Portland Timbers 2-2 Houston Dynamo FC: A Word Search

At least they got a poem out of theirs...

The Portland Timbers…what is the verb here? Held on? Stumbled? Rallied? What verb best describes what the Timbers did or failed to do last night in their 2-2 draw against Houston Dynamo FC?

Portland crafted two gilded chances to take all three points late – and crafted matters here because neither Evander’s looping shot from range nor Nathan Fogaca’s second glorious header of the night came easy (relive the agony at the end of the full highlights) – but Houston also had a good goal rightly called back for offside just four or five minutes earlier. Kamal Miller even had a second bite after Fogaca’s header. All that after the 80th minute. Chances abounded at the end, but none became the goal to decide it.

Happily (because I hate cliches), this was no tale of two halves. The game pitted Houston’s steady, if imperfect game-plan against Portland’s opportunism. That some how translated into a freewheeling, swinging arms and legs affair – and I was delighted to have it – and read as two teams taking part in a game they sincerely believed they could win. Personally, I find that equal parts satisfying and disturbing*, but the one true thing I know: the points keep slipping out of the Timbers’ hands – and, ye GODS, how the Timbers needed two more points from this one – and 2024 has left bloody stubs where my fingernails used to be.

* Here’s why: I’d argue the way Houston came out to start the game makes a pretty strong case that Ben Olsen approached Portland as a team his could break. Sebastian Kowalczyk’s early opener supported the theory – and the fact this guy came within an offside flag of scoring a brace speaks to the chaos ball on the pitch. Fast, loose and open as the game got, it never achieved true Wild-West shoot-out status. Houston’s total number of shots comes close to reflecting the number of times they put a good attack together. As for Portland…was this even a moral victory?

If I had to perk up a dispirited Timbers fan after last night, I’d talk up the resilience Portland showed by coming from behind twice and, to their very real credit, the way the entire team, subs and all, didn’t give up until Guido Gonzalez, Jr. killed their dreams with the final whistle. The Timbers persistently threatened a Houston defense that (still?) averages just shy of 1.2. goals/game and they made the most of their best opportunities when they came.

Closer to this, personally.

If I had to give lend a sympathetic ear to a fan who needed to vent, I’d nod solemnly when they reminded me that Portland has barely burned off their fever for averaging nearly two goals allowed per game (the actual number is 1.88/game). Even with their late explosion folded in (Houston has scored five over their past two), the Dynamo has averaged just over one goal per game in 2024. Again, they didn’t run up the shots last night, but they also needed the one back-breaker (helluvan assist by Hector Herrera) to erase…not quite all, but a lot of the good vibes one could soak up.

So…Where Does That Leave Things?
Somewhere between fine and not encouraging. All in all, I can point to more periods where the Timbers had control of the game than where they lost it. And yet, they failed to make progress on an occasion where everyone involved in, connected to, and supportive of the organization could have really done with, for lack of a better word, a boost. I just checked the highlights to see if they’re worth posting (eh, why not?) and they just tipped me more toward seeing last night as a wasted one. I’m not crazy about the two goals allowed, but only the first left me feeling grumpy. I mean, sure, maybe Maxime Crepeau should have stopped the second, but 1) he did not, and 2) counter-factuals don’t give you anything but heartbreak.

Three(-Plus) Talking Points (or Taking Pints, Depending on the Night)
1) Evander Is Indispensable
Yeah, yeah, this seems like an echo from the national/captive(/Apple TV) media (guys, blink twice if they’ve threatened you), but Evander has finally and clearly become what Portland hired him to be, i.e., the straw that stirs Portland’s drink. His deeply real numbers don’t hurt, obviously, but I’d argue Evander has achieved the one key thing that teams break the bank to find: a player to build around. For good or ill, Evander is the logic for what the Timbers do on the field. Fortunately…

2) Portland Has the Stars…
After a mere 12 starts (and 13 games played), I’ve arrived at the opinion that Jonathan Rodriguez was a great signing. The man has settled and into something good. His best moment came with his assist on Felipe Mora’s equalizer, but he tormented the right side of Houston’s defense all night. Mora, meanwhile, continues to be Mora. For all the pain and dropped points, the Timbers have something on their hands, for as long as they came keep it together. And, for the third(?) time, how far they go depends on…

3) …But What About the Supporting Cast?
There were things to like - e.g., Nathan Fogaca stepping up and contributing (almost twice!), but regardless of what caused it – e.g., a need for rest, Phil Neville getting in his own head with tactical fuckery, etc. – the tweaks to last night’s starting lineup didn’t land for me. I’m pretty far off the boil on both Santiago Moreno and Cristhian Paredes, the latter because I don’t think he has the chops to play as a starting No. 8 in MLS, the former because I can’t figure out how to play him. In his defense, Moreno tracked back as well as anyone could ask…but that doesn’t make him the brick the Portland needs in their midfield foundation – and I’m also not convinced he brings enough attacking upside to justify starting him over and of his fellow courtiers.

3a) At this point, I think I want to see David Ayala, Diego Chara and Evander start as Portland’s “midfield.” (The scare quotes nod to the alleged 4-2-3-1 the Timbers played tonight, but I think I saw Evander deep enough, often enough to call it more of a 4-3-3 – or maybe that’s just a 4-2-3 with a floater. I see real value for Paredes as a game-killing sub – and here, take “real value” seriously – but I get closer to some midfield configuration that builds around Evander and Ayala game by game.

Apart from feeling happy about watching the Timbers play up the left last night, that’s it for this one. I’m not crazy about the two goals allowed, but only the first left me feeling grumpy. I mean, sure, maybe Maxime Crepeau should have stopped the second, but 1) he did not, and 2) counter-factuals don’t give you anything but heartbreak.

Right, until the Scouting Report…