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| An aesthetic and practical metaphor for Portland's defense. |
You know what was most satisfying about the Portland Timbers temporally-vital 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City last night?
Seeing the Timbers win the game on the kind of goal that ruined their 2020 season - and arguably the half season before that - was deeply satisfying, almost healing. The ball into the attacking third was good, but not spectacular, the ball after that was more hopeful than wise, but it still pipped through Andreau Fontas’s high five-hole, giving Marvin “Human Frustration” Loria the chance to run it down for something close to a tap-in. letting in that kind of messy shit has become Portland's stock-in-trade, but if SKC wants to take it off their hands, I'm good. That ugly bugger finished Portland’s come-back and gave me a flush of optimism for the season ahead. All in all, I’d call the win far more comfortable than pretty, but it wasn’t all that comfortable either, and that’s square one for my talking points:
“Something else that struck me: SKC’s goals looked like dunks - i.e., they forced the kinds of breakdowns that any good team can finish, they kept finding the right pass, etc.”
I pulled that comment from my MLS Week 7 review, specifically, the notes on Kansas City’s 3-2 win over Houston Dynamo FC because it gets to what has grown into a massive, which, here, means borderline pathological, pet peeve for me: for all their faults (hold that thought), SKC has been really good at pulling teams apart - as suggested by their (now) league-leading 17 goals scored. And I’d argue that’s how anyone concerned about Portland’s defense last night should apply that thought - i.e., wherever they looked ragged and panicked just remember they played a team that is good at that thing. Maybe I’ve danced around this point, maybe I’ve have tapped the proverbial sign about it, but, barring anything short of a ruthlessly effective system (e.g., Barcelona’s glory years), it’s…just weird to expect perfect control, composure and consistency from every player on [your team] in every game, especially when they play different teams with different players every week, players who have different strengths and weaknesses, and who do different things on and off the ball, and on and on and on. Every conversation about a team's success and failure should keep the quality of opposition as something as a main talking point. But I digress…or do I?
The other side of SKC is written into that final score against Houston - e.g., the two goals they gave up (and to Houston). They’ve given away goals all season. Differences in style notwithstanding (see the possession numbers), I’d go so far as to say they’re starting to resemble the Timbers in way both good and bad. A team that can’t keep out the opposition can only find success by out-scoring them; both Portland and Kansas City have the weapons to pull that off (player availability assumed), so this one boiled down to the question of who could pull it off on the night. Sure, Sporting pinned in Portland several times last night, but one Timber or another managed to get in the way (see the balance of blocked shots), whereas KC let Dairon Asprilla (get well!) have two cracks at scoring the opener. Portland’s defense wasn’t flawless - they got caught in one of their patented “can’t clear the danger” spin cycles in giving up the opening goal - but they held firmer over the full 90 than SKC and that was enough.
I can’t go so far as to call it a superior performance, but it was exactly the score-line communicates: good enough, sufficient, etc. And I’m going to 1) enjoy it, dammit(!) and 2) let myself feel a little better about the future. Big picture: the Timbers returned from the international break, just one game removed from getting almost single-handedly stomped by one dude in the Philadelphia Union's line-up (Kacper Przybylko), and they held the league’s best attack (right now) to just one goal. That same break bought them time to get Diego Chara, Larrys Mabiala, and, giddiest of all, Sebastian Blanco recovered and returned to the field. Timbers fans only got to see one of them over the full 90 - Chara…and, lo, it was glorious; he won a key tackle inside the first minute fer crissakes - but this felt like the first game Portland had real options for substitutions since…shit, late September of 2020? But let’s return to the defense…
Dario Zuparic played his typical (2021) heady and front-footed game - he timed the key moments right and was always there or thereabouts when push came to shove; Bill Tuiloma, meanwhile, upstaged Zuparic, at least as the omnipresent man of last resort and as a passing vehicle. The name “Tuiloma” issued from the broadcast booth often enough to make you think he used every part of his body to thwart KC’s attack at least once, but what I’m really starting to love is how well and smartly he passes out of the back. To think, Bill’s heading into his prime years…
Related, the Timbers have three pretty damn good center-backs right now, and I’m not even sure which one I see as the anchor anymore. For what it’s worth, I’m currently leaning toward a Bill/Zup starting tandem, with Larrys both for 1) coming on as a sub to kill off a game, and 2) keeping both of them sweating bullets and blood from fear of losing their starting job. Better yet, Zac MacGraw has looked ready enough every time I’ve seen him and four healthy, competent CBs seems like options and cover enough for a campaign. And so, yeah, feeling good about the defense.
If you’ve made it this far, bless you. I realize I haven’t said a lot about the ebb and flow of the game, or singled out moments of brilliance, clarity or both from one team or the other. Going the other way, I don’t think the ebb and flow mattered overly because it played out on both teams’ preferred terms - i.e., SKC wanting to possess and break Portland down, while Portland looked to absorb and counter. After 90 minutes of both teams doing their thing more or less well, the Timbers came out on top - i.e., they absorbed better than SKC broke them down. It was a scrum more than anything else, a border war played out in a shifting middle fifty/sixty yards of the field. More important than any detail: they managed one of the current Western Conference heavies last night - and those wins carry a team further down the stretch and into the post-season…and more reinforcements wait on the horizon. Eeeeee!
Now, some finer points:
1) I don’t want to go too deep on hyping the defense, obviously, because history, but this really was a solid/emergency outing for all parts of Portland’s defense, save one. After a near-to-panting first impression of Josecarlos Van Rankin, he’s impressed me less every week since. To touch on another point, if I had to guess most people’s least favorite Timber right now it’d be Claudio Bravo. I doubt he made any converts last night, but, Bravo turned around a struggling start in a way that (the more experienced) Van Rankin didn’t, defensively in particular. I’m going to pass over the question of whether or not the Timbers successfully upgraded at fullback (I mean, does it matter? it’s not like Jorge Villafana and Marco Farfan took a return policy with them when they left), but it’s still a work in progress with both the current starting fullbacks. And I go back and forth as to who looks better between the new kids. Last night, it was Bravo for me.
2) I’m struggling to name a man of the match for last night, but I could do a hell of a lot worse than pick Eryk Williamson. Plenty of players contributed (see above and below), but I’m feeling rumblings of a real transition, where more things flow between Williamson and, say, Jeremy Ebobisse and Sebastian Blanco, than they flow through Diego Valeri (though his assist on the goal is noted/appreciated), at least out of the back. Williamson makes a lot of that happen with something simple as a pivot; he turns defenders around in midfield just by turning himself around.
2a) Between them, Williamson and Chara - who’s not a bad shout for man of the match himself - did as much as anyone on the field to make that shifting border war phenomenon happen. They did a good job of keeping SKC in front of the defense and an even better job of chasing down the SKC players who slipped behind them - a very tricky Alan Pulido, more often than not. I see that as a good way to explain the disconnect in SKC’s chance creation - e.g., 19 shots fired against flat-lining at 1.0 xG. Again, it wasn’t flawless, but the way those two bit back nicely complemented Bill & Zup’s work at the back…to hang a stupid metaphor on it, it reminded me of a set of jaws that closed on anything that came into the heart of Portland’s danger zone.
2b) It could be nothing but projection-laced delusion (I’ve wanted to see him play for a while), but I liked what I saw from Octavio Zambrano last night. His passing and decision-making looked all right, but, more than anything else, he looked confident as a two-way player with a sound plant-foot in defense…which is something I’m thinking about lately, no reason.
2c) Valeri had his share of good touches last night - a couple early ones, in particular, game-breaking given the right (or perfect) circumstances (then again, he’d done his bit) - and, again, the assist, but he really faded after the half. I appreciate that picking at Valeri makes people cranky, but, for perspective: Valeri could turn a game damn near on his own as recently as three years ago; one year ago, he could tip the balance: now…well, it’s tricky. Those turns he made last night suggests he can still find that breaking moment, but I expect the question of how to get the most out of Valeri to keep sharpening.
2d) I’m not sure I ever see Marvin Loria getting beyond his current level. It is what it is.
3) Jeremy Ebobisse battled last night, whether getting the ball deep and bull-rushing (a bit hopelessly) into SKC’s defense or making hard runs to provide options and get on the end of things. And that’s how a forward helps a team win a game without scoring.
That’s all the aimless chatter I’ve got on the Timbers, so I’ll close with some thoughts on SKC.
First and foremost, the level and pace they played at last night will get them points against most teams in MLS - i.e., I expect them to stay at or near the top of the Western Conference in 2021. They arguably rushed more shots than good sense suggested - Johnny Russell was a culprit there - but they did many things well. The game could have ended differently if, say, Daniel Salloi had a better afternoon. That said, I came away very impressed with their left side - e.g., Felipe Hernandez and Luis Martins…which could make this a case of taking my own advice and cutting Van Rankin some damn slack. At any rate, it’s worth taking another look at SKC’s starting XI, because there aren’t a lot of holes in that line-up…
…and Portland beat them. Feeling good about the future…
Seeing the Timbers win the game on the kind of goal that ruined their 2020 season - and arguably the half season before that - was deeply satisfying, almost healing. The ball into the attacking third was good, but not spectacular, the ball after that was more hopeful than wise, but it still pipped through Andreau Fontas’s high five-hole, giving Marvin “Human Frustration” Loria the chance to run it down for something close to a tap-in. letting in that kind of messy shit has become Portland's stock-in-trade, but if SKC wants to take it off their hands, I'm good. That ugly bugger finished Portland’s come-back and gave me a flush of optimism for the season ahead. All in all, I’d call the win far more comfortable than pretty, but it wasn’t all that comfortable either, and that’s square one for my talking points:
“Something else that struck me: SKC’s goals looked like dunks - i.e., they forced the kinds of breakdowns that any good team can finish, they kept finding the right pass, etc.”
I pulled that comment from my MLS Week 7 review, specifically, the notes on Kansas City’s 3-2 win over Houston Dynamo FC because it gets to what has grown into a massive, which, here, means borderline pathological, pet peeve for me: for all their faults (hold that thought), SKC has been really good at pulling teams apart - as suggested by their (now) league-leading 17 goals scored. And I’d argue that’s how anyone concerned about Portland’s defense last night should apply that thought - i.e., wherever they looked ragged and panicked just remember they played a team that is good at that thing. Maybe I’ve danced around this point, maybe I’ve have tapped the proverbial sign about it, but, barring anything short of a ruthlessly effective system (e.g., Barcelona’s glory years), it’s…just weird to expect perfect control, composure and consistency from every player on [your team] in every game, especially when they play different teams with different players every week, players who have different strengths and weaknesses, and who do different things on and off the ball, and on and on and on. Every conversation about a team's success and failure should keep the quality of opposition as something as a main talking point. But I digress…or do I?
The other side of SKC is written into that final score against Houston - e.g., the two goals they gave up (and to Houston). They’ve given away goals all season. Differences in style notwithstanding (see the possession numbers), I’d go so far as to say they’re starting to resemble the Timbers in way both good and bad. A team that can’t keep out the opposition can only find success by out-scoring them; both Portland and Kansas City have the weapons to pull that off (player availability assumed), so this one boiled down to the question of who could pull it off on the night. Sure, Sporting pinned in Portland several times last night, but one Timber or another managed to get in the way (see the balance of blocked shots), whereas KC let Dairon Asprilla (get well!) have two cracks at scoring the opener. Portland’s defense wasn’t flawless - they got caught in one of their patented “can’t clear the danger” spin cycles in giving up the opening goal - but they held firmer over the full 90 than SKC and that was enough.
I can’t go so far as to call it a superior performance, but it was exactly the score-line communicates: good enough, sufficient, etc. And I’m going to 1) enjoy it, dammit(!) and 2) let myself feel a little better about the future. Big picture: the Timbers returned from the international break, just one game removed from getting almost single-handedly stomped by one dude in the Philadelphia Union's line-up (Kacper Przybylko), and they held the league’s best attack (right now) to just one goal. That same break bought them time to get Diego Chara, Larrys Mabiala, and, giddiest of all, Sebastian Blanco recovered and returned to the field. Timbers fans only got to see one of them over the full 90 - Chara…and, lo, it was glorious; he won a key tackle inside the first minute fer crissakes - but this felt like the first game Portland had real options for substitutions since…shit, late September of 2020? But let’s return to the defense…
Dario Zuparic played his typical (2021) heady and front-footed game - he timed the key moments right and was always there or thereabouts when push came to shove; Bill Tuiloma, meanwhile, upstaged Zuparic, at least as the omnipresent man of last resort and as a passing vehicle. The name “Tuiloma” issued from the broadcast booth often enough to make you think he used every part of his body to thwart KC’s attack at least once, but what I’m really starting to love is how well and smartly he passes out of the back. To think, Bill’s heading into his prime years…
Related, the Timbers have three pretty damn good center-backs right now, and I’m not even sure which one I see as the anchor anymore. For what it’s worth, I’m currently leaning toward a Bill/Zup starting tandem, with Larrys both for 1) coming on as a sub to kill off a game, and 2) keeping both of them sweating bullets and blood from fear of losing their starting job. Better yet, Zac MacGraw has looked ready enough every time I’ve seen him and four healthy, competent CBs seems like options and cover enough for a campaign. And so, yeah, feeling good about the defense.
If you’ve made it this far, bless you. I realize I haven’t said a lot about the ebb and flow of the game, or singled out moments of brilliance, clarity or both from one team or the other. Going the other way, I don’t think the ebb and flow mattered overly because it played out on both teams’ preferred terms - i.e., SKC wanting to possess and break Portland down, while Portland looked to absorb and counter. After 90 minutes of both teams doing their thing more or less well, the Timbers came out on top - i.e., they absorbed better than SKC broke them down. It was a scrum more than anything else, a border war played out in a shifting middle fifty/sixty yards of the field. More important than any detail: they managed one of the current Western Conference heavies last night - and those wins carry a team further down the stretch and into the post-season…and more reinforcements wait on the horizon. Eeeeee!
Now, some finer points:
1) I don’t want to go too deep on hyping the defense, obviously, because history, but this really was a solid/emergency outing for all parts of Portland’s defense, save one. After a near-to-panting first impression of Josecarlos Van Rankin, he’s impressed me less every week since. To touch on another point, if I had to guess most people’s least favorite Timber right now it’d be Claudio Bravo. I doubt he made any converts last night, but, Bravo turned around a struggling start in a way that (the more experienced) Van Rankin didn’t, defensively in particular. I’m going to pass over the question of whether or not the Timbers successfully upgraded at fullback (I mean, does it matter? it’s not like Jorge Villafana and Marco Farfan took a return policy with them when they left), but it’s still a work in progress with both the current starting fullbacks. And I go back and forth as to who looks better between the new kids. Last night, it was Bravo for me.
2) I’m struggling to name a man of the match for last night, but I could do a hell of a lot worse than pick Eryk Williamson. Plenty of players contributed (see above and below), but I’m feeling rumblings of a real transition, where more things flow between Williamson and, say, Jeremy Ebobisse and Sebastian Blanco, than they flow through Diego Valeri (though his assist on the goal is noted/appreciated), at least out of the back. Williamson makes a lot of that happen with something simple as a pivot; he turns defenders around in midfield just by turning himself around.
2a) Between them, Williamson and Chara - who’s not a bad shout for man of the match himself - did as much as anyone on the field to make that shifting border war phenomenon happen. They did a good job of keeping SKC in front of the defense and an even better job of chasing down the SKC players who slipped behind them - a very tricky Alan Pulido, more often than not. I see that as a good way to explain the disconnect in SKC’s chance creation - e.g., 19 shots fired against flat-lining at 1.0 xG. Again, it wasn’t flawless, but the way those two bit back nicely complemented Bill & Zup’s work at the back…to hang a stupid metaphor on it, it reminded me of a set of jaws that closed on anything that came into the heart of Portland’s danger zone.
2b) It could be nothing but projection-laced delusion (I’ve wanted to see him play for a while), but I liked what I saw from Octavio Zambrano last night. His passing and decision-making looked all right, but, more than anything else, he looked confident as a two-way player with a sound plant-foot in defense…which is something I’m thinking about lately, no reason.
2c) Valeri had his share of good touches last night - a couple early ones, in particular, game-breaking given the right (or perfect) circumstances (then again, he’d done his bit) - and, again, the assist, but he really faded after the half. I appreciate that picking at Valeri makes people cranky, but, for perspective: Valeri could turn a game damn near on his own as recently as three years ago; one year ago, he could tip the balance: now…well, it’s tricky. Those turns he made last night suggests he can still find that breaking moment, but I expect the question of how to get the most out of Valeri to keep sharpening.
2d) I’m not sure I ever see Marvin Loria getting beyond his current level. It is what it is.
3) Jeremy Ebobisse battled last night, whether getting the ball deep and bull-rushing (a bit hopelessly) into SKC’s defense or making hard runs to provide options and get on the end of things. And that’s how a forward helps a team win a game without scoring.
That’s all the aimless chatter I’ve got on the Timbers, so I’ll close with some thoughts on SKC.
First and foremost, the level and pace they played at last night will get them points against most teams in MLS - i.e., I expect them to stay at or near the top of the Western Conference in 2021. They arguably rushed more shots than good sense suggested - Johnny Russell was a culprit there - but they did many things well. The game could have ended differently if, say, Daniel Salloi had a better afternoon. That said, I came away very impressed with their left side - e.g., Felipe Hernandez and Luis Martins…which could make this a case of taking my own advice and cutting Van Rankin some damn slack. At any rate, it’s worth taking another look at SKC’s starting XI, because there aren’t a lot of holes in that line-up…
…and Portland beat them. Feeling good about the future…
Substitution options - the bench still seemed pretty thin when Asprilla was looking hurt and thinking about who could replace him. It will feel like we have options when Mora and Yimmi are back. Hopefully they are ready for a short turn around and a hot day in Houston.
ReplyDeleteAgree about Loria.
Enjoy reading your reviews.