Clean and Dirty

For the third time in the past 7 days, the Portland Timbers entered a game needing a victory. Their previous two efforts were both on the road, and they failed to win either of them. That put even more pressure on the team to come out of tonight’s home game with the Colorado Rapids holding three precious points. And the historical record perfectly aligned with Portland’s desired outcome.

The Colorado Rapids have only tasted victory at Providence Park twice. The Timbers have owned them at their cathedral of a stadium, which was unofficially celebrating its 100th birthday tonight. A record of 13-2-2 against Colorado at home tilted the tables in Portland’s favor. In addition, the Rapids entered tonight’s game with a 2-2-10 record on the road in 2026. Their miserable road form was comparable to Portland’s. And they had to travel at the end of a double gameweek. Now, with all of these trends secured in the background, tonight’s game could kick off. And boy, did it kick off.

The Portland Timbers could not gain ground on their playoff rivals tonight after registering a 0-0 draw against the Rapids. And that substandard result has lent credence to a belief that is now widely held in the fanbase and around the league: the Portland Timbers will not make the playoffs in 2026.

Recap

The first 15 minutes were subpar.

Right after the opening kickoff, Jimer Fory went to ground after a hard challenge. Matt Wells’ Rapids are one of the most aggressive teams in the league, and they are always trying to leave their mark on an opponent. That didn’t stop the Colombian defender from making a couple major defensive plays within the first 5 minutes. The Rapids were able to generate the first chance of the game from a free-kick. Colorado absolutely owned the Timbers on set pieces during their first meeting this year; a 2-0 Portland loss in Commerce City that was the first entry into Portland’s well-recognized 2-0 Loss Variety Pack. It looked like their set piece dominance was going to continue as new DP Morgan Whittaker (a summer signing from English Championship side Middlesbrough) delivered the dead ball into the box and onto the waiting free head of Loic Williams (another summer signing). However, Williams was unable to put his shot on target.

Portland recognized that they would have to make the most of their own set pieces, which led to a good chance in the 9th minute. David Da Costa sent a corner kick into the box, where Kamal Miller was waiting for it at the near post. The Canadian defender’s header crashed into the woodwork and out of bounds for a goalkick.

It’s at this moment where the secondary storyline of tonight’s game must be mentioned. Six fouls were called in the first 15 minutes, with many of them going against the Timbers. Referee Elijio Arreguin was struggling to control this game. The Timbers were able to create another chance in the 17th minute when Diego Chara stepped into a passing lane to intercept a poor Williams pass out of the back. The captain quickly moved the ball to Kristoffer Velde, who got ambitious when he aimed a weak-footed shot towards Colorado’s goal from outside the box. Unfortunately, although the technique was extremely impressive, the shot whistled past the post and crashed into the ad boards. More on “crashing into the ad boards” later.

Directly after Velde’s attempt, the Rapids created a big chance of their own. Throughout this game, they were repeatedly able to go around, through, and over Portland’s midfield. That’s what happened in the 18th minute when Darren Yapi received a progressive pass directly through the middle, flicked it wide to SuperDraft pick Donovan Phillip, and provided enough room on that pass to allow Phillips to run at goal. Fory was able to get in front of him, but he couldn’t stop Phillip from taking a shot. This attempt was hit low towards the near post and needed a big kick save from Pantemis to prevent the Rapids from grabbing an early goal.

The game remained in the same state until the 32nd minute. That state consisted of the following actions: the Timbers attempted to play long balls to bypass Colorado’s press, the Rapids would win the second balls created by these downfield aerial duels, and the Rapids would keep the ball while waiting to see if enough space opened up to quickly change the tempo and attack. Then the 32nd minute arrived, and Portland’s long ball strategy paid off.

This chance was not created by a long ball, but it had the desired effect. Velde won a tackle in his own half and spotted Da Costa making a run in behind. A well-hit through ball found Portuguese Dave, who executed an excellent chop turn to send Kosi Thompson sprawling into the turf. This is what Da Costa saw when he looked up at his available options.

Only one of his teammates has arrived in the box. That teammate is Omir Fernandez, who was given the start on the right wing. But he sees an arriver who can get on the end of a square ball. That arriver is Janssen, and Da Costa’s pass finds him in perfect stride. The Dutch striker generates a ton of power from the soccer equivalent of a snap shot. But that shot is hit directly at Hansen, who parries it away. Thompson clears away the rebound. Unfortunate.

That chance generated some momentum, and the Timbers were finally seeing some of the gaps that Colorado was leaving open. In the same minute (the 33rd), Janssen found Velde alone in that space. But Velde slowed down his run and lost the ball from a routine Thompson challenge, resulting in a throw-in. That throw-in was to Velde, who cut inside and tried to squeeze a low shot past Hansen at the near post. The Colorado goalkeeper was able to make a decent save on the attempt. Now the Timbers had woken up and grown into the game. But their night was about to become a lot harder.

Our action picks up again in the 38th minute. First, Whittaker has to get some space on Fory and send a low cross into the six-yard box. Pantemis fielded the attempt, and quickly moved the ball to Chara. After a good progressive run, the captain lost the ball around the halfway line. Wayne Frederick picked the ball up, grabbed too much of Fory’s jersey (this is a very common theme throughout this game) and was correctly whistled for a foul. The ball was put back in play, and Ronald Hernandez decided to give Fernandez a chance to make a play with a long ball into space. Fernandez, who was traded to Portland from Colorado, was able to take a touch with his chest but found himself unable to get the better of Miguel Navarro. Colorado’s left back kept pace with Fernandez and looked like he was going to allow Fernandez’s momentum to carry himself out of bounds with the ball. That would have resulted in a goalkick. Instead, with the ball already rolling out and Fernandez off-balance, Navarro decided to make Fernandez pay for the simple action of engaging in a routine battle for a loose ball. With one motion from his right hand, Navarro extended his arm in a blatant shove and sent Fernandez careening into the ad boards.

Fernandez lay on the ground in serious pain after this obvious ragdolling. With an injury stoppage enforced, the VAR official (Kevin Terry Jr) was able to recommend a VAR review. So Arreguin walked to the monitor and viewed the play again. This is what he saw.

After a minute, Arreguin turned away from the monitor and readied himself for an announcement. Here are his exact words: “After review, there is no foul on the play. Final decision is goalkick.”

If there is no foul on that play, then Arreguin’s eyes are clearly on vacation. The stadium erupted in a chorus of boos. Since the pool reporter system offers the public a chance to hear the referee’s rationale for certain decisions, I thought it prudent to get Arreguin’s opinion on a completely non-soccer play that could have resulted in serious injury. Maybe some further detail could be provided for the reasoning behind this complete farce of a decision. So I opened the form, typed my question in, and prepared myself for the final whistle so I could submit it. I held out hope that I would receive some form of response using the IFAB rules to justify this absolute shocker of a call. But, no matter how high my hopes get, I’m always reminded of how infuriating these responses usually are. And Arreguin’s answer was a perfect continuation of the trend.

For the second time in a month, a game-changing no-call was justified with the most vague possible terms. The only “clear impact” on that play was Navarro’s clear shove on Fernandez. Is Arreguin referring to “impact” as it relates to the fact that the ball was already going out of play when Fernandez got shoved? Well, guess what idiot, that makes it EVEN MORE OBVIOUS that Navarro wasn’t playing the ball when he lashed out at the already off-balance Fernandez! Fernandez is incredibly lucky to avoid serious injury here! To borrow a phrase from noted Instagram hound Taylor Twellman: “WHAT ARE WE DOING?”

There is only one legitimate justification for an infraction like this not to be awarded a penalty kick, but even that line of reasoning would still acknowledge a foul on Navarro. I’m of the belief that not every foul in the box rises to the level of “penalty kick.” I find a lot of penalties get awarded to plays that do not affect the action of scoring a goal. Unfortunately, the penalty area becomes a place of great peril for defenses and a chance for tricky attackers to turn some slight danger into a five-alarm fire by searching for contact and going down at the slightest touch. I would have been OK, and actually probably more OK, if a red card for violent conduct and an indirect free kick was the decision that Arreguin arrived at. Fernandez wasn’t getting to the ball, the contact occurred after the play was already decided, and it was a bit of “extra mustard” added at the end. Those conditions, in my mind, do not rise to the level of “penalty kick.” However, because of the way the rules are enforced, a penalty kick has to be the decision that Arreguin arrives at. Instead, he looked at one of the dirtiest plays of the season and decided that there wasn’t even a foul. Despicable.

Now the Timbers felt hard done by another refereeing decision going against them. Surely that wouldn’t boil over in the near future. Two minutes later, I repeat TWO MINUTES LATER, it boiled over.

Two minutes later happened to be the 42nd minute. Da Costa won the ball and found Velde in space. The Norwegian winger was chopped down by Whittaker outside the box, giving the Timbers another free kick. And the Timbers were not going to stand idly by while this overly aggressive team of bastards kept hacking them to bits.

Commentator Mark Rogondino says that this kerfuffle is because “points are at a premium and it’s playoff time” or some shit. No, it’s because this Rapids team continually pushes the boundaries of the ethical laws of soccer. The Timbers simply stood up for themselves. The entire team comes over to further increase the intensity of this debate. They were bewildered when Fernandez was ragdolled into the ad boards and no justice was served. So they decided to step up and remind these Dirty Pids that they would not take any of this injustice sitting down.

Velde and Whittaker would earn yellow cards for their roles in this fracas. But I’d like to highlight Rob Holding’s desire to win Best Supporting Actor. The Colorado center back, wearing the armband, is the player who puts Velde on the ground. Surely that would be worth a second yellow card. Not according to Arreguin or Terry Jr though!

Halftime soon arrived and gave both teams a chance to cool their heads. The Timbers led on shots 6-2, but struggled to keep their feet on the ball. The Rapids had dominated possession 66%-34%. Could the Timbers get back on the ball and begin to dictate the pace of this game in the second half?

The Rapids had the first chance. In the 48th minute, Whittaker’s corner kick delivery was headed out of bounds at the near post by Williams. However, in a similar vein to Wednesday’s defeat in Carson, the Timbers would create their best chance of the game during the first 15 minutes of the second half.

Joel Waterman stood over a free kick in his own half in the 56th minute, and took the opportunity to give Velde a chance to make a play. His long ball forced the Norwegian winger and Williams to engage in a duel, which Velde promptly won as Williams collapsed to the ground. With some space in the box, Velde squared the ball to Janssen. This opportunity was much more clear than the 33rd minute. Hansen was on the other side of the net, and the Dutch striker had an open goal to aim at. He clanged a left-footed volley off the crossbar. The play was blown dead almost immediately, as Arreguin judged Velde’s challenge to cross the foul threshold.

There are two things to tackle in this play. Let’s start with the shot. Velde’s square ball had some pace on it, and Janssen added a little bit more power with his attempt. It’s just really annoying that it hit the crossbar. But let’s get hypothetical and assume that Janssen was able to put this shot in the back of the net. I firmly believe that Arreguin would have whistled for the foul and disallowed the goal. Once again, I beg for some semblance of consistency from PRO. A blatant shove on an already dead play is not worthy of a foul, yet incidental contact during a 50/50 could wipe a goal out. God, I really hate this league sometimes.

This 56th minute shot would not count due to the foul. But I want to keep playing the “what if” game, so let’s assume that it did. Do you want to know the next time the Timbers registered a shot in this game? Try the 80th minute on for size.

But since Janssen’s crossbar doesn’t count, we have to go back to their last shot to properly measure the gap. That last qualifying attempt was a Fernandez header from a Hernandez cross in the 50th minute. Soccer games are 90 minutes long without counting stoppage time. So the Portland Timbers, in a must-win game at home, spent exactly ONE THIRD of this game in a shotless drought. Here’s how that stretch looked on the match momentum chart.

The sudden green peaks in the mostly burgundy landscape occurred in the 62nd and 74th minutes. In the 62nd minute, Fernandez carried the ball to the endline but his cross was headed away by Williams. The 74th minute was marked by a Pantemis long ball into space for Da Costa, who tried to chip the ball into the middle of the pitch to an unmarked onrushing Lassiter. It was a difficult pass to pull off, and Portuguese Dave proved that by overhitting his wide-open teammate. That’s not counting two tantalizing crosses in the 54th and 55th minutes that went through the box without a Timber getting a foot on it.

Meanwhile, Colorado’s best opportunity of the game occurred in the 59th minute. A quick throw-in acted as a long ball to Georgi Minoungou in space. The former Seattle Sounder beat Kamal Miller on the dribble and sent a dangerous cross into the six-yard box. But Fory got goal-side of Phillip and made a crucial block to send the ball out for a corner kick. In the 71st minute, the other former Sounder (Atencio) found Minoungou on the right. The Burkina Faso international got past Fory but sent a shot flying over the bar.

The 80th minute shot that broke the dry spell was a Velde attempt from outside the box that Hansen easily corralled. Portland was knocking on the door again 8 minutes later. Jose Caicedo played a through ball to Cole Bassett, and the former Rapid sent a cross into the six-yard box only for Hansen to punch it away. The Timbers recovered the clearance, and they started attacking again. After some more recycling as they probed for an opening, Velde created some space outside the box but decided to send the ball into the South Deck.

The last chance to win the game fell to Colorado. Hamzat Ojediran sent a shot from distance wide of the left post in the 2nd minute of stoppage time. For the first time this season, a Portland Timbers game ended in a 0-0 draw. In doing so, the Timbers recorded their second clean sheet of the season, but have now embarked on a scoreless streak dating back to the 64th minute in Kansas City (that’s 234 total minutes of soccer including stoppage time).

A Deliberate Change

If the stakes weren’t so high, a clean sheet would be much more celebrated. Unfortunately, Portland’s attacking struggles put a significant damper on the shutout. But there’s a good reason why the Timbers didn’t concede a goal tonight. And it began with a tactical change that targeted a big reason why the Timbers concede so many goals: not beating themselves.

In order to not beat themselves, the Timbers could not play according to Marti Cifuentes’ ideal. This is a welcome change to see, especially after watching Phil Neville’s teams continue to stubbornly stick to a principle no matter how much it ended up hurting them. When the Timbers took the field tonight, there was only one way that they were going to progress the ball: launching it to the halfway line and playing for the second ball.

The Timbers attempted 74 long balls in tonight’s game. They completed 41 of them for a success ratio of 55%. Pantemis was responsible for 23 of those attempts. Miller and Waterman combined for 26. Rather than tempt Colorado’s press, the Timbers tried to get out in transition instead of methodically moving the ball up the pitch.

Cifuentes spoke on this tactical change after the game. “I’ve said many times that football is about time and space, and Colorado was very focused on man-to-man marking. If you remember the games against St. Louis or San Diego, teams that are very aggressive on the man-to-man press, there is no free man. Unless they jump into the keeper, there is no free man on the pitch. So the space against those teams that go so, so aggressive is in behind them. And I think we understood that really well. And as I said, the last 15 minutes of the first half, the first 20 minutes of the second half we understood that really well. So if the space is in behind, I’m not afraid about using that.”

I cannot critique the phrasing of anything said during a press conference (particularly after I began my first question to Cifuentes by defining what a clean sheet is, with the head coach hilariously responding “Usually it does,” to some laughter throughout the room) but I found that the use of the word “afraid” is rather interesting. Attacking the space in behind usually requires taking some risks, but I don’t think that it should cause any fear. I think a balanced and healthy soccer team should be able to provide equal threat through controlled attacking and more risky maneuvers. It was very encouraging to see this slight tweak, even if the Timbers were struggling to win a fair amount of those second balls. 

Because a fair amount of Portland concessions can be traced back to buildup errors, the choice to forsake a controlled buildup against a heavy and aggressive press allowed the Timbers to be more dangerous in the attack and limit the potential for mistakes on their own end. This shift seemed to be opponent-specific, and it’s a good bit of coaching. I think it’s a big reason why the Timbers were able to keep a clean sheet tonight.

Box Tilt/Duels

We’ll start with box tilt. The Rapids can claim victory with a 25-17 margin. But before those Colorado fans can puff out their chests, I have to counter with the duel numbers.

Matt Wells, who just wants his team to beat the living breaks off their opponent, saw his team get outfought. The Timbers, who were sick and tired of not tasting victory since September 5th, battled their asses off to the tune of a whopping +19 duel differential. That includes a +16 margin on ground duels. If there’s another thing for the Timbers to hang their hat on, it has to be a domination of a very physical opponent. 

Player Ratings

James Pantemis: 7.4

Congratulations to James Pantemis for his second clean sheet of the season. The Rapids only had one shot on target (Phillip’s 18th-minute shot) and Pantemis kept it out of the net. It wasn’t the easiest day at the office, even though he only faced that single shot. He was still called upon several times to claim crosses, and I thought his control over the penalty area was the best I’ve seen since Cifuentes took over.

So why isn’t his rating higher? For starters, he became the de-facto tempo setter when the ball kept getting recycled back to him. And there’s one play that sticks in my mind from this game. In the 65th minute, he caught a corner kick from Paxten Aaronson. His teammates started streaking forward to try and capitalize on a numerical mismatch farther down the field. Pantemis chose to slow down play and allow Colorado’s defense to recover before rolling the ball out. It was a wasted opportunity. I’d like to see him make some better decisions as a progressor. His shot-stopping ability is unquestionably good, but modern goalkeepers (especially in Cifuentes’ system) have to excel in multiple facets of the position.

Ronald Hernandez: 8.4

It is very hard to come to a new team after leaving one that you had a fond history with and immediately be expected to step in as a starter after a lengthy period as a squad player. That’s exactly what Ronald Hernandez has had to deal with since arriving in Portland on deadline day. It’s been a tough learning curve as he adapts to his new teammates and a new system in a new city, but tonight’s performance was absolutely outstanding.

Were you aware that Hernandez, in this ruthlessly physical game, led all players with 9 tackles? Did you notice that he finished second among all players with 11 successful ground duels? Is this performance even more impressive when his workload over the past week has been taken into account? He’s one of only three players to play every single minute over the past three games!

It was a tough start for Hernandez with Minoungou (one of the top dribblers in the league) giving him fits throughout the first half. But he rebounded in the second half with a gutsy and gritty defensive performance. I think he showed some good chemistry with Fernandez on the right side too. Hernandez had big shoes to fill when he joined the team. I don’t think he was expected to completely fill those shoes, but tonight’s performance was a humongous step forward.

Joel Waterman: 8.2

Waterman also had his best game in a Timbers shirt, just like Hernandez. While his contributions don’t jump off the stat sheet, his decision-making with the ball and defensive positioning were superb.

But Waterman’s reaction to keeping the clean sheet wasn’t what I expected. “Our goal is always to get clean sheets. But I think it was funny. Kamal and I had a little joke in the locker room today. We would’ve taken a 5-4 win. A shutout’s great, but we wanted to win.”

I agree with his sentiment. If this game occurred in March or April, a clean sheet would’ve been much more celebrated. But since it’s the push for the playoffs, three points were much more necessary than a shutout. If Surman returns next week, the two Canadian friends will still be in contention for the final starting center back spot. 

Kamal Miller: 7.8

I wish that header went in. For the second game in a row, Miller had a good chance from a set piece and was brutally unlucky to not find the back of the net. In addition, his long balls down the left channel provided plenty of attacking thrust. He wasn’t as defensively impressive as Waterman, but it was still a solid shift and he does deserve a fair amount of credit for the clean sheet.

Jimer Fory: 9

I initially thought that Fory would need to be subbed off at halftime after he limped through the first half. So many miles have been put on his legs over the last two-and-a-half months. He has started every single game of the Cifuentes era in a very demanding position.

Those clutch defensive interventions were the biggest reason why the Timbers were able to keep a clean sheet. I’m sure that he wasn’t feeling 100%, so I’d call this performance “heroic.” He continued to provide an outlet on the left side too. I hope he gets plenty of rest this week. 

Diego Chara: 7.8

Chara misplayed a couple passes, but he always follows a crucial rule: when he wins the ball, the first pass is forward.

It’s what makes him such a threatening player in the transition between defense and attack. He’s always looking downfield to make something happen. The captain registered 4 tackles and 5 recoveries in 67 minutes. Very well done.

Eric Izoita: 7

I have one clip to offer to sum up Eric Izoita’s performance.

He just doesn’t stop trying. This play is accomplished through pure endurance and drive. I wish he was more effective in the attack, but he’s already exceeding expectations by starting his second game of the season. It was a slight surprise to see him in the starting lineup tonight, but not an unwelcome one. Will he earn another start next weekend against Charlotte?

Cifuentes was also complimentary of Izoita post-game and offered some more insight into the academy player’s rise. “Unfortunately, when I came, he picked up an injury that slowed down the whole process. But I’m sure that without that injury, we could have seen him even before because he’s showing that from day one. When he joined our first practice, he was excellent. So I’m very happy for him.”

David Da Costa: 7.1

I don’t want to judge Da Costa on the standards of the players that came before him. It is beyond clear that he’s a very talented soccer player. And he deserved an assist on the play that ended up in Janssen’s straight-down-the-middle shot.

But, due to the roster rules within MLS, he has to be judged against the DP tag that he occupies. I don’t like doing that, but it’s the way that this league works and he was well aware of those standards when he chose to come to Portland. Because of that fact, I was a little disappointed that he couldn’t leave his stamp on this game. But I was encouraged when he moved to the false 9 role; a position where he excelled against Puebla in Leagues Cup. He acted as the field-stretcher up top. Combine that tendency with the run that led to Janssen’s chance, and the Timbers have a willing runner with excellent technical quality. Those traits should result in better production eventually. 

Omir Fernandez: 6.9

Part of me is still amazed that Fernandez was able to remain on the field after being shoved into the ad boards. But he stayed in and continued to affect the game on and off the ball. Fernandez got on the end of crosses while providing some deliveries as well. But he wasn’t given a lot of opportunities to make plays, as he only recorded 17 touches on the right wing. I was very intrigued by Cifuentes’ decision to start him. And he sacrificed his body for that blatant foul with no justice headed his way. 

Kristoffer Velde: 7.7

Like Da Costa, Velde’s talent is unquestionable. So why does it feel like he’s so close to being great but still far away from it?

I think that disparity between good and great is illustrated by Velde’s relationship to the ball. Prior to the beginning of the season, the Norwegian winger was being compared to Denis Bouanga. Due to their devastatingly good ability in the open field, I think that comparison was apt. However, it ignored a major reason for Bouanga’s success: his ability to affect the game by getting on the end of passes and turning them into chances or goals.

Velde wants those passes to come directly to his feet so he can size up the defender across from him. This ability can work to devastating effect, but it can often be nerfed by double teams. That half-second of pause to plan his next move allows the defense to recover. And he has to beat those defenders on the dribble. He doesn’t have the same elite speed that Bouanga does where he can just knock the ball beyond a defender and turn the 1v1 into a footrace. So his quality on the ball becomes even more important. Because of that non-elite speed, he offers very little as a running-in-behind threat. He needs someone to run for him, and he won’t make those runs himself.

But that shouldn’t preclude him from making those runs. Despite the buckets of talent and ability he possesses, it can be easy for teams to severely limit his effectiveness. They’ve also begun to figure out how to get under his skin. I think he’d be at his most effective with another player of equal gravity on the other wing who can offer the in-behind threat that Velde doesn’t have.

Having said all that, I think that Velde did all that he could to try and put the team on his back. My favorite Velde play from this game was the perfect through ball he hit to Da Costa that turned into the Janssen chance. He led all players with 13 ground duels won as Colorado continued the trend of setting up in a way to punish and frustrate him for getting on the ball. I’m interested to see how he continues to adapt his game to become a more complete player. The Timbers need a complete version of Velde to reach their potential ceiling.

Vincent Janssen: 6.5

Strikers know how their performances are judged. Getting into the position to score is one thing, but there are some chances that you just can’t miss. Janssen missed two of those chances in tonight’s game, even though one (dubiously) didn’t count. However, his link-up play remained excellent. Three Janssen starts this week, and he played over an hour in all of them. 

Jose Caicedo: 6.3

The “slow start” theory with Caicedo continues to ring true. He does not subscribe to Chara’s “first pass forward” mantra, and it can lead to some brutal turnovers. In addition, he didn’t register a single defensive action. I think he has to start in order to be at his most effective, and there’s still some parts of his game that need to grow. The Timbers signed him to be the defensive midfielder of the future as well as the present. Let’s see how he progresses on his growth trajectory.

Ariel Lassiter: 6.9

It was a bit of a surprise to see Lassiter on the bench to start this game, but it makes sense given his heavy workload. He did act as a supersub when he got on the field, and kept making good decisions to put his teammates in good spots to create and score. At this moment, I think he’s got my vote for Supporters’ Player of the Year.

Joao Ortiz: 6.5

I wouldn’t say that Ortiz was necessarily bad in this game, but he was pretty risk-averse. One of the responsibilities of playing as an 8 in this system is a willingness to take risks and try to drive the game forward. I didn’t see a lot of that from Ortiz tonight. He’s still a good player, but his recent good form has taken a slight downturn over the past week.

Cole Bassett: 6.8

The former Rapid looked refreshed when he entered the game in the 71st minute. He played on his preferred left side and was a progressive outlet. Bassett was willing to push the game forward and try to create or score the winning goal. I think his starting job is still up in the air, but it was a positive return to the pitch after missing the last two games with illness.

Alexander Aravena: 6.3

The Chilean forward deputized at striker again and only touched the ball 9 times. It seems like every time he gets on the pitch he commits a bad mistake. Two moments from tonight’s game qualify for that label. In the 85th minute, Lassiter won the ball and tried to quickly find Aravena. Despite having some space and time around him, the ball went right through the Chilean’s legs. One minute later, he committed a bad giveaway in his own half. The talent is there, but he has to improve his decision-making. I thought that he would be called upon to start on the right in the event of a Lassiter rotation. That didn’t happen, as Fernandez was given the nod instead. I don’t think that’s a very bright omen.

Coach Rating: 7.5

I’ve already touched on the change made to the buildup philosophy, so I think this is a good time to touch on the out-of-possession adjustment.

The Timbers were successful against San Diego by utilizing a 4-2-3-1 structure off the ball with one of the 8s dropping deeper to provide cover. Tonight, that player was Izoita. Colorado was still able to pass around and through Portland’s midfield at will, but that team is farther along in their system progression than the Timbers are. Portland is still very reactionary defensively, but they did a very good job in scramble defense tonight.

Cifuentes remains committed to the process, so even the slight tweaks he made tonight won’t be permanent. I think the frequent shotless spells are becoming a major problem, and I don’t think they’re entirely due to the players Cifuentes has at his disposal. Just another problem to work on, along with the road form and general defensive solidity. His players put in a match-winning performance tonight. But the head coach cannot control whether or not the ball goes in the back of the net.

Table Time

For the third matchday in a row, three or fewer Western Conference teams tasted victory. Vancouver came back in Austin courtesy of a wonderful goal from one of their summer signings. RSL checked the free space on the bingo card by beating SKC on the road. Minnesota went down 2-0 to St. Louis but mounted a big comeback to take all three points and end the Raviolis’ 21-game unbeaten streak. St. Louis will have to travel to Columbus on Wednesday for the Open Cup Final. One week later, they will host the Timbers.

Other notable results: a 2-2 draw between the Galaxy and San Diego, another 2-2 draw between Houston and Dallas (where Los Toreros were once again rescued by a late Petar Musa penalty), and a 1-1 draw for the Seattle Sounders at Lumen against Montreal. Points are being dropped everywhere. And the Timbers can’t pick any of them up.

Final Whistle

Today’s final whistle segment begins at the, uh, final whistle.

As I made my way onto the pitch after the game from the bowels of the stadium, deafening chants of “Get that shit off the pitch” were blaring down from the stands. My immediate thought turned to the players. Would the Timbers be subjected to these words? Were things so far gone that the fans had turned on the team?

Then I turned and headed to the victory log, and the actual intent behind the chant became loud and clear. The Rapids, who cannot stop being insanely irritating even after a 0-0 draw, decided to choose the area in front of the log as the place to do their post-match cooldown runs. Timbers players asked them to leave, and a shouting match broke out. Even Timber Joey got involved. The fans were berating the opposing players, with some loose jeers directed at club owner Merritt Paulson (unrelated). As the Timbers walked off the field with their winless streak reaching 7, the frustrations at their opponent and themselves was written on their face.

Such a physical and chippy game surely had some roots in what had occurred on the Providence Park pitch one night prior. The First Round match of the MLS NEXTPRO playoffs between T2 and St. Louis 2 was a controlled T2 victory. Max Kissel opened the scoring in the 12th minute by tapping home a deflected rebound from Daniel Nunez’s shot in the 10th minute. T2 continued to defend with aplomb, and should’ve added a second when Colin Griffith played a stunning disguised pass to a completely free Nunez in the 33rd minute, but the youngest player in Timbers history to make a first-team appearance screwed up the 1v1 chance with the Mini Raviolis’ goalkeeper. Unfortunate, but it would be another previous senior debutant who would put the game on ice. Adolfo Enriquez’s 68th minute free kick was delivered to the far post, but the St. Louis center back made the cardinal mistake of heading a ball that the goalkeeper was reaching for. The header fell to Gage Guerra, who flicked it to Noah Santos for an easy finish in front of the North End. T2’s 2-0 lead would hold as they qualified for the Conference Semifinals.

But the big story was what happened in second-half stoppage time. St. Louis, like their first team, is full of brutes and bullies. After spending the entirety of the game getting hacked to death, a foul by Bryce Vanvoorhis sent a St. Louis player into the ad boards. A full-on rhubarb broke out, which ended in 3 red cards. Guerra, Enriquez, and St. Louis’ Brendan McSorley were sent off, and Ravioli goalkeeper Christian Olivares was awfully lucky to avoid any discipline after leaving his box and hustling over to get a couple hits in.

I’d like to think that the first team took some inspiration from watching the tenacity of T2 last night. The Timbers brought that same fire into this game. But what stood out from T2’s game was their ability to turn turnovers into instant offense. In other words, they subscribe to “first pass forward.” The Timbers could also learn from the second team in that regard too.

Another common thread between these two games was the crowd. A T2 record crowd of 7,883 poured into Providence Park to watch some free playoff soccer. “I don’t think there’s a number of clubs that would get that sort of attendance. It shows why we’re Soccer City, so that was amazing,” Jack Cassidy said post-game.

Those fans weren’t disappointed. A fair amount of fans were probably disappointed with tonight’s proceedings, but that didn’t stop the crowd from showing out for a Timbers team that dropped further out of the playoff picture tonight. “It’s easy when you play at a club like this, to see that passion because the fans bring it every game. Providence Park is one of the most special atmospheres I’ve played in as a professional, and the fans keep you going, and the fans are reacting to every play. They make themselves known, and their presence known, so it’s easy for us to get up for games,” Waterman said post-game.

Providence Park’s 100th anniversary was celebrated tonight. No, the Timbers didn’t score and send the crowd into a frenzy. Instead, the crowd was whipped up by missed opportunities and an infuriating officiating performance against a team that was perfectly content to play the villain. That’s still Providence Park, after all. Passion always shines through, whether or not the events on the field are good or bad.

And arguably the best event at the stadium this year occurred 7 games ago when the Timbers last tasted victory. Vincent Janssen’s hat trick broke a 16-year drought. Such streaks cannot be broken without some sort of price, however. And I think tonight’s game cemented an unwitting deal that the Timbers have made with the devil.

The value of said hat trick has already been debated. A personal record that can act as an accompaniment to a win doesn’t result in a title. But I think that the Timbers sacrificed something by finally breaking the hat trick duck. In short, I think it cost them their season.

There are legitimate reasons why the Timbers have been hemorrhaging points over the past month and a half. A weakened squad, slow adjustments to Cifuentes’ system, injuries, and all the other factors carry significant weight. However, you have to consider the supernatural when all of these winnable games have resulted in a grand total of 3 points. Getting that hat trick could not go unpunished by the soccer gods. It would not surprise me at all if the Timbers went the rest of the season without winning a game. The hat trick demanded a sacrifice. That sacrifice consists of a long winless streak at the most important time of the year against a motley of teams that the Timbers should be beating. The Underlying Numbers say that Portland has been brutally unlucky. Not just unlucky. Cursed.

Of course, the aforementioned issues are the primary causes for this downturn in form at the most important time of the season. Now the 5-point gap between the Wild Card and another playoff-less season seems larger than ever. Two six-pointers resulted in zero goals and one point. The Timbers were already reliant on results going their way in order to stay competitive. Now they’re absolutely dependent on them.

Four games remain for the Timbers to close that 5-point gap. Their chances to close it themselves are fully gone. And given the absolute refusal of their Western Conference rivals to climb out of the mud, the opportunity still exists. But now they’re in 11th. And even their second clean sheet of the season isn’t enough of a silver lining to truly get excited about. However, it won’t stop them from trying. “As long as there is a chance we’re going to try until the last second…We’re going to push until the last second of the last game of the season, whether it’s the 7th of November or the 15th of December.”

Some automotive repair has taken place in the three days between the loss in Carson and tonight’s draw against Colorado. Even the driver’s manuals have gained a little more wear. Positive steps can ring hollow when three points aren’t attached. But the players and staff aren’t done fighting yet. And it’s going to take a whole lot of fight, like what they showed tonight, in order to keep climbing. The climb continues.