Tag: Noel Caliskan

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Soccer

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 3, Colorado Rapids 2

Photo by Kris Lattimore

The Portland Timbers went into Saturday night’s match against Colorado Rapids coming off three straight wins and unbeaten in their last five matches.

The home side desperately needed three points, with the playoff race in the West insanely crowded. Being in eighth place leaves almost no room for error the rest of the way.

With Saturday being Portland’s third game in six days, interim head coach Miles Joseph would rotate in Noel Caliskan, Antony, Felipe Mora, and Dairon Asprilla into the starting XI.

Bingham, Mosquera, McGraw, Zuparic, Bravo, Acosta, Caliskan Moreno, Asprilla, Mora (C), Antony Substitutes: Sulte, Araujo, Mabiala, Miller, Rasmussen, Loria, Blanco, Boli, Gutierrez

In an unexpectedly chaotic game, Portland found a wild 3-2 win over Colorado.

After controlling the early action, in the 20th minute, the Timbers struck first, thanks to a beautiful header by Antony and the excellent service of Asprilla.

Antony’s first goal with Portland could not have come at a better time. Under Joseph, this team has played on the front foot and shows no signs of slowing down. The structure he has put forth highlights this team’s true strengths in attack.

In the 30th minute, Caliskan played a perfectly disguised pass to find Santiago Moreno, who calmly finished to double the lead.

However, for the second match in a row, Portland conceded almost immediately after scoring. Diego Rubio would cut the lead down to 2-1 for the visitors.

The momentum was not done shifting completely. In the 44th minute, Andrew Gutman ripped a shot that deflected off a Timbers defender into the back of the net. Portland went into the break tied 2-2 after a dominant first half where they outshot the Rapids nine to four and out-possessed them 65% to 35%.

Heading into the half with a 2-2 scoreline was unacceptable. “First half, we felt we had the game in hand a little bit,” Joseph said. “Then we let it slip. We gave up a couple opportunities, and it was unfortunate.”

In the second half, the game got chippy, physical, and brutal. Looking to pick up three points, both teams traded blows.

In the 71st minute, though, Mora dribbled around the goalkeeper and slotted home the goal to give his squad the 3-2 lead. Asprilla provided his second assist of the game with another perfect ball.

Photo by Kris Lattimore

“Scoring the goal, I’m just very filled with happiness,” Mora said. “Definitely makes it a lot better when I’m able to score and celebrate with our fans.” 

Although Joseph subbed in defenders Miguel Araujo and Larrys Mabiala, the team never stopped looking for the fourth.

The relentless counterattack from the end-of-the-game backline of Juan David Mosquera, Zac McGraw, Araujo, Mabiala, Dario Župarić, and Eric Miller one-of-a-kind look from the Timbers. That surprise helped preserve the 3-2 win.

Joseph said he was glad Portland made the necessary adjustments to close out the huge win.

“I was happy we got the third,” he said. “In that situation when teams are desperate and they’re in your house, you have to make some changes to play the game out, and I felt we did a really good job getting the guys on at the end of the game to close the game out.”

The Timbers are now unbeaten in their last six matches and on a four-game winning streak.

Timbers U22
Photo by Kris Lattimore

The Timbers young talent stepped up in a huge way on Saturday. Antony, who occupies an international and a U22 Initiative Slot for the team, made his first start and scored his first goal.

“I think you’ve seen the progression of Antony, and he’s still going to progress. Tonight was just a small little highlight of what you’re going to see,” Joseph said. “He’s an electric player. We’re building his minutes, and I think, as we progress and get into the playoffs and then make our run, he’s going to be an important player.”

Moreno also occupies a U22 Initiative Slot and joined the party with his second goal of the year. He led the team with 21 completed passes in the final third and 12 recoveries.

And we can’t leave out Mosquera. JDM put in one heck of a shift. He led the team with five chances created, two successful dribbles, and two fouls won. This player is one of the best young attacking fullbacks in the MLS.

These young players are set to be the future of this team, but they are not willing to wait. The present is also theirs.

More rotation
Photo by Kris Lattimore

Joseph’s willingness to rotate his lineup during short-turnaround weeks has paid dividends. The only players to play full minutes for the three games were the bash bros: McGraw and Ĺ˝uparić. Joseph gave minutes to 17 different players, which demonstrates his trust in the players and his squad’s depth.

The closers

As mentioned above, Joseph presented yet another tactical wrinkle with the late game backline of Mosquera, McGraw, Araujo, Mabiala, Ĺ˝uparić. It was a departure from Joseph’s regular aggressive subbing patterns late in the game.

When you are the one in charge, these decisions impact whether or not you win a game. Joseph continues to surprise with tactics and his ability to make the right call.

Having six on the backline to close out the game was brilliant. Joseph said he wanted to bring on players that would push the wingbacks up but also lock down the team’s defense—especially given all the squad rotation.

“I think closing out—like having experienced guys and at the end of the game—was really important,” he said. “They know how to close games out.”

Photo by Kris Lattimore
Key Stats
  • Bryan Acosta led the team with 46 completed passes, three tackles, and two tackles won.
  • Dairon Asprilla paced the team with two assists.
  • Felipe Mora was an attacking force with six shots, two shots on target, and the game-winning goal.
  • Zac McGraw had a huge game defensively, winning five aerial duels and three tackles.
Photo by Kris Lattimore
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Soccer Timbers

Takeaways: Portland Timbers 1, New York City 1

Credit: Kris Lattimore
Credit: Kris Lattimore

The Portland Timbers hosted New York City FC last Saturday and got a 1-1 draw. Evander scored for the home team, while Keaton Parks did so for the visitors. It was an entertaining match where the Timbers created the most chances but couldn’t put more than one in the back of the net to secure a win at home.

DĂŠjĂ  vu

Saturday’s night game was fun to watch—to some extent. We had two teams who were playing under similar circumstances this season, and the question was which was going to take advantage of the other to earn three points. Both sides created chances, and we saw action from box to box in the second half.

The lineup. Credit: Timbers FC
The lineup. Credit: Timbers FC

The visitors didn’t create much in the first forty-five minutes. NYC only had one shot in the entire half, while the Timbers had seven, two of which went on goal. So it was only a matter of time—we would think, as if soccer usually works that way!—for Portland to open the score. In the 38th minute, Evander found the back of the net.

Nonetheless, it didn’t take long in the second half for NYC to find the equalizer.

The visitors woke up in the second half, and the game turned out to be more open, with looks for both teams. Santiago Moreno had the best opportunity for the Timbers in the second half, but he didn’t hit the ball properly and ended up shooting way too wide. Another good Portland chance came in the last minute of the game, in a free kick, when Evander hit the post.

In the Timbers’ previous game against Chicago, Portland looked very sterile in all the lines of the field. This time was different. They played better but didn’t create many quality chances (xG = 1.03), and in the end, they only got a point out of this match.

“DĂŠjĂ  vu. It’s the same story every day,” Timbers head coach Gio Savarese said after the game. “Played really well. The guys are giving it everything despite injuries and limitations. I don’t know what happened; somebody put something around the goal that doesn’t let us put goals in.”

I agree with the coach. Can someone please, break the curse, so the Timbers can start scoring multiple goals in a single game again?

Maybe the visitor’s center-back Maxime Chanot had something to do with Portland’s struggles, since he registered 17 clearances in the entire game. You could say he’s NYC’s Zac McGraw.

More help is coming

Felipe Mora is back, and that’s something to celebrate. 

“I’m glad to have another quality player available, especially Felipe,” Savarese said. “We know how important he has been. Only 20 minutes available today. but hopefully he continues to build up in the minutes and we continue to have a competition in that position.”

When the Chilean entered the game in the 76th minute, the entire Providence Park cheered for him.

“I’m very grateful,” Mora said. “I honestly didn’t expect so much love and noise when I entered the pitch tonight. That felt really nice. It felt like I was born again when I came in. They’ve been sending so many messages throughout this whole time and since I got here to this club.

“I’m just very happy and very grateful for them,” he said.

Another Timber who deserves a mention is Noel Caliskan. The German made his debut in this game, after signing a contract first with the first team at the end of April. 

The 22-year-old came into the game in the second half for Cristhian Paredes who, according to his coach, had some hamstring pain and had to leave the field.

The youngster did well in the midfield, especially in the passing accuracy department. He had 91.3% passing accuracy overall—and 88.9% in the opponent’s half.

Still, there’s room for improvement in Caliskan communication and aerial duels. NYC’s equalizer from a set piece came after Juan David Mosquera lost Keaton Park’s mark, and Calistan couldn’t win the aerial duel. But the truth is, Keaton did very well getting rid of his mark, rose higher than anyone, and headed that ball home—a shot with an xG of 14.72%.

The backline had a good game overall

Savarese was very happy with the performance his backline put on. He said it was difficult to leave Eric Miller on the bench but that he went with the four defenders he felt could get the job done. They did a “phenomenal job,” he said. The coach also highlighted how well his team managed the ball and their success defending as a unit and in transitions.

In the absence of Zac McGraw—one of the best defenders on the team this season—Portland did well and didn’t give many opportunities to NYC. It’s too bad that Keaton found the back of the net in that set piece. 

Aljaž Ivačič also had some good saves that prevented NYC from finding what could’ve been the winning goal.

Final thoughts

This game marked the end of three matches in one week, with the Timbers collecting only two points out of a possible nine. It is a no-brainer that this isn’t good enough, but what is more, Portland is now three points shy of the last playoff spot.

As we already said, they need to find a way to score multiple goals in a single match again. But more importantly, Portland needs to start getting wins.

In the following days, the attention won’t be just on the attack but also on the defense. We will see how the Timbers manage to play without McGraw—who will be on duty with the Canadian National Team—a player who has become instrumental in the backline.

We can’t wait to see Mora getting more minutes and see if he can help to fix the Timbers’ lack of goals. Now the players get to rest a little, with the next match coming next Saturday when they take the road to face Minnesota.

Categories
Soccer Timbers

U.S. Open Cup Takeaways: Timbers 3, RSL 4

Credit: Kris Lattimore

The Portland Timbers hosted Real Salt Lake in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, with a spot in the final 16 up for grabs.

This game had end to end action, limited amounts of defending, and a bunch of fireworks.

In total, seven goals were scored, with RSL coming out on top 4-3 at Providence Park and eliminating Portland from the next round of the tournament.

Timbers head coach Gio Savarese was very honest with his post match thoughts. “We allowed them to score four goals at home,” he said, “which is not good. And the way we sometimes allow those moments to happen, we need to have a little bit more maturity.

But, he said, “It’s good for some of the players that don’t have that many minutes to be able to come and play. That makes them better, that makes them stronger, that makes them more available to be able to compete and ready to play. ”

Noel Caliskan – T2 Promotion to T1
Photo Credit: Kris Lattimore

Noel Caliskan was selected 15th overall in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft out of Loyola Marymount University.

He signed his first professional contract with Timbers 2 ahead of the 2023 season. In four appearances with T2, he has scored three goals.

After a strong performance in Portland’s 3-1 win over Orange County in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup, the Timbers rewarded Caliskan with a promotion to the senior team.

On April 28, the club announced that he signed a contract for the 2023 season with options in 2024 and 2025.

Caliskan moved from Germany to the United States to pursue his dreams of becoming a professional footballer.

“It’s obviously an honor,” Caliskan said. “I came to the US with a dream to pursue my career, be a pro and to finally make it and play with the like of [SebastiĂĄn Blanco], Eric [Miller], Diego [CharĂĄ], big names and MLS legends. It’s an honor to share the locker room with them and to share the field with every day.”

On Wednesday, he was one the bright spots in the team’s home loss. Caliskan recorded two assists and showed off his talent.

Gio Savarese gave Caliskan positive remarks for his performance.

“He was one of the mature guys on the field,” Savarese said. “He did really well. He managed things excellent and endured the match very well. With the ball he gave us what we needed.

“We saw how he pressed on top to create a moment for [Blanco] to score,” he said, “and how great of a moment it is for Seba to score, too.”

With the team shorthanded in midfield, Caliskan has a chance to make a difference for the Portland Timbers this season.

Sebastian Blanco scores his first goal since injury comeback
Photo Credit: Kris Lattimore

Seba made his second start since his return from injury and gave the Timbers the early lead with his goal.

Just having him back is a boost to the team. He continues to get better with each appearance. A healthy Blanco will be crucial to Portland’s playoff chances.

Defense?
Photo Credit: Kris Lattimore

“Losing this game at home, allowing four goals after we scored three is no good,” said Savarese. “We talked about it in the locker room and the guys take the responsibility and now we continue to work.” 

The backline of Pablo Bonilla, Larrys Mabiala, Tyler Clegg, and Justin Rasmussen had many positives from the game, but there were many moments they would like back.

Scoring three goals and not winning at home is a tough pill to swallow.

The Timbers can put together a good starting backline in Juan David Mosquera, Dario Zuparic, Zac McGraw, and Claudio Bravo. Beyond that, as Wednesday showed, it is a concern if any of them are unavailable for any reason.

The defense, especially the backline, will decide how this season goes.

Key Stats
  • Portland had the advantage over RSL for xG: 2.02 to 1.62
  • Marvin LorĂ­a led the team with 5 chances created, crosses attempted, and completed passes in final third.
  • Victor Griffith paced the Timbers with three shots
  • Noel Caliskan led Portland in assists and completed passes in the final third.
  • Tyler Clegg won the most tackles for the team
  • Larrys Mabiala had the most completed passes and recoveries
  • The Timbers statically dominated almost every category offensively against Real Salt Lake