 |
| Not as fresh as you'd like, but still edible. |
They could have curled up and passed out, but the Portland Timbers rallied on both the field and the scoreboard to tie the Los Angeles Galaxy 3-3 down in Carson last night. That said, I doubt any Timbers fan thought, “job well done,” on hearing the final whistle.
It has been a minute since I could drink in a full 90 (the win over Los Angeles FC back on September 9), so it’s possible I missed some disjointed, hesitant performances, but those words – disjointed and hesitant – paint the right picture. To their credit, the Timbers did put together the match’s first coherent moment – Felipe Mora chest-trapping a cross and pinging it into the yawning gap between LA’s Raheem Edwards and their centerbacks for Dairon Asprilla to run into; an open cutback found Santiago Moreno the doorstep for the game’s first goal (neat-o!) – but the Galaxy would equalize on a standing(!) header by Eric Zavaleta and settle into their game from there until...quite a ways into the game. They had the ball zipping to and fro by the 30th minute. Portland, not so much.
Missing a couple regulars likely played a role – e.g., Evander was out with an ankle(?) knock and neither Diego Chara nor his appendix could start – so maybe call the incoherence a testament to Evander’s growing influence on the team. Losing Cristhian Paredes at the mid-30s hardly helped (also, pulling for the guy to recover in time for his turn in the international spotlight), but the sort of global awkwardness had taken hold long before then. The usual sins followed from a team playing uptight – stray passes, disconnected movement, etc. – but those deficits can be redeemed (hallelujah!) when the team gives the proverbial 110%. Instead, the game’s long middle passage saw the Galaxy beat Portland to every 50/50 and the Timbers regularly at least one step behind.
And yet Portland still took the lead in the 38th minute when a...reasonably-worked, set-of-their-flaming-trousers move up the middle ended with a last-gasp cross bouncing off Zavaleta’s chest and into LA’s goal. Put a pin this moment because it pretty much defined both game and result.
LA made good on their better moments, first equalizing when Douglas Acosta cleaned up a loose ball in the area, then by flummoxing Portland’s set-piece defending with a delayed free-kick – and, wow, did that last one hurt. When the halftime whistle blew, it looked for the world like the Galaxy collectively and Zavaleta individually would overcome that own-goal and take all three points.
It has been a minute since I could drink in a full 90 (the win over Los Angeles FC back on September 9), so it’s possible I missed some disjointed, hesitant performances, but those words – disjointed and hesitant – paint the right picture. To their credit, the Timbers did put together the match’s first coherent moment – Felipe Mora chest-trapping a cross and pinging it into the yawning gap between LA’s Raheem Edwards and their centerbacks for Dairon Asprilla to run into; an open cutback found Santiago Moreno the doorstep for the game’s first goal (neat-o!) – but the Galaxy would equalize on a standing(!) header by Eric Zavaleta and settle into their game from there until...quite a ways into the game. They had the ball zipping to and fro by the 30th minute. Portland, not so much.
Missing a couple regulars likely played a role – e.g., Evander was out with an ankle(?) knock and neither Diego Chara nor his appendix could start – so maybe call the incoherence a testament to Evander’s growing influence on the team. Losing Cristhian Paredes at the mid-30s hardly helped (also, pulling for the guy to recover in time for his turn in the international spotlight), but the sort of global awkwardness had taken hold long before then. The usual sins followed from a team playing uptight – stray passes, disconnected movement, etc. – but those deficits can be redeemed (hallelujah!) when the team gives the proverbial 110%. Instead, the game’s long middle passage saw the Galaxy beat Portland to every 50/50 and the Timbers regularly at least one step behind.
And yet Portland still took the lead in the 38th minute when a...reasonably-worked, set-of-their-flaming-trousers move up the middle ended with a last-gasp cross bouncing off Zavaleta’s chest and into LA’s goal. Put a pin this moment because it pretty much defined both game and result.
LA made good on their better moments, first equalizing when Douglas Acosta cleaned up a loose ball in the area, then by flummoxing Portland’s set-piece defending with a delayed free-kick – and, wow, did that last one hurt. When the halftime whistle blew, it looked for the world like the Galaxy collectively and Zavaleta individually would overcome that own-goal and take all three points.
 |
| Imagine it's Felipe Mora and/or soccer. |
On a big-picture prediction level, the game played out as I expected it to. This makes the fourth straight game involving the Galaxy where nearly every team scored three goals or more (it was the Galaxy that fell short in their 2-4 loss at Los Angeles FC); they play like a team that knows they have to win, i.e., they take chances and open up accordingly. Still, being down just one goal in a game like that means all it takes to get back in is that one shining moment the NCAA basketball tournament wrote a song about.
There wasn’t a lot of “shine” on Portland’s equalizer – it boiled down to (who else?) Mora cleaning up some trash LA left on their stoop – but it happened because the Timbers pulled together to make it happen. They started chasing the 50/50s and winning them - not unlike the way Dario Zuparic stepped in to force the turnover that started the play – and the passes started clicking together. On an unluckier day, maybe Sebastian Blanco doesn’t get that ball into the area (or maybe the Galaxy’s defenders don’t sink that deep to let it in), or maybe the deflection bounces out instead of to Mora’s feet. Still, it happened, the Timbers pinched a point, and that put some breathing room between them and 10th-place Sporting Kansas City and 11th-place Minnesota United FC. And that’s good! (enough!)
So, what do you call all that in the grand scheme? Yanking a point out of their butts or passing the gut-check? Lucky? Sloppy? An appetizer that hints at a solid main course? Due to the three games I missed while traveling, I don’t feel qualified to hang the adjective on this one. I will, however, take it and feel all right about it.
All I’ve got from here are some talking points. In the order they strike me as significant.
The Midfield Headcount
From what I gather, the results have continued to come without Diego Chara in the line-up – and what a bittersweet little thought that is – but, as hinted at above, Timbers fans got a sense of how many pieces can come off before the wheels wobble off. The Timbers ultimately brought it home, but the Galaxy factually have the worst defensive record in MLS and I can’t see them surviving the rest of 2023 or dipping far into the playoffs with that many absences. Very much related...
Brian Acosta’s Ceiling
To be clear, I don’t know how high it is, even with all his time in MLS; I only know it didn’t provide enough room to help the team. Stats-nerds may prove me wrong (and, please do), but I saw Acosta repeatedly overhit passes, his set-piece delivery failed to more often than not and he seemed to overrun plays and moments. The Galaxy’s high, aggressive defensive line did real damage*, but Acosta struck me as one of Portland’s bigger liabilities in terms of getting on the ball and/or into the game.
* So, Why Did They Abandon It?
I neglected to acknowledge one, possibly quite large variable that let the Timbers back in the game – i.e., the Galaxy’s apparent choice to back off said high, aggressive line. That sucker throttled the Timbers’ passing lanes and made getting out of their own half a persistent, living hell. Moreover, LA seemed to pull it off without all the headless-chicken running around you sometimes see, so, no, I don’t know why they gave it up. I’m just thankful they did.
The One Sub That Mattered
Missing the past three games means I haven’t seen much of Portland’s new, young Brazilian winger Antony. If the 71 minutes he played last night brought me current, he remains a work in progress. He was so invisible last night that it took me three full minutes to figure out who Blanco replaced when he came on. On the plus side, I saw Blanco do more Blanco things last night than he has a couple seasons. I don’t know if that’s new this week, but may it continue until he takes off his boots for the lats time and parks them over his fireplace.
Just Tell Me It Was an Off-Night
Again, I’ve missed a few games, but I picked up a general impression that Claudio Bravo had tidied things up under the new regime. His performance last night left me wondering whether I dreamed all those kind words. So much lunging, too many errant passes: Bravo did the over-eager pup from years past thing last night. Here’s to hoping it was a one-off.
That’s it for this one. Looking forward to writing on firmer ground next week.
There wasn’t a lot of “shine” on Portland’s equalizer – it boiled down to (who else?) Mora cleaning up some trash LA left on their stoop – but it happened because the Timbers pulled together to make it happen. They started chasing the 50/50s and winning them - not unlike the way Dario Zuparic stepped in to force the turnover that started the play – and the passes started clicking together. On an unluckier day, maybe Sebastian Blanco doesn’t get that ball into the area (or maybe the Galaxy’s defenders don’t sink that deep to let it in), or maybe the deflection bounces out instead of to Mora’s feet. Still, it happened, the Timbers pinched a point, and that put some breathing room between them and 10th-place Sporting Kansas City and 11th-place Minnesota United FC. And that’s good! (enough!)
So, what do you call all that in the grand scheme? Yanking a point out of their butts or passing the gut-check? Lucky? Sloppy? An appetizer that hints at a solid main course? Due to the three games I missed while traveling, I don’t feel qualified to hang the adjective on this one. I will, however, take it and feel all right about it.
All I’ve got from here are some talking points. In the order they strike me as significant.
The Midfield Headcount
From what I gather, the results have continued to come without Diego Chara in the line-up – and what a bittersweet little thought that is – but, as hinted at above, Timbers fans got a sense of how many pieces can come off before the wheels wobble off. The Timbers ultimately brought it home, but the Galaxy factually have the worst defensive record in MLS and I can’t see them surviving the rest of 2023 or dipping far into the playoffs with that many absences. Very much related...
Brian Acosta’s Ceiling
To be clear, I don’t know how high it is, even with all his time in MLS; I only know it didn’t provide enough room to help the team. Stats-nerds may prove me wrong (and, please do), but I saw Acosta repeatedly overhit passes, his set-piece delivery failed to more often than not and he seemed to overrun plays and moments. The Galaxy’s high, aggressive defensive line did real damage*, but Acosta struck me as one of Portland’s bigger liabilities in terms of getting on the ball and/or into the game.
* So, Why Did They Abandon It?
I neglected to acknowledge one, possibly quite large variable that let the Timbers back in the game – i.e., the Galaxy’s apparent choice to back off said high, aggressive line. That sucker throttled the Timbers’ passing lanes and made getting out of their own half a persistent, living hell. Moreover, LA seemed to pull it off without all the headless-chicken running around you sometimes see, so, no, I don’t know why they gave it up. I’m just thankful they did.
The One Sub That Mattered
Missing the past three games means I haven’t seen much of Portland’s new, young Brazilian winger Antony. If the 71 minutes he played last night brought me current, he remains a work in progress. He was so invisible last night that it took me three full minutes to figure out who Blanco replaced when he came on. On the plus side, I saw Blanco do more Blanco things last night than he has a couple seasons. I don’t know if that’s new this week, but may it continue until he takes off his boots for the lats time and parks them over his fireplace.
Just Tell Me It Was an Off-Night
Again, I’ve missed a few games, but I picked up a general impression that Claudio Bravo had tidied things up under the new regime. His performance last night left me wondering whether I dreamed all those kind words. So much lunging, too many errant passes: Bravo did the over-eager pup from years past thing last night. Here’s to hoping it was a one-off.
That’s it for this one. Looking forward to writing on firmer ground next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment