Here's Some Momentum, As A Treat

Somewhere, hopefully in a hospital bed, Diego Chara is smiling.

The first 30 minutes looked like the Timbers we’ve been used to seeing on the road in 2023. Austin dominated possession, and had several close chances that were either saved by David Bingham or didn’t even find the target. However, the Timbers smelled weakness. A few counters resulted in some half-chances, but the breakthrough came in the 39th minute. Dairon Asprilla chugged down the right side and played a cross into the box. Austin FC midfielder Alexander Ring flubbed it, and the ever-opportunistic Felipe Mora swung his left foot and drove it past Brad Stuver. The Timbers took that lead into halftime. 

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To continue a familiar theme since Miles Joseph took over, the Timbers emerged from the second half as a re-energized team. The Timbers did have the upper hand even though both sides traded chances. Santiago Moreno, playing as an 8, began the march towards goal number two. He won the ball back in the midfield and played it out wide to Yimmi Chara. Yimmi crossed it towards the back post, where Mora chested it into the path of Evander, who smashed it into the back of the net. 2-0 lead on the road. Brilliant. Austin still had all to fight for, and they got on the board after Sebastian Driussi roofed a rebounded shot past Bingham in the 75th minute. That meant the Timbers had to protect the three points they had earned. And that’s exactly what they did. For the second time in 2023, the Timbers have won on the road.

While Diego Chara had to deal with the complications of evolution, the Timbers had to solve the problem that his absence would cause. I didn’t expect Miles Joseph to put Santiago Moreno in the midfield. Nor did I expect him to put Cristhian Paredes in Diego’s role. I could only speculate in my preview about what the Timbers’ starting XI would look like. Those gambles paid off in spades tonight. Let’s start with Moreno. After the first week of Joseph’s tenure (Vancouver home, RSL home, Seattle away) an idea crept into my head. I felt so strongly about it that I wrote a giant article about it (click here to read it if you haven’t already). To summarize, I couldn’t get Santiago Moreno as an 8 out of my mind. Tonight, Diego’s absence necessitated some changes and, lo and behold, there was Santiago Moreno in the starting lineup as an 8. He didn’t have the best first half, but he came alive in the second half. Time to look at some numbers. He created two chances and shot the ball three times. Yes, none of those shots found the back of the net, but who cares. He didn’t need to be a goal threat. His purpose tonight was to press and create. He accomplished both objectives. Excellent game from him. Like Moreno, Paredes was shaky in the first half, but settled in excellently in the second. Two tackles, two clearances, one interception, four recoveries, 7/11 duels won, two fouls committed and two fouls drawn. Outstanding work. Excellent work from the coaching staff to put both players in a position to succeed that wasn’t their natural positions on the pitch.

Tonight’s Man of the Match belongs to captain Felipe Mora. Diego’s absence also meant that someone had to wear the armband tonight. I wish I could’ve been in the room when the coaching staff told Mora he would captain the side tonight. “It was a great feeling. A lot of happiness. I wasn’t expecting it at first today when they told me, but I feel happy about it.” Felipe Mora’s journey back to the pitch has been so grueling. To make it back to match fitness and then wear the captain’s armband in a crucial match for the team? That’s a dream moment for him. Aside from the leadership duties that being a captain requires, Mora scored the first goal and assisted the second. He’s finding form, and his recent heroics coincide perfectly with the Timbers’ climb out of the basement. Every time he steps onto the pitch it’s special for him and for the fans. Tonight, he was instrumental in getting this massive win. 

My runner-up MotM is Dairon Asprilla. The bells are ringing. It’s almost October. The entire league is in chaos. And the Timbers’ own chaos merchant has arrived right on schedule. Four dribbles, four chances created, and two shots. His energy is infectious and his combinations with Moreno helped push this team forward. Right on schedule, as always.

David Bingham also had a great game. He made some crucial saves in the first half and was a good distributor. I know he would’ve loved to keep a second consecutive clean sheet, but I can’t really fault him for that goal. He made the initial save, and DP forwards are DPs because they can put the ball where no defender can touch it. Excellent game from Portland’s now entrenched starting keeper.

Evander scored the second goal and also came alive in the second half. Austin’s press was difficult to play through in the first half, and Evander was trying his hardest to create from deep. He now has 8 MLS goals and is still the team’s top scorer. Although some might say he’s underwhelming, he’s still showing up on the stat sheet in the places where a record signing should. 8 goals from MIDFIELD is impressive. And he continues to improve under Joseph. 

I could talk more about the players I didn’t mention, but there are more important things to get to. Just pretend I agree with your opinions about all the other players who played tonight (except Franck Boli, I believe he’s genuinely snakebitten and just needs ONE goal to find his confidence again. God bless him, he needs to score for his and the team’s sake). IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE! The Timbers have won a road game for the first time since April 29th and have won consecutive games for the first time all season! That’s excellent! But that’s not the biggest result of tonight’s win. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE 2023 WESTERN CONFERENCE TABLE.

*Words cannot describe how much I miss Iso Joe.*

The escape is over. The Timbers now sit in 9th place, which is the last playoff spot. Not only did we take three points from a direct playoff rival, we now have a foot in the door. It’s only natural for us to keep this positive momentum going. For the record, I have heard the words “momentum” and “consistency” at so many points throughout this season. Those two words are killing my brain cells one by one. However, at this point in the season, when the Timbers have actually found both momentum and consistency, those words sound like music to my ears. You want momentum? How about a 4-match unbeaten streak. You want consistency? How about 2 goals in each of the past five games. It wasn’t a question whether or not the second goal would come tonight. It was when it would come. Both teams had chances they missed, but missed chances don’t matter. It’s the ones you put in the net. The Timbers did a better job of finishing tonight, so they are priming themselves for a playoff run. If the season ended today, that’s where they’d be. However, we are truly in the home stretch. Only five games remain in the regular season. Here they are:

None of these are easy, but all of them are winnable. You couldn’t ask for a better end to the season than this. They return to Providence Park on Wednesday to face San Jose, and then end the week with the likely Spoon winners (Winners? Can you win a trophy that’s given exclusively for losing?). A trip to LA to face the Galaxy will be tough, but that’s also winnable. Montreal scares me the most. They’re a tough out at home but at least we have a week between the LA trip and the voyage to Montreal. It all culminates at 1 PM on Saturday, October 21st at Providence Park when the Dynamo make their annual trip to Portland. With wins in each of the first four matches (and some help from the rest of the Western Conference cannibalizing each other, God bless the Pac-12) the Timbers could step onto the field on October 21st with a playoff spot clinched. That would be awesome. In the off-chance that we still have to fight for it, there is reason to believe that the Houston Dynamo could have already locked up their table position. The Dynamo are the hottest team in the West, but Portland is finding their best form at the same time. The goal is now clear: hold this place and keep climbing. 

There is a quick turnaround to Wednesday’s match, but the Timbers are oozing with confidence. The players are buying into the coaching staff and the results are showing up on the pitch. I don’t care what my calendar says because it is already October in my mind. Time to finish the job.

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