Chicago Fire 2-2 Portland Timbers: They Didn’t (And Yet)

When I typed in "goose butt," I had a totally different image in mind.

Which title answers the statement, “I can’t believe Portland’s gonna hold on.” (The rest of this post is about those two words in the parentheses. And the words outside it.)

On the other hand, it not only could have been worse, it almost was. Over the hours and events that passed between the final whistle and all this typing, The Chicago Fire’s late rally sort of faded into a larger personal narrative of two points lost, along with, like, a good, full-handed goose to the team’s confidence. Taking all three points out of the Timbers’ best game of the season so far would have been something…

With this game now in the rear-view, the “would” and “could” in the above paragraph don’t mean a lot because all of that stuff happened - e.g., the high of Sebastian Blanco gifting Timbers fans with one of your more inspired assists (Valeri’s goal looked pretty sharp ‘n’ spiffy, too) and the low of Portland’s defense coming apart too many ways to count on the Chicago goal that erased it. Broadly, the rest of Portland’s game operated between those two poles, and with a respectable portion of it tilting toward Blanco’s high. That, on the other hand, tells only half the story - literally, too.

The Fire have not started 2018 strong. They picked up their first point of the season yesterday - from Portland, for one, but clawing it back probably took a little sting out of losing the other two points - and they have fewer excuses that Portland (who now have two points - can I get a HARRUMPH?). They’ve played two home games and they score with reasonable reliability (2.0 goals/game so far), but (and damn the statistics), I’d argue Portland looked the better? No. Sharper? Meh. I’m going with “The Team Most Likely To” yesterday. That vantage begs the bigger question of Chicago because, if the Timbers, an improving team, came out of the totality of that draw looking like the team more likely to claim all three points, what does that say about the Chicago Fire in these earliest days of 2018?

Then again, when you shine a spotlight into a mirror, it reflect the same amount of light. In other words:

A. The Chicago Fire aren’t a very good team.

B. The Portland Timbers drew the Chicago Fire (if on the road).

C. Man killed God. (Wait. Isn’t that how those always end?)

Before poking all over the Timbers’ innards, I want to close out my thoughts on Chicago. First, I’m tempted to watch them just to figure out what the hell they’re doing with Bastian Schweinsteiger. When I said I kept seeing Schweinsteig…fuck it. Brad. I’m calling him Brad. No? Too confusing? At any rate, I told one of the guys I was watching the game with (@brioe162) that I kept seeing Schweinsteiger in or around central defense, and he countered that Schweinsteiger roamed all over. I think he mostly defended and chose his moments to go forward (I didn’t track him consciously) and, bluntly, he gave Portland a good punch on at least two of them. Oh, and he almost single-handedly saved a goal (it's in the highlights).

It’s not crazy to argue that Schweinsteiger carried the Fire through that game, and that’s never ideal because he's a wild card, even with more emphasis on "card," e.g., the more tangible part of that pairing. I just learned he’s only 33, so he should have some miles left (where injury doesn’t bleed them out), and he’s looked good in the role Chicago assigned him (also see this goal, on top of what things he wrought Saturday), but the rest of the team…didn’t look so good. Having Nemanja Nikloic helps a bit, but, to analogize one Fire player to explain one team’s whole damn afternoon, Brandon Vincent kept getting the ball in the attack, but too deep on the field. It's that bare concept of doing a reasonable thing in the wrong place that shapes my semi-distant impression of Chicago - except when Schweinsteiger’s on the ball. Jesus, that cross…y’know, the one that ruined your Saturday.

And so, with the premise that Chicago is a mediocre team blessed with A Commanding Presence (Schweinsteiger) and a Bosun (Nikolic), it’s time to turn to Portland. I think I’m going to disappoint some people with this recap because I’m focusing on something I didn’t see, combining that with a theory about another team I might have watched twice this season (speaking, gotta revive/update that sidebar), and using that to build an understanding/argument for where Portland stands right now. Ready?

To reverse the approach on Schweinsteiger, I had intended to do my best to key on Cristhian Paredes during the match. The only thing I can say for sure is that Paredes did not command my attention the way Schweinsteiger did. On the plus side (really), I don’t recall him fucking up in the glimpses I caught, while I do recall a couple smart touches, generally good distribution, and at least one good cross. Whether right or wrong, I’m disillusioned enough with David Guzman for the ol’ eyeballs to start wandering…and my standards go only as low as my perception of Guzman moves them. (What? This is a pep talk for Guzman.) My real, non-parenthetical point is that, between Guzman, Diego Chara, Paredes, Lawrence ("Freakin’") Olum, Andres Flores, and anyone else you want to lump in there, I want whoever proves to best for whatever system Giovanni Savarese “sets loose” on the opposition. (I’ll remove the scare quotes when you make me, and that’s a really lucky segue. Again, live, I’m doing this fucking live.)

I think there might be something to letting Valeri, Blanco and Fanendo Adi (or Samuel Armenteros…feel the breeze, Fanendo, feel the breeze) just sort of go nuts up top. To describe the early returns, I think Portland has had the most success by playing deeper and countering with those three players with the balance of the opposition tilted forward. Those three present as fairly threatening in the open field, at least in my mind, and playing a more, generally defensive block of midfielders has stabilized the defense - wait…has it? (more far, far later) - or did Portland just fall all the fucking way apart against the New York Red Bulls? If you’re still with me (I barely am), I’m suggesting that, with this, Portland has some kind of way forward - a way of attacking the opposition that everyone seems to understand - and that has worked well enough the past couple weeks. And that’s an uptick from Weeks 1 and 2, where the team played like circling-sickness-infected wildebeests (aka, the butt of every safari joke).

Did I mention yet that Sebastian Blanco has fulfilled at least some expectation by quietly becoming a key, effective part of Portland's attack? While it is early, Blanco really has been the guy so far in 2018. If Valeri reignites, this team could become tricky. (Tony Tchani probably gets the night sweats anytime he has to play Portland by now.)

Now, the counter to all that comes with my understanding of Chicago - and, for that matter, FC Dallas - as teams that let the opposition play. They defend deeper, basically, and I think Portland has the players to attack that set up/mentality/approach and they know how to do it. I’d argue that the Timbers get flustered by high presses - then again, I think that’s what the 4-3-2-1 is designed to help with. Whatever Savarese’s wishes, Portland might just be stuck as a relatively low-block defense team…maybe even a defensive, counter attacking team, if a relatively elegant one. And I’d be OK with that. My growing obsession with Paredes grows from that - and a lot of that goes back to Guzman. I think Guzman can be a good piece in this team, maybe even a great one, but coming to terms with him not having the legs for box-to-box, and some questions about his defensive game, make me wonder how best to use him. I feel like the team has a good passing/destroyer hub in Diego Chara (call me a liar if you wanna), so it’s about building around that until it doesn’t make sense.

More than anything else, I want Paredes to be the quality of player to force some kind of shift in the current dynamic. While I don’t think a great team needs a great midfield, a great midfield seems to make great teams. Losing Darlington Nagbe changed this team, without question, and the team is either going through growing pains or it’s settling on a safer formation till further notice…that could become permanent notice.

Will that work? I don’t know. And that’s where my comments about Dallas and Chicago come from: I don’t think either team is all there yet (and for all we know, may never get there) and, again, I think they play a style that suits how Portland wants to (or can) play. I’m not sure how the Timbers will hold up against, 1) teams better than (my perception of) Dallas and Chicago, and 2) teams that press. In other words, I don’t even think Portland has begun to answer the question of what kind of team they’ll be in 2018, but I guess that's what the rest of the season is for. Fortunately, or theoretically, the Timbers don’t have a horrible stretch ahead - Orlando City SC on the road (then again, son of a bitch), then they host Minnesota United FC (good?) and New York City (bad?), before hitting the road again versus the San Jose Earthquakes. Arguably, the team has been blessed with time to pick up some points whilst going through their teens (i.e., figuring things out that sometimes aren’t even real, long-term, meaningful things).

Finally, almost done, just real quick, I didn’t mind Chicago’s second goal, but the thoroughness with which Portland’s defense got pulled apart on their first should slip into your relevant personal file. By its end, no individual defender made a bad decision in the moment; the problem came with how hopelessly behind the play each of those decisions got made. Just watch that again and again. It’s like watching someone try to jump between two skyscrapers, knowing they will absolutely, and in no universe, make it. Needless to say, you can’t pull off that kind of shit often in spectator sports. Because people care about what you’re doing, and far more deeply than they have any business doing. And yet, here we are.

So…the state of the team. In need of some points, but I think we’ve still got decent bones, at least or as long as we play healthy. Also, and I feel like a bit of a coward saying it, I’m content with this formation. To get more pointlessly bullish, I think a right mix could exist for this midfield. Even one without Lawrence Olum in it. No disrespect, and the FO should not lose that number, but…well, a team always wants to maximize ALL of its assets. Right?