as an easy finish, but the goal proved vital for the Timbers, allowing them to weather 15 minutes of LAFC brilliance and come away with a point at the end of the game.
36′ – Bradley wright-phillips
Yes, Bradley Wright-Phillips is not the same lethal player that carried the New York Red Bulls on his shoulders for what seems like a decade, but he is still one of the most dangerous strikers in MLS—and he proved it yet again on Thursday night.
This goal comes down to movement. Wright-Phillips sees the right side of defense pushed high and immediately makes a looping run to find that space while losing his defender, Bill Tuiloma, in the process.
Thanks to the space that his movement created, when Wright-Phillips receives the ball, he has a few touches to settle it before firing it past Clark. This is a clinical, outside-the-box finish from the Englishman, proving that age is just a number.
40′ – mark-anthony kaye
In his post-game media availability, head coach, Giovanni Savarese, mentioned the tired legs that his team was playing with near the end of the first half. That can easily be seen in the second goal the Timbers gave up in the course of four minutes.
Honestly, there is not too much to this goal. It’s just poor marking at the back post by Bill Tuiloma as Kaye gets by him with a quick spin move. Kudos to the Canadian for the good finish, because there’s nothing that Clark could really do there.
81′ – Jeremy ebobisse
In a tournament with so many young players breaking out for their respective teams, Jeremy Ebobisse’s star may shine among the brightest.
For the third-consecutive game, Ebobisse found the back of the net for Portland, this time rising up and sending a towering header past Sisniega.
This is just pure grit from some of the Timbers tallest players. In a way, Tuiloma makes up for his role in the two LAFC goals as he finds the energy to rise up and win this ball in a crowded box. After a missed half-chance minutes earlier, Ebobisse makes no mistake this time as he powered the ball to the bottom right corner.
Ebobisse is making a name for himself so far this tournament. You have to think that US Men’s National Team coach, Gregg Berhalter, is watching every game in the bubble with a close eye and Ebobisse is commanding his attention.
Tactical Thoughts
compact setup and discipline key to result
One of my biggest takeaways from this match is the defense shape that the Timbers played in. It was a narrow 4-4-2, both horizontally and vertically, that allowed space out wide, but prevented any penetration from a LAFC lineup that knows how to exploit even a sliver of space. Playing with such a compact shape for 90 minutes against one of the league’s best sides requires insane amounts of focus and discipline. Give or take a few moments, the Timbers looked relatively drilled in this setup.
The 4-4-2 did its job for a majority of the game. As seen above, LAFC was content to pass it backwards and around the block. To exploit this system, the ball needs to be played quickly between the lines with a purpose. Because LAFC played more of a probing style early on in the game, players were able to step up and win balls in both defense and midfield. According to Opta, the Timbers made 40 CLEARANCES(!!!) over the course of the game compared to LAFC’s eight.
Below, I’m going to insert a couple of examples of what the Timbers want to do. It’s a lot of last-ditch tackling that happened time and time again throughout the game.
In this clip, the midfield does a good job of stepping up and preventing LAFC to get the ball in a dangerous, central area.
Here, the defense does a great job to cut this pass off as LAFC looks to make a direct pass towards the top of the box.
This third example is what happens when you have a defensive midfield of Diego Chará and Cristhian Paredes. Portland wanted to ensure that if LAFC tried to play centrally, they would be punished. And it worked.
defend, defend, and defend some more
There’s so much that I wanted to touch on when it comes to the defense side of the ball that I thought I should separate it into two different sections.
The defensive shape that Portland used was a very compact 4-4-2. How it defended was in a mid-block.
By playing this way, the Timbers invited LAFC to towards midfield before applying pressure. The goal of this is to create space in behind LAFC’s backline, and then take advantage of the aggression to create opportunities by running into this now-vacated area.
The Timbers were relatively successful early on but, from the 30th minute until halftime, players started to get tired, and they stopped playing into the space that they created after winning the ball. This allowed LAFC to implement a counter man-marking system, which continued to win the ball high up the field, effectively trapping Portland in its own half.
“I think what was difficult today was when we lost the ball so quickly,” Diego Chará said after the game. “When we recovered the ball, we tried to play forward, but we missed a lot of passes, and I think that made it more difficult for us to keep the ball.”
All of this is evident in the graphics below.
Courtesy of OptaCourtesy of Opta
Look at where Portland defends versus where LAFC defends. Portland is playing a dangerous game of bend-but-don’t-break soccer, mostly in its own half, while LAFC is constantly trying to play on the front foot.
I can throw so many more graphics and stats such as the ones above in the article, but I don’t need to. The Timbers put on a defensive masterclass on Thursday night. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but it’s the type of shape that every team that wants to make a deep run into a tournament needs. It’s important to remember that LAFC can exploit any defensive system and, if the Timbers could look like this defensively every game, they could go quite far in Orlando.
“The first thirty minutes we had the better of the play. We were very tight, and we didn’t allow them to be able to create much,” Savarese said when asked about LAFC’s dominant stretch. “In the last 15 minutes in the first half, they started to find the balls in between the lines; they started making better movements in those areas that we wanted to protect, and we were tired so we couldn’t close those spaces as well as we did the first thirty minutes.
“We also gave up the ball in those moments, different than the first thirty minutes when we had a lot of the ball and were smart in the way me moved it. I think that the two goals were two moments that are a little bit separated from them finding space. Yes, they had a little bit more of the ball in those minutes, they tried to create, but we defended very very well even though we had some players being tired.”
Playing through the press
When a team presses as hard as LAFC does, the opponent usually has two options: A) Try to play through the pressure in hopes to find space to attack into; or B) Stop thinking for a few seconds and clear the ball, praying to find a teammate somewhere in the attack.
In the past, the Timbers would have taken option B, trying to recycle the ball wide and play it long, which often resulted in a quick loss of possession. But these are not the Timbers of old. Against LAFC, Portland invited the pressure and attempted to move up the field through multiple series of intricate passing and combination play. It did not always work, but when it did it was pretty.
Part of playing through a press is knowing when to commit numbers forward after winning the ball versus when to sit back. Whatever the decision is, every player needs to be on the same page to ensure that there are no gaps. Playing into the created space catches a team when they are most vulnerable at the back, but if you lose the ball, there is now plenty of vacated space for the opposing team to exploit.
Above is an example of what happens when a team gambles wrong. Remember the compact 4-4-2 block I pointed out above? This is what it looks like when caught in transition.
“It was a challenge trying to balance [attacking versus defending], understanding that we didn’t want to expose ourselves defensively, but also not wanting to sacrifice the potential for a counter-attack and getting in behind the space that they were leaving,” Jeremy Ebobisse said. “A fine line for attacking players, myself and the wingers, to balance, but ultimately I think that we had some good opportunities on the break.
“That shows a job well done to manage difficulties when they had the ball and were penetrating us and those times we were able to break out, complete a few passes, and unbalance them.”
As Ebobisse eluded to, this is a formula that teams have to get right every game. There were moments in which the Timbers were caught out, like shown above, but overall they put in a solid defensive shift and allowed their attacking talents to find a pair of goals on the other end of the field.
Now it’s onto the round of 16, where FC Cincinnati awaits. One of the surprise teams of the tournament so far, the onus will most likely be put on the Timbers to break down a compact Cincinnati side. If Portland can put together everything that they’ve shown from the group stage of this tournament, advancing to the final eight is a real possibility.
It’s time for revenge.
Video courtesy of ESPN aerial cam. Graphics courtesy of Opta and StatsZone.
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