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.
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.
First of many 🤩 pic.twitter.com/HralRoJoj2
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) September 24, 2023
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.
#RCTID double their lead. ✌️
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 24, 2023
Santiago Moreno scores to make it 2-0 at home. pic.twitter.com/hX8fHzBgQu
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.
“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
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
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 Župarić. 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, Župarić. 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.”
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.
