Back at Home, Back to Winning Ways

On a night that celebrated Pride, the Timbers showed up for their community. A 1-0 victory at home against FC Dallas has brought 3 points to Portland for the first time in a month. Let’s get into it. 

The Timbers certainly came to play at home in the first half. Their press was awakened and created a bunch of opportunities. None of those opportunities found the back of the net until a 34th minute wonderball from Evander found Franck Boli’s head to give Portland the lead. Dallas was limited to a few chances, but the Timbers’ defense was able to snuff it out. 

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The second half didn’t see the Timbers play with as much intensity as the first, but they were quick to open up counterattacks. The defining moment of the second half was an overturned red card to FC Dallas right back Geovane Jesus. I will dig into that incident more later in this recap. Most importantly, the Timbers held on and got their first win since May 13th. 

Unfortunately, tonight’s breakdown starts with the referee. Allen Chapman was initially chosen to oversee this game, but Ted Unkel was a late replacement for him. And boy, did he make this match about him. Let’s start with the penalty call in the 2nd minute. Upon review, the call was overturned. This was the right call, and it was correctly overturned. That’s why we have VAR. From that point forward, Unkel lost the plot. A yellow for dissent to Evander was tossed in out of nowhere. On that play, Evander was the one who got fouled, but Unkel gave the free kick to Dallas. The first yellow of the match should set the tone. By doing this, Unkel effectively said, “Y’all can’t talk back to me because I am the boss.” Now let’s get to his infamous decision to rescind the red card. I think that the VAR official was looking at this play after Chara went to ground. But the elbow from Jesus that sent him to the ground was a red card in its own right. Yes, Diego wrapped his legs around Jesus, and Jesus then kicked him. That is not a red card, and the refs got that right. That should be two yellows. But you can’t ignore the foul and obvious violent conduct that sent him to the ground in the first place. Just really really bad refereeing. 

Of course, Portland hung on and won. Another defensive masterclass from the back 7. David Bingham used his full box, and was very comfortable coming off his line. In the post-game presser, Zac McGraw spoke about the team’s plan heading into this game to stop a red-hot Jesus Ferreira. “We knew that Ferreira really likes to drop into that 10 role even though he starts as a 9. Our main focus was really just to keep Diego (Chara) or Cristhian (Paredes) in that pocket the whole time.” Because of this plan, the Timbers kept another clean sheet and limited Dallas to 5 total shots. You might remember that we held Seattle to 5 total shots last week. If I combine those two games, both shutouts, the Timbers only allowed 10 total shots and 3 total shots on target. Incredible work. One common thread through both performances was Eric Miller. He played on the right against Seattle and on the left tonight against Dallas. Giovanni Savarese had more thoughts on his trusty backup: “We got really lucky that he became available. I think every team needs players like him that can provide so much discipline on the field.” McGraw also noted how him and Miller have good chemistry playing together. And with Juan Mosquera heading off to international duty in this next week, Miller’s presence ensures that the defense won’t miss a beat with him gone. This team learned from their mistakes against Kansas City and is now shutting down good attacking teams. Splendid work from the boys in green tonight.

Although the entire team did very well, one player stands out above the rest. Cristhian Paredes has reinvented himself. As noted by McGraw, he used to be more of a progressor. Now he’s a crucial part of the defense. He won 4 tackles and made 10 recoveries. But even with the increased responsibility in the defense, he was still able to create two chances. He’s playing out of his mind right now. And this team looks a lot better with his continued heroics. 

On to the attack, which was the biggest question entering tonight’s match. In possession, the attack still seemed to stall a little bit. The final balls weren’t quite there, at least until Evander’s incredible assist to Boli for the game’s only goal. But most of the Timbers’ chances were created out of a solid and energetic press. When Evander first arrived in Portland, I said that the Timbers were now set up to be a very good pressing side. And today’s result is further proof of that. Santiago Moreno is so good defensively. But his confidence in the attack looks shot. He had a very clear chance in the 60th minute, where his point blank shot was saved by Marten Paes. Paes, to his credit, made several outstanding saves tonight. But that chance from Santi should end up in the net. Production from the wings is still missing, and a new signing might be the kickstart to get the goals flowing from those wide areas again. Even with that one goal, tonight’s attacking output was a success. 8 shots on target, and 11 shots taken inside the box. Savarese was right when he said, “I think we could have scored more goals.” Evander shared that sentiment too, but if the chances keep coming, those balls will end up in the back of the net. 

In terms of the substitutes, all did very well. It’s a success to see Blanco on the pitch, and he didn’t get much of the ball after coming on so late. But the Timbers won, so it was a good choice from Gio. Jaroslaw Niezgoda deserves a special mention. I have never seen him run harder in a Timbers uniform than he did tonight. Even though he didn’t get a goal, he was constantly trying to get one. Marvin Loria can do a job off the bench, and it is mostly hustle and win the ball back in advantageous areas. Another good substitute showing from him. 

Now that the matchweek has wrapped up, let’s take a look at the standings.

The Western Conference is wide open. The top four teams didn’t win this weekend, and all are still within the Timbers’ grasp. Normally, we’re used to the West being absurdly strong. But now, with a weaker West, there is opportunity for this team to keep climbing. 8th place doesn’t look very good, but we will continue to get better. There is one sentence Savarese says every press conference: “We need to continue to work.” Even after the biggest wins, this team still knows what they need to work on and fixes their mistakes. No goals allowed on set pieces tonight. Plenty of chances created. This team wants to reach their ceiling, and Savarese is hell-bent on getting them there. 

After the Seattle game, I set a goal of 7 points in these next four matches. Since we earned 3 points tonight, this team is already halfway there. A visit to San Jose will be a big test, as they have found their form. But the two Eastern Conference teams are still struggling. It’s another week with 3 matches, and there will probably be some rotation against Chicago. Not to mention Aljaz Ivacic and Mosquera’s absences while they are with their respective national teams. I did say that May was a launchpad, and the Timbers stumbled to the finish line to end that month. I do hope June will be different.

Defensive and stout, Portland looks to be a tough nut to crack. Another week of rest and it’s off to San Jose, where an old friend is waiting. We all know who he is, and we cannot let him get the last laugh, no matter how cathartic it would be for some members of the fanbase who still can’t get over how we could have let him go (it’s me, I’m one of those people). We’re back into the win column and back into the playoff positions. Let’s hope to not drop out of the playoffs for the rest of the season. 

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