Do you want to see fireworks? The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake are the two best goalscoring teams in the Western Conference, and in the top three of MLS.
Ahead of their latest matchup, Timbers head coach Phil Neville jokingly said that the game screams “nil-nil” scoreless draw. The 3-0 scoreline told a different story.
The game kicked off a scorcher at 88 degrees, but luckily the shade covered the entire pitch.
Eryk Williamson earned a second straight start, this time in place of David Ayala, who is on a minutes restriction due to a knock he took against Nashville.
Portland’s starting XI asked Diego Chará to do more heavy lifting in protecting the backline and Williamson to help more defensively as well.
This game came down to both team’s backlines, an area where RSL excels on paper.
Against Salt Lake, the Timbers continued to play without care in the world. They’re having one heck of a time with one another, and the results match the on-field vibe.
In the second minute, Santiago Moreno outmuscled his way to the ball outside of the box and hit a beautiful low-driven cross into the box. Moreno’s cross hit Felipe Mora in stride for the 1-0 lead.
In the 8th minute, Portland saw Chará get a yellow card for something that could’ve simply been called a foul. To make matters worse, Jonathan Rodríguez received one for dissent.
The match got extremely chippy in the 22nd minute when, Cristian Arango “inadvertently” fouled Evander into the ground for refusing to stop play for Braian Ojeda. Both teams intervened in midfield. Mora received a yellow for having a hand to the face of Andrés Gómez. Arango and Gómez also received yellows for their roles in the altercation.
In the 43rd minute, Gómez lead an RSL counter, and Miguel Araujo made a goal-saving intervention. James Pantemis made the next one to keep the score unchanged.
If you thought Portland would slow down in the second half, you’d be dead wrong.
In the 48th minute, the Timbers released a barrage of shots on goal: starting with Rodríguez’s header, then Mora’s close-angle shot, and finally Moreno’s smashed volley home to make it 2-0.
The Timbers continued to play with confidence. They were precise in their counters and in possession, and controlled the match. This team is playing their best football of the season (outside of the Dallas game).
Neville deserves a ton of credit for finally finding the right mix of players, but so does general manager Ned Grabavoy, who has added the right pieces to the team. To make it even more exciting, Portland is expected to add another designated player in the summer window.
2-0 is the most dangerous score for a team, and RSL nearly got on the board in the 75th minute with a Arango header, but it caromed off the post.
In the 90th minute, Evander put RSL to sleep with an absolute blast, with a fantastic assist from Antony, for the final score of 3-0.
“I’m really pleased,” said Neville. “I think it was our most complete performance of the season. We’ve played like that for 20 to 30 minutes, maybe even a half, but we’ve not played like that for a 90-minute period.”
This performance was a masterclass from the Timbers, who put together what is definitely their best win of the entire season.
The big four?
Moreno is making a case to be included in the designated player squad of Evander, Rodríguez, and Mora. He has found consistency and has played his role on the right wing phenomenally.
Neville and his staff have spoken glowingly of Moreno in recent weeks. He’s contributed to five goals in the past four games. His role is quite unique with the team—although he aligns as a right winger, he has freedom to drop into midfield like he did for much of the second half.
“His growth has been incredible” said Neville at the team’s media availability prior to the match. “We’ve got some incredible assets, and I think he’s probably one of our biggest.”
With an assist in his pocket, Moreno also tallied a goal in the 48th minute with an amazing volley. He is now up to 13 goal contributions on the year, with five goals and eight assists this season.
In his 100th appearance for the club, he was lights out.
He subbed off in the 84th to a rousing, and well-deserved, ovation of “Oh, Santi Moreno.”
“It’s a special moment,” said Moreno. “Ever since I got here, the fans have been absolutely amazing. I want to send them greetings and hellos from here, because they’re always there for us, and thanks for helping us get three points as we try to fight for the playoffs and ultimately bring a trophy to Portland.”
Who just passed Darlington Nagbe for fourth all-time in assists for the club? Yup, you guessed it: It’s Moreno.
Eryk
In a report from Tom Bogert, “the expectation is Eryk Williamson would be on the move. Clubs around MLS are aware he’s available and there has been interest…”
Last week, Williamson started as the No. 10 in place of Evander. This week, he started as part of Portland’s double-pivot in place of Ayala. His versatility has been on full display the past few weeks.
Neville has also spoken highly of Williamson on what seems to be a weekly basis for the past month or so.
When Ayala is healthy, that’ll be his starting spot. However, Williamson has made a statement that he deserves more minutes and starts even with a logjam at midfield.
Complaints continue to be about Williamson’s defensive work, but he has put shifts in. He led the team in the first half with six defensive actions.
Obviously he is gifted with the ball at his feet, but he is becoming a two way asset for the Portland Timbers. Losing a player of his caliber, especially when Cristhian Paredes has not been in-form would be a massive blow.
“I keep thinking about Eryk Williamson’s performance in the last two games and think he played really well,” said Nevile. “But for me, he just played to his level. The level that I expect, the level that we want, the level that he’s capable of.”
Backline
Inter Miami, RSL, and Portland are the three best goalscoring teams in MLS right now. RSL leads the Western Conference in goals and came into Providence Park looking to continue their attacking ways. Ahead of the game, Neville talked about how the match was an important one to see where his team is at. He also spoke about his backline needing to rise to the occasion.
Claudio Bravo, Dario Župarić, Araujo, Juan David Mosquera, and James Pantemis got the message loud and clear.
“The back four played really well, but I also thought that our defensive shape from the front was probably the best it’s been,” said Neville. “They pressed, they blocked paths, they doubled up. I think Claudio Bravo had his best games since he’s come back, and he needed that game. All the back four playing really well. [James Pantemis] played well.”
This was Portland’s fourth clean sheet in their past nine matches. They’ve only allowed nine goals in that span, as well. It’s not the best record, but they’ve come a long way from where they started the season.
“For me personally, all I want to do is never let in a goal, but we know that that’s just not realistic,” said Pantemis. “I do the best I can, and the fact that we’re able to get [a clean sheet] and the team’s helping me is even better. I think I’m more happy for the guys. I know that at the beginning of the year, we were letting in quite a few goals. From a goalkeepers perspective, it was frustrating, because it wasn’t necessarily we were getting broken down or we were letting bad goals. It was just mistakes. I think we’ve cleaned that up, and knowing that we have quality like that in the back, and then with the keepers as well, I can foresee more clean sheets and even better defensive performances. I just think now it’s all clicking, and I’m just happy that we’re all finally getting what we deserve for clean sheets.”
Outside of a few RSL chances and one close call, Portland’s defense was dominant and looked decisive cleaning up their goal. Pantemis had little work to do, but he commanded his box extremely well all game.
Can they build on this? Is this something everyone can expect more of? Those are the only remaining questions.
