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| It is A plan, I suppose. |
“Nagbe-led Timbers clicking, but Porter wants more”
MLSSoccer.com could not have
slapped a more “click-baity” tease to this article, at least not for me, due to
what my counselor politely calls “heightened, specific / troublesome interest” in
Darlington Nagbe (I’m working on getting that third modifier scrubbed from my
file, but every day’s a new day. For the record, the actual article – one that
examines the decision to stick Nagbe on the left wing, and the meaning thereof
- carries a more measured headline…so I probably wouldn’t have clicked on the
thing, so, to MLS’s headline hacks, you’ve earned your rent this month.
It’s that word, “led,” that
creates the cognitive dissonance, because I see Nagbe as more of a facilitator
than a leader. It’s been said (over and over and over and over) that Nagbe
could be a truly great attacking player, but raw talent depends on disposition
and what a player is motivated to do: that's what will define where and how
Nagbe brings his best to Portland, whatever that best may be.
The article raises one specific
point, I’d like to scratch at – the one that inspired the poll I posted today:
will Nagbe return to his same level of “production” in 2017 that he achieved in
2013? Here’s my answer:
Personally, I don’t think Nagbe
will score as many goals as he did in 2013 – and that goes back to the above
point about disposition. That’s not to say I wouldn’t welcome it if he banged
in a baker’s dozen (I mean, by all fucking means, kid), but I’m neither
expecting that nor banking on it. What I do believe is that Porter has come up
with what looks like a good system for Portland’s attack down the left. Moreover,
that system will afford Nagbe with opportunities to shoot: the question will
be, as ever, what he does with those. (Or will he spurn them, as he does my
unflagging obsession?) (Also, I don’t like the choices he and his wife made in
their kitchen*. I mean, that back-splash? Are they blind?!)
Now, to Dip Up North
As noted in yesterday’s The Kick
Off, it looks the Vancouver Whitecaps will show up to their CONCACAF Champions’
League tie against the New York Red Bulls less a couple attacking players
(notably, Cristian Bolanos, Nicholas Mezquida and new kid Yordy Reyna, and
newest kid, Fredy Montero, who's working of his leisure time in China). This could track as
a snake-bit team, but I think Vancouver hasn’t made much of a rebuild. For
instance, I’ve read/heard a couple takes on Montero that make a pretty strong
case that he’s not the kind of player they need – or, rather, that he’s
duplicative.
More than that, though, I don’t
think Vancouver has got the kind of player they need – e.g., the brain they
lost as far back as when Pedro Morales stopped producing (which makes it a
couple years ago). The question for remains, who will get the ‘Caps attackers
the ball in the right places?
I’m actually working on a pair of
season previews, big goddamn monsters that check in with local blogs to see
what they’re saying about each of MLS’s local teams. The Eastern Conference
edition will (or should) go up tomorrow, and the Western Conference’s shortly
thereafter. Looking forward to seeing how what I’m thinking about Vancouver lines
up.
If I didn’t do the Nagbe poll
today, I was going to put up one about how people expect the Cascadia teams to stack
up. I know where I’d put Vancouver in that mix right now…
Oh, one thing that no Timbers fan
should lose sight of: the Timbers have yet to record a clean sheet this
preseason – not even against this edition of Vancouver, and that’s playing
starters. If that ain’t food for thought, you’re unconsciously starving
yourself.
Right. All done.
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