The Portland Timbers return to regular season and the unfashionable precincts of Los Angeles this Saturday afternoon where they’ll face a lately what-the-fuck Los Angeles Galaxy. I’ll flag some particulars shortly, but, first, some facts:
Los Angeles Galaxy
Record/Basics: 7-5-2, , 4-3-0 home; 17 gf, 15 ga, +2
Last 10: WWTWLWLTLW (5-3-2; 3-2-0 home)
Oppo: @ POR, @ LAFC, @ CHI, v NSH, @RSL @ ATX, v FCD, @ MIN, v HOU, v ATX
What We Know About Them
After starting the 2022 season as points-poachin’ 1-0 bandits, the Galaxy spent the whole damn month of May messing with Texas. The results came back mixed - more below – but, until they crumbled like so much apple-smoked bacon at home against Dallas and Houston, the Galaxy ranked among the most disciplined defenses in MLS. The attack, on the other hand, slowed down once the early-season hype-buzz around Chicharito wore off; The Mothership’s staff scribes want it a little too bad, sometimes. You’re not reading about any given Galaxy playing running away with anything because they haven’t – up to and including LA’s latest grasp at a household name, Douglas Acosta.
Notes on Recent Form
The home loss to Dallas ended before it started – and didn’t improve overly – but the Galaxy also coughed up an early goal to Houston, and I’d call scoring early, or at least first, the key to cracking LA's defense, but then they went and had that comeback win over Austin. And yet......the only thing I can see a Galaxy fan loving after this last stretch is Dejan Joveljic, but one wunder-game v Austin by one player does not save a season. The fact that Jonathan Bond bailed their asses all the way out in that draw at Minnesota lends further weight to the argument that LA didn’t do much better than survive May 2022. Despite playing three games at home – at least two against teams lower in the table – the Galaxy collected only three points of nine from a favorable layout. The road win at Austin at the head of the run softened the blow, and the late pile-on at home prettied up the Galaxy’s goal differential, but, on the recent evidence, teams from anywhere but Austin have some reason to think they can punch a point or three out of the Galaxy.
Notes on Past Meetings of 2022
The 1-3 loss in Portland contained a lot of the Timbers’ 2022, honestly: a fullback getting sent off (Pablo Bonilla, who, like nature, finds a way to go where he must), a glorious Bill Tuiloma free-kick, and an unhealthy helping of too little and too late. And, without knowing them like their fans do, it seems to represent the 2022 Galaxy too – i.e., a sort of bland, half-anonymous stability waiting on a something special from two or three players. In this case, a Raheem Edwards cross (he’s their leading assist-man, btw) found Chicharito, who had lost Portland’s defense (so, so easy) and that shipped all three points to Los Angeles.
Personal & Its Disposition
I think Sega Coulibaly won’t make Saturday’s game (along with others), so I expect to see Nick(?) DePuy and Derrick Williams in front of Jonathan Bond at the back and that’s worked all right for them. Solid, unspectacular, classic non-DP Galaxy. Edwards should be all right to start at right fullback, so that’s him and either Samuel Grandsir or Costa running at Portland’s weak side, and also a good way to ruin a Saturday afternoon. Julian Araujo and Kevin Cabral have combined to make a right side that’s more active the useful, and that’s probably (arguably?) Portland’s stronger side, so I’d call that something to think about. The recently-regular defensive pairing of Rayan Raveloson and Mark Delgado strikes me as another point of interest, in that I don’t think they’ve figured one another out entirely, whether it’s leaving space for cheatin’ fullbacks on the weakside or coping with anything that goes in between them. Finally, I think Chicharito’s back for regular starts, not that that mattered against Austin, where he missed a PK and a sitter. I wouldn’t write him off, or anything but Chicharito can only "thrive on service" if he gets it and, by everything I’ve seen, only Edwards provides regularly. Recent weeks notwithstanding, that half-anonymous defense has held up all right; the attack hasn’t troubled anyone overly apart from Portland and Austin, who gave the Galaxy just over 40% of their goals on the season.
Now, based on that...
Some Things I Hope to See The Timbers Do
1) Get Out of Their Own Damn Heads
The Timbers need to execute...just the bare fucking fundamentals, and in every facet of the game, obviously, but I mostly I mean this in re the forward-moving parts of the game. They need to try to move the ball with confidence, even when they don’t 100% feel it, because they need the muscle-memory on how to do that to come back something awful.
2) Shoot the Fucking Ball, Early and Often, Reset as Needed
I want the Galaxy defense to operate under the assumption that any Timber will fire on goal at the first plausible opportunity, if only to start the game. I neither care nor mind if they move to a more patient approach later, but the Timbers attack has to force defenses to think about something besides keeping their shape.
3) If You’re Not Gonna Practice Crosses...
LA tries to play with the ball generally – i.e., somewhere around 500 passes, except in the games against a more possession-dogmatic Austin (and look what happened) – and that should allow Portland to focus on staying compact and hitting on the counter, i.e., this game should give the Timbers’ trick pony room to roam. That should cut down on the occasions where the Timbers compact LA’s defense and pass everywhere but through it and settling for crosses that are about as effective as kicking the ball out of bounds. So, long diagonals, yes, through-ball, yes, early crosses to a lonely striker (or two), yes; literally any attacking pattern that sends a Timbers player running toward goal is a yes, any cross into a traffic a loud, veins-a-bulgin’ no.
3a) Mind LA’s Midfield
Seriously, pay attention to where/how Delgado/Raveloson and start attacks from the places they aren’t, even up the gut. That’ll keep the source of the final ball well in front of LA’s back-line (i.e., forward momentum on the final ball). And, again, if the Timbers insist on crossing, spread the width and send ‘em early.
4) Defend
Don’t do stupid shit, cover for any player who does, keep it more simple than cute, and stay tight, even if it means having a defender do nothing but track (e.g.,) Chicharito in the box. And I’d watch that Joveljic guy, assuming he starts, and prepare for a second wave if he subs on.
I won’t pretend I’m optimistic about this game; I fully expect the Timbers to lose and, yes, watching the highlights for the home loss at Philly for the Cincinnati preview did not help with that. Given the state of the Timbers right now – they lost three straight games going into the international break (3!!), two of them against teams they’ve killed in better seasons – I’d take a draw, even the rice-cake hell of a goal-less draw. I’d also give a whole, legit body part to see them turn in an attacking performance that looked like anything but timidity dancing with confusion.
Till the opening whistle, and no matter how much it hurts...
Record/Basics: 7-5-2, , 4-3-0 home; 17 gf, 15 ga, +2
Last 10: WWTWLWLTLW (5-3-2; 3-2-0 home)
Oppo: @ POR, @ LAFC, @ CHI, v NSH, @RSL @ ATX, v FCD, @ MIN, v HOU, v ATX
What We Know About Them
After starting the 2022 season as points-poachin’ 1-0 bandits, the Galaxy spent the whole damn month of May messing with Texas. The results came back mixed - more below – but, until they crumbled like so much apple-smoked bacon at home against Dallas and Houston, the Galaxy ranked among the most disciplined defenses in MLS. The attack, on the other hand, slowed down once the early-season hype-buzz around Chicharito wore off; The Mothership’s staff scribes want it a little too bad, sometimes. You’re not reading about any given Galaxy playing running away with anything because they haven’t – up to and including LA’s latest grasp at a household name, Douglas Acosta.
Notes on Recent Form
The home loss to Dallas ended before it started – and didn’t improve overly – but the Galaxy also coughed up an early goal to Houston, and I’d call scoring early, or at least first, the key to cracking LA's defense, but then they went and had that comeback win over Austin. And yet......the only thing I can see a Galaxy fan loving after this last stretch is Dejan Joveljic, but one wunder-game v Austin by one player does not save a season. The fact that Jonathan Bond bailed their asses all the way out in that draw at Minnesota lends further weight to the argument that LA didn’t do much better than survive May 2022. Despite playing three games at home – at least two against teams lower in the table – the Galaxy collected only three points of nine from a favorable layout. The road win at Austin at the head of the run softened the blow, and the late pile-on at home prettied up the Galaxy’s goal differential, but, on the recent evidence, teams from anywhere but Austin have some reason to think they can punch a point or three out of the Galaxy.
Notes on Past Meetings of 2022
The 1-3 loss in Portland contained a lot of the Timbers’ 2022, honestly: a fullback getting sent off (Pablo Bonilla, who, like nature, finds a way to go where he must), a glorious Bill Tuiloma free-kick, and an unhealthy helping of too little and too late. And, without knowing them like their fans do, it seems to represent the 2022 Galaxy too – i.e., a sort of bland, half-anonymous stability waiting on a something special from two or three players. In this case, a Raheem Edwards cross (he’s their leading assist-man, btw) found Chicharito, who had lost Portland’s defense (so, so easy) and that shipped all three points to Los Angeles.
Personal & Its Disposition
I think Sega Coulibaly won’t make Saturday’s game (along with others), so I expect to see Nick(?) DePuy and Derrick Williams in front of Jonathan Bond at the back and that’s worked all right for them. Solid, unspectacular, classic non-DP Galaxy. Edwards should be all right to start at right fullback, so that’s him and either Samuel Grandsir or Costa running at Portland’s weak side, and also a good way to ruin a Saturday afternoon. Julian Araujo and Kevin Cabral have combined to make a right side that’s more active the useful, and that’s probably (arguably?) Portland’s stronger side, so I’d call that something to think about. The recently-regular defensive pairing of Rayan Raveloson and Mark Delgado strikes me as another point of interest, in that I don’t think they’ve figured one another out entirely, whether it’s leaving space for cheatin’ fullbacks on the weakside or coping with anything that goes in between them. Finally, I think Chicharito’s back for regular starts, not that that mattered against Austin, where he missed a PK and a sitter. I wouldn’t write him off, or anything but Chicharito can only "thrive on service" if he gets it and, by everything I’ve seen, only Edwards provides regularly. Recent weeks notwithstanding, that half-anonymous defense has held up all right; the attack hasn’t troubled anyone overly apart from Portland and Austin, who gave the Galaxy just over 40% of their goals on the season.
Now, based on that...
Some Things I Hope to See The Timbers Do
1) Get Out of Their Own Damn Heads
The Timbers need to execute...just the bare fucking fundamentals, and in every facet of the game, obviously, but I mostly I mean this in re the forward-moving parts of the game. They need to try to move the ball with confidence, even when they don’t 100% feel it, because they need the muscle-memory on how to do that to come back something awful.
2) Shoot the Fucking Ball, Early and Often, Reset as Needed
I want the Galaxy defense to operate under the assumption that any Timber will fire on goal at the first plausible opportunity, if only to start the game. I neither care nor mind if they move to a more patient approach later, but the Timbers attack has to force defenses to think about something besides keeping their shape.
3) If You’re Not Gonna Practice Crosses...
LA tries to play with the ball generally – i.e., somewhere around 500 passes, except in the games against a more possession-dogmatic Austin (and look what happened) – and that should allow Portland to focus on staying compact and hitting on the counter, i.e., this game should give the Timbers’ trick pony room to roam. That should cut down on the occasions where the Timbers compact LA’s defense and pass everywhere but through it and settling for crosses that are about as effective as kicking the ball out of bounds. So, long diagonals, yes, through-ball, yes, early crosses to a lonely striker (or two), yes; literally any attacking pattern that sends a Timbers player running toward goal is a yes, any cross into a traffic a loud, veins-a-bulgin’ no.
3a) Mind LA’s Midfield
Seriously, pay attention to where/how Delgado/Raveloson and start attacks from the places they aren’t, even up the gut. That’ll keep the source of the final ball well in front of LA’s back-line (i.e., forward momentum on the final ball). And, again, if the Timbers insist on crossing, spread the width and send ‘em early.
4) Defend
Don’t do stupid shit, cover for any player who does, keep it more simple than cute, and stay tight, even if it means having a defender do nothing but track (e.g.,) Chicharito in the box. And I’d watch that Joveljic guy, assuming he starts, and prepare for a second wave if he subs on.
I won’t pretend I’m optimistic about this game; I fully expect the Timbers to lose and, yes, watching the highlights for the home loss at Philly for the Cincinnati preview did not help with that. Given the state of the Timbers right now – they lost three straight games going into the international break (3!!), two of them against teams they’ve killed in better seasons – I’d take a draw, even the rice-cake hell of a goal-less draw. I’d also give a whole, legit body part to see them turn in an attacking performance that looked like anything but timidity dancing with confusion.
Till the opening whistle, and no matter how much it hurts...
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