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| One of many movies titled "The Grind" |
It would have felt worse had the Timbers played all right…they did not. Moving on...
Chicago Fire FC 2-1 Portland Timbers
What Passes for a Match Report
The Fire took the within the first ten minutes of the game. They extended that lead mere minutes later when Portland’s defense literally fell all over itself as they failed to keep out a second goal. Things generally improved from there, though neither much nor quickly. The ref was thinking about the halftime whistle before Portland fired an even mildly threatening shot and the broadcast booth (whatever you think of the talent) could still say something along the lines of Portland had a couple chances though none with conviction as late at the 80th minute with essential accuracy. The Timbers did finally pull back one goal – and I was just reminded by the highlights that Omir Fernandez added one more late sneaky chance – but the Timbers never really got going in this one. Thus endeth the overview.
On Chicago’s first goal, I saw several people fret online during the Club Tijuana game about how high Finn Surman pushes up in (what we understand as) Marti Cifuentes’ system. Seems like the Fire’s brain trust may have spotted that as well because Andrew Gutman’s ball over the top to Robin Lod found that space like he knew where to look. Such was the chaos around Chicago’s second goal that it barely feels worth picking apart – i.e., what started as a modest oil fire raged to a big one when (yikes) Surman attempted pass(?!) out of the back went straight to Phillip Zinckernagel and all the Timbers could think to do from there was throw bodies in front of it. The only commendable thing about the entire episode was Dje D’Avilla’s finish. Too much of the first half happened to the Timbers; they struggled to find their feet, never mind their front one. Passes and players slipped by and around defenders before Portland’s defenders seemed to register their presence. If the entire afternoon had anything to redeeem it, it came when Surman headed home the Timbers' only goal off a solid, (too) late set piece.
Chicago had a couple chances to pad their lead – e.g., a Robert Lewandowski shot that James Pantemis padded away (has to be in here, right?) and, happily, just past the right shoulder of a lurking Zinckernagel (why does that sound dirty?) – but they flattened a little as the game quite literally wore on. It wasn’t one for the ages, probably wasn’t even one for the month; no one besides D’Avilla should remember this game past this week. (It’s only his third goal as a pro.)
Folks online pointed out that the Timbers looked tired (including this guy) and I think/accept that killed their chances of getting all the way back into it. Portland’s biggest problem, however, was the persistent, global struggle with playing through Chicago’s full-field defense. The movement wasn’t as lively as it was last week, though not to the full spectator-sport level we endured under Coach Phil, but having nowhere to go felt like the bigger problem. Looping back to that note on the space behind Surman, the Fire’s defense appeared to have a good handle on the Timbers’ outlet patterns and clogged them up. I have reviewed the final stats and, even as I accept that someone watched and recorded all those details more closely than me, those numbers make no goddamn sense because I don’t know when or where Portland completed 89/3% of their passes.
Quick Aside on Chicago
They had such a good thing going with Hugo Cuypers that I wondered what they’d look like in the A.C. (After Cuypers) Era. After yesterday, I’m still wondering. Lewandowski had a couple moments, but the Fire got more out of Maren Haile-Selassie than him yesterday. For me, the next honorable mentions go to Leonardo Barrosso and maybe Anton Saletros, but they have a good core of steady, smart players all over – e.g., Zinckernagel, Lod, and Gutman. Maybe Lewandowski turns it on down the stretch, but Chicago still presents as more capable than fully competitive for me. As noted up top, they have been a strong home team this season (7-3-0), but they have a run of four road games coming up (Orlando, Red Bull, Seattle and Toronto, plus Monterrey in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals) that, based on their current road record (3-3-2) may haul them closer to the mid-tables gravitational pull. Something to watch in any event.
I’ll close this out with some stray thoughts on the Timbers. This section feels like it needs branding (“butterflies” didn’t work), and I won’t always get to ten thoughts, so expect that number to change.
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| It's good to know where you're going... |
1) A Man Who Knows His Worth
Kevin Kelsy looks more locked in than the average Timber and to the point where he seems to see a North Star ahead. And he looks equally committed to taking the team along for the ride. There, I’m thinking of a moment in the first half when Kelsy got on Antony’s case for not coming back to receive a pass from him, but the intensity and drive shows up all over, even if it didn’t find its reward yesterday.
2) Not Alone
Based on online chatter, Kelsy isn’t the only person who wants to bark at Antony. The young Brazilian got savaged yesterday, even with the highlights showing he fired one of Portland’s two shots on goal. The kid just doesn’t seem to know what he wants to do out there. The longer he stays, the more he’s giving Marvin Loria, or more controversially, Cristhian Paredes vibes – i.e., an experiment that keeps falling short on expected results.
3) Happens to the Best of Us
Surman had a bad game or he made a rare critical error at the very least. For what it’s worth, he’s looked out of sorts to me since the World Cup break and that makes me worry that the kid is gassed in both body, mind and maybe spirit. Maybe he needs a little time to regroup? The next two pony on to this one…
4) Rest, Generally
I don’t need to tell anybody the games have come quick and fast lately. By the time the final whistle blows after August 22nd’s game at LAFC, Portland will have played nine games in a month. Setting aside the primary cause (aka, Leagues Cup, which congested the schedule for 18 or MLS’s 30 teams, listed here), Portland’s lineup has remained largely the same throughout. The biggest rotation I recall came in the Tijuana game, but that was still 70% regular starters. Maybe there’s a little rest coming down the stretch (eh, a little) and maybe the best time for actual rotation is now past, but I hope to see Cifuentes actually spell some key players for the stretch run, even if this shouldn’t be treated as an automatic fix – e.g., one glorious tackle aside, Diego Chara looked cooked as anyone this side of Cole Bassett and all that time off hasn’t seemed to recharge anything for Antony.
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| A prayer for the first teamers... |
Our collective homework assignment is to look at the bench for yesterday’s game and pick some guys to rotate into the starting eleven for a game or two. There’s some tension in the mix as a player like Kelsy seems fine, Da Costa looks like Da Costa, Velde looks eager, if confused (more below) and it’s those specific players who should need the most freshening up for the stretch run. Anyway, I can see giving Gage Guerra some minutes for Kelsy, Fernandez as a good option for Da Costa, and obviously, Jose Caicedo and Joao Ortiz for Chara and Bassett…and, due to my personal pathologies, those last two seem most urgent to me.
6) Sinking Into the Rest of the Cast?
I’m still trying to get a handle on how much Velde has been asked to adapt to (what we understand as) Cifuentes’ system, but I see him receiving the ball further from goal and working more with whomever happens to start a right back between Ian Smith and Jimer Fory (thought Velde and Fory worked well together yesterday, if just with working the ball upfield). That said, I’m confident he’s getting the ball off his foot more often and quickly and wonder what that’s doing to his game/head, as separate from any potential fatigue.
7) Alternate Patterns?
As I watched Portland struggle to play out of their own end, I felt like I saw them playing out the same patterns – e.g., the ball goes here, then it goes here, then it goes here. That leaves me wondering whether Cifuentes, et al, will direct them to a secondary option (and even a third) when Plan A dries up. Think how quarterbacks tick through options when they’re in the pocket. Is this a thing? If not, why not?
8) The Happy Subplot of 2026
Kamal Miller has returned as a mainstay in the starting XI without much notice or commentary. I think he’s earned it – e.g., who did we see booking to run down Lod after he got behind Surman? – but the general silence leaves me wondering how others see it.
9) A Note/Theory on Bye
Brandon Bye got a solid assist on Surman’s late goal, but I feel like he’s slipping a bit on the defensive side lately and have a theory on why. Being a smart, conscientious player, Bye covers the back post/weak side well, but I feel like he struggles a bit when teams go straight at him. In other words, Haile-Selassie’s strong game didn’t feel like an isolated incident. Just a theory pending further study, but to expand that into a broader point…
10) The Opposition Matters, Always
A lot of commentary I see treats the opposing team as something between an object and an after-thought – i.e., all the things that go right or wrong in a game happen because the Timbers, and only the Timbers, either execute the game plan or fail to. Sometimes, a player has a bad game because the player(s) and circumstance(s) they’re tasked with managing takes him out of his comfort zone or just plain fucks him up. Sometimes, that happens extends to the whole damn team. Which gets us back to where this started: you can't win 'em all.
I’m going to close on that, for a couple reasons. I’ve been fretting over potential false positives since the World Cup break. That followed from a few factors – e.g., two games against a Seattle team in an historic funk, the red card RSL picked up, the Leagues Cup [gestures broadly], now potential fatigue – and I don’t know that yesterday did anything to dispel that vague (and exotic!) air of the unknown. But I do believe the following:
1) MLS teams in mid-season form are better than anything Portland faced in the Leagues Cup, so the Timbers need to sharpen up in any way they can sooner rather than later.
2) Chicago as presently constituted isn’t worlds better and yesterday’s result wasn’t inevitable.
We’ll see what happens when San Diego comes to visit.
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