Hello, America. Meet Evander.

There is another party in Portland tonight, as the Timbers have beaten another Cascadian rival at home. The Vancouver Whitecaps were coming in hot with an eight-game unbeaten streak, but they got outplayed by these suddenly fantastic Timbers. Let’s dig into this wonderful result. 

It didn’t take long for Franck Boli start the party, as his second-minute finish past Yohei Takaoka marked his first goal at Providence Park. Sixteen minutes later Evander, Juan Mosquera, and Santiago Moreno combined to double Portland’s lead. Evander also scored his first Providence Park goal. Things were sailing very smoothly for Portland until Zac McGraw accidentally cleared Julian Gressel’s cross into his own net to half Portland’s lead. Assists for Portland’s two goals came from Claudio Bravo and Mosquera, respectively.

Cascadia FC's Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

The second half was the story of the Timbers trying to restore and hold their previous 2-goal lead. Vancouver continued to apply pressure, so no lead was safe. However, it felt like Evander’s entire tenure with the Portland Timbers was building up to the 53rd minute, when he executed a perfect roulette and fired a laser past Takaoka to restore the Timbers’ 2-goal lead. Yimmi Chara got the assist. The rest of the match was pretty much dictated by Vancouver, although the Timbers had a few more opportunities to counter. Vancouver’s unbeaten streak ends at 8 games, and Portland is on a fresh 3-game unbeaten streak in league play. The Timbers also improve to 4-3-5, with 15 points. 

Tonight’s match started with the lineup. This was Portland’s strongest XI they have fielded to open a match in 2023. And with so much strength everywhere on the pitch, it is no surprise they completely reversed their fortunes from April 8th at BC Place. By the time the first 5 minutes of game time had passed, they had already bettered their shot total from that day. The Timbers finished today with 13 shots, and 7 of those were on target. A lot of hoopla was made of Vancouver’s defensive prowess, but their CB pairing was starting their 3rd game in a week. I am not taking away anything from what the team did tonight. Easily their most consistent offensive performance across an entire match so far in 2023. It seemed like every attack could end in a goal, no matter where the attack started from. And that’s a testament to the chemistry of this team. Everyone is clicking. The most important stat from tonight isn’t shots, but pass accuracy in the final third. 66.2% isn’t an outstanding number, but it does speak to the risks the Timbers were taking in the attack tonight. 

Time to hand out the gold stars. The Man of the Match is unquestionably Evander. Both of his goals were beautiful in their own way. The combination play on his first (Portland’s second) was immaculate. Every single touch involved in creating that chance was perfect and Evander basically had a tap in to put home. His second goal was his own brilliance. A perfect roulette turn and a beautifully taken shot is his first signature moment in green-and-gold. Andres Cubas is one of the best defensive midfielders in the league. Evander took his soul. And he did it effortlessly. That is the type of goal that record signings score. That is the type of goal that Designated Players score. It looks like he’s barely trying because he’s just that good. He’s an absolute joy to watch and he is single-handedly elevating the beauty of the Timbers’ attack. Of course, once that second goal hit the net the elephant in the room crept in: the elusive MLS hat-trick. Famously, no Timber has ever scored a hat-trick in MLS play. Evander knew that coming into the game, and tried his hardest to get one. His best chance to get one was another moment of his own creation. The audacity to even attempt an Olimpico is something that takes an absurd amount of confidence. Evander thought he could do it, and oh my God he was so close. A virtuoso performance both shooting and creating. He created 3 chances and completed 80.6% of his passes. He has arrived and the rest of the league is now at his mercy. Especially when he has a headband on.

Two more gold stars go out to the forward line. Franck Boli got the Timbers on the board first through a great run and finish. Along with Evander, he scored his first home goal, and it meant a lot to him. I predicted before the game that his goal would come tonight, and being proven right 2 minutes into the match is great. The hunger he has shown to find the net since joining the Timbers finally paid off. He’s shaking off the rust and finding some form. Yimmi Chara made his first start since the season opener, and registered another goal involvement. In 153 minutes, he has 1g/2a. That is an average of a goal involvement every 51 minutes. And with the way he’s been playing, that pace doesn’t seem the slightest bit unrealistic. He could only play 60 minutes tonight, but he made that hour count. 

Now is the time to talk about Santiago Moreno. It’s been an odd season for him, and he was brilliant tonight. He created a team-leading 6 chances and completed 81.6% of his passes. It’s time to resurrect one of my favorite graphics to fully explain him.

Older Timbers fans might recognize this heatmap. It was famously used for Darlington Nagbe. Santi is an excellent player. He continues to get better week after week. But his decision-making right around the box is something to note. There have been several moments throughout the season where he isn’t making the right decisions when the attack slows down. That just takes time. Santi also is very good defensively. In that lime green zone, he is unbeatable. He can win the ball back and immediately start counters. His agility and ability to stay on the ball even while being surrounded by opposing defenders is top-tier.  Does he have the same form as last year? No. Is he still our first choice winger? Yes.

Juan David Mosquera completed 41/43 passes today for a team-leading 95.3% completion rate. However, he didn’t register any tackle or interception. It is clear that when he is playing he is the attacking fullback, with Claudio Bravo expected to sit back more and help defend. Portland’s lone concession tonight came when Bravo got too far forward and the unfortunate leg of Zac McGraw cleared a cross into his own net. It is both an asset and a liability to have two fullbacks who can attack. That’s what makes Eric Miller so important to this team. He provides that defensive solidity so one of the two can roam forward. The next big thing this team needs to work on is the balance between their two attacking fullbacks and not leaving the backline exposed. 

Diego Chara and Cristhian Paredes also had great performances. Chara was making his 350th appearance for Portland, and is absolutely ageless. There will never be another player like him for the Timbers. He was also tasked with being the linker between the backline and the midfield, but Paredes was the one to truly get the attacks started. Paredes could’ve registered a goal if Dairon Asprilla picked his head up during a couple late counters. The main issue with this midfield has nothing to do with either Chara and Paredes, because only Noel Caliskan is behind them in the pecking order. Paredes did play his first full 90 of the season, and he’s still young enough to start every week. It feels weird to be cautious about Chara, because he still hasn’t given me a real reason to. But if they keep playing like they did tonight, we will be fine. 

Aljaz Ivacic has quietly had a couple of middling weeks. The conceded goal wasn’t his fault, and tonight was a great performance for him. He came off his line several times and placed some soft headers to clear danger. That’s the sign of a keeper who is fully in control of his box. He’s still the team’s number one, and nothing will change that. Just wanted to give him a shout-out. 

Zac McGraw had an excellent day in the backline. Yes, he conceded an own goal, but there really was no other play he could have made on that ball. He impressed me both mentally and physically. Scoring own goals is a hard thing to bounce back from. It can throw you off your game, especially if it occurs relatively early in the match. He kept his cool and continued to be Portland’s best center back. No disrespect to Dario Zuparic, either. He also had a very good game. What I would like to talk about the most in regards to Zac is his work on the ball. Being a young center back is very hard. Especially when you have a good amount of responsibility with the ball at your feet. McGraw’s biggest improvement so far in 2023 is his work with the ball. Completing 82.4% of your passes is a good number, but he didn’t make a single mistake. No bad passes, no loose touches, no bad clearances, just a clean, mistake-free showing. He did get a yellow card tonight, but it was in such a perfect way that I can’t be mad. Santi had gone down injured behind the play, and the referee didn’t blow his whistle to stop the play. The game moved over towards Santi’s area, and McGraw full-on tackled Javain Brown to stop the play for his teammate to get medical attention. Just fantastic stuff from a man who looks like a future captain. 

In terms of the substitutes, none of them really made an impact aside from Dairon Asprilla and Jaroslaw Niezgoda. Asprilla entered the game for Yimmi in the 64th minute. Dairon didn’t have a bad showing, but his performance further illustrates that he is a finisher, not a creator. He received the ball in some very threatening positions on the counter, but couldn’t find an unmarked Cristhian Paredes to his right. He is definitely someone I want to see on the end of chances, not creating them. Niezgoda continues to do both, although he was ineffective last night as the momentum shifted away from the Timbers. He had a couple good actions on the counter, and it’s good to see his continued hustle and effort from the bench. 

One interesting stat tonight concerns the jersey choice. Much has been made of the Timbers’ seeming unwillingness to wear their new green plaid kits at home. Out of 6 home MLS matches, the Timbers have only worn their plaid kit 3 times. In all 3 of those games, they have scored in the opening 10 minutes. I’m not a scientist, but I can clearly see some correlation between those numbers. Wear the greens at home, and this team will take an early lead. I don’t make the rules, I just report them.

With that win, Portland moves into 1st place in the Cascadia Cup standings. They have collected 6 points from a possible 9, and it is clear Giovanni Savarese intends to hang on to this trophy. He also noted the recent uptick in the team’s play in the post-game press conference: “I think we have progressed to playing well in every game.” I can fully agree with him on that. Since the Seattle game, the Timbers haven’t put in a truly bad performance. Even in the loss against Cincinnati, they were still getting into dangerous areas and definitely could have gotten a result. They are now on a 3-match unbeaten streak, and now face another midweek game in Salt Lake City. That Wednesday match will be bookended with another trip home to face Minnesota United on Saturday. After the Austin match, I said this team needed to pick up 8 points from their next four matches. They now need 5 points from their next three following tonight’s victory over Vancouver. For a team that’s rounding into form, that’s extremely doable. The rest of the league should be taking notice.

Cascadia FC's Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.