Timbers Home Opener Ends in Contentious 3 to 2 Loss to LAFC

My new vantage point from press row. It's going to take some getting used to.

The date of June 1, 2019 had been circled on many calendars for Timbers fans, not just because some certain person keeps asking what date it is on social media. You could certainly feel the anxiousness in the air around Providence Park as the Portland Timbers were preparing to host their home opener in 2019 MLS play with the Los Angeles Football Club - LAFC for short - paying a visit. Considering that Portland had already played 12 matches on the road, traveling over 25,000 miles and spending most of the 2019 calendar year playing away from familiar settings and a partisan crowd, you could sense the tension within the grounds hours before kickoff among the players and supporters. For the most part, the stadium passed the initial test well - the crowd noise was deafening, the stadium viewpoints were impressive, and the sights very memorable - but as with any grand opening, there were challenges as LAFC held on for a dramatic 3 to 2 victory in front of a new capacity crowd of 25,218.

It was hard to avoid the news of the stadium reopening as it was being covered world wide by various outlets, and the end results were very evident with the expanded East deck adding over 4,000 new seats, new jumbotrons on the South and West deck, a new playing surface, updated sound system and other decorative touches throughout the park. The visuals were indeed stunning from being able to see a visible Mount Hood or Mount St. Helen's in the distance from the new deck, and as the evening moved on, the night sky gave the fans quite a sight. The opening wasn't without various technical difficulties, however, as the sound system alternated between nothing and deafening for most of the match, social media reported varying issues with the concessions and the crowded concourses, and for the first time in the MLS era, the Timbers Army did not lead the singing of the anthem before the kick. Days before the opener, the 107ist announced new fan conduct rules that prohibited certain imagery from being displayed during the match in conjunction with MLS parameters that applies to all matches at the park, which led to plenty of supporter discord. Some supporters had to remove messages of support for the Iron Front upon entering the park, yet before the match had started, a group of fans were displaying a Trump 2020 flag in one of the sections of the park before the flag was removed. Tensions were still on alert hours after the match on the topic, and it will be interesting to see what happens over the coming weeks regarding this issue.

Diego Chara was his very usual Chara-like self the whole match.

I was part of the stadium opening in 2001 for the Portland Beavers when the stadium ran out of hot dogs in the third inning, so there is precedent for home opener challenges. I don't say that to make light of what happened before the match, although it's not unexpected for new facilities to experience problems on their first run. For my opinion, I appreciate the upgrades but I would ask the stadium to turn down the volume on the public address system, as it was completely distracting when on top volume. I also understand the dynamic with soccer and politics over history, and many just want politics to stay out of sports. I admit I've struggled with that message before as I enjoy sports and would prefer the drama & dramatics be kept off the field of play, but sometimes the messages are beyond just the world of sports and that desire is part of my privilege as a white male in society. I respect the league for doing their best to make the fan experience more inclusive with their Soccer For All campaign, but the issue of censoring specific messages as political is a very slippery slope that doesn't have any easy answers. Soccer is a game that should embrace all parts of society, but there is no place in our society for groups that promote messages of hate or support violence against others, simply because of their race, gender, religion, creed, belief system or some other arbitrary factor. Messages that drive wedges and fuel hate should never be welcomed in any environment. I'm proud that the 107ist is supporting human rights causes, especially during Pride Month, and will support them as they continue to share this important message.

Within the context of opening the refurbished stadium and the traffic challenges brought on by the Starlight Parade happening on the same night in downtown Portland, it would have been easy to overlook the matchup between LAFC and Portland, two clubs that are fast developing a very contentious rivalry. LAFC dismantled the Timbers earlier this year in game 2 of the 12 game road string, and tensions had boiled over in several matches last year during LAFC's inaugural season, but Bob Bradley's crew are setting the pace so far in 2019 with an undefeated home record so far in 8 matches and earning points from 7 of 8 matches away from home. LAFC has a plus 26 goal differential - only Philadelphia has a double digit goal differential so far - which indicates a strong offense, but LAFC is also second to last on goals allowed with 13 conceded, so they have a solid companion defense as well. Carlos Vela makes the team run, but this group has Christian Ramirez, Diego Rossi, Adama Diomande, Latif Blessing and Mark-Anthony Kaye who provide scoring and passing support, so the Timbers were going to have their hands full in all aspects. Brian Fernandez has been a wonderful addition to the Timbers for his offensive expertise, but the key in this match would be how well Diego Chara and Cristian Paredes, the duo selected for defensive midfield duty among the starters, would patrol the middle and hold the tempo.

Paredes add to MLS Timbers history as 1st goal scorer in updated park

Timbers Coach Gio Savarese decided to roll out the familiar 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 attack with Fernandez as the lone striker with Diego Valeri, Sebastian Blanco and Andy Polo as the supporting attacking midfielders. With Paredes and Chara in the middle, Savarese used Jorge Moreira, Larrys Mabiala, Bill Tuiloma and Jorge Villafana as the defensive line in front of goalkeeper Jeff Attinella. Moreira and Villafana have been rather adept at moving forward to support the offense, but they would be tested in this matchup with the three LAFC attackers in Vela, Rossi and Ramirez. After playing in different stadiums with various surfaces, it would be interesting to see how well the Timbers would adapt to the new Cool Turf surface at Providence Park, designed to keep field temperatures down yet still be a fast surface. With Portland having an exceptional record in home openers and the myriad of emotions going on before the home opener, it would be paramount for the team not to make any mistakes and keep their emotions and wits in check throughout the match. Unfortunately for the Timbers, this message really didn't hit home until later in the affair.

Portland mistakes effectively created the three goals that LAFC tallied on the night, and their hundred of traveling supporters enjoyed every moment of it bellowing songs as loudly as the Timbers Army for most of the night. Vela tallied his 16th goal of 2019 in probably the easiest fashion of the year in the 6th minute when Attinella passed a goal kick directly to him and Vela slotted the ball past him before he or the defense could recover. Attinella was intending to put the ball in play to Villafana, but the pass went directly to Vela instead as a rather egregious unforced error. Rossi tallied his eighth goal of 2019 in the 34th minute when Vela found LAFC fullback Tristan Blackmon wide right, and Blackmon put a cross into the box intended for Rossi to the spot. Moreira was slow to react to the play and was steps behind Rossi when the ball arrived, and Attinella had no chance to stop the shot into goal. This pattern was pretty much the story for the Timbers in the first 45 minutes, as Portland really was unable to find any cohesion on either side of the ball. Of the shots created, Mabiala's header from a Valeri corner kick in the 8th minute was the only credible effort on target, and Larrys pulled the shot wide right. Defensively, the Timbers left several marks open at key moments, but LAFC were unable to take more advantage more often. The Timbers' midfield tried their best to set up some tempo for the group, but with the litany of unforced errors on passing or slow reaction, the Timbers just looked out of sorts.

Jeff Attinella made several good saves, but had a few horrible gaffes.

Whatever halftime message Savarese gave his team worked because Portland came out with passion and fire, and Paredes was the beneficiary in scoring the first Timbers goal in the new park right after the break. Portland surrounded the LAFC goal, and Blanco found Fernandez in the box with a cross, but LAFC goalkeeper Tyler Miller was able to deflect the shot away. However, his rebound fell to the feet of Parades, who tapped it in for goal to pull the Timbers back to a 2 to 1 deficit. The Timbers continued to swarm about, but LAFC extended the lead in the 56th minute when the defense failed to mark Blessing on the right flank. As LAFC swarmed to the left and peppered Attinella with attempted shots, LAFC defender Jordan Harvey put a cross from left to right to an unmarked Blessing in the box, and he calmly tapped the ball into the net for his second goal of 2019. Portland continued to pressure as Valeri, Blanco and Fernandez all had quality chances on target over the following minutes, but the match complexion didn't change until Savarese brought on Jeremy Ebobisse to replace Paredes and give the Timbers two attacking forwards. The Ebobisee - Fernandez combination paid dividends in the 84th minute after Villafana found Jeremy with a cross from left to right, and Ebobisse put a header in the area of Fernandez while in the box. Brian executed an exceptional bicycle kick past Miller to push the score to 3 to 2, but the Timbers were unable to do anything more score wise to gain any points.

After a first half where the team seemed very tentative and unsure of their approach, the Timbers showed more determination and tenacity in the second half as they pressured LAFC from all quadrants, trusting that Mabiala and Tuiloma could handle the LAFC counter. When Tuiloma left in the 58th minute due to a head injury, Julio Cascante came on board and he held up well to the challenges late. To their credit, LAFC used every technique in the book to run down the clock, including several time wasting counters. Vela is an absolute handful, though, and the Timbers' defense really struggled to account for his whereabouts most of the night. While much was made in support of Center Official Robert Sibiga's work on the night in an emotionally charged atmosphere, I felt that Sibiga wasn't as consistent in many of his calls when it came to contact and fouls. As much as the Timbers didn't adjust to the physical, frenetic approach that LAFC brought to the table, LAFC also did an exceptional job of accentuating and exaggerating contact leading to many calls. The tensions between the teams boiled over in stoppage time when Cascante, Fernandez and Diomande, brought on as a late substitute, tangled in front of the LAFC bench and the teams had to be separated. Even Bradley and Savarese had a rather animated post-match discussion for several minutes where some of the assistants had to be separated.

Brian Fernandez is as good as advertised. His 84th minute goal was awesome.

In all of the context of everything, however, the match itself was a tale of two halves and the Timbers showed they could indeed hang with LAFC, who is easily the quality of MLS right now. I heard many people indicate that Portland needs time to adjust to the home conditions, but I also feel that the team needed to control their emotions slightly better. It appeared that the team was really not communicating with each other on the pitch, and the lack of leadership that plagued the team early in the season arose again. While I appreciate that Valeri, Blanco and Fernandez are doing a good job of leading the offense, I am openly wondering who is the leader of the defense. I would think Mabiala is the logical candidate because of his experience and expertise, but I didn't see anybody really directing or organizing the defensive line with any cohesion. Attinella has been very good for several seasons as well, but the unforced errors in distribution are a troubling trend. Granted, the issues are indeed correctable with more work on the training pitch, but Portland will need to shore them up before matches resume next week. The Timbers open up U.S. Open Cup play on June 12 in Tacoma, WA when they battle the Seattle Sounders in the 4th round of the tournament before league play resumes on June 22nd when the Houston Dynamo visit Providence Park to face the Timbers.

Facing Best Team in East, Portland Timbers Use Improbable Strategy For Impressive Win

Diego Valeri defends Maximiliano Moralez. Valeri was very active all day.

Possession with purpose – we’ve heard this term for several years as the mantra to the Portland Timbers’ offense under former Coach Caleb Porter, and it’s blossomed into various capacities and publications within the soccer world.  After the tactical deficiencies that were exposed under the team’s first coach in the MLS era and lightly addressed when Technical Director Gavin Wilkinson stepped in as caretaker before Porter’s arrival, it’s been trumpeted for years that possessing the ball was the key to winning soccer matches in MLS. For 5 seasons, this belief permeated throughout Timbers fans who feverishly devoured statistics about soccer who bought into the strategy, and the results were certainly impressive – 3 playoff appearances, 1 MLS Cup.  With Porter off to his next challenge and Giovanni Savarese now the man in charge, there’s been a very different set of tactics employed with the personnel available, as we’ve seen an attempted high press, a complete whirling about, the Christmas Tree – and while we haven’t seen the Timbers completely dominate yet, there have been glimpses of impressive soccer.  Until April 22 at Providence Park, where the Timbers put up one of their most extraordinary efforts against New York City FC, the team dominating the Eastern Conference for MLS. NYCFC hadn’t lost in 6 matches nor had even been held scoreless in 2018, putting up 2 goals in each match, yet the Portland Timbers used several substitutions, a different formation and a raucous environment at home to post an imposing 3 to 0 victory.

Consider the historic accomplishment of what has transpired in front of a sellout crowd and a nationwide audience on FOX Sports 1 in looking at the statistics of the match: Portland had just 25% total possession for the match with 20% at the half, 249 total passes with roughly 72 percent accuracy in comparison with NYCFC completing 760 passes at a 91 percent clip.  No team in the MLS Opta era, which started in 2010, had ever had a possession number so low and not only won the match but shut the other team out until the Timbers pulled it off in calculating fashion.  But as pointed out on the Timbers site by soccer analyst extraordinaire Richard Farley, Savarese has been preaching a desire to be flexible in their game approach and not just employ a single strategy or formation.  Strategies, personnel, situations could change from match to match depending upon the opponent, and being flexible and fluid would keep the other side guessing. It’s an interesting strategy if a team has the talent, tenacity and total smarts to pull it off each and every week given the length of the typical MLS season, but for one moment in time against a stacked opponent, lightning struck and the Timbers posted a massive result.

NYCFC visiting brought a familiar face back to Portland in Rodney Wallace

With the skies clearing under a wonderful spring sun with the slightest of breeze in the air for a midafternoon match, Savarese pulled a different approach to try and slow down NYCFC in setting his starting eleven.  After dealing with injuries all season, Jeff Attinella was given his first start of 2018 in lieu of incumbent Jake Gleeson, and Attinella was working with a familiar defensive line. Liam Ridgewell, demonized after a lackluster performance in New York versus the Red Bulls and pushed to the bench for Bill Tuiloma, was promoted back to the starting eleven alongside Larrys Mabiala with Alvas Powell and Zarek Valentin manning the fullbacks.  This quintet of defenders had actually appeared several times in 2018 and responded well in most occasions, but with Ridgewell out of the doghouse and Attinella making the first start, you could question the selections a bit. Savarese further altered the approach with putting out 4 midfielders – Andres Flores and Sebastian Blanco on the wings and Cristhian Paredes as defending midfielders – with Diego Valeri as the lone attacking midfielder and Fanendo Adi as the lone striker.  The approach appeared to be bunkering at first, but in watching the tactics unfurl, the lineup was designed to absorb pressure and tempo and exploit counter attacking chances whenever possible with the wings or fullbacks pouring forward.  This system would only work if the Timbers could work as a foursome on the defense and midfield lines through synchronicity and communication.  If Portland didn’t take advantage on breakdowns, it could be a very long and tiring match – and there have been plenty of soccer matches where clubs have done that very thing.  But stretching the opposition, if done right and consistently, can produce results.  Considering the fact the Timbers were nearly even with NYCFC in each shot category and chances, the approach produced exactly what it should have.

Savarese believed in his charges, however, and said so during his post match comments. Flores, who has played for Savarese on other sides, has played a wide attacking role before and he paired up with Blanco to provide support to the offense and defense all afternoon. For Chara, he's the pinnacle of defensive midfielders for his ability to create turnovers and distribute the ball, and on several occasions, Chara was right to the spot to deflect the ball or a player away from the goal. I imagine that NYCFC forward David Villa will be having nightmares of Chara chasing him about and knocking him down all the time. Paredes, just 19 years of age, showed maturity beyond his years in making several key passes and creating turnovers at the right time, but he did also show youth with several turnovers and errant passes. The defensive quartet of Valentin, Mabiala, Ridgewell and Powell needed to communicate with each other and stay incredibly organized for the entire match, and as my wife Jennifer put it from her pitch side view, there was constant yelling between the defenders to point out assignments and communicate coverage. The only more vocal player was Attinella, who commanded his line all afternoon to help the Timbers post their first clean sheet of 2018 in his first start. Offensively, the attacking of Valeri and Adi was disruptive for most of the afternoon for the NYC defense, but the duo had plenty of help as Flores, Blanco, Powell and Valentin poured forward as much as they could on the counter. Suffice to say, this was one of the most impressive synchronous efforts I've seen from the Timbers side in my 11 seasons of covering the team.

Fanendo Adi celebrates his 38th minute goal in great fashion.

Despite the statistical anomalies of the afternoon, the Timbers' offense ended up yielding an impressive collective of goals. Blanco missed 2 golden chances in the first 5 minutes from close range, while Valeri just missed in the 16th minute off a redirected shot. Blanco got some revenge in the 26th minute when Flores took a throw in from Powell on the right portion of the pitch and crossed it to the left for the Timbers winger. Blanco, small in stature, outleapt his mark and put a looping header over NYCFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson just inside the far right post for a goal. For Blanco, it was his fourth goal of 2018 as he has been one of the team's most valuable attackers and an early candidate for most valuable player. 12 minutes later, the Timbers broke out on a turnover caused by Blanco, and Sebastian fed the ball to a charging Chara. Chara sent Valeri out wide right with a diagonal pass, and the shot came flying into goal that Johnson was initially able to stop, but he deflected the ball right at an awaiting Adi on the left for a very easy tap in for goal 2. Adi timed his run well to avoid the offside flag, and the flag nearly figured into goal number 3 in the second half off a corner kick. Valeri took the restart after NYCFC conceded a corner off a poor clearance, and Valeri spotted Mabiala lurking on the right post for a well placed header past Johnson. Center Official Kevin Stott and VAR had a look at this goal to confirm validity as there were 2 situations that could have wiped it off the books - Flores appeared to be offside with the defensive line in front of goal and was in the eye line of Johnson. However, VAR confirmed that NYCFC defender Ronald Matarrita kept Flores onside as he was defending Valeri on the wing, while Flores ducked out of the way after the shot to get out of Johnson's sight line.

NYCFC had their chances on the day as former MLS Timber and now NYCFC forward Rodney Wallace missed a header in the 7th minute by just yards. Villa had a quality miss in minute 40 when they were already down by 2 goals, but the group unleashed a torrent in the second half as Wallace, Villa, Jo Inge Berger, Maxi Moralez and Jesus Medina all had chances on goal from the break through minute 63. However, in each instance, the shot was either deflected away, the threat cleared or Attinella made an easy catch within traffic. Berger and Villa were charging on frame in the 58th minute on one particular play that Attinella stopped by being the first to the ball to scoop it up, and then upend Berger with a well placed tackle. In the 89th minute, Ridgewell blocked a point blank Villa shot on a 1 on 1 attack, and the Timbers defense was able to recover and successfully clear away the threat. Considering the fact that NYCFC had scored at least 2 goals in each of their 7 matches with at least 10 or more shots and they were held scoreless is impressive, and the effort was enough that Savarese and Mabiala both earned MLS team of the week honors for coach and player. In as much as both Gio and Larrys deserved their honors, however, every person indicated how much this result was because of the entire team.

This was an entire team effort with every Timbers player contributing to the win.

Of the comments made by Savarese after the match, that was what struck me the most - he believed in his team and had faith that any of his players could step into whatever role was needed and succeed. After seeing his team gel over the past few weeks yet struggle to get their first win over Minnesota United last week, Savarese changed up the formula to bring in his veteran goalkeeper, a disgraced defender looking for redemption, a young star in the making, a utility player that is showing his worth, and a scoring trio that has started off 2018 well and getting better. The fact is, however, we could see an entirely different scenario in 2 weeks when Portland travels to San Jose to play the Earthquakes for Cinco De Mayo. Savarese is not married to any specific style, format or player mix, and Timbers fans should expect surprises each time we see that starting eleven appear.  He wants the team to show versatility and unpredictability, while causing defenses to have to consider every available option to defend - and if he can pull this off each and every week, it will be exciting and fun to watch. Considering it's a long season and sometimes players thrive in more defined roles, we might start to see some more structure within the attack, but for now, it's one wild ride - and for this afternoon, the strategy produced one of the most impressive and entertaining results of the entire MLS season.

Starting awesomely but finishing scattered, Timbers hold on for 3 to 2 win over Loons

Alvas Powell scored his first goal of 2018 with a wildly effective run

April 14 will always remain a red letter date in the MLS history of the Portland Timbers. It's hard to fathom just seven years ago on this date, the Timbers played their first ever MLS match at home and under a wild rainstorm, Portland won its first ever match in league play over the Chicago Fire in thrilling but nail biting fashion. Because of stadium renovations at JELD-WEN Field to turn the former multi-purpose stadium into a soccer/football venue, the Timbers spent most of February and March away from the Rose City until their epic home debut. With the Timbers expanding their stadium to include a full east side façade over the next two years, the 2018 MLS home opener for the Timbers was again delayed until the 6th match of the year on the same date as their inaugural MLS home match . Facing similar weather to that night with many other similar events taking place, the Timbers hosted Minnesota FC, the team that helped them open Providence Park for the 2017 MLS season. While the Loons struggled mightily last year, the spunky visitors held up against a Timbers side still trying to find their way under new coach Gio Savarese. While the Timbers sent the fans home happy with a thrilling 3 to 2 victory under a cold drizzle, there were also a ton of questions that still need to be addressed before this team can progress to the elite of the MLS West.

Getting Gio his first win of his MLS coaching career, however, was a nice reward for the home team who started out like they were going to run the Loons out of the stadium, similar to what happened last year. The Timbers raced to a 2 goal lead in the second half only to watch Minnesota pull one back in the 79th minute before Diego Valeri and Fanendo Adi tallied 3 goals late to post an impressive 5 to 1 win. For this edition, the Timbers again raced to the 2 goal lead within the first half an hour, and when Minnesota thought they had pulled to within one, the offside flag negated their goal. Minnesota kept pressing until they scored in the 64th minute to ramp up the pressure. Adi nearly replicated his 2 goal performance with tallies in the 74th and 78th to push the lead to 4 to 1, but the offside flag took away the latter goal. Unlike the 2017 edition, Minnesota received an own goal in the 82nd minute to make things interesting, then pressed a beleaguered Timbers defense with pressure until the final whistle. While the Timbers did hold on and get their first win of 2018 at home, the defensive woes and offensive stagnation late nearly cost Portland for the third straight week. Portland had Chicago and Orlando both beaten in their last 2 matches, but the Timbers ended up conceding late in Chicago for a draw, while a 3 goal onslaught by Orlando in the final 10 minutes last week turned an impressive win into a gut wrenching defeat.

After a slow start, Diego Valeri has been locked in with 3 goals in 3 matches

Savarese has wanted the Timbers to employ more pressing and ball movement in his style of play, but after being dismantled by the New York Red Bulls in game 2, he's been forced to make some significant alterations to that plan. Instead of using veteran Liam Ridgewell along the backline, Savarese has employed Bill Tuiloma alongside Larrys Mabiala as the center backs while also using a 4 defender, 3 defensive midfielder, 2 attacking midfielder, 1 forward lineup - also known as the Christmas Tree formation. The tree was back for Minnesota, as Tuiloma and Mabiala lined up with Alvas Powell and Zarek Valentin as the defensive line in front of goalkeeper Jake Gleeson. While Cristhian Paredes, Diego Chara and Andy Polo made up the defensive midfield line, Polo was employed to press more forward as a supporting wing and drop back on defense to help Chara and Paredes. With Adi slotted as the lone striker and Valeri paired up with Sebastian Blanco as the attacking midfield, it appeared that Savarese had the strongest available attack at his disposal. Savarese could bring on Samuel Armenteros, Jack Barmby, Andres Flores if the offense needed help, or use Jeff Attinella, Marco Farfan, Julio Cascante or Lawrence Olum if the defense needed fortifying.

Minnesota has been a rather up and down team early in 2018, but much improved over their initial MLS season last year as Coach Adrian Heath has seen a massive influx of talent across the board. While the attack took a hit when Kevin Molino was lost for the 2018 season due to injury after he had scored 2 goals in 2 matches, the Loons still have several players that can be dangerous in the right spots. Darwin Quintero is regarded as a highly accomplished scorer as the team's first ever Designated Player, while Christian Ramirez, Miguel Ibarra and MLS veteran Ethan Finlay give MNUFC options. Ibson and Rasmus Schuller give the spine some teeth, while another MLS veteran, Matt Lampson, has emerged in goal for the club. Considering MNUFC has wins over Chicago and Orlando City this year, Portland couldn't overlook the challenges their visitors presented one bit. This was a different club from the group that was ransacked to start 2017, and Heath has been able to employ a style that gives them confidence and danger. For Savarese, he could be pleased the Timbers were showing some fight to get draws versus FC Dallas and Chicago with some improved play, but the memory of coughing up 3 goals in 10 minutes versus Orlando was lingering over his group.

Fanendo Adi added his name to the 2018 scoring log with a second half goal.

After the Timbers Army continued their tradition of singing the National Anthem, which started on that fateful night in 2011 and has remained for every MLS home opener since, the two teams started the first 20 minutes trading back and forth runs with Adi and MNUFC defender Jerome Thiesson both having quality shots blocked. The battle continued until the 20th minute when Powell took an outlet pass from Mabiala and tried to move on the right side near the half line, and the MNUFC team was happy to oblige. What followed was an end to end run where Powell didn't pass the ball nor get stopped, and after a stepover fake to make the defense pause, he launched a right footed volley that found nothing but net. It brought the stadium to its feet in celebration, and the frenzy continued when after Polo had a shot blocked in the 23rd minute, Powell collected a pass from Paredes to cross into the box. The ball glanced off Ibarra toward goal, and it was Valeri who shook his mark and was first to the ball for a deftly placed shot into goal for a 2 to 0 lead. Ibarra thought he had brought his side back just 2 minutes later off a cross from Thiesson past Gleeson, but after center official Jose Rivero didn't waive off the goal, the VAR review ruled Ibarra was offside and waived off the tally.

Blanco struck the crossbar in the 30th minute off a solid sequence of passing, but the Timbers weren't able to add anything more to the lead. Gleeson, however, denied Ibarra in the 42nd minute when MNUFC defender Marc Burch put a cross into the box and Ibarra headed it towards the left post. Gleeson was able to push the ball clear for a corner, and the Timbers were able to clear out the remaining threats to keep the lead at 2 to 0. The first half statistics showed the Timbers with advantages in several categories, but Minnesota was enjoying more possession and solid passing accuracy although they weren't getting much done in the final third. While Polo's speed was causing plenty of coverage issues for MNUFC, the Timbers were also leaving Mabiala and Tuiloma to cover the backline and threats as Powell was pouring forward nearly at will to aid the offense. While Valentin stayed behind to help out on the press, there were a few moments of miscommunication amongst the defense that could have been a lot worse.

Congrats to Gio for the 1st MLS win

Heath replaced Burch with rookie Carter Manley at the break, and the change seemed to have opened up more space for MNUFC. With the rain slightly subsiding, the teams traded possession and runs to start the second half until the 58th minute when Gleeson leaped up to push away a Ramirez chance from close range with a lovely reaction save. MNUFC kept up the pressure and the dam finally broke when Quintero slotted home a shot in the 64th minute off a thrown in when he spun past his mark, and beat Gleeson with a tight angled shot. Quintero and Ramirez had notable chances in the 72nd and 73rd minute until Portland extended their lead. Blanco moved the ball from left to the right post for Valeri, who dropped a pass right to a waiting Paredes. His bouncing shot spun past the MNUFC defense to find Adi's head and he calmly pushed it past a lunging Lampson to restore a 2 goal lead at 3 to 1. Adi thought he had another brace in the 78th minute when he muscled past a defender to slam forth a shot past Lampson, but upon VAR review, it was ruled that Adi was offside on the pass and the goal was waived off, so the score remained 3 to 1 with 12 minutes left.

Savarese had gone to his bench in the 74th to replace Polo with Andres Flores to switch up the Timbers into a more defensive mindset, but the plans started to crumble in the 81st minute when Quintero put a cross into the path of MNUFC substitute Abu Danladi with Gleeson slow to react. Tuiloma was first to the ball, but instead of clearing it away, the ball was bumped past Gleeson into the net for an own goal. The final minutes saw Minnesota threated with various runs about the Timbers defense, and Savarese brought on Marco Farfan for Blanco to further bunker down. It appeared that Quintero's goal had rattled Gleeson a lot, and the pressure that had been building all match toward Mabiala, Valentin, Powell, and Tuiloma was causing a lot of miscommunication and mistakes. Had Minnesota been more purposeful with some of their runs to exploit space better, the results here might have been different - but Portland did just enough to hold off the rally and earn their first 2018 victory. The possession numbers were decidedly in Minnesota's favor in the second half, and when they brought on Manley for Burch, the move was done to try and neutralize Powell's movement forward. In the first half, Alvas was a huge part of the offense, but in the second half, he was forced to stay back more and defend which cut away from the attack.

Portland now had another home match on April 22nd when New York City FC visits with one of the heroes from the 2015 MLS Cup Timbers side, forward Rodney Wallace. For my money, the players of this match really fell upon Blanco, who was very effective at exploiting space, Valeri, who created something out of little with his goal, and Powell, who was the best offensive threat in the first 45 minutes. I liked Adi's work later in the match, as he became more of a threat later in the match once Minnesota was forced to press forward being down by two at the break, but it would have been great to see more of that earlier. With Vytas nearly healthy after suffering a thigh injury, David Guzman rehabbing after injuring a knee on international duty, and Gleeson being a bit jittery in this match, I'm expecting some changes in the starters and game day roster by Savarese, but we will have to wait to see the midweek updates to confirm who is actually available for next Sunday. While it wasn't pretty at points - Gleeson looked lost at points and failed to organize his defense better, and the Timbers were forced to bunker - the resulting win should give them some much needed confidence.

Timbers dismantle Loons to start 2017 MLS season

My vantage point for the night (Jennifer Kesgard)

As I was preparing for the 2017 MLS season to open for the Portland Timbers, my thoughts immediately turned back to 2011 - the very first season of the Timbers in MLS. After several years of playing in lower division professional leagues, Portland was graduating to the top flight of American soccer and playing their first competitive match in MLS in March 2011. Their first opponent was the then-defending MLS Cup champions, the Colorado Rapids, in their home opener for the season and the defending champions completely outflanked an eager, but ultimately outflanked Timbers team by a 3 to 1 margin. Portland wasn't defending a cup title, but after some significant upgrades on their roster, the Timbers are among the sides experts are thinking could lift the trophy in December 2017. Their opponent to start their 2017 campaign was Minnesota United FC, making their MLS debut after many years of successful soccer in lower professional divisions until Major League Soccer made them franchise 21 for this year. Following a plan much like the Timbers did in 2011 - and having one of the architects of the early MLS Timbers on staff, Director of Player Personnel Amos Magee (Magee was an assistant with the Timbers from 2009 through 2013), Minnesota United was hoping to show they belonged. Unfortunately for them, the host Timbers unleashed an offensive onslaught with 5 goals from 3 separate players in an impressive 5 to 1 victory under a typical Portland downpour and another sell out crowd.

While the talk had been mostly centered around the additions of Sebastian Blanco and David Guzman to a stacked offense and whether former USL Timber Lawrence Olum would be the answer at center back for now, it was two holdover players that carried the bulk of the offense. Midfielder Diego Valeri netted two goals on the night - a 47th minute header off an assist from Blanco that was his first headed goal in MLS play, and converting a 82nd minute penalty effort - and assisted on the opening goal of the night. The other returnee that continued his very torrid spring - tallying 6 goals in preseason play - was forward Fanendo Adi, who scored a brace in second half stoppage time to continue his reputation as "the Orthadontist". Adi converted goal one after a superb end to end run from Darlington Nagbe, who took a deflected shot and drove it nearly to the 18 yard box around several defenders, but dropped a wonderful pass to Adi as the defense surrounded him. The Minnesota United defense couldn't stop Adi as he tapped in the shot with his right foot, but just 2 minutes later, Adi added the second off a throw when he outmaneuvered three defenders and Minnesota United keeper John Alvbage for a wonderful shot with the left for the brace.

I could hardly keep up on the tweets. (Jennifer Kesgard)

The scoring actually started back in the 14h minute when Blanco ran down a loose ball in the far southwest corner past MUFC defender Francisco Calvo to earn a free kick. While Blanco used some physicality to initially jar the ball away from Calvo, it was the return bumps and dropping Sebastian to the turf that drew Center Official Chris Penso to call the free kick right along the touch line. Valeri triggered the restart to the right post on the south goal, and defender Vytas was able to collect the free kick and head it towards the left post where Olum was lurking. The rangy center back chipped the ball towards goal and it crossed the line past Alvbage before Adi could collect the shot, and it set off a crazy celebration. For Olum, it was his seventh goal in a Timbers shirt - he had tallied 6 goals while playing for the USL Timbers in 2007 and 2008 - but it was a product of good movement and organization on set pieces. Portland certainly had other opportunities to score - Adi was pulled down in the box in the 5th minute to no call, while Valeri had a gift at the penalty spot in the 30th minute when Adi intercepted a ball from the MN defense in the Timbers box, but Alvbage was able to poke the ball away right to Valeri until Alvbage's teammates were able to recover - but it was just a single goal after some impressive ball and people movement.

Minnesota United struggled most of the night to try to find any offense, although midfielder Kevin Molino had a few opportunities from distance that barely troubled Timbers goalkeeper Jake Gleeson. There were glimmers of hope for the Loons with over 700 traveling supporters making the journey to Providence Park to support their side in song. Their efforts were rewarded in the 75th minute when forward Johan Vanegas, playing a lone striker role for the first 69 minutes until MUFC Coach Adrian Heath brought on Christian Ramirez as a second striker for midfielder Rasmus Schuller, found Ramirez at the top of the box between Olum and Timbers center back Liam Ridgewell. Ramirez was able to turn and shoot before Ridgewell could mark him, and the effort struck the net past Gleeson for the Loons' first ever MLS goal. 

In many ways, the goal reminded me a lot of the strike by then Timbers striker Kenny Cooper in the Timbers' MLS debut - it gave a glimmer of happiness for the new team after being dominated for most of the match - but one difference here was that the Ramirez strike pulled MUFC to within a goal at 2 to 1 in the 75th minute. The momentum was short lived for Minnesota United, however, once MUFC defender Vadim Demidov pulled Adi down in the box as the Timbers Army were singing "You Are My Sunshine" and Penso pointed to the spot. Valeri did the rest, Adi added a late flourish and the home fans were able to leave happy with a dominant result. 

Beer helps viewings. Is this how this works? (J.Kesgard)

From my perspective, it was great to see Adi and Valeri continue their offensive prowess after they were huge contributors to the team in 2016. However, the man of the match for me was Guzman, who worked tirelessly to dominate the midfield with great timed tackles and successful distribution. His work allowed midfielder Diego Chara to drift forward more in support, while Alvas Powell and Vytas continued their solid contributions with several successful overlapping runs. The center back duo of Olum and Ridgewell weren't threatened too much, and while there was one mistake on the night, they were calm and organized for most of the match. Another huge component of the success was the work of Blanco and Darlington Nagbe, who pushed the Loons defense wide all night courtesy of flanking runs, and that movement stretched an already out-manned defense even more. Even with all the platitudes for the victory, however, it's just one match of many - and Portland wants to avoid overconfidence after this one. Minnesota United isn't as bad of a team that they showed on this night - I think Schuller, Ramirez, Molino and Vanegas will be able to give teams fits once they figure out how to work better together - but they have the same problem as most expansion sides - not enough depth and limited talent. Portland gets a stiffer test next week when they travel to Los Angeles for their first road match of 2017 to face the Galaxy. It's another match on Fox Sports 1 at 4:00 PM Portland time, and the new look Galaxy will get their first chance to deal with the Timbers and their revamped offense.

It's Another Timbers Season Preview

I'm in there. Somewhere (Jennifer Kesgard)

It's match day, and I am slightly excited but it's also very different. I have already talked about how 2017 has already gone in a different direction with the forced sabbatical from Timbers coverage.  

Normally, I get the buzz of the early season optimism to see how the team has changed up their roster mix and start to analyze how this group is going to challenge the top echelon within MLS. With everything going, however, I haven't started that process until now. Maybe it was the collective thud of how the 2016 ended because after winning MLS Cup in 2015, the follow up season ended in a way that few predicted. 

I thought Portland would at least be able to qualify for the playoffs for a chance to defend the cup, but the issues that plagued their side persisted through the entire season as the campaign was mercilessly ended in October with a thrashing at the hands of the Vancouver Whitecaps. There would be no repeat, and the few things the Timbers could control - like earning the Cascadia Cup - all bounced away on the springy B.C. Place turf, and that left everybody associated with the team asking a ton of questions.

Suffice to say, the team responded in a very big way. The defensive line - leading the league in many categories in 2015 and gelling during their decisive cup run late - fell apart in 2016 under a whirlwind of player attrition. While the team sold Jorge Villafana to help their overall budget numbers to hold other players, the defensive replacements never did solidify under Caleb Porter's plan until Vytas joined later in the year. The heart and sole of the line, Nat Borchers, was injured midseason and had to officially retire as well, which took a lot of the bite out of the group. Yes, the Timbers could score goals, but the team lacked the ability to push teams wide because of ineffectual wing play and so goal scoring fell primarily on what Diego Valeri could create or Fanendo Adi could poach. Road warriors in 2015, the Timbers not only failed to win a road match in 2016, but suffered with a negative 19 goal differential away from Providence Park. Just 6 points earned on the road was enough to derail the plans, but for me - the problems really centered upon injuries/depth, the inability to stretch teams wide, and defensive instability.

Me & GB (Jennifer Kesgard)

I am pleased that Technical Director Gavin Wilkinson was able to make some moves to address the problems. Defensively, the team added Marco Farfan from Timbers 2 under a Home Grown Player contract. Farfan emerged as a talent for T2 last year, and seeing his promotion is one of the first big products rising from the team's academy. Former Sporting Kansas City fullback Chance Myers also joins Farfan, Alvas Powell, Vytas and Zarek Valentin to form a very solid crop of defensive backs. Gbenga Arokoyo, a talented center back signed late in 2016, was supposed to fill a role in the defensive middle until he ruptured his left Achilles tendon and will miss the 2017 season. Liam Ridgewell is back, and for now, he will see either former T2 center back Rennico Clarke, former New York Red Bull Roy Miller or former Sporting Kansas City and USL Portland Timber Lawrence Olum pair up with him. Each has question marks - Clarke is talented but young, Miller is stout but can be very reckless on the pitch, Olum is skilled but I think his best position is defensive mid, not center back - but the team will have to wait to bring on reinforcements as their preferred option to replace Arokoyo isn't available until his contract expires in May (per rumors).

Jake Gleeson took over the goalkeeping job when incumbent Adam Kwarasey was injured in 2016, and Gleeson ended up doing so well, the Timbers traded away Kwarasey to give the former Timbers U-23 & Timbers 2 star the job. While he performed very well on the pitch, he was arrested in the offseason on suspicion of DUII.  Gleeson pleaded no contest to the charges and completed an alcohol diversion program to avoid suspension, and MLS decided not to add any more penalties for the young Kiwi. However, the Timbers did make a move for goalkeeping depth by trading for former Real Salt Lake backup Jeff Attinella (Attinella was picked by Minnesota United in the 2017 MLS Expansion Draft, and the Timbers traded for him by sending MUFC the MLS right to Miguel Ibarra.) and promoting Kendall McIntosh from T2.  Attinella performed admirably when RSL stalwart Nick Rimando was unavailable, and it goes toward a theme the Timbers preached for 2017 - adding depth and competition at each position. While I expect McIntosh likely won't see time with the Timbers in 2017 except for Open Cup play unless there is injury, his T2 work in 2016 was enough that the team decided to move him up.

The Timbers midfield was able to keep most of its core together, but it lost two big pieces when Jack Jewsbury and Ned Grabavoy retired at the end of 2016 to move into the Timbers' front office. Portland didn't stay completely pat, however, as they brought in Sebastian Blanco to join the attacking midfield stable of Darlington Nagbe, Jack Barmby and Diego Valeri. Dairon Asprilla, who was loaned out after some internal issues with the club in 2016, was brought back as well while Lucas Melano was sent out on loan back to Argentina although the Timbers retained his MLS rights. While Asprilla and Melano were keys to the 2015 Cup run, neither player could completely replicate their success in 2016. The hope is that time away would energize Asprilla to fit more seamlessly into the attack, but with the various attacking options, playing time might be an issue. On the defensive midfield side, Portland added a player they saw up close in CONCACAF Champions' League play, Saprissa's David Guzman, to pair up with incumbent destroyer Diego Chara. Guzman will likely stay more home to support the defensive line, which should allow Chara to play more forward to win balls and create turnovers. The Timbers have other options in Amobi Okugo, Ben Zemanski or Olum to play here if needed, but honestly, i would expect to see Guzman and Chara for nearly every match in 2017, injuries or suspensions none withstanding.

Trading Card Photo (Jennifer Kesgard)

Up top, Portland said goodbye to veteran Jack McInerney, but still have Adi and Darren Mattocks available. They added Jeremy Ebobisse in the 2017 Super Draft under a Generation adidas contract (many insiders were expecting him to go early, but he fell all the way to the 10th spot and the Timbers wasted no time to select him) and Victor Arboleda from T2. Honestly, this is Adi's show up top, and his pre-season form - 6 goals overall - is impressive, considering there were overtures during the 2016 season that Fanendo might want to leave the Rose City. Adi ended up staying, and there are many who feel he could insert himself in the 2017 Golden Boot race with the other pieces Portland added. Mattocks is talented in many ways, but his biggest issue has been staying healthy for stretches over the years. What I am pleased about is the fact that I do expect to see more young players - Ebobisse, Arboleda, Barmby - rotate through the offense to give them chances and exposure. While the Timbers certainly aren't an old side in MLS comparisons, I feel they have struggled through the years integrating draft picks and young players into their attack regularly with one notable exception - Nagbe. With all these pieces and Nagbe now exclusively starting on the left, my hope is that this rotation will give the Timbers space to attack and spring players wherever possible. 

On paper, this team looks loaded and if things shake out, I could see them competing for MLS Cup 2017. But there are plenty of questions to sort out that could sink the ship as well that need to be addressed. Can the trio of Clarke, Olum and Miller hold up at center back alongside Ridgewell until reinforcements arrive? Will Guzman and Blanco acclimate to the Timbers over the season? Is there enough depth at forward? For now, the answers seem to be it's Olum's job to lose initially, Guzman and Blanco have integrated nicely, and the summer transfer window will have 2 spots available to fill with the Timbers carrying 26 players on the March 1 roster compliance deadline:

Goalkeepers (3): Jeff Attinella, Jake Gleeson, Kendal McIntosh
Fullbacks (5): Vytas, Marco Farfan, Chance Myers, Alvas Powell, Zarek Valentin
Center Backs (5): Gbenga Arokoyo, Rennico Clarke, Roy Miller, Lawrence Olum, Liam Ridgewell
Defensive Midfield (4): Diego Chara, David Guzman, Amobi Okugo, Ben Zemanski
Attacking Midfield (5): Dairon Asprila, Jack Barmby, Sebastian Blanco, Darlington Nagbe, Diego Valeri
Forwards (4): Fanendo Adi, Victor Arboleda, Jeremy Ebobisse, Darren Mattocks

International Players (8): Adi, Arboleda, Arokoyo, Barmby, Blanco, Clarke, Guzman, Ridgewell
Designated Players (3): Adi, Blanco, Valeri
Home Grown Players (1): Farfan
Generation adidas Contract (1): Ebobisse
Out on Loan (1): Lucas Melano (Club Atletico Belgrano)
Injured Reserve (1): Arokoyo (Achilles injury, out for 2017 season)

Uh, yeah. (Jennifer Kesgard)

For the purposes of my grid, I use the positional tracking for my benefit realizing that many players will play different positions on the pitch or defy one category for their skills. If you are interested in additional updates and comments, please track my handle on Twitter (@kipkesgard) as I will be live tweeting where and when I can. 

While this isn't the huge, in-depth series of posts I used to do for the season, I'm pleased to be writing anything at this point. As always, comments are appreciated and I can't wait to get this rolling in just hours from now. Meanwhile, I will continue to appear weekly on Rose City Soccer Show and here's our season preview - well a link to it anyway.