Finding Their Level

Although the Portland Timbers have been enjoying an excellent run of form, they needed to be tested. Good teams beat bad teams, but great teams beat other great teams. Tonight, the Portland Timbers made a massive statement. 

Two minutes. That’s how long it took for the Timbers to open the scoring against Real Salt Lake. Santiago Moreno fought through several challenges from Brayan Vera, put his fellow Colombian on the ground, and played a perfect ground cross to Felipe Mora, who smashed it home and put the Timbers ahead. For the remaining 96 minutes of game time, the Timbers would maintain that lead. This first half was very chippy. I would like to remind all readers that every game against RSL is a rivalry game. Need more proof? In the 22nd minute, a scuffle broke out between both teams after a hard foul from Chicho Arango on Evander. Arango received a yellow card, Mora received a yellow card, and nothing else happened. The first half remained chippy, but the Timbers wowed with the best attack of the game in the 38th minute. Miguel Araujo began it with a pass to Moreno, who then flicked it to Evander. The Brazilian carried it forward along the touchline before playing a through ball to Juan Mosquera. Mosquera played a first-touch cutback ball to Moreno at the top of the box, and Moreno found a first-touch pass to Jonathan Rodriguez on the left side of the box. Rodriguez’s first-time shot was excellently smothered by Zac MacMath. If Phil Neville could show one clip of how he wants this team to attack, that would be his choice. Alas, it ended with a good save. Portland was unable to extend their lead before the halftime whistle blew, but it was one of the best halves of the season.

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You know what’s even better than an elite first half? A perfect second half! The Timbers opened half number two with another direct attack. After some good combination play, Mosquera’s cross was fired over the bar by Rodriguez. However, that was literally a warning shot. Another attack commenced a minute later. James Pantemis played a long ball that was headed from Rodriguez to Mora and then Moreno. The Colombian found Mosquera who fired another cross to Rodriguez. The Uruguayan’s initial header was saved. Mora fired the ball back across the box to Rodriguez, who then crossed it to Evander in the middle of the box, who headed it down to Moreno, who then smashed it into the net. 2-0, 48 minutes in. What followed was a brilliant performance from the entire team. RSL was held in check. The cherry on top was delivered by Evander in stoppage time. Antony drove towards the box and found his Brazilian teammate in space. Evander smashed it home with his left foot to put the final nail in the coffin. Another signature win, and the best performance of the season.

While the Timbers didn’t have a tale of two halves today, tonight’s referee definitely did. Joe Dickerson’s difficult night began with a tackle by Alexandros Katranis on Santiago Moreno from behind in the 6th minute. Dickerson gave a foul on RSL, but no card to Katranis. A minute later, Diego Chara made a hard tackle on Matt Crooks and received a yellow card for it. It was his first foul, not yellow-worthy in the slightest, and it angered his teammates. Jonathan Rodriguez also got booked for dissent after that foul. The MLS Disciplinary Committee will have a field day with the mini-brawl that happened at the 22nd minute. However, Arango initiated it with some “violent conduct” (check the rules) on Evander. Somehow, Arango only got a yellow card and Felipe Mora entered the referee’s book. Giving Chara a yellow that early should have set the tone for tonight’s match, but it didn’t. Both Diego Luna and Matt Crooks were persistently fouling Timbers players throughout the first half and didn’t see yellow. Luna finally got booked but only while he was leaving the field after getting subbed off. Consistency is all that I ask for. The second half was a lot more consistent, but if the Timbers weren’t more disciplined coming out of the locker room this game could have turned into a bloodbath.

Speaking of bloodbath, it’s time to compare the two MVP candidates who took the field today! Well, apparently, because some people are no fun and insist on being constantly negative, Evander isn’t a MVP candidate. Let’s play a little game. If a neutral viewer who had very little knowledge of the league was watching this game and you told him that one of Chicho Arango or Evander was a MVP candidate, which one would he pick? Would he pick the man who wore the captain’s armband and kept throwing tantrums while his team got run off the field? Or would he choose the silky Brazilian who set the tempo and scored a wonderful goal? I think that our made-up casual viewer (hereby known as Create-A-Guy) would choose Evander instead of the guy who spent his entire time on the pitch in a constant state of whining. But even if Arango was off his game, surely one of RSL’s other attackers would step up?

No, they didn’t. Crooks continued his streak of being ineffective, Luna was also throwing a tantrum (he missed the new Bluey episode) and at least Gomez tried but got shut down. Although the attack was creating chances at will, tonight’s main story concerns the defense. 

Portland was outpossessed 58-42 tonight. But no matter what, their defense held stout. There were a couple close calls (one Arango header that hit the post, another Arango shot from outside the box that Pantemis saved, and one huge counterattack towards the end of the first half), but the Timbers did not allow themselves to be dominated on their home pitch. Tonight’s game was a textbook example of controlling the game with and without the ball. Portland didn’t drop into a low block, but the entire team defended incredibly well. After tonight’s slate of MLS games ended, the Timbers moved into a tie with RSL for the most goals scored in the Western Conference. Before tonight, RSL had only lost one road game (their season opener in Miami), All of their star attackers were available, and Portland kept denying them. This strong defense allowed the attack to do whatever they wanted. And most importantly, that attack was balanced.

Look at this split! Earlier in the season, the Timbers were dependent on the right side to create chances. Now they are dangerous from every area of the field. Every single player in the front four can create and finish. They’re playing fluid, attractive soccer and no team in the league would like to face them right now. They will kill you with the long ball. They will kill you with combination play. They will kill you on the dribble. The 2024 Portland Timbers have scored 48 goals. Five of them came from the penalty spot. In all of 2023, the Timbers scored 46. The past two games against Nashville and RSL have brought to light the actual attacking improvements in the team. Not only are they continuing to score goals, they are showing repeatable patterns of play that will keep them coming. I can’t get that sequence from the 38th minute out of my mind. Every week in training, the team practices different passing maneuvers. That sequence was right off of the training ground. The chemistry in the attack was already high, and now the defense is beginning to catch up. What a complete performance.

Tonight’s player recaps begins with the Man of the Match. Last week I wrote about Santiago Moreno’s newfound bulk and his consistency. Against RSL, Moreno had a goal and an assist. In addition to that, he created 6 chances and made 9 recoveries. The newfound chemistry on the team has taken his game to new heights, and it’s fueling his confidence. Moreno now has 5g/7a on the season, and is only getting better. 

Juan Mosquera likes to occupy the wide areas, which allows Santi to have a quasi-free role on the right wing. He can go find the game and it often works out very well for the team. Tonight was his 100th appearance as a Timber, and he marked the occasion by scoring a goal and adding an assist. That assist moved him into 4th place in Timbers history for total assists, passing some guy named Darlington Nagbe (they should make a helpful field-sized chart for that guy). After that goal, he was serenaded by the Timbers Army. It hasn’t been a tranquil time for Moreno in Portland. Around this time last year, he had requested a trade. A year later, he is dominating and looks like he is fulfilling his vast potential. He thanked the Timbers Army for their support in his post-game press conference and also threw in a “Vamos Colombia!” in reference to their Copa America Final tomorrow against Argentina. If Santi keeps up this excellent play, he will be wearing the shirt of his national team again in the near future.

There are two points I want to make about Jonathan Rodriguez. Both of them are completely unrelated to each other, so I’m going to start with the shorter one first. Portland was able to effectively use Rodriguez as a target winger on restarts. Pantemis was able to launch long balls in his direction, and Rodriguez headed them into the direction of his teammates. He won all 11 of his aerial duels. Although this team still lacks height, Rodriguez’s ability to win headers was key to their attacking success tonight. Even though he’s been here for four months, Portland is still figuring out new ways to utilize his skill-set.

That skill-set brings me to my second point. In an article about Rodriguez’s transfer published right after it was announced, I compared him to Brian Fernandez in Fernandez’s last year with Necaxa. On the field, the comparison is right on the money. Fernandez tallied 11g/1a in 19 games during his only year with Portland. Rodriguez just played in his 20th game, and has 11g/4a. 

My main worry was that the Timbers would repeat their failures of the past and primarily use Rodriguez as a lone striker rather than in his natural position on the left wing. However, aside from a couple of games, the fiery Uruguayan has been utilized correctly and the Timbers are reaping the rewards. Rodriguez is exactly what the Timbers hoped Fernandez would be, on and off the field. One last note: as of right now, Rodriguez is 31 and Fernandez is 29. Man. 

Evander strengthened his MVP case (unless you don’t believe he is a MVP candidate, which makes you a hater) with another goal and assist. He now has 11g/10a on the season. And he broke another Timbers record as well.

You’ll never guess who was on hand to witness this. That’s right, it was Diego Valeri! He was in the press box on the Spanish broadcast while Evander broke his record for most games with multiple goal contributions in a single season. One of those seasons was 2017, when Valeri won MVP. Once again, if you don’t believe he is a MVP candidate, you are a hater. He returned after missing last week’s game and looked like he didn’t miss a beat. I wonder what he’ll say to Arango when they are at the All-Star Game together. Most importantly, the second half was Evander’s showcase. No player on the pitch looked more dominant while also looking like they were having as much fun as the Brazilian. From a couple wonderful dribbles, to some passes that left reporters in the press box absolutely stunned, to his much-deserved goal at the end of the game, he looked like an absolute force of nature. After Diego Chara exited the match in the 76th minute, Evander took the armband. Neville deserves a lot of credit for entrusting Evander with a leadership role, and Evander deserves a lot of credit for embracing it.

Standing on business. Listen to him!

Another game, another goal for Felipe Mora. Now he has 11g/1a in 20 games. Mora, Rodriguez, and Evander are the first trio of teammates to each have 11 goals this early in a season in MLS history. I don’t think I need to say much else. It was almost another full 90 for Mora, but he exited right before second-half stoppage time for Nathan Fogaca. Either way, he’s a master at finding and exploiting space in the box. His hold-up play was fantastic tonight. These performances are becoming routine for him. 

Eryk Williamson started instead of David Ayala in the double pivot tonight. Due to Ayala’s injury status and an excellent game against Nashville, Williamson had another opportunity to stake his claim to a spot in the double pivot. And he shone in that role. Let’s begin with his defensive contributions. 11/15 ground duels won, 6 recoveries, 1 interception. That’s fantastic. But Williamson’s smooth moves on the ball were crucial for this game. It’s another profile that the Timbers can use when building their double pivot. Ayala is an excellent passer, and Williamson is a master of ball control and short passing. Trade rumors are swirling around at this moment, but Williamson is focused on doing his best for the team. In the last two weeks, he has seized his opportunities. Unbelievable performance from him today.

Diego Chara had to nerf himself a bit after picking up that early yellow card, but it didn’t hamper his performance in the slightest. Before exiting in the 76th minute, he put in another typical Diego performance. Excellent passing, great defensive work, and an ability to show up in the box when he was needed. Substituting him for David Ayala was the right move. Another captain’s performance for Chara.

Claudio Bravo had a difficult assignment with Andres Gomez on his opposite flank. Despite getting beat a couple times (it happens, Gomez is a fantastic player) Bravo locked down the left side and did an excellent job on the ball. Back-to-back good games from the Argentinean.

Juan Mosquera did more in the attack than defensively tonight, but still took care of his primary duties. His partnership with Moreno allows the Timbers to get really creative on the right side. Sometimes Mosquera inverts, sometimes Moreno inverts, but they always know where each other is supposed to be. That’s a recipe for success. More excellence from the Colombian tonight.

Miguel Araujo had his second strong start in a row. Before I talk about his defense, I want to put the microscope on one moment from the 26th minute. Araujo airmailed a pass for Rodriguez, but it was well defended and Zac MacMath ended up recovering the ball. Those types of passes are exactly what I was envisioning from Araujo when he arrived last season. It’s taken him a bit of time, but he has a perfect target in Rodriguez. His excellent line-breaking pass to Moreno helped set up that wonderful attack in the 38th minute that I can’t stop thinking about. He defended really well, including a key intervention on RSL’s most threatening counter in the 43rd minute. It’s his second clean sheet in a Timbers uniform. Kamal Miller is set to return from international duty this week, and now Phil Neville has a seriously tough choice to make at the center back position.

One player who should be unaffected by Neville’s tough choice is Dario Zuparic. Zuparic’s return to being a full-time starter perfectly coincides with the installation of Tillamook as the jersey sponsor. The Timbers’ record in that time is 8-2-3. I wonder if Zuparic has a favorite Tillamook dairy product? Zuparic didn’t win a single tackle, but was everywhere he needed to be as the team kept another clean sheet. As far as I’m concerned, he’s undroppable. Tonight he had a nasty clash of heads with Arango, but got up right away and got back onto the field. It was Arango’s head that slammed into Zuparic’s head on replay. The RSL captain (he wore the armband, so he technically was the captain even though he didn’t act like it) got bandaged up and then ran around the field like a confused and angry chicken for the rest of the game. I bet Zuparic really enjoyed that aerial duel.

James Pantemis picked up his 4th clean sheet of the season, in what is likely his final game as the undisputed starter before Maxime Crepeau returns from an excellent Copa America. In order to keep that clean sheet, Pantemis saved every shot that he needed to and was excellent with his distribution. He took to the podium after the game as well. “I feel like we put everyone on notice tonight. We showed that we’re a top team.”

Now here’s the big question: will the rest of the league actually take notice? I’m sure that other coaching staffs and front offices around the league have already been aware of the Timbers’ rapid rise from the basement. The work has now changed. In his post-game press conference, Phil Neville said the following: “I can’t single out one player because they all played to their level.” 

This team just dominated RSL; one of the best teams in the league. RSL’s talisman played his worst game of the season and they neutralized all of their other dangerous attackers. “That was our most complete performance of the season,” Neville said. It’s hard to disagree with that. In the first half, the Timbers were aggressive. In the second half, they were collected and disciplined while keeping that same aggression. If this is their level, imagine this team playing beyond it.

No, the Timbers didn’t move up a place in the table today. “We’re in 5th. We’re still nowhere near where we want to be,” Neville said post-game. All four of the teams above Portland dropped points today. Aside from their traditional slip-up in Texas, the Timbers haven’t lost in 10 of their last 12 games. Their rise isn’t a fluke. They tested themselves against one of the best teams in the league and passed with flying colors. Now there’s only one game left before Leagues Cup: a trip to Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA. Portland is the only team that doesn’t play on Wednesday this week. They will have a full week to rest and prepare for another tough test for their rapidly improving defense. The attack will keep firing, but there’s still a big gap between this team and the rest of the Western Conference’s elite teams. But as tonight showed, that gap is slowly closing. Time to raise their level again. The climb continues.

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