After Relatively Quiet U.S. Open Cup Run This Year, Timbers Experience Annual Rollercoaster Ride

Diego Chara has been fabulous all year for the Timbers

Experiencing the 2015 MLS Cup run for the Portland Timbers is something that I will never truly forget, mostly because it made up for several years of futility and coming achingly close yet crashing at the most inopportune moment. The experience for me following the Timbers during their various U.S. Open Cup runs has been diametrically different - I stood in the middle of section 107 dumbfounded as Hollywood United celebrated in our home park. I cursed the ground that ever brought bile green kits here, and I watched in agony pitchside in 2010 when the hated Flounders defeated us again here. This was even more despicable considering what happened in 2009 when our side gave them everything, but just couldn't figure out how to will together another goal.  I've made enough trips to Starfire to curse the grounds of that very stadium, and can now utter the words Cal FC and not go into convulsions. It's the ultimate love hate relationship.

I absolutely love the concept of the U.S. Open Cup, the annual tournament that crowns the best amateur or professional soccer club for that calendar year in a single elimination competition. The winner gets a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League and bragging rights as the best club for that year, but it also brings together teams that wouldn't normally play each other otherwise. I got a kick out of seeing the Kitsap Pumas, Sonoma County Sol or Wilmington Hammerheads visit Portland because it was something very different. I had resigned myself begrudgingly that the USOC draw would always eventually bring Seattle and Portland together because it often did, and the matches added so much more to this spirited rivalry. Major League Soccer has been decidedly dominant since joining the tournament in 1996, as they have won every year except for 1999, when the Rochester Raging Rhinos (complete with clip art logo) shocked the tourney by winning it all.

Sebastian Blanco has also been solid for the Timbers offense as well

Suffice to say, the competition has always had some dramatics to it that often are lost with the matches taking place midweek as teams are playing in their regular leagues. The USOC also has specific rules that are slightly different than league competitions - teams can only use 5 international players on their game day rosters for USOC matches - although they eliminated the bidding process for hosting matches that prohibitively favored certain franchises and went to blind draws and coin flips in 2011 to add some parity to hosting. The Timbers have put forth more emphasis on fielding stronger rosters for the competition recently, but have admittedly prioritized this behind other priorities in the season, such as league matches, in years past. In managing fitness and health, I can imagine it's difficult to throw in a competitive fixture right in between regular league matches, but in many ways, that is the beauty and the curse of the competition.

In current seasons since 2015, MLS teams have been drawn into the competition in round 4 after lower division professional and high level amateur sides have played in opening qualifying rounds, and the Timbers have usually found themselves facing another MLS team. For 2018, Portland drew San Jose in their opening match, and after winning, they advanced to host the Los Angeles Galaxy. When they claimed victory, the next round produced a really odd situation for the Timbers - playing the Los Angeles Football Club on July 18. Ironically enough, the Timbers were already slated to play a league match there on July 15, and since LAFC won the draw to host, Portland would travel to California and extend their stay to cover both matches. In a weird quirk from previous years, USSF allowed league matches to count as Open Cup qualifiers or competition if the same 2 teams were playing a league match and got drawn together in one of the rounds (see the Timbers 2004 season for an example of this oddity).

Thanks, Dad, for all of your stellar play so far in 2018

Enjoying a 12 match unbeaten streak going into the July 15 match, Portland and LAFC played to a scoreless draw as both sides played an extremely tactical affair. That's a very fancy term for putting together a conservative, defensive approach that will allow offense only if the opportunity presents itself - you might know it as "parking the bus". Many on social media referred to the match as boring, but I found the action to be very calculating and precise - the Timbers defense really worked well together to clog the lanes and frustrate the LAFC attack. When they shook loose, Jeff Attinella was able to make the play to keep the score at zero, as he's been playing some of his best soccer recently. Timbers Coach Gio Savarese has been instrumental in rotating players to keep up form and fitness, but recently, it's been the spine of Attinella, Larrys Mabiala, and Diego Chara that have really held together the middle. Defender Zarek Valentin has been outstanding as well, and Mabiala has been aided by Julio Cascante, Bill Tuiloma, Lawrence Olum and Liam Ridgewell, but really, the improved defense has been paramount in the Timbers' progression from average club with intriguing parts to a potential championship contender. The odd back to back also gave some opportunities to scout a bit, but Portland had already seen LAFC earlier when the sides played in Portland back in May for win 5 of their streak.

When it was said and done, the streak ended in a feisty 3 to 2 loss in which the Timbers had plenty of opportunities, but LAFC took advantage of some early mistakes then held off the late rally. In a crazy back and forth affair, fans could pull apart many different story lines to try and dissect this loss - the playmaking of Carlos Vela, who was far more influential in this match than he was in match 1, some slow reactions by the Timbers defense, or bringing on bigger weapons too late. But talking about that would distract for the three massive story lines that emerged at the end of this match: did LAFC field an illegal lineup, and since this is up for dispute, the Timbers filed a formal protest after the match to have the situation investigated? Did a Timbers player use a slur against a member of LAFC? Is the Timbers Sunshine Flag offensive? One of these issues by themselves would be big enough to consume words and time, but the fact that all three emerged from this match sent Timbers twitter into massive overdrive. I will do my best to boil them down, but obviously spending time on the #RCTID hashtag will give any reader hours of entertainment or ample opportunity to smash your forehead into the laptop screen.

LAFC might have had issues with their lineup; but this group has talent

Was LAFC's lineup illegal? The rule in question is from section 203 of the official U.S. Open Cup rules: A team may list up to 18 players on its game day roster. Professional teams may have no more than 5 foreign players listed. Amateur teams are not restricted as to the number of foreign players they may list. Foreign players shall be those players who are not protected individuals as defined in 8 U.S.C. § 1324b (e.g. U.S. Citizens, lawful permanent residents, asylees and refugees). MLS rules allow a VISA or green card for a player to count them as domestic against the 8 international slots (which could be more or less if the team has traded them away or acquired them), but USOC rules are clear. In this case, LAFC's starting lineup listed 7 players that are considered international: Vela (MEX) Laurent Ciman (BEL), Marco Urena (CRC), Diego Rossi (URU), Adama Diomande (NOR), Marc-Anthony Kaye (CAN) and Dejan Jakovic (CAN). While Jakovic has a green card, Kaye doesn't and as such, would technically count as international. Until the U.S Soccer Federation indicated that Kaye could count as domestic per LAFC, and their roster indicated this as such.  Portland didn't appear to be aware of this, but the protest delayed the announcement of the next round fixtures for the USOC as the disciplinary committee meets on July 21 to discuss the matter.

Savarese indicated in comments on July 20 that the team accepts the results of the match and has moved on, but filed the protest to ensure proper enforcement of the rules. Section 306 of the USOC rules states: A protest related to an Open Cup match must be filed in writing with the Open Cup Commissioner and delivered via hand-delivery, courier, certified mail, facsimile or electronic mail not later than 4:00 p.m. CT the day after the match. A cashier’s check or money order for $500 made payable to “USSF” must be received by the second business day after the match. The Commissioner shall immediately refer the protest to the Adjudication and Discipline Panel for decision. At this point, nobody is sure what decision will be reached, but it does appear there was some confusion about player status, but this has happened in the history of the U.S. Open Cup. Action at this point could involve disqualifying LAFC from the proceedings, fining the side, or some other discipline. Regardless, it's a very big action to take here.

One of the big questions of this transfer window is does Fanendo Adi stay?

I can understand Portland's side after initially wondering about why they were protesting yet seemed to state they accepted the results. Filing a protest is really the only way to have the issue fully resolved for the USOC and USSF, and so this is important. Portland is not asking for the result to be abandoned either, so the consensus among soccer experts is that LAFC will either be fined yet allowed to advance or the match will be completely replayed with valid rosters. Neither situation is totally ideal for the clubs, but considering the severity of the situation, I am thinking the replay is the most fair. Portland does have an extended home stand for the next few weeks without weekday matches, but the question would be when LAFC could fit it in without throwing chaos into the next round considering USOC semifinals were slated for August 7. So for now, Philadelphia plays Chicago on August 8 while Houston awaits this mess to know who they will end up playing. For those interested, you can track more on this at the very excellent website, thecup.us, who even let this guy write for them earlier this year.

Did a Timbers player use a racial slur? After the match, Diomande put on his Instagram account that he was referred to using a slur while on the pitch during the USOC match. The account didn't indicate if it was a player or fan that used the term, but on the story posted by ESPN, Diomande scrapped with several Timbers players over the second half of the match, including exchanging words with several players after a hard foul on Vela in the 90th minute followed by harsh words when Cascante fouled him in stoppage time. Portland issued a statement that they are investigating the issue and condone the use of the word, and MLS will actually be looking into the issue further. I know several of the players in my dealings here and can speak to their tremendous character, so I'm shocked by the events myself. I do also know that when emotions boil over, there can be tendencies to not be as filtered in word choice, but that doesn't excuse the use of this word in any context. I believe Diomande's statement, and my hope is that the situation can be resolved in a mindful manner. I don't want to believe that something like this could happen and a player wearing a Timbers crest could do this, but in the current world order, we are constantly barraged with unspeakable comments on a daily basis. It doesn't excuse the actions, though, and I just want the party or parties held accountable.

The days of yore, including the original Sunshine Flag

Is the Sunshine Flag offensive? Ever since being created in 2004, one of the traditions of the Timbers Army is to unfurl the Sunshine Flag after a goal in celebration. The brainchild of the early Timbers Army based off a sunburst design that came from headbands, the flag debuted in July 2004 and has been a staple of the TA for many years. During the LAFC match, several comments appeared in social media about the flag's design being similar to other logos used by extremist groups, and as such, it might be offensive to other cultures. On July 18, there were several long discussion threads about the design, the inspiration, and its message on social media discussing several key points. As someone who joined the Timbers Army about the time the flag was created, I don't recall any questions about the design or concerns - the group liked the sunburst design and wanted a big flag, so the inspiration came from there. Through the work of several Timbers Army members, the Big A$$ Flag was created and has flown in various version for several seasons.

I'm attached to it obviously because passing it over the section was one of my very first Timbers Army memories. I could even withstand the stench of musk, stale beer and mold as it passed over. The flag was held with care and repaired several times, washed whenever the smell was too terrible, and held out to dry whenever the rains got to be too much. It's a wonderful symbol of celebration - but one that honestly I hadn't considered offensive before. I have read through many of the thoughtful comments posted, and if the design is too similar to other logos that are deemed offensive, I think it's a valid discussion to see if there is a better representation that could be used. I'm all for tradition as it brings comfort in the consistency, but as I'm learning over the years, comfort is no excuse for intolerance. We all need to be sensitive to our words and actions, and while I still have plenty of moments of slip ups, I'm trying to learn to be more aware of my comments and the intent behind them. If changing the flag can be a further catalyst for this growth, then I am in full support of this endeavor.

Paredes & Armenteros Lead Timbers To Dramatic Win Over LAFC

Samuel Armenteros put up quite the celebration after his second half goal.

Every team's schedule is full of trap matches, and you could excuse the Portland Timbers if they looked at their May 19 date with the Los Angeles Football Club as one of these. After an emotionally draining victory over their fierce rivals from the North, the Seattle Sounders FC, on May 13 that wasn't decided until late, Portland didn't get much time to rest on any laurels with LAFC visiting and a national audience on FOX awaiting the early afternoon kick. The Timbers had some issues finding their offensive rhythm until they struck in the second half, but LAFC made it interesting by leveling the match minutes later. It was then when Timbers Coach Gio Savarese brought on Samuel Armenteros for a late push, and Armenteros added his name to a rather unique club when he tallied his first ever MLS goal while the Timbers Army was singing "You Are My Sunshine". The "sunshine goal" was enough to push Portland to an impressive 2 to 1 victory for their fifth win in a row, but as with anything during this current streak, it wasn't easy and it had plenty of challenges.

Rivalry matches always have plenty of emotion and spite to them, and while many of the cast of characters were different from previous iterations, you could tell the Timbers were exhausted after dealing with them for 90 minutes. Expansion sides bring in their own level of difficulties when facing them for the first time, especially in terms of the unknown; expansion clubs bring in a mix of MLS veterans looking to continue their career in a new stop, unproven MLS talent who didn't establish themselves with their former team due to injuries or competition, talent acquired through draft or free agency, and bringing over other skilled players to build around. LAFC have an intriguing mix of speed throughout their roster, combined with long time veterans like Benny Feilhaber, Walker Zimmermann, Jordan Harvey, Laurent Ciman and Steven Beitashour filling key roles. LAFC found former USMNT manager Bob Bradley to coach their side, and Bradley added international coaching experience to his resume after being relieved of USMNT duties back in 2011 before Bradley coached several MLS sides in previous years. Like many expansion clubs (think Portland Timbers in 2011), when they are good, they are very good, and when it's bad, it's really, really bad; LAFC came into the match sitting in second place in the MLS Western Conference with 20 points on 6 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses with some impressive wins and even more entertaining failures. There is plenty to build around in LAFC with Carlos Vela, and the franchise itself has been very strong in getting a new stadium, solid TV and sponsorship deals and cultivating a burgeoning supporters' group.

Diego Chara was very busy all afternoon dealing with challenges.

Bradley made the decision to start fleet footed Diego Rossi with Vela and SKC castoff Latif Blessing to interject some pace in their attack, but at the same token, Bradley picked several extremely physical players - Feilhaber, Ciman, Harvey, Beitashour, Zimmerman - and that led to a very difficult approach for the Timbers to deal with. There was pace all over the place, but in getting used to that, there was plenty of extra curricular activities that occurred all over the pitch, from flying elbows to excessive tackles to hard challenges and plenty of talking. Center Official Drew Fischer decided to let the sides play for the most part, but he did end up issuing 6 cautions on the day once it was all said and done. The biggest issue with Fischer's officiating was the lack of consistency within various calls, and in one case in the first half, Diego Chara received a caution for a foul on Feilhaber while he was being elbowed in the process. Since none of the fouls were considered clear and obvious errors, VAR wasn't consulted in any instance, but in retrospect, I found the match as one of the worst officiated affairs in some time. I can understand the judgement in certain instances where an official might not see something because of the angle or actions taken, but by the same token, Fischer's approach essentially meant that nobody was sure what would be called once the whistle blew.

With all of the distractions going on after the emotional match versus the Flounders, Savarese chose not to mess with success in using the same starting eleven that faced Seattle: Jeff Attinella in goal, Zarek Valentin, Liam Ridgewell, Larrys Mabiala and Alvas Powell on defense, Cristhian Paredes, Diego Chara and Andy Polo as the defensive midfielders, Diego Valeri and Sebastian Blanco as the attacking midfielders and Fanendo Adi as the lone striker. The approach would bring Polo and Paredes back to aid the defense when countered against, but otherwise, Polo would push forward to aid Valeri and Blanco to support Adi on offense. The approach has yielded some of the best offensive soccer for Portland this year, but there have been struggles at points when teams try and alter the pace with extreme physicality or packing the defensive line - Seattle played 10 men behind the ball at all points in an attempt to stall and frustrate the Timbers. Savarese couldn't have been very happy when 6 minutes into the match, Ridgewell was taken down on a hard tackle and had to leave because of injury, thus allowing Julio Cascante to make his home and MLS debut for the Timbers. Cascante didn't miss a beat, however, and his inclusion was seamless within the defensive approach for Portland.

Welcome to Portland, Julio Cascante

The first 45 minutes did provide some interesting observations outside of the Ridgewell/Cascante switch, as Adi got the best early chance for Portland off a through ball with the LAFC defense caught flat footed. Adi's shot struck the post, however, and Powell couldn't do anything with the rebound, but Adi, Cascante, Mabiala and Valeri all had quality shot attempts in the following minutes. Blanco, meanwhile, was pulled down hard by LAFC midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye by the shirt in the 20th minute and was down for several minutes, while Beitashour was carded seconds later off a corner kick elbowing Adi in the head. The back and forth movement and crashing continued for the rest of the first half with Chara getting booked just before first half stoppage against Feilhaber, yet Fischer had spent several times talking with Benny about his various bumps and challenges. While the match being scoreless wasn't a huge surprise, it was slightly frustrating for the home side considering the advantages in shots and quality chances. The only downside that could possibly be argued with is time of possession as LAFC had a decidedly huge advantage there (60 percent to 40 percent), but one of Savarese's key tenets this year is that possession isn't really necessary in order to be dangerous and attack minded. Another surprising fact for me is that Paredes continued to start the second half, as the young midfielder was leveled in first half stoppage and spent several minutes on the turf. When he arose, he walked gingerly to the side pitch without Fischer making any call about the contact.

Tensions were still flowing as the second half started but the Timbers were able to jump out ahead in the 51st minute. Cascante had played a ball forward for Blanco, who was dropped for a hard tackle outside the box about 20 yards from goal, giving Valeri the green light to put in on frame. While LAFC goalkeeper Tyler Miller made the initial free kick save, he spilled the ball to the right where Paredes was waiting clear of defenders. The midfielder tapped it easily into goal to put the home side up to start the celebration. The happy thoughts were short lived when Kaye leveled Chara at midpitch after the restart, and Valentin received a caution for defending his teammate and getting in Kaye's face about the foul. While Kaye also got booked, the intensity was escalating the contact for both groups. The volleying continued as the substitutes started taking the pitch, and LAFC was able to take advantage of a slight lapse when Vela was played into space on the right in the 74th minute as the Timbers were trying to find marks. Vela has a history of making quality distance goals, and this one was no exception as he timed and placed it perfectly to slide past Attinella into the left corner of goal to level the score. Savarese made his last two moves to bring on Armenteros for Adi and Andres Flores for Polo to change up the attack, and the updates did pay off eventually in the 81st minute.

Man Of The Match For Me. Well done, Cristhian

The Timbers Army talk greatly about the history of the "Sunshine Goal" which started during the USL era when a Timbers player would score while the Army was singing their signature song, "You Are My Sunshine" in honor and inspired by Timber Jim, the team's former lumberman and now ambassador of love. I have borne witness to the 3 previous goals that were scored like this - my favorite might be the 2010 Ryan Pore effort that secured a win in the Timbers' last USL era match - but this goal might rival it. Paredes played a spectacular outlet after LAFC had countered to relieve Portland's pressure on 2 consecutive corners to Armenteros, and the striker launched a crazy shot into the left corner of goal to beat Miller. He celebrated this tally by running off the pitch and up the stars to the main Timbers Army capo stand to celebrate with the fans, hugging several of them in the process. It was a wonderful, emotional moment that has been recounted in several videos online, but Fischer spoiled the moment in carding Armenteros for excessive celebration. Both sides continued to press for more, and Flores had a completely open net to shoot at in stoppage time to add an extra goal, but he scuffed the shot as Paredes took another shot at the final whistle. Bradley was complaining vociferously after the match was over, and Savarese was trying to calm him down afterwards.

For the first match between sides without much history, there was certainly a lot of venom displayed. To their credit, Portland played smart and measured football and took advantage of situations where they could.  Even with the extremely physical play, the Timbers kept their heads and avoided being drawn into extra discipline or escalating actions, yet they also stepped up to aid their teammates when needed. Defensively, the team was very strong and organized, especially with the changeover due to Ridgewell's injury and Attinella is playing with such confidence and poise right now. If there is a bigger trap game in their future, however, it might be this weekend - as the Timbers travel to Colorado to play the Rapids on May 26. The Rapids are again struggling to find their purpose, but Portland traditionally struggles playing there for whatever reason, but at this point. there shouldn't be too many reasons why Portland can't extend the streak to 6. We'll see if they are able to pull this off, but right now, I wouldn't count against them.