Timbers Advance In U.S. Open Cup With Resounding Win Over Galaxy

Brian Fernandez is as good as advertised, having scored in his 5th match in a row

It seems like every season Portland Timbers supporters have the same debate over various honors for their team - what is more important? Each of the various championships comes with its own level of prestige: the Cascadia Cup gives the holder bragging rights over their fellow supporters from Cascadia, the Supporters' Shield honors regular season excellence for the team that earns the most points, MLS Cup is awarded to the playoff champion, who is generally regarded as the best team in MLS, while the U.S. Open Cup is given to the best American soccer club for the current calendar year over the various divisions. Yet, each title also has their drawbacks: the Cascadia Cup, while a great trophy, isn't put up with the other championships, the Supporters' Shield winner often struggles in the playoffs as it's rare to have them win MLS Cup as well, the MLS Cup winner is often the hottest team in October/November and not necessarily the best team throughout the year, while the U.S. Open Cup is often put down the priority list for most MLS clubs. While I want the Timbers to be competitive in whatever type of match they are playing, it's also unrealistic to expect them to play the same eleven each week between January and November, so rotation has to occur regularly. With a compacted schedule forthcoming, the Timbers did rotate in new pieces in their Round of 16 match hosting the Los Angeles Galaxy and came away with an impressive 4 to 0 victory to advance to the Quarterfinal round for the second consecutive season and the fourth overall in the MLS era.

Despite some various struggles in the tournament overall, the 4 goals scored is the third time in U.S. Cup History where the Timbers have scored at least 4 goals, and they accomplished this with a relatively strong choice of lineups. Timbers Coach Gio Savarese had to weigh the options after the Timbers defeated Seattle on June 12 up in Tacoma in their previous round action, but the Timbers face a 3 match in 8 day run in MLS league play with hosting Houston on June 22, followed up by a trip to Montreal on June 26 to then return to host FC Dallas on June 30. Things don't get any easier for Portland, either if you look into July as the Timbers play NYCFC in New York on July 7, return to Portland to host Colorado on July 13 and Orlando on July 18 before going up North again to play the Flounders on July 21, only to then host the Galaxy on July 27. That's 10 matches in 45 days, and now adding the Quarterfinal match on July 10 down in either San Jose or at LAFC, the compression and travel will test even the biggest depth for a side for an eleventh match. Granted, Portland has already dealt with a 12 match road trip traveling over 30,000 miles to start the 2019 season, so dealing with challenging circumstances has been part for the course for this bunch. Along the way, they have shown resolve, grit and resourcefulness through various matches, and this battle with an extremely young and inexperienced Galaxy side was no exception.

Sebastian Blanco was the playmaker in this match, and he was solid in that role.

In his post match comments. Savarese indicated that several players lobbied to play in the Open Cup match, and perhaps that led into some of the lineup decisions to select the starting eleven. Steve Clark, so amazing in the Open Cup win in Tacoma, was selected to start in goal behind a defensive line of Jorge Moreira, Larrys Mabiala, Claude Dielna and Jorge Villafana. Of the foursome, each has appeared with the Timbers' first team, but Dielna has spent more time with Timbers 2 over the previous weeks after Dielna had awkward appearances for the Timbers back in March and has redeemed himself with good work recently. Savarese stayed with the 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 formation, putting Diego Chara and Cristhian Paredes in as the defensive midfielders behind the attacking midfield trio of Sebastian Blanco, Jeremy Ebobisse and Tomas Conechny. Ebobisse has been used mostly as a striker early in the season, but with the acquisition of Brian Fernandez, Portland has employed Jeremy more as a supporting striker working with Fernandez. Fernandez tallied a brace in the last U.S. Open Cup match, so it wasn't a huge surprise to see him included, but with the inclusion of Dielna, Conechny and Clark, Portland was effectively using most of their regulars despite a league match 3 days later. What was interesting for me is to see what Conechny, who the team has raved about after practices, would show in a meaningful match playing alongside several regulars.

The Galaxy took a very different approach with a league match at FC Cincinnati on June 22, so they left most of their regular starters out of the match to have available for the weekend. Of the eleven starters, Galaxy Coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto only used one regular starter, defender Daniel Steres, and a few regular reserves in midfielders Perry Kitchen and Emmanuel Boateng, all making over 14 appearances in league play. The rest of the side was a mix of younger players, veterans that have fallen out of the rotation, and experienced players working back to fitness. Traditionally, Boateng has been a troublesome player for the Timbers to deal with, and if Ethan Zubak, Efrain Alvarez and Juninho could control the midfield for the Galaxy, they might be able to steal a win in Portland from a team that is still trying to get comfortable within their home grounds. For the first 25 minutes of play, this upstart Galaxy group was controlling the tempo and frustrating the Timbers. Part of this could have been Portland trying to find its rhythm with Blanco effectively being the playmaker of the offense, but the Timbers also spent a lot of time making ill advised or rushed passes in an attempt to move forward. For a club using most of their regular starters, it was really strange to see such an experienced side struggle with a younger, scrappier side so much. Los Angeles also seemed to be the early aggressor in terms of contact, and Center Official Victor Rivas appeared to be willing to reward their assertive play.

With Bill Tuiloma getting the night off, Larrys Mabiala was the leader of the D.

The match hit the 28th minute and the complexion completely changed with the Timbers earning a free kick on the left flank about 35 yards from goal. Conechny took the restart and dipped a cross towards the left post that Fernandez caught up with, and Brian unleashed a header towards the right post. With Galaxy goalkeeper Matt Lampson starting to react to the center in line with the shot, the ball actually struck Kitchen's boot and took a more acute angle towards goal as it spun over the goal line. With Portland taking the early lead off the own goal, the team spent the next 10 minutes peppering Lampson from all over the pitch, and the Galaxy defense was unable to completely deal with the onslaught. In the 34th minute with the Galaxy pressed forward, the Timbers cleared a ball to Blanco with just 2 Galaxy defenders back and Sebastian was able to put a through ball forward for Ebobisse in stride on goal. Jeremy settled the ball and put forth a chip shot over a charging Lampson that was headed for goal. While Galaxy defender Dave Romney was able to clear it temporarily, he didn't complete keep it away from Fernandez, who was lurking about and Brian captured the rebound to smash it home for a 2 to 0 lead. Two minutes later, Blanco decided to test Lampson from the left flank from distance off a drop pass, and the laser shot hit the back of the net with ease to extend the lead to 3 to 0. The Timbers had went from passive play to complete confidence in a matter of 10 minutes, and the Timbers were never really threatened afterwards.

Portland tried their best to extend the lead with Blanco being the main conduit for the shots on goal in the second half, while Ebobisse and Conechny had huge opportunities to add their names to the scoring sheet. Villafana found Ebobisse in the 40th minute off a cross that Jeremy put a strong header on, with only a Lampson fingertip save preventing the goal, while Moreira found Conechny off a break in the 74th minute off the break with a cross, but Tomas' shot was stopped by a Lampson save in traffic. It was Moreira that would add his name to the scorer's log in the 83rd minute when Fernandez put a cross from the left flank towards the right intended for Diego Valeri, who entered the match for Conechny as a substitute. Valeri, however, couldn't find the handle on the cross, but Moreira did and put it past Lampson for goal number 4. The Galaxy weren't able to get much going until very late, when unforced errors by Clark and Dielna gave Los Angeles a chance to tally a goal. However, Zubak skuffed a shot in the 85th minute in front of goal and Clark recovered for the save, while Clark deflected a Zubak shot moments later off Dielna's turnover. Unfortunately, Steve deflected the shot back to Alvarez on the left flank, but Efrain's rebound shot struck the right post and spun away to be cleared away by Dielna. Considering the Timbers defense had played so well for most of the match, it was a rather baffling sequence of events yet Portland remained unscathed and secured the clean sheet.

Hard to believe this was just match number 2 this year here, but it's true.

The victory certainly gives the Timbers confidence going into the stretch of league matches, especially seeing how well Conechny and Paredes played in the midfield, and Tomas' service was actually very respectable. It made sense that Blanco played a full 90 in this match since he is ineligible for the Houston match due to accumulation suspension after getting a yellow card late in the loss to LAFC, but it was odd to see Valeri enter the match so late in a match that was already well in hand. With the youth of Paredes, Fernandez and Ebobisse, I'm expecting that they should be available for at least limited minutes against the Dynamo, but obviously, the plan was to rest Valeri to have him ready for Houston. Whether we see more rotation along the defensive line will be seen, but I was impressed with the cohesion between Mabiala and Dielna, and Moreira has regained some composure after a tough effort versus LAFC. It was even great to see Marco Farfan get some minutes late replacing Villafana for his first Timbers appearance in 2019, as I fully expect that Portland will need to dig deep over the weeks to get through this run unscathed. But none of that really mattered to the supporters or the Timbers players in the moment, as they could all celebrate their first official win at the newly refurbished park.

At least for one night, it showed the importance of the Open Cup to the Timbers, but I also feel that Savarese is playing the hotter hands right now. Fernandez is on a hot scoring streak and in form, and I fully expect the Timbers to ride this out, especially since he's often created goals from simply outworking opponents. Savarese will also need to manage the minutes of key players, especially with Andres Flores and Andy Polo out on international duty. While I think the team does want to win all the trophies it can, the more important goal right now is developing chemistry among the various players on the first team to ensure the club is prepared well for the long home stretch in August and September. MLS Cup still has the prestige of being labeled champions for the year, and the playoff structure MLS clings to hasn't been kind to most Supporters' Shield winners. Priorities may change from match to match, but building a solid foundation is always important, and the Timbers' result here showed that they are moving very well towards that goal. We'll see how well this group recovers in time for the Dynamo this coming weekend.

Timbers Advance in U.S. Open Cup Play Over Galaxy Courtesy of Sebastian Blanco

Sebastian Blanco has been the MVP of 2018 for the Timbers in my opinion.

Friday nights are odd at Providence Park, especially considering many soccer fans had spent most of their day watching action from the 2018 World Cup in Russia. With Major League Soccer on their annual summer break, the Portland Timbers were looking forward to a break in play from their last league match (a draw versus Sporting Kansas City on June 9) and a road date in Atlanta to play former Timber Darlington Nagbe and his new side, Atlanta United, on June 24. However, the club would get an opportunity to keep sharp during the off time courtesy of the 2018 U.S. Open Cup tournament. After knocking off San Jose in their opening match on June 6 at home (MLS teams joined the single elimination tournament in Round 4 of the winner take all competition to crown the best soccer club in the U.S.), Portland would play their Round 5 match in the friendly confines of Providence Park against a team they've grown familiar with in 2018, the Los Angeles Galaxy. After losing to the Galaxy to start the 2018 MLS season back in March on the road and playing to an uninspired draw just 13 days earlier in Portland where Timbers Coach Gio Savarese lamented wasted chances, the Timbers finally got some revenge behind an inspired defensive effort, timely saves from goalkeeper Jeff Attinella and a wonder strike from Sebastian Blanco in the 30th minute to secure a 1 to 0 victory. Portland now awaits the winner of the Sacramento Republic - Los Angeles Football Club match midweek to know who they will play and where, since the Republic - LAFC winner will host them on July 18th in the USOC Quarterfinals.

When talking U.S.t Open Cup history and the Portland Timbers, those words combined can invoke several different, stark memories - from heart wrenching losses to a certain team up North, a volcanic meltdown by the same team in one of the most dramatic results at Starfire Sports Complex, some baffling losses and solid victories. In playing a single elimination tournament where a winner must be crowned each round without replays, odd breaks and emotional moments are par for the course in this tournament. Portland has also had a history of playing early round matches away from the Rose City, so being able to play their first two matches in front of their home fans is truly special. With the stadium expansion project already impacting the home side of fixtures, Timbers fans appreciated the extra chance to see their favorites play outside of MLS play - with over 14,000 fans filling the west, north and south decks of the park. With all the energy from the crowd, it would be up to Savarese to figure out a master plan to break down the Galaxy - something that he wasn't able to do in their June 2 meeting at home and only late in the March 4 opener due to handy work in the second half from Blanco and Diego Valeri.

Stadium construction meant another match with no Eastside crowd.

Savarese decided to roll the dice, considering that Valeri had played in every MLS league fixture so far in 2018 and a rough 2 match road trip looming after the schedule break, and Gio let the Maestro sit this one out. Offensively, Savarese made the choice to play a more traditional 4 defender, 4 midfielder and 2 forward attack - which hadn't been done in league play yet, but was used in the pre-season to some success. Samuel Armenteros was a huge thorn against the Galaxy 13 days ago, and for this match, he would get the start alongside Fanendo Adi as the strike duo. Blanco, who has been a big catalyst for the Timbers all year, would be pushed out wide as an attacking midfielder alongside Andres Flores, Diego Chara and Lawrence Olum. In this formation, it would be up to Chara and Olum to patrol the middle and frustrate the Galaxy while funneling the ball out wide to their wings. With Attinella entrenched in goal, Savarese would use Zarek Valentin, Vytas, Larrys Mabiala and Bill Tuiloma as the defensive line. The last time the Galaxy saw Tuiloma, he was playing the right back position, but this time, he would tasked with supporting Mabiala and marking the box for attackers. With USOC rules restricting the game day 18 to just 5 foreign players allowed (green card holders are considered national), Savarese had a youthful bench of goalkeeper Jake Gleeson, defenders Modou Jadama and Alvas Powell, midfielders Eryk Williamson, Dairon Asprilla and Cristhian Paredes and forward Jeremy Ebobisse.

Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid used a very similar lineup to the one used for June 2, but much like Savarese, the 5 foreign player limit hampered some decision making. The team's big signing for 2018, forward Zlatan Ibrahimović, was in Russia doing promotional duties for World Cup 2018, but Schmid used goalkeeper David Bingham and the same defensive foursome - Ashley Cole, Michael Ciani, Jorgen Skjelvik and Dave Romney. It was Skjelvik's penalty against Flores in the 54th minute that gave Portland their only goal in the June 2 draw, but he's been otherwise stellar in solidifying a defensive line that was simply miserable in 2017. Servando Carrasco and Perry Kitchen would again be the defensive midfielders for the Galaxy, with attacking midfielders Bradford Jamieson, Chris Pontius and Emmanuel Boateng flanking out in the attack. Ola Kamara, the Galaxy's other big signing for 2018, was out on international duty for the June 2 meeting, but for this night, he was the sole striker. In their opening round USOC win, the Galaxy relied upon great play from Jamieson and forward Ariel Lassiter to advance, and Lassiter would be available as a sub in this one. In their last meeting, the battle between Chara and Kitchen led to several fouls and contentious moments, and the caution Diego received in the first half triggered a one match suspension for accumulation.

Timbers Army tifo with a theme for 2018. Yes, I hope summer never ends.

In a rare change of sorts, I was able to produce a match recap for the official USOC site, thecup.us, to cover the main events of the night. I've been a big fan of the site's work over the years, so for me to be able to contribute to it in some small fashion is a true honor. To add some thoughts to that post, it was a very active Armenteros that kept the Galaxy busy early with a near miss in the 11th minute. Chara and Tuiloma both challenged Bingham in the following 2 minutes, but the player of the first half was Blanco with 5 shots in the first 45 minutes. While 2 of them were blocked, it was Blanco's 30th minute tally that ended up being the game winner. Valentin was playing wide right and put a cross into Adi towards the right edge of the box, and Fanendo put a back heel right into Blanco's path on the right. Sebastian moved over to the left quickly on the dribble, but once he had space, he punched a shot back left that the Galaxy defense and Bingham couldn't stop, and the Timbers had the early lead. The Galaxy mustered just 2 shots on target for the half, with a Kamara miss in the 39th minute and a header from Skjelvik off a stoppage time corner kick that Mabiala headed clear of goal with Attinella pulled away by the defense. Statistically speaking, the sides played fairly even in terms of chances and possession, but the Timbers were more purposeful with their shots and challenging Bingham.

The second half had plenty of back and forth action, but honestly just two huge chances between the two sides. Armenteros struck the woodwork in the 55th minute off a cross from Valentin with a great one time shot, and he had 2 other near misses for his 90 minutes of work. The Galaxy had a shot from Pontius pulled wide of the right post in the 73rd minute, but their best effort of the night was a missile from Lassiter in the 89th minute. Carrasco dropped a pass in traffic to Lassiter just outside the box, and he put a laser on target, but Attinella leapt at the last second to push the shot over the bar to keep the Timbers on top. While the Galaxy had the overall advantages in possession and passing accuracy on the night, the Timbers were able to generate more quality shots and put more pressure on the Galaxy backline. This became even more apparent in the 75th minute when Asprilla replaced Adi and the Timbers went into more of a 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 formation with Chara and Olum staying home, Asprilla, Blanco and Flores shifting out wide for the attack, and Armenteros working as the lone striker. Showing versatility and adaptability in the attack was good to see from the Timbers, and showing some different wrinkles from the Christmas Tree formation where the Timbers have seen success should keep opponents from banking on what Portland will do from match to match.

I picked Blanco as MOTM, but Jeff Attinella was a very close second.

It was also great to see Adi and Armenteros play so well off each other; Adi's hold up play and passing was a key component for the offense, while Armenteros' energy and power really opened up space against the Galaxy backline. As well as Blanco did with the creativity in the offense and having Chara back to anchor the midfield, it bodes nicely to see the Timbers be able to attack the goal with Valeri sitting and Andy Polo off in the World Cup for weeks. Complacency is a big problem in MLS, so watching Savarese change up the focus with different players and formation and still having success on the pitch is huge for Portland as they turn their focus towards the next few weeks after the international break: June 24 in Atlanta, June 30 in Seattle, July 7 versus San Jose, July 15 at LAFC, July 18 USOC match at either LAFC or Sacramento, followed by 4 consecutive home matches against Montreal, Houston, Philadelphia and Vancouver. It's going to be very busy for sure, but from what I've seen from the Timbers and Savarese, they seem more than up for the challenges presented to them.

Timbers Fight Back To Draw With Galaxy, Extend Unbeaten Streak

Cristhian Paredes is doing some very limber things here. Pivoting for the win.

Atop the Western Conference of MLS going into the weekend action of June 2 and 3, two familiar teams sat atop the standings in Sporting Kansas City and FC Dallas - two perennial sides that have enjoyed recent success. Lurking just behind them is the surprise upstart club Los Angeles Football Club, followed by the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps. With new personnel and a change in philosophy under Coach Giovanni Savarese, many insiders have been surprised how quickly the Timbers have adapted to a versatile, evolving style of play. It wasn't easy in the early months, but after losing in Orlando City to start April, the Timbers hadn't lost in six consecutive matches. Match number 7 provided some familiar challenges with the Los Angeles Galaxy visiting on June 2 in a midafternoon tilt at Providence Park. The two sides already faced each other back on March 4 in Los Angeles to start the 2018 MLS season, and while the Timbers lost 2 to 1, there were encouraging signs in a second half battle after they fell behind by 2 quick goals. In their second and final regular season meeting for 2018, both teams were dealing with thin lineup options - Portland had an extensive injury list with 2 players out on World Cup duty, while the Galaxy played midweek in FC Dallas. While the Galaxy struck first, it was the Timbers who rallied in the second half to earn a penalty, and the two goals would end up being the extent of the scoring as the sides played to a contentious yet equitable 1 all draw in front of another sellout crowd.

Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid has faced the Timbers several times over the seasons, and can usually craft a reasonable plan of attack for his charges. After their dreadful 2017 season, Schmid was tasked with sharpening an offense that lacked true scoring punch while keeping some of the defensive toughness that had been already in place. They struggled early to find an identity, but their complexion changed greatly with the early season acquisition of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to pair with striker Ola Kamara to give the offense balance. Zlatan has been everything advertised, but Schmid didn't have Kamara or both dos Santos brothers available as all 3 players were with their international teams for World Cup 2018. This forced Schmid to play slightly more conservatively with his lineup, putting lightning fast Emmanuel Boateng up top as a lone striker with 3 attacking mids: MLS veteran Chris Pontius, finally healthy Sebastian Lleget, and Romain Alessandrini. Former San Jose backstop David Bingham has taken over in goal for the Galaxy behind a rotating group of defenders, but Ashley Cole has provided some veteran experience while former MLS SuperDraft pick Perry Kitchen has returned to the league from overseas to give the Galaxy midfield some bite.

Diego Chara was all over the pitch all day. 

Savarese was dealing with his own lineup questions coming into this match with Andy Polo (Peru) and David Guzman (Costa Rica) both unavailable after joining their sides for World Cup 2018. The injury list, however, made selecting a gameday 18 even more difficult especially with Timbers 2 playing later that day in Texas: Vytas, Jeremy Ebobisse, Jack Barmby, Alvas Powell were questionable while Roy Miller, Liam Ridgewell and Jake Gleeson were officially out. With Jeff Attinella making his sixth consecutive start in goal, he had to adjust to a slightly different defensive line with Zarek Valentin and Bill Tuiloma as the left and right backs with Julio Cascante and Larrys Mabiala the center backs. Since Polo was unavailable, Savarese promoted Andres Flores into the starting eleven with Cristhian Paredes and Diego Chara as the three defensive midfielders, thus putting the onus on Flores to replicate the success that Polo shows with moving forward on the attack. With Diego Valeri and Sebastian Blanco back as the attacking midfielders, the only question left for Savarese was who would be the striker - incumbent Fanendo Adi or the suddenly on fire Samuel Armenteros with 3 goals in 2 matches. The answer was Armenteros, but Adi would be available on the bench alongside fellow striker Foster Langsdorf, midfielders Eryk Williamson and Lawrence Olum, goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh, and defenders Marco Farfan and Modou Jadama. With the relative inexperience on the bench, it was important for the Timbers to avoid falling behind and chase the match.

Under a very warm sun with Center Official Alan Kelly in charge, the Timbers got the first chance of the match just 4 minutes in when Valeri threaded a pass to Flores in between 3 Galaxy players, and it was Flores who got their first in space. Bingham came up big to stop the threat, but it was a huge early chance to take the lead. Boateng and Pontius would combine in the 11th minute as Emmanuel drove down the right side and put a cross in the middle to Pontius, who deflected the shot off the right post and out for a goal kick. The same two individuals would meet up again in the 20th minute off another pass to Pontius in space, but in this case, Mabiala and Tuiloma were slow to react and Pontius was able to spin a shot just inside the right post past Attinella for an early 1 to 0 lead. Portland has 2 awesome chances to level right afterwards - Blanco and Chara in the 22nd minute with Sebastian feeding Diego for the shot that Bingham parried away, and Tuiloma, Chara and Valeri in the 28th minute when Bill sent Chara forward with a lovely through ball. Chara dropped the ball back via a cross and Valeri put a great header on target, but Bingham was there for the save. Both sides traded back and forth chances with several blocked shots and near misses, but a battle royal was brewing between Kitchen and Chara in the midfield as both "destroyers" were creating mayhem throughout the pitch with hard fouls and well timed tackles.

Bill Tuiloma showed his leaping prowess making the start at right back.

The first half statistics showed very even numbers between Portland and Los Angeles in terms of game possession, shots, passes, passing percentage and duels won, but the Galaxy appeared to be more dangerous with their opportunities. The ball to Pontius for the goal was well timed by Boateng, but it was slow reaction from Mabiala and no reinforcement from Tuiloma that allowed the shot, although Pontius was helped with a deft touch to stop the ball in a place where only he could turn to recover it. Armemteros, Blanco and Valeri were getting space to run at points, but the Galaxy defense bunkered down with each pending attack, which gave shooting lanes for Valentin, Blanco and Valeri to push forward distance shots. Getting the goal only aided the Galaxy attack to bunker, and their plan was augmented by Bingham, who was totally engaged and making huge stops in traffic. There were some concerns the Galaxy keeper injured himself in warmups as he left the pitch after a hard fall, but the effects of the crash didn't appear to alter his play one bit. While Savarese could make some adjustments to the Timbers to aid the attack, the fact was that outside of Adi, most of the subs were either defensive minded or very inexperienced players (or both). If this one was going to turn around, it would be because of the players already on the pitch.

The Timbers appeared very determined when the second half began with Paredes, Cascante and Tuiloma all missing key shots in the first 5 minutes - Tuiloma's header off a Valeri free kick had some pace to it but it was right at Bingham for the easy catch. The tempo was picking up as the Galaxy started to push their pace, but in the 54th minute, Flores pulled off a nifty box to box run off a deft pass from Blanco that put Flores just inside the Galaxy box to the left. Galaxy defender Jergen Skjelvik came in to defend with fellow back Dave Romney in the area to try and stop Flores, but Skjelvik got his elbow up in trying to stop Flores with a shoulder to shoulder tackle, and Andres took a hard tumble in the box. Kelly wasted no time in pointing to the spot based upon the contact, and while the Galaxy put up some slight argument, they didn't protest much as Valeri stepped up to take the penalty. With a hearty smash into the left corner of goal past Bingham, the score was now level at 1, The Galaxy turned up the intensity for the next few minutes to see if they could regain the lead, but of the shots attempted, Kitchen's miss in the 71st and another Pontius close call in the 73rd caused some nervous moments for the Timbers defense.

The Portland offense created chances but the team wasn't always in sync

The final 15 minutes would see both teams try to break the deadlock, and Schmid brought Zlatan on in the 72nd minute replacing Boateng, while Savarese countered with a move to bring Adi on for Valeri to provide a two forward attack. However, the only credible attempts on frame in the final moments of the match were two headers by Tuiloma, the second one in the 83rd forcing Bingham to make a late reaction save to push the ball out for a corner kick. Savarese brought on Marco Farfan for Armenteros, and this led to one of the best moments of late stoppage time when Zlatan received a pass at midpitch and the young defender executed a wonderful tackle and deflection to strip him of the ball cleanly. For their credit, the Timbers felt that they created several quality chances despite having a true winger in the lineup with Polo gone, but the final execution left something to be desired. While I would agree with that assessment, I also felt that the defense played far too passively until the goal by Pontius and I was hoping for more cohesion; this could be due to the change in personnel, but the Timbers second half defense was much improved.

For the Timbers, there were some individual highlights as Valeri, Blanco, Paredes and Mabiala continue their streaks in appearing in every 2018 Timbers MLS match, with Diego, Sebastian and Larrys starting every match (and Mabiala playing every league minute so far). Chara also became the all time franchise leader in games played for all Timbers eras with 215 appearances, but he will not get a chance to extend that streak in MLS play. Chara was whistled for 6 fouls by Kelly, and in the 62nd minute, Chara tackled Kitchen with enough force that Kelly gave the diminutive destroyer a caution for the foul. Unfortunately, this would be Chara's fifth caution of 2018, thus triggering the automatic one game suspension in league play - so Chara will not be available for this weekend's battle with Sporting Kansas City on June 9 at Providence Park. However, Chara could add to his total in the midweek U.S. Open Cup match when the Timbers host San Jose on June 6 at 7:30 PM, also at Providence Park, when MLS teams join the tournament in Round 4 in a single elimination tournament to crown the best U.S. based soccer team in professional and high amateur soccer. The winner of the June 6 match will play the winner of the other USOC match in this quadrant - the Seattle Sounders FC hosting the Sacramento Republic. The draw for hosting duties for Round 5 takes place on June 7 with those matches slated for June 19 or 20, which is mere days ahead of the Timbers resuming MLS league play with a 2 game road trip to Atlanta United FC (June 24) and Seattle (June 30).

Blog History, 2017 - The Creation of the Cat Prediction Thread

He keeps saying this work stuff is hard, but I can do it 

It's tough being inspired most weeks, and so the blog hasn't been active since the Portland Timbers posted their last dramatic win at home, a 2 to 1 victory over Los Angeles Football Club (you know them as LAFC) behind Samuel Armenteros and his wunderkind goal late in the second half. Portland was able to extend their winning streak to 6 consecutive victories since their loss in Orlando City SC to start April. The OCSC loss was especially frustrating since Portland had a 2 goal lead with just 10 minutes left before a wild rally, but the Timbers have been a much better and different team since then. They've beaten Minnesota and NYCFC at home, followed by San Jose on the road, Seattle and LAFC at home and then turned in a gut-wrenching effort against Colorado last week for another win. Portland was dominant until late, but considering they've won on the road in 2 venues that have traditionally provided trouble, it's quite an accomplishment. Despite the successes, it's been difficult to find time to sit down and write - and it's in that vein that I peek at some old history of this blog in talking about predictions with cats.

Many long time readers will recall predictions as a huge feature in my old blog home where the community blogging team and the regular beat writers would submit weekly thoughts and a predicted score for the week. This started right after I officially joined in 2008, and it became of the most popular posts in terms of traffic and comments. Over the years, our crack staff of soccer experts used various techniques to craft their posts to varying degrees of success, with the intention of driving a thoughtful and fun discussion about the Timbers' upcoming match. Of course, this is also over the Internet, so suffice to say, lots of the comments were pure drivel. I actually spend some time tracking my various predictions and realized that for one magical season - 2014 - I had actually submitted predictions for the Timbers to win every match that year, which would have been a record setting yet supremely impossible task. Sometimes, it was difficult to find something interesting or insightful to say, but it happened each and every week through 2016. Until it suddenly stopped.

Yes, she is a princess and getting information from her can be an adventure.

There are still many lingering issues with what happened there, but when I found myself looking for a blog home and coming up with content ideas, one of the first that popped up was predictions and reuniting the old crew of Rick, Jennifer and myself each week and rekindle some of the old fun. It worked for a while until it was very apparent that as a writer, I was a really terrible editor in trying to solicit content. While the idea was familiar and established, it needed something new and different and it actually happened for the first match in 2017. As I was scrambling to craft my thoughts, my cat GB was hovering about wanting attention and I was ignoring him in trying to write. After walking over the keyboard and trying to take a pencil away from me, I finally asked him what he wanted and he meowed loudly. I asked him if he wanted to participate in the predictions, and it was another loud meow, followed by very loud noises when I asked if Portland would beat Minnesota. The interviews continued with other cats, who appeared excited to participate initially and led to the weekly fun of trying to talk with cats.

I didn't grow up with cats, and the few cats we did have living in Idaho lived outside and came in only periodically. After college and moving to Portland, I lived in pet-free apartments and houses until I met my wife and her cat collective. They all lived indoors, and eventually the little furballs accepted me as one of their pack. We've had some come and go over the years, but our kitty cavalcade is pretty awesome and provide so much joy. And their predictions accurately match their personalities - Tortie is very scattered but happy, Spot demands attention before doing anything, and so on. The Timbers themselves also have a great history with cats considering they have a feral cat colony that lives in the basement of the stadium, and they've been there since the early days of the park. While I get stressed out in trying to find and create good content, I can often find comfort in hanging out with our kitties, even if perhaps they are more interested in a good back scratch or belly run that the complexities of the Los Angeles Galaxy. 

Team Tortie is still very much present, but hasn't been in a predicting mood.

Hence, this week, none of the cats were interested in messing up the streak and providing thoughts about this weekend, and I'm okay with that. I would love to think that the Timbers will continue this streak as well considering the Galaxy played midweek (a loss to FC Dallas in Texas) and the team will be missing several players for international duty and injury. However, the biggest name in soccer - Zlatan - is present and he's done some incredible things since joining the Galaxy on the good and bad side. I really have no idea what might happen, but as with anything, I believe in Gio Savarese and his approach to this year by taking each game as an individual challenge and dealing with it first before doing anything else. This has led to changes in formation and personnel, but in each instance, somebody has stepped up to lead the team to points - and I think it happens again. When I asked Lucy about something unexpected happening tomorrow, she meowed loudly so she might be right, or it could be nearly time for nighttime snacks and bedtime and she's really just hungry. We'll all find out tomorrow afternoon.  

Early Season Observations About the 2018 Portland Timbers

I thought Bill Tuiloma would be key in 2018, just not this soon

The offseason has been somewhat disjointed - but a big construction project and a schedule full of road matches will do that for fans of the Portland Timbers. In some respects, this year reminds me of the 2011 MLS season when the home opener versus the Chicago Fire was scheduled to accommodate the construction project to convert the grounds from multi-purpose to soccer specific venue. Due to the planned renovation schedule,  Portland played most of their pre-season and early schedule away from the Rose City as progress at the park continued right up until the April 14th home opener. This year, the park is undergoing updates to add approximately 5,000 seats to the east end of the stadium with phase 1 work delaying the home opener for 2018 to - ironically enough - April 14, 2018. Both teams played much of their pre-season in Arizona, but the 2011 Timbers did have a U.S. Open Cup qualifying match at Merlo Field in late March plus the Cascadia Summit at Starfire for fans to see their team in person. For 2018, the Timbers haven't played any competitive soccer locally, meaning that most fans have only seen this team on television - or if you are lucky enough to have traveled to Arizona, Los Angeles, New York or Dallas in support.

It's only 3 matches into the year, but I wanted to put together some quick thoughts about the progress so far after the Timbers secured their first point of 2018 courtesy of a 1 all draw with FC Dallas. Sebastian Blanco netted his second goal of 2018 early in the second half which was enough to give Timbers Coach Giovani Savarese his first ever MLS points as a coach, but Portland actually had several chances to take all 3 points. FC Dallas struck first courtesy of forward Roland Lamah, but they couldn't hold on for the home win even though they had opportunities to stretch their lead. After losing their first 2 matches in Los Angeles and New York, Portland was looking for a reboot to find any positives - especially after watching a Red Bull side populated with several reserves (talented but very young and raw assets) totally dominate the Timbers. Savarese had very harsh words for his team after the Red Bulls result, considering that Portland had played the Galaxy relatively even through most of match 1, and appeared to be the more dominant side in the second half. In New York, the Timbers looked lost and disinterested in all aspects of play, and the results were disheartening to say the least.

Many experts put out their thoughts about the team and what was wrong - from asking questions about the tactical approach to open questions about the defensive approach and captaincy and even throwing out the panic button after 2 matches. It was obvious the Timbers were not in sync in New York at all, and this led to some intriguing tactical decisions by Savarese - leaving captain Liam Ridgewell in Portland and giving youngster Bill Tuiloma his first MLS start, plus putting the team in a measured 4 defender, 3 central midfielder, 2 attacking midfielder, 1 striker formation designed to reinforce the backline in front of goalkeeper Jake Gleeson. While Savarese indicated that he felt Ridgewell was still an important part of this team, he also felt in imperative to send a message to the club. You could tell there was a difference in their step when they took to the pitch versus FC Dallas, there was more cohesiveness, more passion, more energy. There were mistakes and missed opportunities for sure, but Portland showed fire and purpose - and played their most complete match of 2018 in a venue that has troubled them in the past against a team that has usually had their way with them in Texas.

 Blanco's 2nd half goal in Dallas was awesomely ridiculous

Other observations and comments:

• I have a great deal of respect for Savarese's resume and accomplishments during his coaching career, but the New York match showed an egregious lack of discipline from the Timbers. After showing well against the Galaxy, it was almost as if the team had forgotten every principle of the attack. Teams will often test the authority of a new coach, and it was great to see Savarese work within the team to adjust where needed but get his players to buy into his message.
• There's been plenty of ire leveled at Ridgewell, especially after his lackadaisical defense contributed to a New York goal. We've all seen the footage of him jogging slowly while Gleeson is left out to dry on the counter, and Ridgewell had a few other questionable decisions on the night. Savarese's decision to leave the standing captain at home and not travel sent a very clear message - play hard or get benched.
• Sebastian Blanco has been the only Timber to score a goal in 2018, and he's been solid on both sides of the ball. Aiding on defense while contributing to some of the creativity in the offense, it's obvious that having Blanco in camp during pre-season helped his preparedness. Blanco wasn't officially added in time to be part of 2017 camp, and his early season performances were inconsistent at times - but he's very dialed in this year.
• It was good to see more of the creative Diego Valeri in Dallas, but it will continue to be a work in progress to see the 2017 MLS MVP start to influence matches like he did last year. When the team had Darlington Nagbe and Valeri on board, there were 2 extremely creative forces on the pitch, but with Nagbe in Atlanta now, Valeri has become the main instigator for the offense. One of Savarese's big keys to jumpstarting the offense is figuring out how to create more space for Valeri to do his thing, because right now, it's not happening with any frequency.
• Maybe the Ridgewell situation will push Fanendo Adi some. I love Adi's game and talent and he's been a very accomplished scorer for the Timbers over his career. But I saw too many runs yesterday cut off combined with disinterested attacks at points for my own good. When Adi is engaged, he's very dangerous - and right now, this version of Adi doesn't appear switched on.
• I liked Tuiloma's work in the pre-season on the defensive line, and thought we might see him join the rotation at some point in 2018. I have to be honest that I didn't expect it in game 3 of 2018.
• Even in conceding 7 goals in 3 matches, I still think Gleeson has actually played well in 2018. He hasn't made the glaring errors we have seen from him in previous seasons, and I like that he's been very communicative with his defensive line about keeping in sync. Sounds like somebody who wants to keep his starting gig.
• Alvas Powell showed some of the promise we keep hoping to see regularly, but I'm also wary of the talk. Powell has been the player many have expected to elevate his play to elite, but after 5 seasons where his play has been either very on or really off, it's time to see some consistency.

I am also doing my best to see if posts can be generated more regularly. I'd like to have some future posts about cats predicting soccer matches, but part of that means getting them engaged and the other is getting the editor to decide on a format that works. As a thinker by nature, I tend to contemplate and analyze to no end which leads to a lot of "paralysis through analysis" or more commonly known as buffering. Like with other things in my life, it's working through the process to improve - and April can't get here soon enough. 

 

Timbers finally get first choice lineup, dismantle Galaxy 3 to 1 at home

Liam Ridgewell was back, but so was another familiar face on the other side.

The Portland Timbers have been waiting for this moment all season - well, since the home opener against Minnesota where the Timbers hung up 5 goals and looked like they were on their way to destroying the rest of Major League Soccer. After a torrid start to the year, the Timbers have been brought back to reality due to injuries, player rotation, call-ups and adding new pieces, but Timbers Coach Caleb Porter has been saying things would be different once all the weapons were back and ready to go. Portland welcomed back defender Liam Ridgewell from injury, and he was one of 3 Timbers players to tally goals in a distinctive 3 to 1 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy. There are plenty of storylines from this match - the Portland return of Sigi Schmid, the longtime Seattle Sounders FC coach that was recently hired by the Galaxy, a revised kickoff time due to excessive heat in the Portland area, Drew Fischer being at the controls of the match as center official, and Diego Valeri's continued displays of brilliance. The main story from this match, however, was the introduction of Video Review for the first time, and the use of a video assistant referee did have a huge influence over the end result.

Schmid was hired by the Galaxy after they relieved Curt Onalfo from his coaching duties on July 27 after the Galaxy were in a tailspin with 5 losses and a draw in the their last 6 matches. Two of the losses were significant: a 6 to 2 loss to Real Salt Lake at home and a 4 to 3 loss to New England, and that was enough for the Galaxy to make a change. Playing against his old side in his debut, the Galaxy offense was ineffective and disorganized but their defense was enough to hold on for points, but they lost defender Jelle Van Damme to an ejection late, so he wasn't available for Portland. Schmid has been trying to figure out what assets he has on the roster, and the Galaxy added Jonathan dos Santos during the Summer transfer window, but Schmid didn't bring his biggest weapon, midfielder Romain Alessandrini with 8 goals and 8 assists in 2017, to Providence Park. Schmid instead turned to Giovani dos Santos, former MLS Timber Jack McInerney, Emmanuel Boateng, Joao Pedro and Gyasi Zardes to try and break down the Timbers defense. While the Galaxy have been a very strong team on the road, it's been their defense that has been troublesome in certain weeks, so it would be up to center backs Dave Romney and Daniel Steres to remain focused and work together.

This song never gets old no matter how many times I hear it.

Timbers Coach Caleb Porter has been jumbling his defensive line over the past few weeks, but he was happy to welcome back Ridgewell, the defensive leader and defacto team captain, from his extended layoff due to various leg injuries. This switch up pushed Roy Miller out to left back with Ridgewell and newly signed Larrys Mabiala as the center backs, supported by Alvas Powell at right back, who was returning from international duty. While Vytas and Zarek Valentin have been good in their stead, both were relegated to the bench for Miller, playing out of his usual role. Otherwise, Portland was playing their first choices at other roles: Jake Gleeson in goal, David Guzman and Diego Chara as the defensive midfielders, Darlington Nagbe, Diego Valeri and Sebastian Blanco as the attacking midfielders and Fanendo Adi as the lone striker. With this group starting, Porter could bring on some strong reinforcements with Darren Mattocks, Dairon Asprilla or Ben Zemanski on offense, or Vytas, Valentin, Jeff Attinella and Lawrence Olum for defensive. While moving Miller out wide seems strange, he has actually played left back in his previous career stops albeit his strongest position is center back. Even with that move, the Timbers were essentially playing their top choice in nearly every other position since the opener,

Fischer has been at the controls for 12 matches during his MLS officiating career, but he's also been responsible for three matches in which he called 20 or more fouls on the Timbers in the past 3 seasons, including a debacle of an effort when Sporting Kansas City visited Providence Park back in April 2017 and held on for a 1 to 0 win with Fischer calling 22 fouls on the Timbers. But Portland and their fans had another officiating situation to adjust to with the introduction of video replay. Fischer was joined by his 2 assistants and the fourth official on the pitch, but longtime MLS veteran Dave Gantar was in a special video booth within the stadium to help review any calls during the match that needed scrutiny. MLS put out rules to each media member about the new video review, indicating that any decision will only be overturned if the video indicates "a clear and obvious error" in one of four match changing incidents: goals, penalty kicks, straight red cards and mistaken identity. Essentially, the video rule would only apply if awarding or not awarding a goal, penalty or red card was a clear and obvious error caught by the VAR, who would then notify the center official of a reviewable situation. The center official can still decide to conduct a video review or take the information provided by replay and correct the error, and any reversals will be communicated to the fans in stadium and during the broadcast.

Roy Miller was good but he lost Emmanuel Boateng in this race.

Portland thought they had taken the lead in the 4th minute off an Adi header from a Valeri cross past Galaxy goalkeeper Brian Rowe, but Adi was just a step offside to disallow the goal. Off the restart, Blanco forced Galaxy defender Ashley Cole into a rushed clearance near his goal to concede the Timbers a corner kick, and Portland jumped out quickly ahead. Wtih Guzman taking the restart, his corner went past the left post and a charging Nagbe to an unmarked Ridgewell, and the Timbers center back calmly headed it home to put the home side up 1 to 0. The lead was short lived, however, as Pedro took advantage of a misplay by Valeri in the 6th minute to feed a diagonal ball to Boateng in space as Miller was off his line and was trying to catch up. Boateng easily tapped in a shot past Gleeson with his left foot from a tight angle to level the match at 1. The Galaxy thought they had taken the lead in the 11th minute off a Zardes goal amidst a massive scrum in the box post LAG corner kick, but Providence Park saw its first use of VAR when Gantar contacted Fischer to have him take a second look at the goal. While initial reports indicated Zardes might have been offside, the call that actually waived off the goal was Zardes handling the ball after a Jones chip pass when the ball was pinging about. After a few moments of review, Fischer waived off the goal and carded Zardes for the handball to return the score to 1 all.

The reversal seemed to take some steam out of both sides as Miller, Blanco, Nagbe and McInerney all had great chances at goal that were missed badly - Miller's shank in the 19th minute was off a deflection and a rushed shot, while McInerney tried to redirect a cross in the box but skied his effort into the South Deck. After the torrid start and subsequent lull, the Timbers started to find their tempo and took the lead in the 33rd minute when Miller fed a ball up the left flank intended for Valeri. Jones made an attempt to try and steal the pass, but he ended up overrunning the ball and Valeri, and Diego's deft touch left Jones on the turf and the Maestro with space. He took a quick touch to settle the ball, and decided to launch a long range effort that tucked into the upper left corner past Rowe to set off a wild celebration in the North End and some happy dances for the Timbers. Portland continued the pressure to earn several huge chances on goal in an attempt to extend their lead, and perhaps the best chance of the half was in the 42nd minute when Blanco played Adi onside and with a quick touch and a miss by Steres, Adi was 1 on 1 with space and only Rowe to stop him when Romney made a recovery run. The two met in the box with Romney executing a slide tackle to get to the ball, but his subsequent action took out Adi in a big heap, but Fischer made no call whatsoever.

Darlington Nagbe gets a double escort everywhere he goes.

In looking at the VAR rules, the question of a penalty or not is actually a reviewable play - some in the press box were debating whether this could be overturned or not - but it comes down to the criteria of a clear and obvious error. If Fischer indicated it was allowable contact and Gantar agreed with the call, video review would not be called upon; but for me, this was about as obvious of a penalty as I've ever seen as Romney absolutely took out Adi's legs with his tackling motion in the box. Tempers flared for several minutes as Fischer made a few other odd calls, but the match went into the break at 2 to 1 Timbers. Los Angeles did their best to challenge after the break, but Jones whiffed on a good chance and Zardes had a shot blocked early, while the Timbers were steadily finding pockets of space to either absorb pressure or find channels to counter. In the 53rd minute, one of those plays came to fruition as the Timbers extended their lead courtesy of Powell. Blanco created a turnover midpitch and found Adi open in space to the right, and Fanendo was fed a great pass to drive towards goal with a head of steam.

While Adi has usually been quick to shoot in these instances, however, the striker drove to the touchline and executed a back heel pass for support. Sure enough, the Timbers right back - who had been beaten badly on the previous attack when he stopped running and put the defense in poor shape - finished his run and slotted the ball into the left corner past Rowe to extend the lead to 2 goals. The tally came at a cost, as Adi tweaked his hamstring slightly and had to be replaced by Darren Mattocks although Adi did appear to be walking normally after the match. Mattocks threatened the Galaxy on several occasions with his overlapping runs and linking with Valeri, Nagbe and Blanco to spread out the attack, but at this juncture, the Timbers were more content to possess and run down the clock. The Galaxy, meanwhile, brought on the other dos Santos to try and stretch the match, but in an odd move, Schimd pulled Boateng for Ariel Lassiter despite Emmanuel being easily the Galaxy's best open field threat all afternoon. Schmid also pushed Romney out wide and Jones back to more of a distributing center back in an attempt to create more attack, and the Galaxy were able to generate plenty of passes and shots, but the Timbers were able to either block or defend all of them away.

With Fanendo Adi injured, Darren Mattock entered. And did very well.

Blanco eventually gave way for Asprilla as a late change of pace, which further caused the Galaxy issues but the Timbers were forced to make their final move due to injury when Ridgewell left in stoppage time to be replaced by Olum. Despite Fischer adding 6 minutes of stoppage in the second half (Gleeson had a minor injury on a catch, but he stayed in after a moment of treatment with just 1 goal), the Timbers ran down the match in expert fashion with just one issue - a late caution given to Guzman for argument when the Timbers were awarded a free kick and the Galaxy were within the 10 yard restricted area for the restart. Fischer indicated after the match that he had counted out 10 yards on the South End of the stadium for the kick, but both Guzman and Valeri repeatedly yelled for the rule to be enforced and Guzman got a caution for his trouble. With each side getting 4 cautions, Portland only has one issue for the Toronto FC match in that Miller's caution in the 79th minute was his eight of 2017, so another 1 match suspension was invoked meaning the Timbers defense will have another rotation. Portland also managed to avoid the trend with Fischer as official in only being called for 15 fouls, but there was a huge discrepancy in the second half with Portland having 10 fouls to just 5 for the Galaxy.

Everyone could breathe easier with the win and I felt that Portland did well to manage the situation and create goals when they needed them. It wasn't a perfect match - the Timbers had too many defensive errors and allowed players into space at points, plus Miller's lack of foot speed will be an issue if he's asked to play left back - but the Timbers rallied around theit teammates to put forth a complete team effort. While Valeri continued to be a good source of goals, the team also had scores from 2 of their defenders while 4 other players tallied assists on those goals. Gleeson, to his credit, made some good saves at times and seemed more in command of his line at points, but he did have a few cringe worth moments that didn't hurt his side either. Portland now finds themselves in a four way tie for second in the West at 34 points with Houston, FC Dallas and Seattle - Portland is listed below the other 3 sides due to goal differential - just 3 points behind Sporting KC, 2 points ahead of San Jose and 3 points above Vancouver. The August 12 match against Toronto FC gives the Timbers a chance to gain points without losing ground in the West, and they have 3 more matches upcoming against the East (both New York sides and Orlando remain on the schedule). Portland also has 10 matches left on the 2017 schedule - 5 home and road left - to either secure a postseason berth or figure out their 2018 strategy.  

Prediction Thread Week 22 - Portland Timbers vs. Los Angeles Galaxy

Portland versus Los Angeles usually produces fireworks

Anytime the Portland Timbers and Los Angeles Galaxy get together, there's usually lots of drama and intrigue. While the 2 sides battled on several occasions back in the U.S. Open Cup, the history has jumped a level since Portland joined MLS in 2011. From drilling a Timbers side that was dealing with a fired coach in 2012, Darlington Nagbe leaving the Home Depot Center turf on crutches after a 2016 match, Andrew Jean-Baptiste sending the Timbers Army home happy with a stoppage time winner in 2013, or a signature win for Portland in California earlier this year, the stakes increase dramatically when these two sides line up. The Galaxy have seen many of their high profile stars from previous seasons move on, but they just recently added Jonathan dos Santos to a club where his brother, Giovani, has been one of the major weapons this season. Los Angeles seems to have struck gold with midfielder Romain Alessandrini, who has become their offensive leader with 8 goals and 8 assists so far, but perhaps the biggest news they've made recently is who is now in charge of their club.

When Bruce Arena left to resume coaching the U.S. Men's National Team earlier this year, the Galaxy turned over their club to their Galaxy II coach, former USMNT defender and long time MLS veteran Curt Onalfo. While their offense has been somewhat consistent from their output in previous years, the Galaxy have seen 2 trends doom them in 2017 - their defense has been very suspect during long stretches, and the Galaxy have only won 1 time at home in 2017, holding a 1 win, 6 loss and 4 draw record at their home park. The writing on the wall hit for Onalfo when the Galaxy lost 5 in a row in late June and July, including a 6 to 2 loss to Real Salt Lake at Home Depot Center. A loss to New England 4 to 3 on July 22 was the final straw for Galaxy management, and Onalfo was relieved of his duties and replaced by an old friend of the Timbers Army, former Seattle Sounders FC Coach Sigi Schmid. Schmid was in charge of the Sounders from 2009 to 2016 until the organization decided to make a move mid-season and relieve Schmid of his duties; this move along with other changes seemed to propel the Sounders to their improbable run towards winning a certain shiny object.

Schmid's first game in charge of the Galaxy ironically enough was against his former side, and both teams played to a sloggy, uneven scoreless draw, but Schmid had only been in charge for 2 days before that affair. With some time, Schmid can finally install his attack and approach to the Galaxy, but he must deal with a Timbers team that has been really scrappy since suffering a humiliating home defeat to RSL a few weeks ago, and an adjusted kick time to 11 AM Portland time due to excessive heat in the Rose City. Diego Valeri is fresh off his appearance in the 2017 MLS All-Star Game with the team lead in goals scored at 11 and assists with 8, but Portland has seen Sebastian Blanco emerge as a scoring threat with 3 goals in the last 4 matches. With the history between these teams already elevated to higher levels, the addition of a familiar manager just add some spice to the inferno. It will be interesting to see what theme will reign supreme - a Timbers team that is trying to establish home dominance with Blanco, Valeri and Fanendo Adi showing good form, or a Galaxy team sorting out their new attack under new direction. With all of that, what do our crack crew of predictors think might happen? Let's find out, shall we?
 

Not green or gold, but still impressive

Rick: Timbers 2, Galaxy 1

It's going to be baking hot on Sunday morning. What better conditions to welcome back Sigi Schmid in his second game in charge of the Galaxy who have now gone seven games without a win in MLS. Although there was a time when fans might have thought a Timbers win against the Galaxy was pie in the sky, it should be remembered that the unexpected 5-2 drubbing of the Galaxy at the StubHub Center in 2015 started their successful MLS Cup run. Sunday could see the welcome return of defenders Liam Ridgewell and Vytas after layoffs through injury. Blanco and Guzman with the goals. Any contribution to the score by Adi or Valeri would be gravy.

I like goals. I like the brush. I like food.

Tortie: Timbers 12, Galaxy 8

The littlest ninja cat put on quite a show when asked about her thoughts for this match. Like with many of her previous offerings, it was a flurry of meows and eeps about the number of goals. The home side ended up with just a few more noises from Tortie, but she's calling for a track meet once again. Maybe with the earlier kick time and 2 sides with questionable defenses and solid offenses, this could end up being true.

I still don't see what is so hard about this work thing.

GB: Timbers 2, Galaxy 2

We have made it a point not to ask GB about soccer around meal time, so it was a late night discussion when GB decided to drop his knowledge for anyone interested. With 2 meows for the Timbers, it appeared he might be thinking home win, but he gave the visitors just as many meows. Looks like the grey boy is thinking both teams will walk away with points on the day. GB is a bit worried there won't be any pies left for him later, though.

Oh, hai, everybody.

Mark: Timbers 4, Galaxy 2.

Mark submitted his prediction through the wonder of Twitter. There was no explanation to the choice of score or any wonderful poems or other thoughts, so at this point, we can just say he's predicting a win for the green side. I'm only a little disappointed that the Galaxy didn't inspire such a wonderful poem as we got last time.

I'm new to all this soccer stuff, but hey, I'm cute, right?

Moya: Timbers 1, Galaxy 0

After last week's episode where Moya ran away and only predicted Houston would win, Moya was in better spirits for this week's interview. After watching some of the Thorns FC match, Moya let out a very loud meow for the Timbers when asked about who would win. She only had one other meow to determine the number of goals, so unlike Tortie, Moya is thinking it will be a defensive battle.

I'm Lucy. I'm learning about this soccer thing from the others

Lucy: Timbers 3, Galaxy 1

Lucy was pretty excited after calling last week's match correctly. She didn't let the correct prediction get to her head, though, and so she thought long and hard about her prediction. After an enthusiastic meow for the Timbers, she followed up with 3 meows for the home side and just one for the visitors. She seemed very confident about this score, so we'll see if she can extend her streak to a second week.

Green is the color, and soccer is the game!

Kip: Timbers 2, Galaxy 0

This one is a tough match to call. Portland has been very good over the past few weeks, and they are getting close to full health. Los Angeles, meanwhile, is trying to figure out what direction to go under their new coach. Sigi Schmid knows the Timbers and Portland really well, but I'm not sure the Galaxy have the overall talent to hang with the Timbers, especially knowing their defensive leader, Jelle Van Damme, is out on suspension and they are missing several other regulars. With Sebastian Blanco providing better cover for the offense, Portland is looking much better and I think that's the difference maker here.

This is my scarf now since I drooled on it.

Spot: Timbers 0, Galaxy 3

The queen of the cat collective was in full on prissy mode during her discussion about the match, and she didn't have any good thoughts about Portland or the Timbers. Spot, however, drooled a lot about the Galaxy and left 3 pieces of snot on Kip's arm to signify her pick. I'm feeling gross just typing this down, but this is exactly how the interview went. Thank god for disinfecting hand wipes.