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| Starting Xi. The question is, what's next? |
With tonight’s 2-3 win on the road over the Portland Timbers (well…*), the Los Angeles Galaxy have, with allowance for the postponed game versus the Seattle Sounders, quietly built a three-game winning streak in the next leg of Major League Soccer regular season play. Speaking of, does anyone know where the 2020 irregular season even goes after September 16? If not, I finally looked it up:
“Up to 18 matches (a maximum of nine home and nine away) during the continuation of play in home markets following the MLS is Back Tournament.”
OK, so that’s a maximum of 12 more games (right?) for each team after the six-game stretch that followed MLS Got Back - i.e.., the period that ends on September 16 - but without that 12-game future actually being mapped at time of writing. Also, note the language: “up to 18 matches” and “(a maximum of nine home and nine away),” etc.
The condensed schedule - e.g., two games per week since the end of MLS Got Back - predicated some level of squad rotation and, to anyone wondering, yes, I remain a fan of squad rotation as a concept. That said, with specific regard to tonight’s game - and this is with games away to Seattle, Los Angeles FC and the San Jose Earthquakes away in Portland’s future over the next two weeks - was a home game against a still-forming Galaxy team that right time to rest nearly every (or was it every?) starter on the roster? Wait…yes, it was every player on the roster, total turnover and dice a-tumbling. So, was that the right call by Giovanni Savarese, given the teams ahead and where the Timbers will play them?
I’ll let people lay their own bets on that one, but I will say this: all of Portland's regular starters showed every sign of needing a break over Portland’s last twolosses (I’m re-writing nothing; the draw v. RSL was a loss)…and what if rest with a side of putting the fear into any starter he could motivated Savarese’s decision to put the starting Xi on full spin-cycle?
As someone conditioned against accepting any official line absent evidence - i.e., I don’t care what anyone says on the practice ground, or in a post- or pre-game presser; I only care what happens on game day - I’m stuck weighing the opportunity cost of those first…carry the one…66 minutes of starting…let’s call them Portland’s future against the Galaxy tonight.
First things first, there’s no question that Savarese gambled with the starting Xi - especially given how things played out. The Timbers’ second shift struggled to connect passes for the opening 20-25 minutes and only really settled into the game after Efrain Alvarez had already put the Galaxy up 1-0 on what was probably the worst goal Portland coughed up on the night; contra the broadcast team, that was less failing to track a run than too many players trying to constrict the same space. Still, the second shift found its feet starting around the 30 minute mark and even managed an attack or two before the half was over (for example). It was neither good nor promising, but the starters got their rest, even if they had no meaningful cause to fear for their jobs.
When the Galaxy scored again just inside the start of the second half - and against mistakes that seem more individual than structural - no, things did not look good. The Timbers attack struggled to get anything going and Portland’s defense struggled in general, a detail only makes the seismic shift that occurred when Portland subbed on just three starters look like the biggest story from the game. Put it this way: I expected the attack to improve when Jeremy Ebobisse, Sebastian Blanco and Eryk Williamson came on (for Marvin Loria, Tomas Conechny, and Cristhian Paredes, respectively), but the improvement was pretty damn global. One could make a case that having those players behind him gave Portland the safety-net comfort to flood the attacking zone via Renzo Zambrano, who stepped into a secondary inside channel to force the flop that set up Felipe Mora’s opening goal for Portland. Then again, all of a minute had elapsed…
The Galaxy pulled one back through, not naming names, only I am, Pablo Bonilla’s second ill-judged lunge of the evening (careful about leaving your feet, kid; but also, helluva a goal, Joe Corona). And it’s here where I really want to stop and take stock of the evening, because it’s easy to get lost in the weeds of results. I’m loathe to hang two of LA’s goals directly around Bonilla’s neck tonight, even if I can make a case for doing so. What I genuinely love about what happened tonight was that Savarese played his B-team tonight in a game that has a real chance of mattering. In doing that, he made Bonilla and everyone else involved accountable on some level for what happens over the rest of whatever the rest of this fucked-up season serves up. By which I mean, if the Timbers lose their next three games - and that’s something that any Timbers fan should fret over in at this point - Savarese just managed to make whatever success or failure comes a real team effort.
Anyone looking for a ray of hope should, frankly, marvel at the last 30 minutes or so of this game. As noted above, just having Ebo, Williamson and Blanco come on immediately solidified Portland’s shape. In terms of Portland’s overall choice of subs, close observers will note that most of them focused on the attack - and yet Portland’s defense didn’t have much to manage after they came on outside Cameron Dunbar’s thankfully non-lethal shot to the back post (and, incidentally, across Jeff Attinella’s goal). Going the other way, Portland posted chance after offside chance, after bullshit offside chance, until Diego Valeri pulled back a goal and put himself in MLS’s Hall of Fucking Fame with a near-post beauty. Seeing someone you’ve watched and admired seal his place in the history books is a special moment whenever it happens and, if whatever I’m thankful for as a Timbers fan, that one ranks pretty damn high.
The Timbers still lost, as noted above, and, no, that’s not good, especially not with the road ahead. Still, looking at the overall Western Conference standings circa September 2, 2020, 11:05 p.m. and, between the strenuously generous rules for admittance to whatever MLS post-season takes shape and the teams on the wrong side of the velvet rope that separates winners (playoff teams) from losers (seriously, re-examine everything), I don’t see how Portland misses that post-season.
Moreover, starting their non-starters in a game that very much matters (if in the context of a full season) revealed the players who seem most likely to contribute if/when push comes to shove. To give credit where I believe it belongs, I thought Paredes, Mora, and Loria carried the actual mantle tonight - as in, they showed up before the safety net and, therefore, might be ready to carry the weight through whatever tricky passages lie ahead. If any of the rest of them really fit the part, I didn’t see it - a talking point that can mean a lot of things.
When I take everything together, I see a Timbers team that will rely on a combination of its youth and getting the most out of fewer minutes for many of its regular starters to make a run toward the next trophy. Tonight’s game was important, if only in that narrow, specific sense. Even if the Timbers piss away 5-6 points over the next three games - something I can very much see happening - throwing all these players into the deep-end served a purpose: it showed who among them can produce with points/results on the line and, honestly, is there any other meaningful question in professional sports than who among you can produce and/or dig it?
To try to wrap everything into a big, thorough ball, I believe that the Portland Timbers will have to take some chances in order to win anything in 2020 (and 2021). Some combination of its depth will have to come good, not just to win a trophy, but to keep the top-line talent from burning out. If tonight’s game did anything, it was to underline the gap between Portland’s best and, again, what I’ve decided to call Portland’s future. As also proved tonight, the road ahead will be neither even nor predictable.
That’s the state of things as I see them. Send in the clowns…
“Up to 18 matches (a maximum of nine home and nine away) during the continuation of play in home markets following the MLS is Back Tournament.”
OK, so that’s a maximum of 12 more games (right?) for each team after the six-game stretch that followed MLS Got Back - i.e.., the period that ends on September 16 - but without that 12-game future actually being mapped at time of writing. Also, note the language: “up to 18 matches” and “(a maximum of nine home and nine away),” etc.
The condensed schedule - e.g., two games per week since the end of MLS Got Back - predicated some level of squad rotation and, to anyone wondering, yes, I remain a fan of squad rotation as a concept. That said, with specific regard to tonight’s game - and this is with games away to Seattle, Los Angeles FC and the San Jose Earthquakes away in Portland’s future over the next two weeks - was a home game against a still-forming Galaxy team that right time to rest nearly every (or was it every?) starter on the roster? Wait…yes, it was every player on the roster, total turnover and dice a-tumbling. So, was that the right call by Giovanni Savarese, given the teams ahead and where the Timbers will play them?
I’ll let people lay their own bets on that one, but I will say this: all of Portland's regular starters showed every sign of needing a break over Portland’s last twolosses (I’m re-writing nothing; the draw v. RSL was a loss)…and what if rest with a side of putting the fear into any starter he could motivated Savarese’s decision to put the starting Xi on full spin-cycle?
As someone conditioned against accepting any official line absent evidence - i.e., I don’t care what anyone says on the practice ground, or in a post- or pre-game presser; I only care what happens on game day - I’m stuck weighing the opportunity cost of those first…carry the one…66 minutes of starting…let’s call them Portland’s future against the Galaxy tonight.
First things first, there’s no question that Savarese gambled with the starting Xi - especially given how things played out. The Timbers’ second shift struggled to connect passes for the opening 20-25 minutes and only really settled into the game after Efrain Alvarez had already put the Galaxy up 1-0 on what was probably the worst goal Portland coughed up on the night; contra the broadcast team, that was less failing to track a run than too many players trying to constrict the same space. Still, the second shift found its feet starting around the 30 minute mark and even managed an attack or two before the half was over (for example). It was neither good nor promising, but the starters got their rest, even if they had no meaningful cause to fear for their jobs.
When the Galaxy scored again just inside the start of the second half - and against mistakes that seem more individual than structural - no, things did not look good. The Timbers attack struggled to get anything going and Portland’s defense struggled in general, a detail only makes the seismic shift that occurred when Portland subbed on just three starters look like the biggest story from the game. Put it this way: I expected the attack to improve when Jeremy Ebobisse, Sebastian Blanco and Eryk Williamson came on (for Marvin Loria, Tomas Conechny, and Cristhian Paredes, respectively), but the improvement was pretty damn global. One could make a case that having those players behind him gave Portland the safety-net comfort to flood the attacking zone via Renzo Zambrano, who stepped into a secondary inside channel to force the flop that set up Felipe Mora’s opening goal for Portland. Then again, all of a minute had elapsed…
The Galaxy pulled one back through, not naming names, only I am, Pablo Bonilla’s second ill-judged lunge of the evening (careful about leaving your feet, kid; but also, helluva a goal, Joe Corona). And it’s here where I really want to stop and take stock of the evening, because it’s easy to get lost in the weeds of results. I’m loathe to hang two of LA’s goals directly around Bonilla’s neck tonight, even if I can make a case for doing so. What I genuinely love about what happened tonight was that Savarese played his B-team tonight in a game that has a real chance of mattering. In doing that, he made Bonilla and everyone else involved accountable on some level for what happens over the rest of whatever the rest of this fucked-up season serves up. By which I mean, if the Timbers lose their next three games - and that’s something that any Timbers fan should fret over in at this point - Savarese just managed to make whatever success or failure comes a real team effort.
Anyone looking for a ray of hope should, frankly, marvel at the last 30 minutes or so of this game. As noted above, just having Ebo, Williamson and Blanco come on immediately solidified Portland’s shape. In terms of Portland’s overall choice of subs, close observers will note that most of them focused on the attack - and yet Portland’s defense didn’t have much to manage after they came on outside Cameron Dunbar’s thankfully non-lethal shot to the back post (and, incidentally, across Jeff Attinella’s goal). Going the other way, Portland posted chance after offside chance, after bullshit offside chance, until Diego Valeri pulled back a goal and put himself in MLS’s Hall of Fucking Fame with a near-post beauty. Seeing someone you’ve watched and admired seal his place in the history books is a special moment whenever it happens and, if whatever I’m thankful for as a Timbers fan, that one ranks pretty damn high.
The Timbers still lost, as noted above, and, no, that’s not good, especially not with the road ahead. Still, looking at the overall Western Conference standings circa September 2, 2020, 11:05 p.m. and, between the strenuously generous rules for admittance to whatever MLS post-season takes shape and the teams on the wrong side of the velvet rope that separates winners (playoff teams) from losers (seriously, re-examine everything), I don’t see how Portland misses that post-season.
Moreover, starting their non-starters in a game that very much matters (if in the context of a full season) revealed the players who seem most likely to contribute if/when push comes to shove. To give credit where I believe it belongs, I thought Paredes, Mora, and Loria carried the actual mantle tonight - as in, they showed up before the safety net and, therefore, might be ready to carry the weight through whatever tricky passages lie ahead. If any of the rest of them really fit the part, I didn’t see it - a talking point that can mean a lot of things.
When I take everything together, I see a Timbers team that will rely on a combination of its youth and getting the most out of fewer minutes for many of its regular starters to make a run toward the next trophy. Tonight’s game was important, if only in that narrow, specific sense. Even if the Timbers piss away 5-6 points over the next three games - something I can very much see happening - throwing all these players into the deep-end served a purpose: it showed who among them can produce with points/results on the line and, honestly, is there any other meaningful question in professional sports than who among you can produce and/or dig it?
To try to wrap everything into a big, thorough ball, I believe that the Portland Timbers will have to take some chances in order to win anything in 2020 (and 2021). Some combination of its depth will have to come good, not just to win a trophy, but to keep the top-line talent from burning out. If tonight’s game did anything, it was to underline the gap between Portland’s best and, again, what I’ve decided to call Portland’s future. As also proved tonight, the road ahead will be neither even nor predictable.
That’s the state of things as I see them. Send in the clowns…
It's a real problem for us fans and our players being uncertain of what will be the remainder of the 2020 season. Will the next assortment of matches after 9/16 be more of the same against same-time-zone rivals? Or will all the teams suddenly find themselves repeatedly flying to far-flung corners of the country to play in some distant empty stadium?
ReplyDeleteThe MLS has survived, even thrived, on gate receipts at venues. The tv money is very modest in the smaller markets. That's unlike every major American sport where the NFL teams, at least, could play forever in empty stadia and still turn a profit because of broadcast rights. So, like for the country's independant restaurants, the COVID restrictions are terrible trouble for most of the MLS owners in the medium to long run. No one should kid themselves, the owners are in this league because there is promise of profit. No fans in the stadia means bad times ahead at some point.