Good grief, Charlie Brown! That was a tough game to watch, uh? Bear with me while we break down this Cascadia rivalry game.
After the Timbers got a point against FC Dallas with a last-minute goal, we had some reasons to believe. They defended well as a unit in that match, cutting Dallas’ passing lanes.
Of course, the major and obvious difference between that game and this one against Vancouver is the score, with Portland losing by one in this case. No one on the team was able to provide the Franck Boli heroics of the Dallas match this time around.
How did the defense do?
Head coach Gio Savarese decided to put Justin Rasmussen in the starting XI instead of Claudio Bravo, a surprising decision surprising after Bravo’s strong performance against Dallas.
Rasmussen had an okay game in defense but he lost the ball too many times in the Timbers’ half. In fact, he ranks first in this department with 11 losses. The player from the back line that ranks second in this regard is Zac McGraw, with five.
Nonetheless, he added himself to the attack and is the only Timber that registered a chance created (xA = 0.31), which came from this cross.
Portland had serious problems trying to create something in the first half, but that changed a little in the second. Still, Rasmussen’s cross was the only real chance the Timbers created for this match.
Savarese referred to it in the post-game press conference. “Yes, the buildup wasn’t ideal in the first half,” he said. “But then the second half was completely different. We had more of the ball, we created more than just moments, we had an opportunity to score with [Juan] Mosquera, and we could’ve tied the game. But Vancouver today put us in a lot of trouble, and it was just a difficult game.”
McGraw was once again the player with the most clearances made with 12, followed by Eric Miller with seven.
Jazzy makes an impact
After Aljaž Ivačič’s good performance against Dallas, he polished his work in goal and made a total of 8 saves against Vancouver.
McGraw praised his teammate’s performance after the match. “He proves day in and day out why the Timber’s offered him a contract extension,” McGraw said. “He made a huge save at the end, where there was a ball over the top, and the second ball the midfielders just popped over our back line. And one-on-one with the keeper and all the pressure is on the attacker in that situation, and he just came out big because statistically, that’s a goal every time. He had great saves in the first ten minutes of the game. Ball went back post and was headered down in the bottom corner, that’s a hard save to make for any goalie in the world and he made that, keeping us in the game.”
For such an outstanding effort, Ivačič was included in the MLS’s Best XI for Week 7:
Stood up in a standout performance 🙌@AljazIvacic is named to the @MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 7 👏#RCTID pic.twitter.com/GbdsdRyO7c
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) April 10, 2023
What about the midfield?
With Eryk Williamson unavailable for this match (more on that in a minute), the Timbers suffered. Williamson is usually one of the few players who can carry the ball from defense to offense effectively—and someone who draws many fouls in the midfield. He and Diego Chará usually complement each other well; while Williamson has the freedom to go forward, Chará covers his back. And of course, the American midfielder creates chances for the team, something few Timbers have proved capable of in this first part of the season.
As a consequence of his absence, Savarese decided to start Diego Gutiérrez. It is true that is not easy to fill Williamson’s shoes, but it is also true that Gutiérrez should’ve been more involved in this match. In the 45 minutes he was on the field, he only made eight passes—and completed six—and touched the ball 13 times, per Opta.
So, it wasn’t a surprise when the coach decided to put Evander in Gutiérrez’s place. No doubt Portland found more fluidity in the second half because of this. What is more, the Timbers attack leaned heavily to the right, according to Wyscout.
If we speak about Chará, he had a consistent game as usual. Among the starting midfielders, he was the one with the biggest percentage of pass completion (84.6% out of 52 passes) and the one who won the most duels, with five. If we talk about his defensive work, he registered three tackles, two interceptions, and one clearance.
Finally, Santiago Moreno didn’t have a performance as good as the one he had against Dallas, but he was okay. Moreno was one of the few who contributed to the attack in this game with a blocked shot (xG = 0.03) and tried to cross the ball once—although unsuccessfully. The thing he has to work on, though, is duels; he attempted 10 and was successful in only one.
A positive thing we can point out here is the return of David Ayala, who came in the second half for Moreno. It was good to see him on the field again, winning duels, winning tackles, and earning fouls.
Attack? What’s that?
I think this pass network says it all, but we still need to say something here.
Besides Moreno and Juan David Mosquera, none of the Timbers had a shot in the 90+7 minutes of the match. We already pointed out the best chance the Timbers had in the game, but it is true they had some good combinations throughout the game that ended up in nothing thanks to Vancouver defending well in their own box.
We don’t have to downplay the Whitecaps’ good pressing work, which effectively prevented Portland from creating dangerous plays when they tried.
Maybe if the Timbers would’ve played more directly and didn’t try so many passes, they would’ve created more chances. Another choice could’ve been to circulate the ball at a higher tempo, so the opponent’s pressing wouldn’t have been so efficient.
It was no doubt a difficult game for Portland, and Vancouver’s good job was rewarded in minute 74, when Julian Gressel sent a cross that was blocked by Rasmussen. Nonetheless, the rebound fell to him, and Gressel immediately sent a cross again that this time connected with Brian White, who put the ball in the back of the net.
Some news
Considering the way the team has played lately, it is no wonder that the fans are praying for the starters to come back as soon as possible. Fortunately, their prayers have been heard: Sebastián Blanco, Cristhian Paredes, Yimmi Chará, and Marvin Loría were back in training on Tuesday. What is more, Savarese has said that Loría and Paredes will probably be available for the game against Seattle next weekend, according to Oregonian reporter Ryan Clarke.
— Somos Timbers (@SomosTimbers) April 12, 2023
But not everything is good news. That same day, we found out that Williamson would miss the remainder of the 2023 season due to an ACL injury. The procedure was scheduled for April 12, and he is expected to be out of the fields at least for nine months.
“Eryk is an extremely important component within the team who was performing at a high level again, making it difficult news to accept,” said Timbers general manager Ned Grabavoy. “We will support Eryk both on and off the field during his recovery process, and we are confident that he will make a full recovery in reestablishing himself within the team again next season.”
📰 | Updates on the injury to Eryk Williamson
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) April 11, 2023
We're all with you, E 💚#RCTID
Coming up next…
The rivalry games continue on Saturday, when the Timbers host Seattle Sounders at Providence Park. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. PT.