A Win is A Win

*Cover photo credit to Craig Mitchelldyer/Portland Timbers.*

The Portland Timbers returned from their 11-day break and won a game of soccer! But the 2-1 victory in San Jose wasn’t a stress-free viewing experience.

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In the first half, the Timbers started out on the front foot but were having trouble creating quality chances. More on that later. San Jose found the back of the net first after a well-designed set piece, but the offside rule still exists, so it was ruled out. Evander grabbed the actual opener in the 22nd minute after a perfectly timed counterpress allowed the Brazilian to steal the ball from the feet of inexperienced goalkeeper Jacob Jackson and fire it into an open net. San Jose responded with several more half-chances, but the Timbers didn’t offer much going forward for the rest of the opening half of play.

The Earthquakes’ pressure from the first half carried over into the second half, and Paul Marie scored an absolute belter in the 50th minute after settling a clearance from a corner kick and curling it into the top right corner. Could the Timbers have done anything better defensively on that goal? I really don’t think so. Multiple players were rushing in to close down Marie, and the San Jose fullback scored a top-quality goal. Sometimes those things happen, but it did lower the morale of the group. Three minutes later, Hernan Lopez played a wonderful through ball for Amahl Pellegrino. The Timbers’ backline stopped because the linesman put up the flag, but he quickly took it down. Either way, Pellegrino was free on goal, and couldn’t even find the target in a catastrophic finish of a golden chance. The Quakes tried that same method of attack two more times in the next seven minutes, but some wonderful defensive work from Juan Mosquera and James Pantemis (some excellent shielding and a diving header) kept some dangerous half-chances nullified without a shot attempt. Portland began to find their mojo again by the 70th minute, and Evander fired a warning shot at the goal that Jackson saved and parried to the left. Two minutes later, Evander fired in a perfect cross to Jonathan Rodriguez. The Uruguayan’s header was right at Jackson, but the inexperienced keeper couldn’t keep it out of the net. Rodriguez celebrated the go-ahead goal with a cartwheel. But the Quakes continued to pressure and were chomping at the bit to find an equalizer. Their golden chance came in the 5th minute of second-half stoppage time, but Alfredo Morales’ shot from a perfectly delivered Cristian Espinoza free kick was sent into the supporters’ section. The Timbers survived and picked up a crucial three points.

Although Phil Neville was happy with the win, he was not happy with the performance. “It was nowhere near the levels that we expect.” I agree wholeheartedly with the coach’s assessment, and there was one aspect of the team’s play that was lacking for the full 90 minutes.

I’ve already written at length about the Timbers’ attack in 2024, and the same issues that have been plaguing this team were on full display again tonight. If the Timbers were facing any semblance of a decent goalkeeper, they would have gotten shut out. 

That’s an awful lot of passes in the final third (69 to be exact, nice) but only 13 of them went into San Jose’s box. The Timbers were unbelievably passive in this game. To recap: San Jose started a NEXTPRO goalkeeper and both of their backup center backs. Prior to tonight’s game, the Quakes had conceded the most goals in MLS. Portland was fully rested and San Jose played a very intense game against Cincinnati on Saturday. The Quakes lost that game in a horrific collapse. The Timbers should have stormed into this game full steam ahead and tried everything in their arsenal to pile on the misery. They did not. Instead they focused the majority of their attacks on the right side (a recurring theme) and committed two attacking sins: predictability and passivity. This was the perfect game for the Timbers to truly unleash the full strength of their attack, but the DPs won them the game again.

The Timbers scored their two best chances of the night. But they didn’t create much else. Yeah, that’s a lot of shots, but the Quakes are AWFUL defensively. By remaining passive, the Timbers ceded the initiative and had to hang on for dear life to secure a win against an inferior opponent. Not a good attacking performance AT ALL.

Although I mentioned a few times where the Quakes could have burned the Timbers earlier, the defense held up its end of the bargain tonight. The opening goal came directly from a pretty good counterpress. However, the Quakes were able to solve for that counterpress, and the midfielders started playing a game of fetch with their forwards. Those long balls could have and should have resulted in more goals for the hosts. But they didn’t, and Portland was able to hang on. In my preview of this game, I said that the Timbers needed to win the set piece battle in order to stand a chance. Technically their lone concession did come off a set piece, but I’m excusing that as an act of brilliance rather than a defensive screw-up. San Jose had 9 corner kicks, and the Timbers did a pretty good job of dealing with the initial balls. Now the focus needs to turn to second balls, because that’s where their strong structure began to weaken. There’s still too much scrambling on second balls, and quality clearances are still a big issue. But aside from those few hairy moments after the equalizer, James Pantemis and the defenders did their job.

Goals added is a stat that measures a players total on-ball contribution in attack and defense. The Timbers’ leader in goals added for tonight’s match is MVP candidate Evander. That is correct. He is an MVP candidate. I do not care what anyone has to say about it. I know I’m right, and the numbers back me up. He has 15 goal involvements (8g/7a) in 15 games this season. He created the first goal by himself and set up Rodriguez’s go-ahead perfectly. Inter Miami won their last two games despite Messi’s absence, and Chicho Arango only entered the game against SKC tonight after RSL had already built a lead. Most Valuable Player means most valuable player, and there is no doubt that Evander is absolutely crucial to the success of the Timbers’ attack. Without his contributions tonight, the Timbers’ attack would have been feckless against a terrible defense. He’s on a tier with Lucho Acosta in regards to how crucial he is to their teams’ success. He is passing the eye test and filling up the stat sheet. 

Jonathan Rodriguez scored the eventual winner after being largely absent for the first half. I’m tired of repeating the same thing over and over again. He needs to get the ball. The Uruguayan only took two shots tonight. Feed him. He has 7g/3a in 15 games. 

Juan Mosquera was the best defender tonight. He seemed to always be in the right place and I’m glad that his defensive output shined brighter than his attacking output. I’ve been saying it forever: he’s got some incredible defensive quality. Amahl Pellegrino is a tough assignment, but Mosquera limited him to only one shot (the sitter he missed). He also made a crucial defensive intervention after Pantemis whiffed on a clearance which definitely saved a goal. Great performance from the young Colombian. Now he just has to defend like that consistently.

Diego Chara had a longer rest than normal after missing the last game in St. Louis with a yellow card suspension. But my word he was brilliant tonight. The stat sheet confirms this: 4 tackles, 1 block, 3 clearances (all of them with his head), 4 interceptions, winning 5 of his 6 ground duels, and 9 recoveries. The captain was excellent in possession as well, completing 44/46 passes and 3 out of 4 long balls. Although he isn’t immune from spot rests (the opposite of spot starts), he is still first choice in the double pivot.

You know who else is first-choice in the double pivot and has shown no signs of relinquishing his starting role? David Ayala. 

Phil, I know that you keep telling reporters that there is still “fierce competition” for the midfield places, but deep down you must be ecstatic with the way Ayala has firmly solidified himself as a regular starter. The Argentine won 9 duels tonight, which led all players. Like his midfield partner, he won 4 tackles. This is his third season in Portland, and it’s still kind of insane that he’s only 21. After the game, he told reporters that he feels “confident.” Neville has been telling him to be more aggressive, and when he’s playing at full confidence he is an absolute demon. It has taken him a little while to establish himself, but the starting spot alongside Chara is fully his. Years of watching Diego Chara has left quite an impression on me, and Ayala has been learning a lot from his mentor and captain.

Welcome to the club, David Ayala.

Felipe Mora exited the game in the 67th minute after a pedestrian shift. That’s perfectly fine. Saving his legs for Saturday is important. It’s just another sign that the Timbers need to add another striker this summer. He was replaced by Antony, who sent his only shot of the game onto the tarmac at the neighboring San Jose International Airport. 15 straight games without a goal involvement for the Brazilian. Yikes.

Santiago Moreno had a very impressive opening 10 minutes, and had a pretty good game despite not registering a goal or assist. He created 3 chances, won 4 tackles, and was playing with confidence. He only got subbed off after picking up a yellow card late in the second half. Given Antony’s unproductive streak, the Colombian should have a starting spot locked up for the foreseeable future. I love to watch Santi when he’s playing with confidence, and he deserved a goal involvement based off of his hard work tonight.

Claudio Bravo was not on his game tonight, and wasn’t too happy to be subbed off. He was late on a few challenges, unproductive with ball progression, and it was just an off day for him. Perfectly fine given his track record of being excellent. Sometimes you just have an off day.

ZZ Stop (the center back pairing of Dario Zuparic and Zac McGraw) had another good outing. Both of them were crucial on set pieces, even if they were both caught out a couple of times in open play. McGraw continues to be the best aerial threat on the team, while Zuparic has been the Timbers’ best defender over the past month and a half. The Croatian avoided a yellow card, so he will be available on Saturday against Vancouver. Solid performance from the two friends. 

Another good outing from James Pantemis. He wasn’t afraid to come off his line and controlled his box really well. Most goalkeepers would have no chance on the goal that he conceded, so I can’t hold it against him. I would love to see him become more comfortable in possession. 

Before I get into the standings, I must acknowledge one more thing. Jeremy Ebobisse started again, and did not score a goal. He still hasn’t scored a goal against the Portland Timbers.

SEVENTH PLACE! POSITIVE GOAL DIFFERENTIAL! 5 GAMES UNBEATEN! RSL and LAFC kept their streaks going as well. There is now a 2 point gap between the 7th placed team (Portland) and the 10th placed team (the playoff-less Sounders, who are the only team to lose to the Earthquakes at PayPal Park in 2024). Time to check the points target!

3 points down, 11 to go. Even though the Timbers were far from pretty tonight, a win is a win. But Neville was rather frank in his post-game press conference: “We can’t play like that against Vancouver.” Yes, the Portland Timbers have to take the win and get right back in the lab before the Canadian menace flies south in three days. Maybe a return home will energize the tepid attack. Either way, improvement is needed. And another game in three days against a rival is a perfect time to return to form. The momentum and mentality is there, even if it took a bit of an off-night. The climb continues.

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