Club Leon 1-2 Portland Timbers: What You Learn & What Applies

Not tonight, not today, potato, pot-ah-to

I’m not going to dig too deep in the Portland Timbers late, glorious 2-1 win over Club Leon in Leagues Cup play tonight, mostly on the grounds that there’s not much to carry over between Leagues Cup and the MLS regular season…or is there?

Very Brief Summary
Leon looked set to make the 1-0 lead they laid down at the 12th minute hold up all night (also, helluva shot) – i.e., they collapsed on 50/50 balls fast enough to turn them into 60/40s, the Timbers struggled to play into their defensive third like a mime doing the wind bit, and they couldn’t really get so much going.

By my estimation, three players – Eryk Williamson (who had some redeeming to do), Dario Zuparic, and Antony – gave a hearty “not tonight!” to all that, and in that order. When they stepped forward, the rest of the team followed and they collectively started to punch out of the semi-defensive crouch suggested by Phil Neville’s line-up. They brought back the 50/50s, generally let Leon know they had a battle on their hands, if not a game. As the minutes ticked above 60, the Timbers took Leon out of their game.

It didn’t come together all at once, but it didn’t really have to. Without hazarding a guess at the actual game-plan, starting The Millers, Eric and Zac, on either side of Zuparic and Zac McGraw, screamed “just don’t fuck up.” Leon put the Timbers in plenty of jeopardy - more in the first half than the second (highlights!) - but they gave the Timbers heck over the first 10 minutes or so of the second too - but the rotations came through and Maxime Crepeau cleaned things up every time they didn’t. All that brings me to a phrase in my notes:

“highly episodic game”

At the 58th minute, Leon held an eleven-to-three advantage on shots. Some better than others, to be sure, but that impression of each team’s output tracked as roughly correct. In a live demonstration of how and why this result turned to Portland’s favor, the Timbers cut Leon’s advantage to eleven-to-six shots fired just two minutes later, courtesy of a flurry of them that started when Felipe Mora corralled a ball over the top, cut inside, found Evander, and sat poised to be the proud father of a succession of tertiary assist. The Timbers could only punch through here and there, basically, but, at that point, they'd already had their decisive moment just over 17 minutes earlier when Zac McGraw leveled the game with a perfect placement header off a corner kick. 

Seriously, is this even a card?

The Timbers had clawed their way back into the game by limiting the damage and making the most of their chances, basically, and, who knows, maybe having that conservative defensive set-up behind them helped players like Williamson and Antony feel safer about gambling on chasing and passing the ball. Neville changed the lineup as the game went on – smartly, in my mind, and I really liked knowing he had Santiago Moreno, Juan David Mosquera and Claudio Bravo in his back pocket like three super-bomb Pokemon cards (probably? I've never played) – and, by the end, it felt like the only real question was whether or not the Timbers would score, because Leon wasn't doing much but getting in the way.

Per the intro, they did. Also, say a prayer for Alfonso Blanco after what McGraw did to him on the winner. Great game, impressive win, and so on. The only questions I have relate to what Timbers fans can take away from this…just nice win. Good job, fellas! Proud of you!

1) Nah.
I liked how Neville lined up the Timbers tonight, but I don’t think I want to see it in league play. Again, without pretending to know the thought process, approaching a team you’ve played rarely, if ever, as a better-funded unknown quantity feels like the right approach. Setting aside what was sacrificed in terms of going forward until the 68th minute, and with a big nod to No. 2 below, that choice paid off tonight. Between the familiarity with teams around MLS and the considerable attacking talent on the Timbers roster, playing risk-averse feels like asking the Timbers to play every ball with their wrong foot. Playing to your strength(s) is(/are) good! And, regardless of how well the play and how far they do in Leagues Cup (well...hold on), I'd prefer to see them play to win in MLS.

2) The Biggest, Clearest Positive
Recent events and shifts in the standings notwithstanding, I like Portland’s chances of making the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. Assuming they do, seeing them raise their collective game in-game makes me feel better about their chances when/if they do. Though far from disastrous, the Timbers started tonight’s game looking more like the object of every sentence than the subject - i.e., the whole "acting" versus "acted upon" dynamic. Their ability to turn that around – even before the subs came on – tells me demonstrates the ability to raise their game just by trying harder and tightening things up. To that point, for all the frustration Timbers fans felt through…think it was early May (at the latest), this team has proved themselves as one that doesn’t lay down. Keeping that level could carry them a meter or two. further when they most need it to.

3) A Heaping Helping of Redemption
As noted at and linked to above, Eryk Williamson had a pretty shit afternoon at the Los Angeles Galaxy. He made up for that tonight and as if he heard and ate and digested every word of criticism flamed in his direction (both here and elsewhere).

Zac McGraw, after dropping out of Neville’s starting eleven - and for a number of reasons, some of them self-inflicted – not only played a solid defensive game tonight, he scored both goals! Seeing McGraw in open space will never fail to make my butt clench, but, by letting him do the thing he does best - i.e., playing in a crowd as if he’s a full foot taller than everyone around him - Neville had him in a good set-up tonight and he played the kind of game he’ll remember deep into retirement. That’s all kinds of cool.

To close on the deepest cut, Dario Zuparic talked about leaving the Timbers in the off-season, a statement that speaks to a troubled relationship with management and, gods forbid, teammates. The question of whether he’d stick around for the entire season lingered for more than a few weeks at the start of it, but by my eye, he seems to have recommitted to the project. When the Timbers needed a player to match Leon’s physical “intensity” tonight, Zuparic gave 'em what for and left a tip – and thank gods the ref was loose on yellow cards.

4) Praise for the Non-Descript
The Millers…Who Take Public Transit ("flying" feels presumptuous), Eric and Kamal, didn’t play outstanding games tonight. They played steady ones, and with Eric Miller, in particular, coming up big-to-game-saving in a couple opportunities for Leon that came in at the back post. Portland still doesn't have the best defense, but it is improving (right?) and they have players/back-ups who can do good things. Keeping the drop off between your starters and their (arguable) back-ups short as possible is, and always will be, the best insurance policy for keeping your team at a certain level. Complicated here, sure, but broadly healthy.

5) Ayala
Still reveling in how calm and composed he looked from the second he came on to the final whistle. Keeping him healthy and, ideally, invisible so that other, bigger, richer teams can’t see him…I mean, what if it all comes together and he becomes a long-term anchor?

To circle back to square one, and for anyone who doesn’t know this, Leon has played just four games in the Apertura so far. In the same way that MLS teams enter the CCL rusty, the same applies to Liga MX in the Leagues Cup. I don’t know whether this is Leon, or any Liga MX team at their best, but I’m happy to pocket all the Ws that came from it just the same. Moreover, for the next two weeks to one month, fans of all local MLS teams across this country have nothing to think about but the game in front of their particular local team, i.e., this is fun!

As I’m sure all Timbers fans know, Portland has the Colorado Rapids coming up next. I doubt the Rapids will be easy – frankly, I’ll be surprised if they are – but the three points banked tonight give the Timbers what they needed most: padding for getting into the next round, plus a great shot at gaining more experience in single-elimination scenarios. It’s like we’re drinking sweet, meaty gravy up here…

… till the next one.