LAFC-Portland Timbers Match Preview (3/4)

Following the 1-0 victory over SKC on Monday, the Timbers will take the field on Saturday afternoon (1:30 PM, FOX/Apple TV) against LAFC in the recently renamed BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. This is LAFC’s first home match of the season. They won MLS Cup last year, and will be raising their banner on Saturday as well. The Timbers are looking to spoil their celebration, much like they did in Seattle last season when the Sounders raised a banner to commemorate the lack of a U.S. Open Cup in 2021. When the Timbers and LAFC play each other, there are sure to be fireworks. 

Chivas USA was founded as an offshoot of Chivas de Guadalajara in Mexico. They were in the league from 2005 to 2014, doing nothing of note besides being a punching bag for Diego Valeri. They shared the Galaxy’s home stadium in Carson, and were not known for their large attendance numbers. People in LA tended to support the Galaxy. That all changed when a shinier Chivas USA emerged from the pockets of several rich people and a new 250 million dollar stadium appeared in Exposition Park. Suddenly, there was a new team in town, born out of the ashes of a failed Liga MX crossover. And these boys were here to spend. Carlos Vela became the face of the club after signing on for their first season. Other high-profile players have donned the black-and-gold, but not without controversy. Many fans of MLS believe that the club has bent the rules in order to acquire so much top talent, such as Gareth Bale. I’m not here to talk about that though. The Timbers always have close, heated matchups against Shiny Chivas. A 4-4-5 record speaks volumes. Last season, Portland drew their first matchup in LA and lost their second at home. Both games had their share of controversy, with Claudio Bravo receiving a questionable second yellow in the away fixture and almost giving away a late penalty in the home match. Saturday’s match is the only MLS game in the early afternoon window, so all eyes will be on it.

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Shiny Chivas were supposed to play the Galaxy in their season opener, but a massive rainstorm postponed the match until July. This means that they will be fully rested for Saturday. However, that could be a bad thing for the hosts. There will definitely be some rust, as well as part of their gaze looking ahead to their midweek CONCACAF Champions League opener. I do expect them to be fully focused on Portland. But, this is not the same side that won MLS Cup and the Supporters' Shield. Several players have left the club, with Gareth Bale and Chicho Arango the biggest departures. Latif Blessing and Sebastien Ibeagha also have new homes in the league. They made two key signings in the offseason. The first was the arrival of new U22 Initiative winger Stipe Biuk. He is highly rated among European clubs but could face some adversity to make the starting XI in LA. They also lured free agent defender Aaron Long to boost their backline. Last time Long was seen in MLS, he was trying to catch up to Cincy striker Brandon Vazquez right before Vazquez ended the Red Bulls’ season. But Long does come with an impressive list of awards. He is a two-time All-Star and won Defender of the Year in 2018, alongside a berth in the league’s Best XI that same year. He frequently (controversially) gets call-ups to the US Men’s National Team, and went to Qatar for the World Cup in the offseason. All of those accolades came after leaving the team that drafted him into the league, which was Portland. An intriguing newcomer is midfielder Timothy Tillman. I don’t expect him to start, but he could be a hidden gem. They are still an incredibly strong team even after losing several key contributors. 

I wish I could accurately report the injuries for LAFC, but they released a blank injury report so I have to pick their best XI for this preview. The only injury I can definitively report on is keeper Maxime Crepeau’s fractured tibia, which happened in MLS Cup. Either John McCarthy or Eldin Jakupovic will get the start, although I am leaning towards Cup hero McCarthy. Diego Palacios and Ryan Hollingshead will be the fullback starters, and both were fantastic last season. New signing Long will pair either Giorgio Chiellini or Jesus Murillo at center back, and I’ll project Chiellini to get the start, but to only play 45-60 minutes. Their midfield is very thin depth-wise, but the starting trio of Kellyn Acosta, Jose Cifuentes, and Ilie Sanchez is among the strongest in the league. Their front three is rather interesting, however. Arango’s departure leaves a hole at the striker position, and there is no other pure striker on LAFC’s roster. Designated Player Denis Bouanga will certainly start at the left wing spot, and either Mahala Opoku or Vela will start on the right. The player who does not start on the right wing will play as a false nine. Vela has played false nine for Shiny Chivas before, so I’d imagine he gets the start in the center. This team is not very deep except on the backline, so there aren’t really any potential scary substitutes. Maybe Biuk, but no other attacker could be brought off the bench to try and close a deficit. Still, it’s a strong XI from a defending champion in their season opener. 

Portland is coming off a short week, and are already dealing with a new injury crisis. No questionables were listed on the injury report (which was actually provided, calm down Cherundolo, you’re not Jim Harbaugh) but Yimmi Chara is the most recent Timbers player to be ruled out after sustaining a hamstring injury in the season opener that will keep him out for at least a month. No other changes to the report from a week ago. Questions can be raised about Sebastian Blanco, who is still dealing with complications from a knee injury suffered in the 2021 playoffs. It is unknown when he will be match-fit, as he missed the SKC match and is once again ruled out for LAFC. One key return might be Aljaz Ivacic. He didn’t make the start against SKC out of caution for his injured hand, but he is not listed on the report this week. Giovanni Savarese does have an interesting decision to make at keeper. Dave Bingham performed very admirably against SKC, and the Timbers’ coach might be tempted to ride with the hot hand. Unless Savarese is going to be incredibly cautious, Ivacic will get the start. Juan Mosquera, Zac McGraw, and Dario Zuparic are written into the XI with a Sharpie. Another possible return is that of Claudio Bravo. Justin Rasmussen had a very good game against SKC, and I think he gets another start in LA. I don’t think he will play the full game, and Bravo will make his season debut off the bench. The midfield three is also set in stone, with Evander, Eryk Williamson, and Diego Chara looking to improve off last week’s performance, where SKC’s press neutralized them pretty effectively. Santiago Moreno should be back in the starting XI, with Marvin Loria being Yimmi’s injury replacement on the left. There is another question up top, and Savarese has to answer that question with Nathan Fogaca. Him and Evander have chemistry already, and I do not see the point to giving Jaroslaw Niezgoda the start when he will probably be cut when the Timbers can use their amnesty cut to get his salary off the books. A couple of changes from SKC, but still the same XI that is undefeated. 

Tactically, there are two things the Timbers need to focus on if they want to walk away from BMO Stadium with three points. The first is pressing. LAFC is a very ball-dominant side, and the Timbers need to focus on winning the ball back in LAFC’s half to limit the chances the Black and Gold can create. Starting Fogaca is key to the press. Loria and Moreno are very competent defensively as wingers, and Williamson is also a decent tackler. The Timbers played primarily in a 4-3-3 against SKC, with Evander and Williamson acting as dual 8s and Chara playing the 6. I would like to see more of a 4-2-3-1 against LAFC, which will allow Evander more creative space and a better position to press from. The compressed block the Timbers executed against SKC is not going to work against LAFC and the talent they have on the flanks. Pressing is their best chance at both limiting and creating chances against the reigning champs. The other part of the game the Timbers need to dominate to win on Saturday is set pieces, both defending and attacking. Defending will not be as much of a struggle as it was against SKC, as LAFC are lacking in threats off of corner kicks. Direct free kicks are going to be a bit harder, as Vela is a good free-kick taker. But the Timbers need to be doing everything they can to score off of corner kicks and any free-kick that requires a ball into the box. Evander showed in his first game that he can deliver dangerous balls into the box. Players like McGraw need to find a way to get on the end of his crosses. Just one goal off of a set piece could be the difference in this one. LAFC will almost certainly dominate possession in their favored 4-3-3. That makes dead ball situations for Portland a crucial opportunity to score. Pressing will help with creating attacking dead ball situations as well. The Timbers cannot be too passive both with and without the ball if they are trying to win. 

There is going to be a party in Exposition Park this weekend (no, not Rolling Loud, that’s in Inglewood). The long-suffering fans of Chivas USA (Galaxy traitors) will have the celebration they’ve been awaiting for such a long time (5 years, same amount of time it took Portland to win their first Cup). Drinks will be tossed (thrown) in the air (on the field, at rose-colored jerseys). Tifos (flares) will be raised (lit). And the plucky Portland Timbers have an opportunity to make their joy turn sour. I am sure, no matter what happens, the sparks will fly (from the flares) and the soccer (bottle throwing) will be incredible (when Shiny Chivas loses).

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