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| Not just this, but, yes, this. |
Optimists will say the Timbers started strong, pessimists that they started lucky, but they still took an early lead (15th minute; woot!) when a Dario Zuparic long-ball found Jonathan Rodriguez’s chest, which found Felipe Mora’s foot, which found the goal. Portland attempted to play long early as if they had aerial threats to play to, more or less treating midfield with the disdain that coastal Americans treat the (who?) flyover states. It worked better than it had any reason to: Mora is great with his back to goal, but he’s less good battling center backs (or even most fullbacks) at head level; Rodriguez, on the other hand, has the ups and size to make something of the ol’ high/hopeful. As such, that became Portland’s Plan A until Seattle’s defense wised up and started double-teaming Rodriguez.
Plan A totally collapsed four minutes later when the Sounders equalized. And if the fucking watch started again after that, I still haven’t heard it ticking. Sure, the Sounders caught a break on their equalizer (ping!) and, sure, referee Allen Chapman called the game as if his job started and ended with proving he didn’t favor the home team (and, quite possibly, gets off on seeing Mora get shoved around), but today’s loss goes down as the Timbers’ most dispiriting in a season that, between disappointing performances and points pissed away, has worked over time to keep spirits low.
The Sounders hardly put on a clinic and that only makes things worse. Still, Seattle had the defining advantage of knowing how to move the goddamn ball around the fucking field, both expletives needed and deliberate. If I had to point to the sharpest distinction between the two teams, I’d point to the Sounders’ second, 50th minute goal. Sure, Raul Ruidiaz misses that nine times out of ten, but Seattle’s passing and off-the-ball movement had Portland’s defenders and midfielders chasing the last ball. The past two weekends of Timbers “action” makes a good case they’d forgotten how to do that and, so, what should have been two winnable games for any competent, mid-table Major League Soccer sub-franchise became the second and third of three straight losses.
Even after Seattle’s second goal, the Timbers had about 46 minutes to get back into this game or, gods forbid, regain the lead. At no point did they deliver even a pale imitation of doing so. With that, let’s kick the problems around a little.
Talking Points
1) Timbers Don’t Know What to Do On or Off the Ball
Watching this game live really and painfully highlighted the state of suffocation that has defined Portland’s attacking play the last two weeks, both physically and mentally. At one point, now lost in the blissfully forgotten fog of that second half, the Timbers attempted an attack against Seattle’s left. The play started by moving the ball out wide to Juan David Mosquera, but two odd things happened when he received the ball: first, the player advancing up the channel (Moreno, I think) halted his forward run and turned to face Mosquera; second, a central midfielder ran across to provide horizontal support for Mosquera. I think Mosquera played to that last option, but, and this is where it gets dumb, he then stopped his own run to support…I don’t know, maybe the first pass? Shortly after that, Mora came back from the front line to provide…another option inside. I might have boned the details, but the entire movement ended with a four-man square of players compacted on the right side of the Timbers’ midfield, and without even one of them making even a vague gesture toward moving, passing or running forward. Then they switched fields and recreated the same stalemate. All in all, Portland appeared wholly content to kick the ball around within the space between Seattle’s defenders and its front line..
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| I still love the Timbers, dog, but... |
1a) A Related, Maddening Habit
If even one Timbers player ran hard into a space to provide a clear, concise option – never mind step up and actually demand the ball - I didn’t see it. What you see instead is one player after another half-heartedly jog toward a space-opening run only to lazily curl out of it; they don’t even give defenders time to react the alleged feint. Just a total lack of movement.
2) A (Season-Killing?) Disconnect
Bluntly, if the Timbers starters are executing what Phil Neville wants them to do on the field, he should be sacked immediately and replaced with…at this point, I think a bag of soiled socks would get the same response. At the same time, I would be literally stunned if Neville is directing the team to do anything what’s described in Talking Point No. 1. Given that, I have to believe coach and players are simply not picking up what the other is laying down. It has to improve. Right?
3) The Pass(es) Portland Won’t Play
Swear to gods, the Timbers will play around the Cape of Good Hope before they try to build out of the back through either Diego Chara or Cristhian Paredes. And, to be 100% clear, I’ve seen at least a dozen teams use some version of that pass to get their attack going (or just attempt to) and I can’t believe that neither Chara nor Paredes are up to making that work. Period.
4) Jonathan Rodriguez Is a Good Target; Stop Missing It
To end on what passes for a high note, Rodriguez has revealed himself to be a smart target forward over the past two, three games. He can’t do everything up there, a la Christian Benteke, but his mobility is great and he beats his defenders to the ball often enough. If Portland can’t figure out how to get something out of that, I’m left wondering why they called him in.
And, now, the new stuff/approach.
Where Portland Fits in the Rest of the West
Dead last thanks to…it has to be the shittier home record than the San Jose Earthquakes, right? Then again, how does that second or third tiebreaker matter with the weight of the entire Western Conference sitting on top of both teams? That sad state of affairs, plus the six points separating them from St. Louis CITY FC, makes every Western Conference team under the playoff line Portland’s direct competition. At time of posting, that includes: Seattle (still, motherfuckers!), FC Dallas, Sporting Kansas City and, this Wednesday’s competition, San Jose. Before I get into longer notes about San Jose, here are some quick(er than they’ll be later) notes about the rest:
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| Gluttony, aka, 3rd Ring, just classed up a bit. |
Of all of those teams, only Seattle has a Wednesday game – a tricky road battle at Real Salt Lake. As such – and, to be clear, I’m typing all of this without checking all the tie-breaking permutations (because, again, they don’t matter right now) – Phil Neville and his Portland Timbers could go to bed in 11th place Wednesday night if they can beat the ‘Quakes at home. So let’s talk about that…
The San Jose Earthquakes Scouting Report
The Basics
Record, Etc. 3-8-1, 20 gf, 28 ga (-8); home 2-3-0, away 1-5-1, 12th West, 25th overall
Last 10 Results: LLWLLLLTWW
Where They Played: HAHAAHAAHH (Obviously, H=home, A=Away…just checking)
First, foremost, and holy shit, there’s a defense worse than Portland’s? Don’t let that get anywhere near your head because, unlike the Timbers, San Jose have scored three goals in four games this season (twice as many as Portland and they got nine points out of those games), three of those coming in their past four games, all against teams doing 8-10 points better than Portland (i.e., at the Galaxy, v LAFC, at the Colorado Rapids). For the record, they’re tied at sixth for goals scored with three other teams – RSL, Red Bull New York and, hey…Colorado.
Regular Lineup
Luchi Gonzalez had steadfastly stuck with a 4-3-3 with gently-rotated personnel (this gets you close enough), until last weekend’s (rewenge!) win at Colorado, when he switched to a 4-2-3-1 to accommodate the arrival of new record signing, Argentine 23-year-old, Hernan Lopez (which looked like this and involved a lot of the same dudes).
Key Players
Cristian Espinoza is racking up the assists (8!) and has a couple goals besides, and the scoring spreads out from there with a couple guys on three goals (Jeremy Ebobisse (still hurts!) and Amahl Pellegrino, four more players on two and a smattering of ones and threes from there.
A Little Direct Observation
Because I’m short on time (and I’m doing new stuff), I only got through San Jose’s win over Colorado. Since I'm still short on time, here are four-plus talking points:
1) The Numbers
San Jose played an efficient game against the Rapids, giving up possession 60/40 and making three of their four shots on goal count. Also, of note, their xG didn’t even crown past 1.0 and the parts of the game I watched played out with less of a bunker-counter vibe than the raw numbers suggest. As a bonus (for them), Lopez went the full 90 (thought not 90+), at altitude. Looks like he came in match-fit.
2) Watch This Goal
Note Lopez’ pass, the way Espinoza shredded Sam Vines, the fact Ebobisse would have scored without the back-post cover, just the overall ruthlessness, but mostly the stuff about Espinoza and Lopez. Now imagine the Timbers’ defense managing that. That said, the ‘Quakes showed they can play fast, dizzying stuff more than once at Colorado; worse, they made Colorado look like the team visiting at altitude for the first 20 minutes of the 2nd half. So, barring an extremely off-day, the Timbers might to manage that.
2a) This One’s Not Bad Either, Dammit
3) The New Guys
This was my first time watching Lopez and his fellow newcomers, winger/forward Amahl Pellegrino, and Vitor Costa de Brito. Based on the thin slice I watched, and a bare-assed nod to poking around the internet, I’d describe those players as follows: Lopez gives off plausible No. 10 vibes (oh, and he almost chipped Zac Steffen), Costa de Brito has plenty of experience – and he has officially scored 2/5 of his career goals with San Jose (he has five career goals, fwiw) – while Pellegrino has done quite well in the places he’s one well. The main things to keep in mind: 1) this is all brand-new talent for San Jose and, 2) they come in on top of Espinoza, Ebobisse, even Benjamin Kikanovic. That's like a medieval kind of unknown. Menacing, because you do and don't know what to expect...
4) The Defense Really Does Look Bad
To make one thing clear, San Jose’s defense improved considerably over the disaster I’m about to describe – and they did so but sitting in something close to a 4-4-2. Now, the good stuff for Portland. Colorado had a goal called back that I wouldn’t have (note: I’m attacker-friendly), and they scored two, maybe three sitters besides that got called back on slim, but good calls. Set-piece defending? Also not good. Finally – and this was at their worst – they defended in a shape that saw 5-6 players drop to around the 18 and with the remaining players, for lack of a better word, skirmishing in front of that. The Rapids had a fucking field day against that set up in the first half, so, gods willing and serve up the victuals, here’s to hoping they bring that to Portland on Wednesday.
I'd like to say the Timbers will win this game, and I’d love to say they’d do it in style, but I try to keep on the clear-headed side of fandom. What I can say is that the numbers say this team has flaws and that I saw some real ones within just 60 minutes of video. They also took seven points from their last three games, with two of those on the road and seven goals scored…
…and yet, is this or isn’t this the must-winniest game of Portland’s 2024 so far? Because of all the games they’ve lost, of course.
On a personal note, I know I’ll watch this game, but I’ve got enough going on (personal stuff) to where I doubt I’ll have time to write about it. I also doubt I’ll get to preview the road game at Minnesota United FC, but I should be able to loop back to mourn, celebrate and jump back into the swing after that. Till then…
Record, Etc. 3-8-1, 20 gf, 28 ga (-8); home 2-3-0, away 1-5-1, 12th West, 25th overall
Last 10 Results: LLWLLLLTWW
Where They Played: HAHAAHAAHH (Obviously, H=home, A=Away…just checking)
First, foremost, and holy shit, there’s a defense worse than Portland’s? Don’t let that get anywhere near your head because, unlike the Timbers, San Jose have scored three goals in four games this season (twice as many as Portland and they got nine points out of those games), three of those coming in their past four games, all against teams doing 8-10 points better than Portland (i.e., at the Galaxy, v LAFC, at the Colorado Rapids). For the record, they’re tied at sixth for goals scored with three other teams – RSL, Red Bull New York and, hey…Colorado.
Regular Lineup
Luchi Gonzalez had steadfastly stuck with a 4-3-3 with gently-rotated personnel (this gets you close enough), until last weekend’s (rewenge!) win at Colorado, when he switched to a 4-2-3-1 to accommodate the arrival of new record signing, Argentine 23-year-old, Hernan Lopez (which looked like this and involved a lot of the same dudes).
Key Players
Cristian Espinoza is racking up the assists (8!) and has a couple goals besides, and the scoring spreads out from there with a couple guys on three goals (Jeremy Ebobisse (still hurts!) and Amahl Pellegrino, four more players on two and a smattering of ones and threes from there.
A Little Direct Observation
Because I’m short on time (and I’m doing new stuff), I only got through San Jose’s win over Colorado. Since I'm still short on time, here are four-plus talking points:
1) The Numbers
San Jose played an efficient game against the Rapids, giving up possession 60/40 and making three of their four shots on goal count. Also, of note, their xG didn’t even crown past 1.0 and the parts of the game I watched played out with less of a bunker-counter vibe than the raw numbers suggest. As a bonus (for them), Lopez went the full 90 (thought not 90+), at altitude. Looks like he came in match-fit.
2) Watch This Goal
Note Lopez’ pass, the way Espinoza shredded Sam Vines, the fact Ebobisse would have scored without the back-post cover, just the overall ruthlessness, but mostly the stuff about Espinoza and Lopez. Now imagine the Timbers’ defense managing that. That said, the ‘Quakes showed they can play fast, dizzying stuff more than once at Colorado; worse, they made Colorado look like the team visiting at altitude for the first 20 minutes of the 2nd half. So, barring an extremely off-day, the Timbers might to manage that.
2a) This One’s Not Bad Either, Dammit
3) The New Guys
This was my first time watching Lopez and his fellow newcomers, winger/forward Amahl Pellegrino, and Vitor Costa de Brito. Based on the thin slice I watched, and a bare-assed nod to poking around the internet, I’d describe those players as follows: Lopez gives off plausible No. 10 vibes (oh, and he almost chipped Zac Steffen), Costa de Brito has plenty of experience – and he has officially scored 2/5 of his career goals with San Jose (he has five career goals, fwiw) – while Pellegrino has done quite well in the places he’s one well. The main things to keep in mind: 1) this is all brand-new talent for San Jose and, 2) they come in on top of Espinoza, Ebobisse, even Benjamin Kikanovic. That's like a medieval kind of unknown. Menacing, because you do and don't know what to expect...
4) The Defense Really Does Look Bad
To make one thing clear, San Jose’s defense improved considerably over the disaster I’m about to describe – and they did so but sitting in something close to a 4-4-2. Now, the good stuff for Portland. Colorado had a goal called back that I wouldn’t have (note: I’m attacker-friendly), and they scored two, maybe three sitters besides that got called back on slim, but good calls. Set-piece defending? Also not good. Finally – and this was at their worst – they defended in a shape that saw 5-6 players drop to around the 18 and with the remaining players, for lack of a better word, skirmishing in front of that. The Rapids had a fucking field day against that set up in the first half, so, gods willing and serve up the victuals, here’s to hoping they bring that to Portland on Wednesday.
I'd like to say the Timbers will win this game, and I’d love to say they’d do it in style, but I try to keep on the clear-headed side of fandom. What I can say is that the numbers say this team has flaws and that I saw some real ones within just 60 minutes of video. They also took seven points from their last three games, with two of those on the road and seven goals scored…
…and yet, is this or isn’t this the must-winniest game of Portland’s 2024 so far? Because of all the games they’ve lost, of course.
On a personal note, I know I’ll watch this game, but I’ve got enough going on (personal stuff) to where I doubt I’ll have time to write about it. I also doubt I’ll get to preview the road game at Minnesota United FC, but I should be able to loop back to mourn, celebrate and jump back into the swing after that. Till then…
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