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| If only it was that heroic. And simple. |
I have a couple starting points for this one, but both point to the same broad idea.
The CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) is a strange annual ritual, a sacrifice where misplaced hope dies at the feet of at least two undeniable realities. One, Liga MX teams have bigger, better-compensated rosters and hail from a country with a stronger, longer tradition with the game. Two, the tournament is scheduled when most Major League Soccer clubs will be at their weakest and least prepared. They face a two-fold disadvantage going in every time, in other words, and…I just don’t get that. Trouble is, I can’t think of a better point in any given calendar year that doesn’t pose a problem - e.g., drop it in the late-to-mid summer and you level the playing field for MLS teams, but who wants a cheapened tournament of any kind? It’s a classic Gordian Knot, only in the form of an international club soccer tournament.
Due to when the respective leagues’ seasons happen, it’s possible there is no good way to optimize this tournament…but that doesn’t that beg the question of why it happens at all? I mean, is there a point to walking through a foregone conclusion? Fuck it. I type all that as someone who loves this tournament like one of my kids, unconditionally, even when it starts experimenting with hard drugs, and so on. Next point…
I saw people tweeting all kinds of grief at Claudio Bravo tonight, and there’s no question he struggled out there tonight. I’d throw Juancarlos Van Rankin under the same bus; both fullbacks struggled - not that I’d really fault Van Rankin for the cross that lead to Club America’s first goal, because two dudes v one dude - but even that begs a very sharp question: does it really matter whether or not Portland’s fullbacks struggle against a team they won’t face again until they return to the CCL, and maybe not even then?
The short answer is, no. The only thing that matters going forward is whether both fullbacks are good enough for MLS regular season play. If they hold up there…honestly, why give a shit about what happened tonight?
Allow me to elaborate…and how have I not mentioned that Club America won leg this 3-1 yet?
The Timbers came into tonight’s game needing to score at least one goal. After a…decently even opening 15 minutes, America steadily turned the screws and created chaos until they scored that opening goal. It was a well-constructed too - i.e., America showed they could slice up the gut and, when the Timbers clustered centrally to contain that, America played to a two-on-one on Portland’s right, leaving Van Rankin to choose between damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. All that was left from there was the ball clearing Bill Tuiloma’s head. It doesn’t matter whether that goal happened by design or opportunity; it happened.
The rest of the first half was….bad. Club America followed its period of dominance by pressing the Timbers into paralysis; swear to God, it took ‘em a solid five just to find a way out of the defensive third. Even then, on the rare occasion when they worked the ball out of the back - and big shout to Diego Chara, who 1) had another great game tonight, and 2) who broke that particular dam - the Timbers misfired in just about every facet of practical soccer playing at the attacking end, whether on set-pieces (e.g., that one time Diego Valeri and Eryk Williamson tried a two-parter from the right that no one seemed to anticipate) or when they had runners in open play and failed to find them. America had their number, basically, much like in the first leg.
And, as with the first leg, the Timbers came stronger to start the second half…and, yes, it’s here where grounds to bitch about CONCACAF refereeing stretch far and wide. The Timbers got a shot within 30 seconds of the halftime whistle (shit…who was it?), and Yimmi Chara got another great look around the 53rd minute. For the second time in the series, the Timbers demonstrated that America can get flustered when put under pressure, and maybe that’s the path forward in CCL games - e.g., beating them with energy (but also, and again, a big ask early in the MLS regular season) - but it took an inordinate amount of low-percentage passing to make it happen, i.e., the Timbers passing the ball into spaces with enough speed and…decently likely odds of failure to where America’s defenders wouldn’t even believe they’d try it. That’s what it took to force the openings.
For what it’s worth, and I mean this going forward, I believe that’s what MLS teams have to do in order to beat Liga MX teams: play with reckless abandon or go home, man. Portland was at their best tonight when they did that.
As for the rest of the game, it fell apart, came back together, and fell apart again - if only from Portland’s perspective - over the 11 minutes that followed. After that strong, if ragged spell of pressure from the Timbers, that dingleberry of a referee, Ivan Arcides Barton Cisneros, called a soft penalty for Club America when Bravo swiped his arm in front of Leo Suarez - reasonably, I’d argue, but I’m not calling the game. Portland ‘keeper, Jeff Attinella, guessed right (god bless ‘im), but saw the ball roll over his hand. Cisneros (for my money at least) very clearly gifted the Timbers a penalty kick on an even weaker call for a non-foul against Felipe Mora (going the other way...just don't do that, don't make the first dumbass call and problem solved). Diego Valeri tucked away the gift, which put the game closer to “on” than it’d been since kick-off….and then Leo Suarez cut inside against all of the left side of Portland’s defense to fire home the mildly lucky insurance-goal/back-breaker. The best thing I can say is that, it was fun to day dream for that six, seven minutes…
…but it doesn’t change the overall calculus.
In the realest of real times, the Timbers came into this game behind the eight ball. They had to manage the tension between scoring a goal and not giving one up from the get-go, and at altitude. All the “ifs” and “buts” checked out when their failure to outright win the first game freed Club America from having to score first on the return leg. In that narrow sense, they did pretty well tonight - better than well given the very real chances they had down the stretch. Diego Valeri fanned their last, best chance, of course, but that didn’t leave much time, never mind enough, for the second goal they would have needed to advance.
The larger point is that it’s hard to care more about a series where Portland stopped having a chance last week than it is to care about what happens going forward. And I say this as someone who honestly believes Portland is doomed to hand all three points to the Seattle Sounders next weekend. I mean, yes, of course I hope I’m wrong, but this feels like a smart time to take the long view on the rest of the season - not least because tonight makes me think Portland has a good shot at doing good things in 2021. As I see it, they should treat the Seattle game as a chance to 1) test their depth, and 2) give returning players (e.g., Jeremy Ebobisse, and EEEEEeeee!) another shot at match-fitness. With a shot at the CCL dead and gone, and whatever any of us think about it, there’s a whole damn season ahead and at least two trophies to play for, so focus on that/those. And think hard about how to get the most of out what Portland actually has on hand.
Overall, the one thing I’m hung up in is the essential pointlessness of interpreting any one thing or any individual player’s performance in tonight’s loss against what will happen over the rest of the MLS regular season. Again, this is the last time the Timbers will face Club America until their next statistically strained meeting. As much as I can’t guarantee resounding success for the Timbers in the regular season, or anywhere else, they still look like a decent bet after tonight - i.e., a game on the road against one of the, if not the, biggest clubs in the CONCACAF region.
Now, some stray notes…
- It was good and salutary to see Ebobisse getting in some nice, tricky touches but also bodying defenders all over the field. He will make the Timbers better when he gets whole. Can’t fucking wait.
- I think I’m a bigger Mora enthusiast than most, but a couple mild fails aside, he looked like the Timbers’ best near-goal option on the night.
- I’m back to basic comfort with Jeff Attinella. All good.
- A lot of Portland’s attacking players got swallowed up by the game tonight - I’d say Dairon Asprilla topped that list, but I’d also say America adjusted to what he does since Leg 1 - but I’d also credit Eryk Williamson for doing the best job of adapting to the circumstances. When combined about the above note about Diego Chara, I'd call that a good sign.
And…yeah, I think that’s it. Can’t wait to kick around the game after the Seattle game…unless the Timbers win that one, at which point I’ll kick the ever-loving shit out of that one! Till the next time…
The CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) is a strange annual ritual, a sacrifice where misplaced hope dies at the feet of at least two undeniable realities. One, Liga MX teams have bigger, better-compensated rosters and hail from a country with a stronger, longer tradition with the game. Two, the tournament is scheduled when most Major League Soccer clubs will be at their weakest and least prepared. They face a two-fold disadvantage going in every time, in other words, and…I just don’t get that. Trouble is, I can’t think of a better point in any given calendar year that doesn’t pose a problem - e.g., drop it in the late-to-mid summer and you level the playing field for MLS teams, but who wants a cheapened tournament of any kind? It’s a classic Gordian Knot, only in the form of an international club soccer tournament.
Due to when the respective leagues’ seasons happen, it’s possible there is no good way to optimize this tournament…but that doesn’t that beg the question of why it happens at all? I mean, is there a point to walking through a foregone conclusion? Fuck it. I type all that as someone who loves this tournament like one of my kids, unconditionally, even when it starts experimenting with hard drugs, and so on. Next point…
I saw people tweeting all kinds of grief at Claudio Bravo tonight, and there’s no question he struggled out there tonight. I’d throw Juancarlos Van Rankin under the same bus; both fullbacks struggled - not that I’d really fault Van Rankin for the cross that lead to Club America’s first goal, because two dudes v one dude - but even that begs a very sharp question: does it really matter whether or not Portland’s fullbacks struggle against a team they won’t face again until they return to the CCL, and maybe not even then?
The short answer is, no. The only thing that matters going forward is whether both fullbacks are good enough for MLS regular season play. If they hold up there…honestly, why give a shit about what happened tonight?
Allow me to elaborate…and how have I not mentioned that Club America won leg this 3-1 yet?
The Timbers came into tonight’s game needing to score at least one goal. After a…decently even opening 15 minutes, America steadily turned the screws and created chaos until they scored that opening goal. It was a well-constructed too - i.e., America showed they could slice up the gut and, when the Timbers clustered centrally to contain that, America played to a two-on-one on Portland’s right, leaving Van Rankin to choose between damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. All that was left from there was the ball clearing Bill Tuiloma’s head. It doesn’t matter whether that goal happened by design or opportunity; it happened.
The rest of the first half was….bad. Club America followed its period of dominance by pressing the Timbers into paralysis; swear to God, it took ‘em a solid five just to find a way out of the defensive third. Even then, on the rare occasion when they worked the ball out of the back - and big shout to Diego Chara, who 1) had another great game tonight, and 2) who broke that particular dam - the Timbers misfired in just about every facet of practical soccer playing at the attacking end, whether on set-pieces (e.g., that one time Diego Valeri and Eryk Williamson tried a two-parter from the right that no one seemed to anticipate) or when they had runners in open play and failed to find them. America had their number, basically, much like in the first leg.
And, as with the first leg, the Timbers came stronger to start the second half…and, yes, it’s here where grounds to bitch about CONCACAF refereeing stretch far and wide. The Timbers got a shot within 30 seconds of the halftime whistle (shit…who was it?), and Yimmi Chara got another great look around the 53rd minute. For the second time in the series, the Timbers demonstrated that America can get flustered when put under pressure, and maybe that’s the path forward in CCL games - e.g., beating them with energy (but also, and again, a big ask early in the MLS regular season) - but it took an inordinate amount of low-percentage passing to make it happen, i.e., the Timbers passing the ball into spaces with enough speed and…decently likely odds of failure to where America’s defenders wouldn’t even believe they’d try it. That’s what it took to force the openings.
For what it’s worth, and I mean this going forward, I believe that’s what MLS teams have to do in order to beat Liga MX teams: play with reckless abandon or go home, man. Portland was at their best tonight when they did that.
As for the rest of the game, it fell apart, came back together, and fell apart again - if only from Portland’s perspective - over the 11 minutes that followed. After that strong, if ragged spell of pressure from the Timbers, that dingleberry of a referee, Ivan Arcides Barton Cisneros, called a soft penalty for Club America when Bravo swiped his arm in front of Leo Suarez - reasonably, I’d argue, but I’m not calling the game. Portland ‘keeper, Jeff Attinella, guessed right (god bless ‘im), but saw the ball roll over his hand. Cisneros (for my money at least) very clearly gifted the Timbers a penalty kick on an even weaker call for a non-foul against Felipe Mora (going the other way...just don't do that, don't make the first dumbass call and problem solved). Diego Valeri tucked away the gift, which put the game closer to “on” than it’d been since kick-off….and then Leo Suarez cut inside against all of the left side of Portland’s defense to fire home the mildly lucky insurance-goal/back-breaker. The best thing I can say is that, it was fun to day dream for that six, seven minutes…
…but it doesn’t change the overall calculus.
In the realest of real times, the Timbers came into this game behind the eight ball. They had to manage the tension between scoring a goal and not giving one up from the get-go, and at altitude. All the “ifs” and “buts” checked out when their failure to outright win the first game freed Club America from having to score first on the return leg. In that narrow sense, they did pretty well tonight - better than well given the very real chances they had down the stretch. Diego Valeri fanned their last, best chance, of course, but that didn’t leave much time, never mind enough, for the second goal they would have needed to advance.
The larger point is that it’s hard to care more about a series where Portland stopped having a chance last week than it is to care about what happens going forward. And I say this as someone who honestly believes Portland is doomed to hand all three points to the Seattle Sounders next weekend. I mean, yes, of course I hope I’m wrong, but this feels like a smart time to take the long view on the rest of the season - not least because tonight makes me think Portland has a good shot at doing good things in 2021. As I see it, they should treat the Seattle game as a chance to 1) test their depth, and 2) give returning players (e.g., Jeremy Ebobisse, and EEEEEeeee!) another shot at match-fitness. With a shot at the CCL dead and gone, and whatever any of us think about it, there’s a whole damn season ahead and at least two trophies to play for, so focus on that/those. And think hard about how to get the most of out what Portland actually has on hand.
Overall, the one thing I’m hung up in is the essential pointlessness of interpreting any one thing or any individual player’s performance in tonight’s loss against what will happen over the rest of the MLS regular season. Again, this is the last time the Timbers will face Club America until their next statistically strained meeting. As much as I can’t guarantee resounding success for the Timbers in the regular season, or anywhere else, they still look like a decent bet after tonight - i.e., a game on the road against one of the, if not the, biggest clubs in the CONCACAF region.
Now, some stray notes…
- It was good and salutary to see Ebobisse getting in some nice, tricky touches but also bodying defenders all over the field. He will make the Timbers better when he gets whole. Can’t fucking wait.
- I think I’m a bigger Mora enthusiast than most, but a couple mild fails aside, he looked like the Timbers’ best near-goal option on the night.
- I’m back to basic comfort with Jeff Attinella. All good.
- A lot of Portland’s attacking players got swallowed up by the game tonight - I’d say Dairon Asprilla topped that list, but I’d also say America adjusted to what he does since Leg 1 - but I’d also credit Eryk Williamson for doing the best job of adapting to the circumstances. When combined about the above note about Diego Chara, I'd call that a good sign.
And…yeah, I think that’s it. Can’t wait to kick around the game after the Seattle game…unless the Timbers win that one, at which point I’ll kick the ever-loving shit out of that one! Till the next time…
I think I took heart from the fact that, ambitiously if not illogically, we didn't concentrate resources on Dallas and preplan that we were going down in flames at the Azteca. Maybe we would have taken that more dour approach if we were first whupped badly in Pro Park? Anyway, I liked the optimism. (CA really were one notch above our boys in quality. But, in any game you never know...)
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely glad the Timbers took their best shot at it - despite the lightly-doomed pall hovering above. The Timbers best available team in mid-season form would have (or might have) been something. That said, part of me is glad they're out and can focus on league play, but I think that's 80% the pessimism talking...
ReplyDelete