A Tree Blooms in the Bronx

On a rainy afternoon in the Bronx, the Portland Timbers looked beaten. But with their backs up against a wall, they fought back.

If your television signal cut out after the first 25 minutes, you might be confused as to how the Timbers were able to turn this game around. In those first 25 minutes, the Timbers were sloppy, undisciplined, and lacking in effort. Their passing was poor. They were far behind in the physicality department. They were undisciplined on set pieces, which allowed Santiago Rodriguez to grab the lead for the hosts 10 minutes into the game. But the Timbers slowly grew into the game during the remainder of the first half but didn’t find the equalizer. 

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Coming out of halftime, NYCFC’s intensity dropped. They were content to let the Timbers possess the ball. That allowed Evander the freedom to drive the attack forward. But the Timbers didn’t register a shot on target until the 73rd minute. Finding an equalizer was still a tough task, but Antony was able to send a cutback pass from Juan Mosquera into the roof of the net in the 85th minute. But the game wasn’t over, even though a draw would have been an acceptable result. With time running out in second half stoppage time, Evander let loose. He fired an impossible chip from 30 yards out that nestled perfectly in the back of the net to give the Timbers a massive road victory.

Let’s begin with an analysis of how the Timbers were able to get back into this game. For most of the first half, NYCFC wasn’t ceding an inch of ground in the Timbers’ half. They were beating the Timbers to every 50/50 ball and challenge. Portland kept playing out from the back on a narrow pitch and were barely able to progress the ball beyond the halfway line. It seemed like a recipe for disaster. But their ball progression improved when Evander was able to drop deep and be an outlet for the center backs. 

Portland’s progress from front to back grew steadily as the game went on. When the second half began, NYCFC started bunkering and looking to break on the counter. However, the Timbers did an excellent job of utilizing a high line and a timely offside trap. The field began to steadily tilt towards NYCFC’s goal, and Nathan Fogaca’s 73rd minute shot showed that Portland was far from dead. Antony’s goal came on the best chance the Timbers created in the match, which is another piece of evidence towards the elite finishing the Timbers are showcasing to open 2024. But the killing blow was created out of thin air.

All offseason Phil Neville has been preaching about Designated Players. In their first two games, the Timbers went 1-1-0 without any minutes from a DP. Colorado was simply not a good team, and DC erased a 2-0 deficit after a tactical switch made by Neville blew up in his face. But the true impact of a DP can now be measured by a green dot on a chart. 

This is absolutely ludicrous. This game was decided by the pure will and talent of Portland’s lone True DP. Last season he had a habit of scoring beautiful goals from distance, and he marked his season debut with a Puskas contender. His moment of magic was the difference between a draw and a victory today, and he let his play on the field do the talking.

During preseason media day, Evander took to the stage and answered a question in Portuguese about rumored interest from Flamengo in the offseason. Parts of his answer rubbed the fanbase the wrong way, but today he spoke without saying a word. According to Neville, Evander was only supposed to play 60 minutes today. But he wanted to stay on the pitch past the hour mark. So he stayed on the field. When Antony tied the game up in the 85th minute, Neville was ready to take Evander off the pitch. But Evander wanted to stay on. So he stayed on the field. He’s been dealing with heel problems for the past few weeks, and he decided to tough it out to get his team a result. Through his own determination, grit, and skill, he was able to get that result in a way that only he can.

It was the cherry on top of a wonderful season debut. It took him a while to get into the game, but he didn’t wait for the game to come to him. Neville wants him to find the game, and he roamed all over the pitch today. He completed 54/63 passes today, and was able to keep the Timbers fluid in possession. And that goal is a statement of intent to the rest of the league: I’m back.

Maxime Crepeau made his first road start and made 5 saves. During that cluttered opening 25 minutes, Crepeau single-handedly kept the Timbers in the game. Making an upgrade at goalkeeper was the highest priority for the Timbers this offseason, and Crepeau has already been the biggest part of the Timbers’ past two games. He is single-handedly securing results for this team. 

Crepeau has been heroic, but it’s time to have a conversation about the players in front of him. Let’s start with Juan Mosquera. He wasn’t at fault for a goal today, but his defending is still leaving a lot to be desired. As this team gets healthier, I expect to see his role change a bit. He is so key to the Timbers’ attack; providing width on the right side. When the Timbers are in a positive game-state, Mosquera is a crucial player to have on the pitch. But when the Timbers are on the back foot, he doesn’t contribute enough defensively. He has to keep working on his defense and putting in more hustle out of possession. Santiago Moreno was often covering the wide areas Mosquera vacated after a turnover. European clubs are still scouting him, but he’s still got a bit of growing to do before he can make the jump across the pond.

Kamal Miller and Zac McGraw had a rough outing today. Playing out from the back puts a ton of pressure on both of them to effectively progress the ball, but I thought they were able to grow into the game in the passing department. McGraw, to put it flatly, was very poor defensively today. He was unable to keep up with speedy NYCFC striker Mounsef Bakrar, and wasn’t at his sharpest in terms of decision-making. Miller had some of the same issues, but it wasn’t as glaring. I’m going to chalk it up to an “off-night,” and both players know that they weren’t good today.

Cristhian Paredes and Diego Chara both had solid games. Even though the pitch was small, they still had a lot of ground to cover due to the pacey NYCFC attackers trying to get in behind. Antony scored his third goal of the season and kept running all over the pitch. Santiago Moreno has been a huge beneficiary of the new coaching staff. He did a lot of damage on the left side of the Timbers’ attack, leading all players with 5 completed dribbles. Eric Miller was solid at left back again. Nathan Fogaca was the only substitute to make a substantial impact, and his introduction allowed the Timbers to get more vertical. 

This is the first time the Timbers have come back from a halftime deficit to win on the road since a certain 5-2 win in LA in 2015. It sounds impossible that the Timbers haven’t accomplished that feat in nearly 10 years, but today’s win was a landmark for the team. The Timbers fully deserved a win today, even though the numbers would indicate both teams should have gotten a result. I honestly thought I would have more to say about this match, but this game speaks for itself. When a tree gets planted, it takes a while to grow. But slowly and surely, it keeps growing until it flowers. Evander’s late winner, the latest goal scored in Timbers history, was the flower that this team needed. This is the first game in a tough stretch, where Portland will play 7 of their next 9 on the road. Today’s performance was Phil Neville’s toughest test so far, and he chose to trust his best players and they delivered a huge result for him. This is probably the last time the Timbers will ever play in a baseball stadium, and they leave NYC with a 4-0-0 record all-time in the Bronx while outscoring their opponents 5-1 in those contests. The new era of Timbers soccer is in full swing. They are 2-1-0 after their first 3 games, and there are now reinforcements on the way. But that’s a story for another time. For now, the team will enjoy this win and look to build on it. And with each minute that ticks by, their floor continues to rise. 

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