Do You Remember Dancing In September?

The Portland Timbers haven’t lost at home to the San Jose Earthquakes in league play since 1982. Let’s take a look at how they kept the streak going.

The first half saw the Timbers take control of the game. That might seem a little odd considering they only had 51% possession, but San Jose only had one shot during the entire 45 minutes. The game was begging for a Timbers breakthrough, and they finally got it from a counterattack. Yes, the Timbers scored on a counter. Franck Boli ran through the middle of the field, found Bryan Acosta to his right, and Acosta’s squared pass was put into the net by tonight’s captain Cristhian Paredes. This was the last action of the first half, and the team went into the locker room while being serenaded by the North End. Wonderful stuff.

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In the previous five games under Miles Joseph, the Timbers have scored two goals in each game. So the entire stadium was holding their breath to see if the streak would continue. In the 58th minute, the Timbers worked the ball around the box until Sebastian Blanco took a shot. It got blocked, but the deflection fell right to Evander, who scored in his second consecutive game to give the Timbers the 2-0 lead. Immediately following their second goal, the Quakes marched right down the field and it was Matthew Hoppe’s turn to score a tap-in off a deflection. This put the Timbers in their now familiar “positively kill the game off” mode, and they did it again. That’s three straight wins and five consecutive matches unbeaten.

Tonight’s midfield was the same midfield that started August 20th in Houston. However, they played on the front foot and were dominant. Let’s begin with tonight’s captain. Cristhian Paredes wore the armband again, which he previously did in Houston. However, he completely bossed this game. Not only did he continue to win the ball like usual, but he would quickly spring counterattacks. He scored the opening goal; his first since he smashed home Nathan Fogaca’s failed bicycle kick on March 4th in LA. 3 tackles, 1 interception, 11 recoveries, while winning 8 out of 14 ground duels. Man of the Match. There’s only one other player who I can compare to Paredes tonight, and it is a man who finally got his chance to shine in a Timbers jersey. Bryan Acosta hasn’t done a lot since the Timbers traded for him in the summer. Tonight was also his stage. Diego Chara’s medical emergency was a serious scare for this team. With their talisman set for an extended spell on the sideline, many fans began to worry. Acosta silenced the doubters tonight. Not only was he completely dominant defensively, he assisted Paredes to close out the first half. Let’s talk about that assist, because it was truly special for one reason. When Franck Boli began that counter, Acosta began a lung-busting sprint up the pitch. That’s the exact run I’ve seen Diego Chara make time and time again for years in a Timbers jersey. When Boli passed him the ball, all it took was a simple square pass to find his midfield partner. Bryan Acosta also introduced me to his hops tonight. Seriously, I didn’t realize he could jump like that. That’s a DP-level performance from a player who entered this league as a DP. Outstanding stuff. Evander scored again, and he continues to prove why he’s the centerpiece of this team. His contributions in the attack and the incredible effort he shows in defense are immense. 9 goals in the league. He’s the top scorer. He only played 64 minutes tonight, and his substitution wasn’t due to a lack of production. It was a needed rest. When Evander exited, Santiago Moreno slid into his spot in the midfield. Tonight, Moreno was fantastic in the midfield and on the wing, where he started. He’s been the biggest beneficiary of the coaching change and he looks like he loves playing soccer again. PAY HIM, NED.

Miles Joseph made an interesting point in the post-match press conference, which is becoming a common theme since he took the interim job. He said that the team doesn’t need the ball to control the game. Well, how accurate is that statement when it comes to tonight’s match? Here is a map of San Jose’s shots during the entirety of the game:

Only Hoppe’s goal (illustrated by the massive green dot because it was a SITTER) seriously troubled the Timbers tonight. Those dots are sized in terms of xG value, which means that all of those shots were low-quality attempts. The three red dots clustered around the penalty spot were all headers that were put off target. Only Cristian Espinoza’s shot from a tough angle found the target. The Quakes had 54% possession, which is a slight majority, but the Timbers kept them completely stymied in the final third. That’s how you control a game without the ball. Like the players, I am also learning from Miles Joseph. To paraphrase his own words, the Timbers had the Quakes exactly where they wanted them. Terrific stuff.

So few shots meant that David Bingham didn’t have a lot to do in terms of purely saving shots. However, he still had a busy night. 3 punches, 2 high claims, and 10 recoveries. But his distribution really stood out. He does bring a different dimension to this team from the keeper position. 10/20 completed long balls to a front line without Dairon Asprilla really speaks to his excellence when playing out from the back. I know he’s an unpopular figure, but he fits the way this team plays right now. A successful revenge game for our #1.

The back line continued to be excellent, and Juan Mosquera was great defensively tonight. He did what he usually does in the attack but used his speed to great effect. When Cade Cowell came on the pitch, he did a great job of keeping the new Jordan Morris (speed without a serious end product) in check. ZZ Stop had another great outing, with Dario Zuparic in particular standing out. Marking Jeremy Ebobisse is a tough task and Zuparic had him in a locker. Since he had a press conference after the game, we were gifted with another gem. “I don’t like social media. I don’t like questions. Don’t quote me again.” Claudio Bravo gave Cristian Espinoza such fits that Espinoza got a yellow card for throwing his shoe in frustration late in the second half. That’s a MVP candidate who lost his head after having to deal with Claudio Bravo for a whole game. Brilliant stuff.

Franck Boli didn’t get his goal, but he still did all the off-ball work that he excels at. He led the counter that ended in the Timbers’ first goal. Sebastian Blanco looked slightly off the pace in the first half, but he’s still playing out wide and did what he needed to do. He also got fouled in the box early in the second half. The referee went to the monitor, and didn’t give a penalty. However, in a ridiculous twist, the stadium scoreboard then showed a smoking gun angle of a definite penalty. The Timbers have only gotten one penalty kick all season. That should’ve been their second. Dairon Asprilla entered to kill off the game and killed off the game. Antony had a good amount of time on the pitch and produced some excellent dribbles but didn’t get a shot off. He’s dripping with potential and all it’s going to take is one moment for him to wow us. Yimmi Chara was solid off the bench. Not spectacular, but I thought he was decent. Felipe Mora had a couple chances, but couldn’t put his shots on target. That’s fine. All of them were brought in to positively kill the game off and they succeeded in doing that. 

TABLE TIME! LOOK AT HOW AWESOME IT IS!

Rather than looking at the positions first, let’s glance over to the form column. Only three teams have gone unbeaten in their past five. The first is Seattle, who are somehow in second despite being very beatable in 2023. They also have three draws among those 5 games, and the wins are against Austin (winless in their last 6) and the Colorado Rapids (just bad and a team they should be beating). Not that impressive from the silly little Fishies. (On a related note, they are unveiling a new crest next week. I am begging for something orca-related so I can laugh at it.) Houston is actually a problem. Across all competitions, they are unbeaten in their last seven. They are playing really good soccer and are in the Open Cup Final. They are, without a doubt, the hottest team in the West. There is a world where they finish top of the West. Given how shaky the top three teams look, it’s a very likely possibility. Vancouver just misses out on the unbeaten club because they got destroyed in Houston tonight. That leaves the PORTLAND TIMBERS as the last team with a 5-match unbeaten streak in the West. Unlike the two other teams, they’ve won their last three. To add to this impressive turn of form, they’ve won the last two without Diego Chara. The Timbers are now 8th in the West, but it’s still a shaky seat to sit on. Dallas is right behind them, only one point back with two games in hand. Minnesota is two points back with one game in hand. The Loons carried a 3-1 lead into halftime in Carson, but allowed 3 goals in the second half to walk out of Dignity Health Sports Park with no points and no dignity. Thank you, Billy Sharp. SKC lost at home to Nashville and are now 4 points back and tied on games played. A tough break for them, but one that favors us. So how high can the Timbers climb on Saturday if they beat Colorado? RSL and Vancouver play each other, while San Jose hosts Nashville. They could climb up to 5th if RSL-Vancouver is a draw and San Jose loses. Still not safe, but definitely more comfortable than 8th. Pretty promising stuff, especially with a Colorado team destined for the Wooden Spoon on deck. 

This Timbers team hasn’t just won three games in a row. They are imposing themselves on teams in ways that we haven’t really seen before. Under Gio, if the Timbers had the lion’s share of possession, it was due to opposition teams parking the bus and daring the Timbers to try and break it down. Today, the Timbers lost the possession battle, but still dominated the game. Massive props to the coaching staff, who have figured out how to take control of games and get results. Miles Joseph has to be in the top tier of coaching candidates already. Even if this is a team desperately trying to make the playoffs, they’re playing attractive soccer and are getting the results to boot. Even if he doesn’t become the next Timbers manager, he’s built himself an excellent portfolio just in the 6 matches he’s been in charge. 12 goals in 6 games and a goal differential of +4 is excellent. And his record is 4-1-1. He meets a lot of the criteria that the front office should be following in their coaching search, and he’s already familiar with the organization. To truly drive home how massive these six games have been just attacking-wise, Portland have scored 12 out of their 38 MLS goals just in those games alone. That’s just under a third of their total attacking output in 6 games with 26 goals in their other 24 games. And they’re not fluke goals either. This team is dynamic in the final third and is excellent in the middle of the park. Fantastic work from Joseph and the rest of his coaching staff.

There are four matches left in the season. With the Timbers tied for most games played in the West, they still do not control their own destiny. However, the results on the pitch are more than encouraging. If this season ends in a playoff berth (and I definitely think it will) these Timbers will be a tough out. Only one other team is riding the same momentum as Portland, and they’re the opponent the Timbers will face on Decision Day exactly one month from now. A lot of soccer still has to be played, but the Timbers continue to climb. How many teams will pass them and how many will fall below them is still yet to be determined.  

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