Portland Timbers 1(7) - 1(8) FC Dallas: Outta Gas...

That's the thing...you never know when it'll hit...

Glimmers of hope aside - e.g., the seven to eight of the final ten minutes of the second period of extra-time (but…keep reading) - things looked bleak for the Portland Timbers from the precise second Ricardo Pepi’s shot caromed off the post and…right back to set up Pepi for the perfect finish over the sprawling Steve Clark. It’s like the rather big little shit planned it or something.

Long story short, when fate tells you you’re fucked, there’s not a lot of room for negotiation. Sixes meet sevens, good gods, where to begin?

It was fitting, if nothing else, for the season to end on an ill-timed goal against one of those Major League Soccer teams that lives and dies by grit. Portland hardly put in a dominant performance, but they managed to play the ball inside the six-yard area, and with minimal contact from any FC Dallas player at various, if sporadic moments over the first 70 minutes, but the Texans always had one last defender to block the shot or poke the ball away (this is what I meant in the preview thread when I said they nearly always have someone in the way). When a toe, foot or shin couldn’t get in the way, Jimmy Maurer jumped in front ofeverythingelse - and all the way to the death as it happened.

That penalty shoot-out possessed a twilight kind of vibe, something that hinted it could go on forever, with shooter scoring and ‘keepers missing indefinitely…and then Jorge Villafana did and, as noted above, Jimmy Maurer got in the way one final, decisive time and, just like that, game over, season over, and sweet Jesus, how am I going to keep body and soul together until the 2021 MLS regular season/dodgeball with COVID resumes? I guess I’m still getting over the shock of losing one of my favorite stabilizers amid the madness. If you’ve got movie/TV/youtube recommends that don’t traffic in flaming paranoia, I’m listening…

In the event I haven’t mentioned the score yet, the Portland Timbers went up 1-0 in the…are fucking kidding me? 82nd minute, and through the kind of goal that, near as I can tell, they’d tried to score all night. For all their faults - and those started with letting Dallas bestir themselves in the second half of the first half - the Timbers managed to pin Dallas against its own backline on multiple occasions tonight; moreover, they came within one step, one spin, one poke, one lunge of playing the ball to within 12 feet of Dallas’ goal-line and having nothing but daylight and a yawning goal resplendently before them…only to have something go awry at the last second. For what it’s worth, I think the box score tells a fair story: Portland posted 22 shots, and with 8 on goal, so they found enough chances. Dallas kept them out by defending all the way to their back-line - which is something you can really see around the tiny fucking spaces in which Valeri and Villafana had to operate for the go-ahead goal.

Los Angeles FC 1-1 Portland Timbers: Running Through Hell to Glory

Ma tenders!

There was a lot to love about the Portland Timbers’ late, late (late, late, late, late) equalizer against Los Angeles FC tonight e.g., the way it felt like Portland looking at the right side of the mirror, for once, after they’ve looked at it from the wrong side too often this season, or the fluid beauty of the full faith and execution with which all the players involved found the right passes and made the right runs, not to mention seeing Diego Valeri drop the cross on a goddamn dime to Jorge Villafana’s back-post run. This was after 90 minutes into an exhausting duel and running on legs I’d given up on, frankly, too many seasons ago.

Personally, I most appreciated the aesthetic of the way it played out on my TV. I got only as far as “wai” into “wait, where’s that cross going?” before I spotted Villafana’s run. Watching the ball fly through the air as Villafana sprinted to meet it, seeing LAFC’s goalkeeper and defender pinch together to stop it - swear to God, it brushed the defender’s hair (who was it? no one important, just another victim) - and to see that it always could only land exactly where it did: ah, thing of beauty…

…what’s that? What about the 90 sweaty minutes passed before it? Yes, yes, LAFC pinged the woodwork like it was the object of the game - twice if byDiego Rossi, once if by Carlos Vela, and through disturbingly clear openings - but I’ve got caveats for days from Portland’s side of the “what ifs,” and Timbers fans got their fairy tale ending in a 1-1 draw that booked them a date with FC Dallas. In the grand scheme of everything, I’d call that result a steal worth not asking too many questions about.

First, either forget the box score (too even) or know that LAFC ran good-golly-gosh-darn riot for nearly all of the first half; hell, the Timbers could barely get out of their defensive third for the first 25-30 minutes. Portland settled down their affairs as the game continued, but I doubt even one dollar’s worth of the live betting shifted in their direction until the 80th minute. That said, the smart money would have started moving in the Timbers’ direction around the 85th, even if in search of a big payoff. They finally posted someshots and, I’m guessing, did most of the work to doing those last-minute revisions to the box score.

Portland Timbers 0-1 Colorado Rapids: I Think the Word Is Sanguine...or Conditionally Cocky

Blake, buddy, c'mon. It's win-win.

A tight affair falls apart when Diego Chara misplays a pass and a combination of Younes Namli and Diego Rubio gets it vertical fast enough to bump the ball over to Kellyn Acosta, who flawlessly executed a “shall-we-dance” one-step around the Bill Tuiloma in the 83rd minute to tuck home the only goal scored tonight.

Also, and shit, the rumors were true: the Portland Timbers didn’t manage a shot on goal tonight and that’s the surest way in the sport to lose a game 0-1 at home and coursing down the stretch. Also, don’t worry, I’ll actually write about the game this time. You’ll see…

That said, the balance of the notes will talk about all the players who took the field tonight in big picture terms, but, to focus on tonight’s 96 minutes’ worth of…not ideal…

I’m going to start by referring back to my post on the last Timbers’ game, e.g., the 1-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps (in a past that feels like 20 years ago). That’s not a great piece of writing, but I want to reiterate what I see as a major, unappreciated idea in most discussions about soccer: every game is different, and for a dozen different reasons. That’s the broad argument, but things get really different any time a team doesn’t play what it believes to be its best team - I phrased it that way specifically to talk around armchair managing - which is what the Timbers did tonight, and certain things follow from that.

As much as I feel like the Timbers started all right - e.g., they looked fine over the first 10 minutes - they slipped off the front foot from there and to the end of the first half. It wasn’t that they did nothing - they created a decent kerfuffle, in fact, as the first half was winding down (dignity!) - but the threat never rose elevated above kerfuffling and the Timbers didn’t score and therefore didn’t win, and that’s all you really need to know….but, if you’d like to kick this thing around until it doesn’t get up, well, you’ve come to the right place.

Because I’m struggling to say it at all, I’ll just have to say it unartfully: why would you expect an attack run by, in descending order, Felipe Mora, Eryk Williamson, Diego Chara…it’s getting harder, um, Andy Polo(?), Pablo Bonilla/Marco Farfan, uh, Cristhian Paredes, then Andres Flores (who I’m still tempted to tuck under Bill Tuiloma, but…) to mount a competent offense against, 1) a defensively competent Colorado side (5th best in a 12-team Western Conference, and seven fewer goals against than Portland), and 2) those players running the show? Examples of just how much the personnel matters abounded in the first half in the form of passes mis-hit by 10% or more (Paredes), or players dribbling into slowly-forming cul-de-sacs for lack of a better idea (Paredes); I’m dumping on Paredes out of frustration, but everyone all the way to Chara was guilty of it.

Giovanni Savarese massaged the line-up into shape with subs, starting with Yimmi Chara coming on for the uncharacteristically useful Andres Flores (see below) and, later, Diego Valeri for Williamson, who’d faded out of the game during the first half and never quite found the second (more below). The balance shifted when Yimmi came on and flipped all the way when Valeri did. Mora wasn’t fielding hopeful passes on an island for one, but a pressing style generally works better when you’ve got somewhere to go with the ball - something the Timbers didn’t have throughout the first half, because see above.

As much as the attack cohered into something dangerous over the second half - Jorge Villafana’s shot off the wrong side of his foot from Valeri’s seeing eye heel pass started the Timbers’ best period and Dairon Asprilla’s shot off the post ended it (and they also had a nice detour in some interplay between Yimmi and Mora; maybe you have to watch the full highlights to get any of that)) - they didn’t get it done, not even conceptually. The most menacing thing Rapids’ ‘keeper William Yarbrough saw tonight was Dario Zuparic’s body flopping into it.

So, no, it wasn’t a good night, but I can’t get angry at it. I’ve been begging to get some of Portland’s…more mature players rested for some time now. I’m only half-satisfied on that count, because Savarese rested Valeri, but decided to play Chara…who, for all his works, good and imperfect, picked up a (well-deserved) yellow card. He’ll miss Sunday’s game against Los Angeles FC as a result and, to read the letter of the law, Chara was lucky to not get sent off for a late challenge on…didn’t write it in my notes, but it happened and you get my point. If I had to choose which game I’d have Chara play between Colorado and LAFC, I’d choose LAFC every time. That’s not because I’m right or when it’s happening, or any clear, coherent argument, it’s just what I feel, and that’s how America works right now, so there.

By all that I mean, I’ve got a general anxiety around burn-out. Given the results and, let’s face it, genuinely complicated man-management that Gio has faced during the 2020 season - and that’s before holding the pandemic shit together - every argument I make about what is or is not working comes into the conversation facing an uphill stumble. Against that, Valeri came on and shined like the gem he is; I mean, you could see how much he stretched the defense just by being him (gravity, baby), and he didn’t burn his legs too much to boot with only 35 minutes played. I’d call that a decent gamble. Gio also deserves props, in my book, for getting Williamson off the field in short order after Diego Chara picked up the yellow card that keeps him out of the regular season finale at LAFC...

…and just to flag it, you know you’ve still got Renzo Zambrano, right, Gio?

That’s it for game-specific commentary. Went on longer than I thought it would, honestly, but I think some of that bleeds into what I’ll do in the rest of the post - especially the stuff about Williamson and Flores I flagged in parentheses above. The rest of this post will pick through all the Timbers’ reasonable depth to try to peg where they fit in the grand scheme going into Fucked Up 2020 Playoffs, and wherever the Timbers hit it. Taking them in the order they’re listed in the box score (mostly not worth your time, but also flagged with an asterisk), or that they come to me:

Bill…wait, stop…

Larrys Mabiala*: He’s the anchor of my back-line, full-stop.

Dario Zuparic*: Quietly solid tonight, invisible yet often the answer to the question, “how did that attack break down?” My other starting center back, no question.

Bill Tuiloma: He’s good cover, and generally makes me feel safe, but, the latest revisions to the rules be damned, I would have called that a penalty (i.e., if there’s dead air behind you and your hand stops the progress of the ball?), and Tuiloma doesn't stray so far from that as a defender.

Marco Farfan*: Didn’t like seeing him leaving with a non-contact injury. Just pissed off.

Jorge Villafana: He does good things in the attack and enough in the defense. Not really happy about the absence of an understudy, but I think that’s the deal.

Pablo Bonilla*: I’ve come around on him and, again, if he’s all that’s left, so be it, but he got pulled apart and rounded as much as Farfan did tonight. I’m not too worried because I haven’t seen that a lot, but Colorado knew how to work the Timbers’ fullbacks.

Andres Flores*: This will be longer-form. I value Flores on the roster because he’s reliable and you know exactly what you’ll get out of him - e.g., 100% hustle and brains, but not a lot else. While I’m generally a fan, and on the grounds he doesn’t fuck up much and does the odd good thing, Flores didn’t do much good tonight. I still think he’s a solid piece for the current playoff stretch, and he beats a kick in the head, but this is one of those “don’t be afraid to upgrade situations” that cell phone companies talk about…if with less justification.

Andy Polo*: I’d call that his best night of 2020, and, yes, even better than this goal, because he did more to move the cause forward tonight than he sometimes does, and that's more important in the grand scheme. He killed his share of plays too and, bluntly, that one comment explains the concept of a starting eleven better than I ever will. He's never been central to Portland's plans, so...

Cristhian Paredes*: Somewhere around the 50th minute, he had a surging run up the gut and with numbers around him that a decent attacking player would consistently turn into a shot. Instead, he over-hit the pass, and the attack strained against the weight of it from that pass forward. If he defended strongly, he’d have a role; if he could do what Williamson does, he’d have a role. Paredes doesn’t have a role, not in Portland.

Diego Chara*: Vital. Still.

Eryk Williamson*: Based on what I saw tonight, I don’t see him replacing Valeri’s particular skill-set. Honestly, the more I watch Williamson, the more I think he looks like Michael Bradley, only better on the dribble and close combination more than the long-ball, someone who will do his best work on late runs. That’s just my sense…

Felipe Mora*: A one-man army, and facing tall odds tonight. He can’t quite lead the line (too small), but Mora can make shit happen so long as he can get people close enough to him. I’m totally sold on this signing.

Diego Valeri*: I’m starting to wonder if this season wasn’t tailor-made for the Maestro…

Marvin Loria: I don’t know what’s going on, but he’s just not doing it this season, and on either side of the ball.

Renzo Zambrano: The fact that Zambrano hasn’t started is like the Michele Miscavige mystery of the Timbers in 2020.

Yimmi Chara*: Solid addition. I think he’ll get better too.

Dairon Asprilla*: As I’ve said every season since he’s joined the team, why not? (And with good reason!)

Tomas Conechny: For emergency use only at this point.

Steve Clark: When he’s confident, he’s very good.

Aljaz Ivacic: His one bad game has stuck with me.

Jeff Attinella: He’s still on the team? If so, good.

Chris Duvall: Is he broken? If not, hurray!

Jeremy Ebobisse: Given everyone who’s missing, Ebobisse becomes even more important to the team. Not at the risk of his health, but, absolutely, I believe the Timbers have a chance at winning MLS Cup if he’s healthy, less so if he’s not.

OK, I think that’s everyone who I think has a snowball’s chance of getting on a game-day roster between today and the end of 2020 - i.e., all the respect in the world, Blake Bodily, and I will buy you Burt Reynold’s Trans Am from Smokey and the Mother Fucking Bandit if you score the game-winning goal in Fucked Up MLS Cup 2020. (But not if you actually do it, because those odds are properly cosmic and might foretell environmental collapse by way of Nostradamus.)

As implied in what I said about Ebobisse, I think Portland has a decent chance, at least so long as COVID doesn’t win the 2020 MLS Playoffs and, by translation, certain things line up. All the same, and with the fullest of appreciation to every player that wears green and gold - yes, even Blake Bodily (and Zac McGraw, and anyone else I didn’t name) - thanks for a great season. You gave me a happy distraction through one of the most challenging years of my life and what’s better for keeping up morale!

Portland Timbers 1-0 Vancouver Whitecaps: T.C.O.B.

Taking. Care. of. Business.

To get something off my chest right away, few things drive me crazier than people talking about the Portland Timbers’ varying gallery of (now) bi-weekly villains as a bunch of apples - e.g., why would anyone expect the same thing from a game against the Los Angeles Galaxy (for sake of argument, an apple) that they would against the Vancouver Whitecaps (going with a kumquat)?

Full disclosure - and, no bullshit, I love when this happens - I wrote that first paragraph believing that the Whitecaps had a far, far better defensive record than the Galaxy, but, nope. They’re worse, actually, having allowed 44 goals to LA’s 41, so the whole “apple” thing holds up there, but let’s look elsewhere. OK…they suck roughly equally on the attacking side, so…let’s try the big picture/more practical route: Vancouver has played the Timbers close in both meetings during this Fucked Up 2020. Last night’s final score matched the only other one in the sample - e.g., a 1-0 win for Portland, and in the same venue.

Having just reviewed my notes on that prior game, I’ll flag two things: 1) the Timbers fielded a heavily rotated squad for it and still won by the same margin - also of note, that was the 3rd game in a 5-game winning streak for Portland - but, 2) this win felt cagey where the earlier win felt like an experiment in what the Timbers can get away with. While last night wasn’t quite “all hands on deck” (because the Timbers have a couple hands missing - e.g., Sebastian Blanco, Jeremy Ebobisse, etc.), Portland played something like their starting alignment. They turned in a more controlled outing, but I also know I wasn’t the only one watching who suffered unwelcome flashbacks to those three games from October 14 to October 22nd - e.g., the loss to Real Salt Lake, and the back-to-back 1-1 draws against LAFC then the Seattle Sounders.

The Timbers held on last night and, to return to the larger argument, that’s because they had more quality to manage against LAFC and Seattle…and RSL turned out to be Portland’s bogey team for 2020 (they managed just one point against RSL all season, which is nuts given that they dropped five goals on them over those two games). Also, because I just read it (which means I actually posted this for public consumption), read this dynamite analysis from the last Vancouver win and wonder whether you should take anything I write seriously:

Atlanta United FC 2-0 FC Cincinnati: Scrap It for Parts (and even that's hard)

Yessir, it's been that kind of year.

I hadn’t planned on writing about this game, but I had an hour to kill between games yesterday, so what the hell? Also, I’m barely writing about FC Cincinnati’s 0-2 road loss to Atlanta United FC so much as I’m writing about the season as a whole and state of things generally. Which makes sense because what was last night’s game but a 90-minute microcosm of the season and state of things as a whole?

Cincinnati went down one goal early - and under the weight of…was that just three attacking players for Atlanta? - something that’s proved fatal nearly every time it’s happened. That’s just what happens for any team that’s scored just five goals in sixteen games. That’s right: Cincinnati’s attack hasn’t even arrived at a point where I can start to use actual numbers when I write about them - e.g., it’s “five” instead of “5,” or, God forbid, “16” or, dare I orgasm mid-preamble by typing “30”?

Atlanta scored again, Cincinnati never did, the end. Point to anything in the box score - e.g., the Orange and Blue’s lopsided edge in possession and passing accuracy, their stockpile of passes, the fact they held the edge in every available attacking category - and I’ll point to the scoreboard. Cincinnati’s attackers gave Brad Guzan a little work to do, but, to get all existential about it, I can’t remember the last time I tuned into an FC Cincinnati game without expecting unbelievable, unrelenting tragedy. It’s not whether they’ll fail, but how long we’ll have to wait for it to become the familiar, sickening combination of both obvious and final. Atlanta did all concerned a solid by scoring their second by the 26th minute (and tough night for Kendall Waston). Anyone clear on why Jaap Stam swapped out Nick Hagglund, when central defense was working better than most things?

The only question left open for me in 2020 - that’s to say, yes, I think that FC Cincinnati 2020’s team will go down as the shittiest attacking team in MLS history (they have to score four goals to avoid that fate) - is which players the team holds onto going forward. I’ll tick through tonight’s starters and subs below - and, to be clear, this is an entirely ruthless and mercenary exercise, done without regard to how much turnover any given team can withstand, or even the realities of any player’s existing and legally binding contract, e.g., if Cincinnati’s contractually-bound to keep that player around, it is what it is. With that, here’s who I’d keep and who’d I’d cut bait on listed in the order they appear in the box score (don’t read into the order, basically):