The Burning Ring of Fire

*Cover photo credit to Craig Mitchelldyer/Portland Timbers.*

No Evander, no Phil Neville, no problem.

There are so many things I could say about that first half. So I will say all of them. Nashville lined up in a 4-2-3-1 that was built to destroy Portland on the counter. For the first 18 minutes, it looked like their game plan was working. Portland didn’t have any clear-cut chances, and the visitors looked like they might steal a goal. But none of their set-pieces worked, and the Portland Timbers capitalized on an opponent’s mistake. A poor pass forward was intercepted by Jonathan Rodriguez, and the Uruguayan carried the ball to the edge of the box before finding Felipe Mora to open the scoring. From the 18th minute (Mora’s opener) to the 35th minute, the Timbers enjoyed one of their best displays in a very long time. 

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After snuffing a Nashville chance at the other end in the 21st minute, Eryk Williamson’s square ball found Juan Mosquera, and the Colombian deftly (accidentally?) laid it into the path of Rodriguez, who made it 2-0. 2 quick goals. But the Timbers weren’t done yet. Three minutes later, Miguel Araujo played a perfect line-breaking pass to Santiago Moreno, and it was Moreno’s turn to pick out Rodriguez as he made it 3-0. It was at this moment that the gravity of the situation fell upon Providence Park. Five minutes later, Moreno powered through a tough challenge and put a perfect ball on the doorstep of the goal for Williamson, who scored his second goal of the season. 4 goals in 11 minutes. All of them wonderfully worked and finished. 

Then things went from bad to worse for Nashville. Right after the hydration break, Brian Anunga went in from behind on David Ayala. Referee Jon Freemon initially awarded a yellow, but VAR stepped in and called him to the monitor. Upon further review, a red card was correctly shown to Anunga. For the rest of the first half, the Timbers went into cruise control. Until a late penalty was awarded and overturned in stoppage time. More on that later. Portland took a deserved 4-0 lead into halftime, while only putting 4 of their 7 shots on target. Ruthless.

Portland remained in control for the second half, but missed all of their chances to extend the lead. Nashville got a goal back from Sam Surridge in the 82nd minute, but this game was over at halftime. It’s official: Nashville SC came to Portland 4-1 reason.

Before I can get into a deeper breakdown of this game, I must address the elephant in the room. That elephant was Jonathan Rodriguez’s quest for a hat-trick. If you aren’t familiar with this magical football club, the Portland Timbers have never scored a hat-trick in MLS play. So the entire stadium collectively held their breath for 75 minutes plus stoppage after Rodriguez scored his second goal. And for one brief moment, it looked like the wait was over. The Uruguayan went down in the box after a hard challenge from Shaq Moore in the box. Freemon initially awarded a penalty, but VAR recommended a review. Perfectly fine to recommend a review there. But Freemon decided to overturn the penalty call. That decision, to me, is absolutely mystifying.

“Clear and obvious error” is the key phrase when discussing VAR decisions. Is there enough to overturn the call on the field in clip? It’s so subjective, but I don’t think that there is anything concrete enough to overturn the penalty. Moore’s right foot does make contact with Rodriguez’s ankle, even if Rodriguez sells the foul a bit. But if this is a legitimate dive (as Freemon’s ruling would indicate), Rodriguez should see a yellow card for it. Freemon does not book the Uruguayan, and as a result this call should have stood. Freemon overturned both calls during the two VAR reviews he administered tonight. The first was correct with Anunga’s red card being administered. Tackles like that are violent and could cause serious injury. So he got that one right. I’m sure that I’m speaking with a little bit of added emotion due to the hat-trick curse, but I genuinely believe in the power of VAR. It can be a very useful tool as demonstrated with Anunga’s red card. But the video evidence of Moore’s foul was not “clear and obvious.” Sigh. I’ve seen Jon Freemon referee several Timbers games over the past few seasons, and he’s basically the PRO version of “Create-A-Guy.” Just a perfectly average referee who screws up some big calls but gets others right on the money. At least this decision didn’t end up seriously impacting the result.

Rodriguez’s quest filled the stadium with anxiety for the entirety of the second half. I have never felt that kind of feeling watching a Timbers game before. There was absolutely no concern about the result, but the entire stadium was pulling for one particular player to score. Chance after chance came Portland’s way, but he couldn’t find his third. In the 58th minute, he dribbled the ball to the edge of the goal frame but his shot from a tight angle was easily smothered by Joe Willis. But his best chance to make history came in the 73rd minute. Portland was on the counter, and Moreno played a perfect through ball for Antony. The Brazilian played a perfect square ball for Rodriguez, but the Uruguayan screwed up his initial touch, allowing a Nashville defender to recover. That was the moment, and it passed him by. This had no effect on the result, and Rodriguez was still far and away the best player on the pitch. I believe that he will score a hat-trick for the Timbers. He always gets in dangerous areas, and both of his goals tonight were not easy chances. The quality of those finishes were perfect. Over his past 5 games, he has 5g/1a. He scored his 10th and 11th goals of the season, making him the third player on the Timbers to reach double figures so far. It’s only early July. 

Felipe Mora also joined the double-digit goal club tonight. After the game, he told reporters about how much reaching that mark meant to him. “I had a goal to get 10 goals after my injury. I’m really really happy to accomplish that.” I feel like a broken record when talking about him. Keep in mind that Mora has scored those 10 goals in 1,153 minutes. That’s 1 goal every 115 minutes. But there was one thing about tonight that stood out to me more than anything he did on the pitch. For the first time since May 12th, he played the entire match. By the end of the game, he looked like he had a full tank of gas. 

Over the past month, I have been begging Santiago Moreno to become more consistent. We all know how good of a player he is, and I’m delighted to report that the consistency is there. Over the past 4 matches, Moreno has 1g/3a. He’s putting other players in dangerous positions (that’s a good thing) and he’s finding himself in those same positions. In addition to that, his defensive work hasn’t dropped off. While there is no denying his mentality, his physicality has been incredible as of late.

Fellas, he’s jacked. The Colombian has been hitting the weight room, and the effects are showing on the pitch. On the Timbers’ 4th goal, Moreno was on the receiving end of a hard challenge, but he just bounced off the defender. Since Moreno’s arrival in Portland, his agility has been on full display. Now he isn’t just ridiculously agile, he’s strong as hell. That’s an elite combo for a winger, and now he has truly blossomed into the secondary option that the Timbers desperately needed in the attack. Two more assists for him tonight and more outstanding defending. If he can become more consistent with his finishing, the entire league will be at the mercy of Peak Santi. 

Eryk Williamson had a big role to fill tonight. But the coaching staff trusted him, and he responded with another brilliant outing at the 10. However, it didn’t start out so hot. There is a big difference between Williamson and Evander: Williamson has a tendency to act as a traffic cone in possession. Now, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. He acts as a secondary focal point to play the initial line-breaking pass into the attacking third. That can work! He’s very good at quick one-touch passes which made him such a valuable player during Giovanni Savarese’s tenure. But he doesn’t drift around to find the game like Evander does. Williamson’s strengths are on the counterattack. For the first 18 minutes, Williamson played his usual game of staying in the hole and connecting passes. But after the goal was scored, suddenly Williamson was everywhere. 

Williamson was fascinating to watch for the remainder of that half. The front four became fluid, and Williamson sometimes found himself as an inverted winger or even a striker. But his main contribution came from a late run into the box to slide home a perfectly delivered Santiago Moreno cross. 85 minutes of pure brilliance. 

Juan Mosquera continued his excellent run of form tonight. He assisted his 4th goal tonight and was consistently getting into dangerous areas before getting subbed off. If Moreno’s resurgence has been crucial for the attack, Mosquera’s brilliance has been just as crucial for the defense. For 62 minutes, he locked down Nashville’s left side and got forward regularly. He did his job and then got subbed off. Excellent work.

David Ayala was on the receiving end of Anunga’s challenge and got subbed off at halftime. Although he hasn’t played a full 90 yet, I have no issue with his early exit. It was clear that Anunga’s tackle seriously shook him up, and the Nashville midfielder could have caused grievous injury. According to Diego Chara, the decision to remove him at halftime was purely precautionary. With a 4-goal lead at the break, it made sense to take him out. But he was still excellent in that first half, and is still a must-start based on current form.

Claudio Bravo had a return to form tonight after a disappointing outing in Dallas. He was better in attack than defense, but still held down the left side. Although Nashville’s goal came from that side of the pitch, the Argentine’s attacking contributions in the second half were able to offset that in a way. However, this game gave some fascinating insight towards Neville’s tactics. In short: I think he has solved the fullback problem.

Bravo and Mosquera both love to get forward, but if both of them go forward the backline is completely exposed. But Neville has been trying to solve for that since Day 1. During the 9-match winless streak, many of the goals that the Timbers conceded came on the counterattack when both fullbacks were caught farther up the field. Now that the Timbers have been able to bounce back from that poor stretch of form, the tactical solves used by Neville are now on display. Mosquera still has license to roam forward whenever he is on the pitch, but Bravo stays back and tucks into a back three in possession. The Colombian has elite stamina, but sometimes his mentality hasn’t always been there. That stamina paired with the right mentality makes all the difference, and that’s what Timbers fans have been seeing over the past month and a half. Bravo’s willingness to stay back has also been crucial. But when Mosquera leaves the pitch, like he did tonight, the Argentine suddenly has the green light to go forward and get involved in the attack. However, after being on the pitch for so long, his stamina can be a little sapped. There’s the explanation for Nashville’s goal. Sure, it’s not a mind-bending tactical shift, but it is another sign of Neville getting the most out of his players and putting them in the right spots to be successful. Sometimes all you really need is vibes and correct instructions.

The best defender on the pitch tonight was Miguel Araujo. His performance in Dallas was quite dividing amongst Timbers fans, with some believing he was good and some believing he was terrible. Personally, I thought he looked a little rusty. Tonight was his best game as a Timber, and I don’t say that lightly. His passing was pinpoint. He was strong in the air. He covered ground really well. Once Dario Zuparic got subbed off, he slid over to left center back. He didn’t look incredibly comfortable, but he did his job really well. 

There is one defender who needs to be on the pitch during every moment. His name is Dario Zuparic, and he’s the best player in the league. It blows my mind that he could be partnered with any center back and instantly form a good partnership with them. Tonight, he got subbed off in the 62nd minute, but it was for a good reason. The Croatian has now gone 5 games without a yellow card, and will be getting one removed due to the Good Behavior Initiative. Zuparic had to sacrifice 30 minutes of a 4-0 game in order to confirm the removal of the yellow card. But the team did concede after he left the pitch. I didn’t get the chance to talk to him after the game, but if I did, I’d imagine that it would go something like this: “When I was on the pitch, we didn’t concede. I left the pitch, the team conceded a goal, they should’ve kept me in.”

Diego Chara played the full 90 at his natural position and had another quiet but effective game. When the team is in cruise control for 80 minutes, he doesn’t need to stand out. Tonight, fans were treated to commemorative tickets of his record-breaking 377th game. In his post-game press conference, he said that he was honored to be recognized but that the most important thing was to get the three points. That was also the answer to a question about Rodriguez’s potential hat-trick. The leadership of this team is so strong, and no one leads by example better than El Padrino.

For the second game in a row, a local Timbers academy player made his debut. Adolfo Enriquez entered in the 85th minute for Eryk Williamson and had several good moments. I would like to highlight his contribution in the 3rd minute of second half stoppage time. He received the ball under pressure, fought his way through a challenge, and delivered a perfect through ball for Antony while being decked by a defender. It set up another chance for the Timbers. During Neville’s introductory press conference, he spoke about creating a legitimate pipeline from the academy to the first team. I thought that it would take a couple of seasons to happen, but they’re ahead of schedule. Both Jura and Enriquez impressed in their brief debuts, and the future looks very bright. There are more talented prospects in the academy, and I like how there hasn’t been any hesitation to give them first-team minutes. Neville is following through on one of his initial promises. Excellent stuff.

Antony was the replacement for Ayala at halftime. Whenever he steps on the pitch, I always say, “Wow, that guy’s pretty fast.” He did scuff a couple of chances, but he also created some pretty good ones. He was a threat every time he got the ball even if some of his dribbles didn’t work. Being able to bring in a player like him off the bench is a luxury. There’s nothing an exhausted defender would hate to see more than a flying Brazilian.

Man, did I miss Eric Miller. Although he only missed one game with a leg injury, he could have been crucial to leaving Dallas with a result. When he entered this game, he locked down the right side and allowed Bravo to venture forward. Good things happen when he’s on the field. 

James Pantemis would’ve registered another clean sheet if it wasn’t for Surridge’s late and meaningless goal. Oh well. He once again showed great control over his box and cat-like reflexes to deny some decent Nashville chances. I bet no one was cheering harder than him during the Timbers’ ruthless 11-minute stretch. 

Well, maybe one person was cheering harder. Phil Neville watched this game from a suite and celebrated every goal like he was down on the pitch. He wasn’t in charge of this match, but at the same time he was. Assistant coach Dave van den Bergh was the acting head coach, but tonight’s game plan came directly from Neville. According to van den Bergh, Neville was preparing with the coaching staff up until T-Minus 90 before kickoff. The Dutchman has been a very underrated addition to Neville’s staff. He’s in charge of the attacking coaching and has been key to Evander’s ascension to the MLS elite. Tonight, he was pragmatic and made the correct substitutions when they needed to be made. However, in three days, the coaching staff will be divided as England plays the Netherlands in the semifinal of the Euros. Neville suggested watching the game in an English pub, while van den Bergh would prefer “a neutral ground.” Either way, Portland’s chief defender of Gareth Southgate can be pleased with the way that his team attacked tonight. If their finishing was just a bit more accurate in that second half, this scoreline could have been a lot uglier for Nashville. But, the 4-1 score is immortal for meme purposes, so I can’t fault the Timbers for sticking to the script. 

I’m saving my tactical analysis for the tail end of this recap because there were a couple things that stood out to me. My primary focus was the second half, but the Timbers actually did pretty well during this time. 

Let’s compare this to the second half of the Vancouver game, where the Timbers were in a similar situation on short rest and protecting a multi-goal lead up a man.

There is an improvement here. The Timbers were up by even more goals and kept going for even more. They just couldn’t find the back of the net. Of course, they did give up the goal to Surridge, but the Englishman’s goal accounted for 0.83 of the 1.43 xG conceded in the second half. Although the Timbers weren’t lights-out defensively like they were against Vancouver, they sacrificed a bit of that defending to try and extend their lead. There is nothing wrong with that at all. They tried their hardest but couldn’t score. Finishing those chances would have been nice, but this game was over at the half-hour mark. I’m just happy to see them keep pushing. And because they tried to keep pushing, they accomplished the goal that they set out to achieve tonight.

Van den Bergh said that the goal for tonight was to get back into 5th place. That’s exactly what the Timbers did, and now they have more wins than losses after going nearly 2 months without a victory. That’s impressive, and their goal differential looks a lot better. Several of the teams closest to them and above them won this weekend, and the Timbers took care of business on their home turf. It would’ve been nice to get the hat-trick, but that drought is destined to continue. I don’t know if it will ever be broken, but at least it will be fascinating to see how it progresses. For the first time in their MLS history, the Timbers have 3 players with double-digit goals. It can’t last forever, right? Right? 

There’s one other thing to address. Diego Valeri sat in the Timbers Army tonight and banged some drums. I feel like this was a side quest for him. Standing in the North End and cheering on his old club while drumming along to the same chants that he used to hear on the pitch. There’s something so poetic about that. Only this club.

https://x.com/ConcacafID/status/1810204390328090932

Look at him go! He’s trying to stay on beat! How could you not love this?

Bottomline: the Timbers rebounded from their midweek disappointment in excellent fashion. I said that the Dallas game couldn’t be judged until this one was played, and now I can give my official verdict on Dallas: a minor setback in Texas, like we’re so used to. The 2024 Portland Timbers aren’t just legit, they’re fun as hell. That’s a great combination. However, their toughest test of the season is coming to town next week. RSL continues to be in sparkling form and just demolished Atlanta 5-2. Like tonight’s victory at Providence Park, that scoreline could have been a lot bigger. Portland is setting themselves up for a mad sprint to Leagues Cup, and one loss can’t stop this train. The climb continues.

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