Portland Timbers-Colorado Rapids Preview (9/22)

On the field, the Portland Timbers are controlling games and heating up at the right time. Tomorrow, they host a team that is doing the exact opposite (7:30 PM, NOT FREE on Apple TV). 

The Wooden Spoon is the only trophy that no team wants to win. Since 2018 San Jose, Cincy (twice) and DC United have claimed the Spoon (no Spoon in 2020 due to uneven amount of games played). The 2023 Colorado Rapids are in a fight for their lives. While the playoff race heats up around the league, the Crapids are trying their best to avoid finishing at the absolute bottom. Like the playoff race, their competition is fierce. Toronto FC is tied with them on points, but the Rapids have a game in hand. They’re both 9 points back of the Red Bulls, so it’s now a 2-team fight to avoid the Spoon. Both of these teams are polar opposites in terms of their finances. Toronto has the highest payroll in the league. That’s very funny. The Rapids are 20th out of 29 in the payroll department, and I’m surprised that number is that high. So many team owners in world soccer have multiple teams under their stewardship. In MLS, owners owning other soccer teams is uncommon. Robert Kraft (dick), David Tepper (jury still out), Arthur Blank (actually a good guy), Clark Hunt (eww), and Zygi Wilf (nonsense words) all own NFL teams. Only one MLS owner owns a foreign soccer team (not as an affiliate, like with both New York “clubs”). That man is Stanley Kroenke, who has the most impressive portfolio of any MLS owner. He owns the LA Rams (NFL), the Denver Nuggets (NBA), the Colorado Avalanche (NHL), and the Colorado Rapids. Since the beginning of the new decade, all of these teams have won a title. Well, not all of them. It seems like Kroenke has completely forgotten about the Rapids. They were the first team under his stewardship to win a title back in 2010. That payroll is disgusting compared to the deep pockets of their ownership. And the fans have had enough. Robin Fraser did an excellent job with the limited resources he had, and took the top seed in the Western Conference in 2021 with a team built around defensive solidity and scoring on set pieces. However, ownership refused to spend, and Fraser got the blame from the people in charge WHO WOULDN’T SPEND TO HELP HIM. Fraser was fired on September 5th. President and GM Padraig Smith released a letter to the supporters outlining the reasons behind Fraser’s dismissal. Here’s what those supporters thought of that:

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If I was a Rapids fan, I’d be pissed too. One supporter group organized a mass walkout for their September 16th game against the Revolution. The Rapids won that game, which was their first win since July 8th. Before that, they hadn’t won since May 6th. They have FOUR WINS this season. They’re bad. At least they try to defend even if they’re bad at it. Brace yourself for some truly ugly numbers. The Colorado Rapids have scored 19 goals in 28 games. They have created more than that (31.0 xG) but they can’t finish. Cole Bassett is their top scorer with 4 goals. Half of those goals have come in the past week. Since Fraser got canned they have scored in the two games under interim head coach Chris Little. But this roster is still putrid and avoiding the Spoon is the only thing they have left to fight for.

There are no new names to add to the Rapids’ injury report. However, Little has shifted to a 4-2-3-1 to maximize Cole Bassett. They did have a busy summer, adding Rafael Navarro and Sidnei Tavares on loan while claiming Luis Diaz (not that one) from waivers. They also traded for left back Andrew Gutman. They did trade Bryan Acosta and Michael Barrios as well. With all this turnover, they have found a first-choice XI.

Kevin Cabral and a Scottish DJ start on the wings. Connor Ronan, former Wolves scum, has been their most consistent midfielder. Andreas Maxso is a DP center back. The only other player of note in this XI is starting keeper Marko Ilic. William Yarbrough got hurt and Ilic has done a wonderful impression of a traffic cone since he entered the lineup as a replacement. He’s conceded 12 goals in the past 5 games. The Crapids continue to Crapid.

The Portland Timbers haven’t just been winning games. They’re controlling them. Even though it is a short week, the Timbers are more than ready to face the worst team in the West. Off the field, it is shaping up to be a special Saturday at Providence Park. Club legend Clyde Best has returned to the Rose City to witness a mural unveiling in his honor. That event happened on Friday, but he will also be honored at the game on Saturday. The Bermudan striker played for West Ham and had to deal with constant racism during his time there. In 115 Timbers appearances, he had 38 goals and 27 assists. Another key figure in Soccer City history is coming back to open arms and wide smiles.

I’m not going to delve into detail about the last time these two teams met because it was a memory I want to scrub from my brain. At least there won’t be a weather delay tomorrow. There is another streak the Timbers will be trying to keep alive tomorrow. Since a September 2020 loss to LAFC, they are unbeaten in their past 17 September games (13-4-0). That streak should continue tomorrow.

Moving on to the action on the field, the Timbers injury report stays the same length. Aljaz Ivacic has been removed from the list, but Yimmi Chara has been added after reaggravating his hamstring. Cristhian Paredes is also suspended for yellow card accumulation. This leaves only two true central midfielders available, but there is a solution. 

Bryan Acosta is fully ready for Saturday. “We’re getting more confident. I want to continue to play like that,” he said following his excellent outing against San Jose on Wednesday. This is a revenge game of sorts for Acosta following his midseason trade to Portland from Colorado. “I think it’ll be a very special game for me. I have a lot of good friends there but when the game starts we’re going to become rivals immediately.” He’s set to make his second consecutive start at the base of the midfield. Paredes’ absence opens the door for Santiago Moreno to re-enter the midfield alongside Evander. Noel Caliskan should be on the bench, but this is a perfect match for him to start. Yimmi’s absence is interesting. There are many different roads the team could take to cover for that. Sebastian Blanco started the midweek game, and I expect him to come off the bench for this one. Dairon Asprilla should start on the right. Antony is the top candidate to start on the left. Since Colorado is so poor in the attack, Juan Mosquera makes sense to start at right back. You can’t break up ZZ Stop, but there is a possibility of an Eric Miller start at left back. It’s Felipe Mora’s turn to start up top again. Despite missing two midfielders, this is still a strong lineup for the Timbers.

I’m going to start this tactical preview by highlighting some more ugly Colorado numbers. They rank last in tackles won/90 (7.6). This is great news for the Timbers, who can and should attack at will on Saturday. With the lineup above, it works out perfectly. Michael Barrios has departed so there’s no winger Colorado can play that can truly keep the Timbers’ defense honest (is Kevin Cabral supposed to scare me? Seriously?). Attacking hasn’t been a problem as of late and this could be a beatdown. However, the Timbers have stuck to the 2-goal rule under Miles Joseph. This is the perfect time to open the floodgates. Since Joseph took over, the Timbers have only allowed one goal off of a set piece. This opponent will test that. I’m also looking forward to seeing more attacking set piece plays off of the training ground. Zac McGraw has been used as both a creator and finisher in that regard. He either puts a header on target or he tries to flick it to the back post. Maybe some shorter corners will be utilized given the Rapids’ strength in the air. Using the lineup I predicted above, it makes sense to focus the attacks down the right side of the Timbers’ formation. That’s three Colombians who can wreak havoc on Andrew Gutman, who is more known for getting forward than he is for his defensive work. Bottomline, the Timbers will be in control and they have to keep pushing forward to win.

Time to look at the match schedule and who we should be rooting for.

Nashville has the opportunity to help us for the second consecutive matchday. We should be rooting for them, Columbus, and St. Louis to win. Draws are preferable in Austin, Salt Lake City, and Kansas City. A Kansas City win also works. A Philly win over LAFC would be funny. That Austin game isn’t until Sunday, and the Galaxy are our next opponent. Good time to study them to prepare us for Billy Sharp and Riqui Puig. If those results occur and we win, the Timbers could jump up to 5th. Excellent stuff.

This match won’t be the only clash between Colorado and Oregon tomorrow. Deion Sanders brings his University of Colorado circus to Autzen at 12:30 PM. In both games, the team from the Beaver State is the heavy favorite. And in both games, a win for the visitors will send the hosts’ playoff hopes into peril. Both teams must take care of business despite the pressure of being heavy favorites. For the Portland Timbers, the climb is still in progress. The end of the last 3-match week is a breath of fresh air. They should be heading into a full week of rest (besides training of course) with four straight wins. If they don’t win tomorrow, their status in the Western Conference becomes a lot more cloudy. 

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