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
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 [Sebastián Blanco], Eric [Miller], Diego [Chará], 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.
Back like he never left 😏#RCTID pic.twitter.com/4KzymY6eWK
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) May 11, 2023
Sebastian Blanco scores his first goal since injury comeback
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?
“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 Loría 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
