The Mirror Game

The Portland Timbers have spent the previous calendar year in a state of inconsistency. Building momentum from game to game is something that a lot of teams are able to accomplish. These Timbers entered this game, their first at Providence Park since the World Cup break ended, trying to ride the high from their signature victory of the 2026 season: a record-setting 5-1 lashing of the Seattle Sounders. With an excited home crowd behind them, and the return of a formerly beloved player fueling an already sweltering stadium, the Timbers drew 2-2 with FC Dallas.

Recap

The first 15 minutes were not very good.

Regardless of which coach is manning the touchline, the Portland Timbers still have a very hard time getting into the swing of things. The first 15 minutes of a game have often spelled despair for Portland. And the data backs it up.

This very helpful chart illustrates just how hard it is for the Timbers to begin a game on the front foot. Yes, the majority of the data comes from Phil Neville’s tenure. But in both of the games that Jack Cassidy has sat in the manager’s chair, the same pattern has occurred. In Seattle, the Timbers were at their most vulnerable during the first 15 minutes. In this game, they continued a season-long (and months-long) pattern of committing sloppy turnovers. However, something was a little different today.

I don’t usually spoil the story of the game during the “recap” sections. But I would like to highlight how the first 15 minutes show up on this graph. The Timbers defended pretty well as a unit tonight. But they didn’t register a shot until the 28th minute, when Kevin Kelsy’s header from a recycled corner kick sailed wide of Daniel’s left-handed post. In the 20th minute, former Oregon State Beaver Logan Farrington unleashed a shot from a tight angle towards James Pantemis’ right-handed post. The Canadian goalkeeper allegedly got a touch to the ball, and it went out for a corner. 

Portland wasn’t necessarily having trouble with ball progression, but they weren’t choosing to try riskier (but potentially more rewarding) long balls into space. To their credit, Dallas wasn’t giving them that space to operate. Eric Quill set up his team in a compact 4-4-2 that collapsed on any ball-carrier. Sequences that could’ve been accomplished in two passes against Seattle took five or six tonight. However, the Timbers do have a lot of talented players who are now freed from the shackles of “enjoying the ball.” They aren’t afraid to make dangerous runs and try to quickly change the tempo of the attack. This almost worked in the 34th minute, but it turned into an entry on SportsCenter’s Not Top 10 (do they even still do that or did they cut it to give Pat McAfee and Jason Kelce even more money for being stupid?).

This one doesn’t even factor into Portland’s xG because Kelsy doesn’t take a shot. Expected goals, once again, is a useful tool BUT it doesn’t account for events like this. The sequence is great, and it deserves an equally great finish. It just wasn’t meant to be.

But the Timbers were on track to end the first half tied 0-0. Until they weren’t. In the first minute of stoppage time, Antony lost the ball in the left channel after two Dallas defenders converged on him. Although Joaquin Valiente was able to pick up the loose ball and drive forward, the Timbers were not outnumbered on this fast break. I count that as progress. However, Valiente drove to the edge of the penalty area and played a disguised pass to his supporting interior runner: Patrickson Delgado. This ball found the Ecuadorian midfielder in a pocket of space at the top of the box with enough time to take a touch to settle and fire the ball on the ground past Pantemis with his second touch (still unpressured). The Timbers have been giving up a lot of goals in that vein this season. And their tendency to allow a free shot from the top of the 18 once again proved to be disastrous. Dallas took a 1-0 lead into halftime, courtesy of a very preventable goal scored at the worst possible time.

The second half began without much of a difference from the first half. Then Kristoffer Velde and Diego Chara entered the game for Ariel Lassiter and Jose Caicedo in the 55th minute. Velde’s first major involvement was a dangerous 59th minute free kick into the box. Kelsy rose up and missed a free header by simply not making contact. Once again, xG doesn’t account for this chance. Quill must have been frightened by the appearance of Portland’s most threatening player and their steady presence in midfield, so he opted to make a triple change in the 62nd minute. Petar Musa (the World Cup goalscorer), Bernard Kamungo (a serious open-field threat), and Sam Sarver (a guy who really likes beer, especially when it’s thrown at him) replaced Logan Farrington (who threatened but couldn’t do anything tangible besides hitting the post), Patrickson Delgado (Dallas’ goalscorer) and former Timber Santiago Moreno (who got booed every time he touched the ball and turned the ball over a lot). 

Just the presence of Musa caused Dallas to level up. He almost completed a dangerous square pass to Valiente in the 62nd minute just after coming on, but Chara stuck out a foot and broke up the pass. After Antony was dispossessed a few seconds later and earned a throw-in, Brandon Bye sent a cross towards the far post that sailed over Kelsy (the intended target). Velde recovered, played a quick exchange with David Da Costa, and sent a blistering shot off the post in the 63rd minute. The rebound fell to Kelsy, who fired an even more blistering shot from the center of the box on the volley but also hit the post. That’s two posts for the Timbers, and one for Dallas. However, the Timbers had momentum. And that momentum was finally going to pay off.

Cole Bassett played a diagonal switch to Velde in the 66th minute. He cut inside and tried to cut back outside against Sarver. However, he was pulled down in the latter action (while also taking Sarver down with him). Jimer Fory sprang onto the loose ball and touched it to Bassett, who was now on the left side. Bassett played a cutback cross from “not-quite-the-endline-but-very-close.” Herman Johansson slid to block it, but the ball deflected off the post and off the backside of Daniel in quick succession. The ball spun on the goal-line, where Kelsy met it with a touch that seemed like a dribble. The Venezuelan wasn’t quite sure that he’d literally dribbled the ball across the line, so he smashed it into the back of the net for good measure. A good sequence of play created the opportunity, but some classic MLS pinball put the ball in the back of the net (after it was already dribbled over the line). 1-1 in the 67th minute. Game on.

However, it was nearly “game off” ONE MINUTE LATER. Valiente danced through pressure in the middle of the field and played a through ball to a box-crashing Sarver, who promptly squared it to fellow box-crasher Kaick for an easy finish into an empty net. Portland continues to be at their most vulnerable right after scoring a goal. But the linesman raised his flag (correctly, Sarver was clearly offside) and the goal was disallowed. 

Two minutes later, “game on” struck again. Fory sprinted back to deny a breaking Sarver (who fell to the ground, only to be greeted by the “get up” gesture aimed at him from the large Colombian fullback). Da Costa latched onto the loose ball, combined with Velde, and then Velde combined with Bassett. Velde picked up the ball in the left channel and fired a curling shot on target. This attempt prompted Daniel to make a diving save, but he palmed the ball directly into the path of Antony. For the second week in a row, Antony was treated to a golden chance on the volley. He made better contact with this one, but it rippled the side netting instead of bulging the interior of the net. Tough.

MLS detractors love to complain that the standard of defending in the league is far below the standard of top European leagues. Those people are very good at pointing out the obvious, especially when the roster rules incentivize spending big money on difference-making attackers. As the game entered this wide-open era with both teams scrapping for a game-winning goal, it was the time for those difference-making attackers occupying significant percentages of the salary budget to truly earn their paycheck. But Dallas nearly did get their go-ahead goal in the 72nd minute through two key domestic cogs of their roster. Nolan Norris sent a wonderful cross towards the back post, and Sarver leaped over already-established big guy Fory to win the header. However, the angle wasn’t that good, and the attempt bounced out of bounds. Things began to settle down, but the Timbers kept pushing. Da Costa drew a foul at the top of the box in the 79th minute. Portuguese Dave stepped up to take the free-kick. The Dallas wall, full of big guys, jumped and blocked it. But it squirted through the wall right into the perfect position for a chasing Kelsy. Daniel also wanted to make a play to prevent a nearly certain goal, so he charged off his line. Kelsy beat the goalkeeper to the ball and flicked it over Daniel’s head, who had begun to dive for the ball. Kelsy’s attempt hit the post (groan), and Daniel completely obliterated the defenseless Venezuelan. Norris cleared the ball beyond the halfway line, the Timbers recovered possession, and Da Costa won a corner kick to complete the sequence as Kelsy limped towards the endline. HOWEVER…

Velde was in no rush to take this corner kick. The VAR official was looking at Daniel’s challenge on Kelsy. Here’s what it looked like.

There are two different ways to look at this. Goalkeepers are the most protected players on the pitch, and for good reason. Both players are going for the ball here, and Daniel’s arms are at ball-level as Kelsy gets there first. Is this a penalty? Here’s where I feel like most of you are going to get upset with me: it depends on the call on the field.

Referee Alexis Da Silva is behind the play. From his vantage point (and from the angle of his linesman) AND TAKING THE SPEED OF THE PLAY INTO ACCOUNT, this looks like a bang-bang challenge between two players who were going for the ball. If Da Silva decided to award a penalty here, it would have remained a penalty after a VAR review. But I also don’t think there’s enough to give it on VAR. Yes, it is a very rough challenge and it would cause Kelsy to exit the game moments later. But I offer you this query: what else is Daniel supposed to do here? Is he expected to defy the laws of physics and instantly cease all momentum? I don’t really have a problem with this not being a penalty. There’s one other factor in this decision: the reaction of Kelsy’s teammates. If they believe that this is a penalty, protests would erupt immediately following Norris’ clearance. None do. I’ll defer to the athletes on this one. And yes, referees are athletes too. They cover a lot of ground in the same conditions that the players play in. And they don’t even get a sub!

That might seem odd coming from a guy who has thrashed various officiating decisions that have gone against the Timbers before. But I have also just watched the World Cup and despise the fact that VAR insists on slowing the game down to frame-by-frame replays of a sport that occurs at very high speeds. In real time, this looks like a collision between two players going for a loose ball. It happens. The live verdict and the players on the pitch say “no penalty.” Tough, but fair.

Going off of the “most vulnerable after they score” theme, the Timbers are also pretty vulnerable after they create a big chance. Such was the case in the 86th minute. Alexander Aravena entered the penalty box, went down, and Bye fired a rocket of a trivela shot that Daniel easily caught. The Timbers opted for control in the next few minutes. Maintain possession, get the ball into the final third, and rely on some patterns of play to create a chance. However, while they were attempting to maintain control, disaster struck.

Those highly-paid attacking difference makers never need help to perform. Well, they do need teammates to work off of, but some of them are so good that they elevate the play of their fellow teammates. Dallas became an entirely different animal when Petar Musa entered the game. He is everything that a top striker should be: strong, tall, silky with the ball at his feet, relatively fast, and smart enough to make correct split second decisions. In the 88th minute, the Timbers were moving the ball around Dallas’ half but retreating in order to draw Los Toreros forward. Aravena received the ball in the center of the pitch while under a semblance of pressure. While struggling to regain his feet following a bad first touch, he attempted to pass the ball backwards to Kamal Miller or Finn Surman. Musa jumped the passing lane, intercepted the ball, and drove forward. Substitute Ran Binyamin made a supporting run, which occupied Surman. This effectively put Musa in a 1v1 situation with Miller. The Canadian center back shadowed the Croatian striker, and chose the right moment to slide when Musa wound up to shoot. But Musa’s shot went underneath Miller and found the bottom left-hand corner of the net with sublime accuracy. Pantemis was in a full dive and properly positioned. He couldn’t do anything about it. The one player on the pitch who didn’t need any help got assisted by a Timber. 

Musa has played in four games against Portland. He scored a goal in every single one. Only one of those was a “legitimate” goal. When the Timbers played in Dallas back in 2024 on the 4th of July, Musa received a simple through ball from Tsiki Ntsabeleng and finished on his dominant right foot. The other three goals were handouts. One was a penalty given away by Finn Surman of all people. But the final two were Portland mistakes. Maxime Crepeau famously fumbled a long ball directly into Musa’s path last August. And tonight, he got an assist from Aravena. Dallas took a 2-1 lead in the 88th minute; putting them on track for their second-ever win at Providence Park.

Yet the Timbers still had the home crowd behind them and a fair amount of momentum. Rescuing a point became the primary focus. A funny thing happened when these two teams last played each other. The Timbers took the lead in first-half stoppage time. Dallas equalized within the first 30 minutes of the second half. Portland re-took the lead after the 80th minute, and looked like they had scored a priceless winning goal. But four minutes later, Dallas equalized again. Tonight’s game had a similar script, but with the roles reversed. It was Dallas’ turn to take the lead in first-half stoppage time, only for it to be canceled out within the first 30 minutes of the second half. Their supposed winning goal occurred after the 80th minute. But, and this is really funny, Portland found their equalizer FOUR MINUTES AFTER DALLAS TOOK THE LEAD.

Velde, Da Costa, and Fory formed a left-sided triangle. The Norwegian winger began a direct run as Fory attempted to find him with a through ball, but Shaq Moore was unable to cut it out. Velde read the deflection superbly and took the ball to the endline. Aravena, whose mistake had given Dallas the lead four minutes earlier, made a run to the center of the six-yard box. This opened up space around the penalty spot for Felipe Mora, who received Velde’s cutback cross and took one touch to settle. His second touch was a shot towards Daniel’s right side, but the goalkeeper was frozen. Never fear! Shaq Moore is here! After failing to cut out the initial entry pass from Fory, Moore rushed to the goalmouth. Now he had a chance to fail to block Mora’s shot. He succeeded in his failure. The Chilean’s right-footed effort snuck into the back of the net with a helpful intervention from Moore, and the Timbers had a precious equalizer. 2-2, 90+2’.

With 7 minutes remaining of the 9 allotted for stoppages, the Timbers pushed for a game-winner. It would have been awesome, but it never came. The Timbers welcomed their home crowd back from a long break with a gutsy draw.

Giveaways and Duels

I think the main story from this game revolves around the answer to this question: “The Timbers didn’t play badly. Why did this game end in a draw?” In order to tackle that, we have to look at both of Dallas’ goals. They ended up being the most score-able chances that Los Toreros had. Is it good that the Timbers mostly limited Dallas to hopeful crosses and low-percentage chances? Or is it bad that both of Dallas’ goals were very preventable? The answer to both questions is yes.

We’re going to start here, right after Jose Caicedo wins the ball from Logan Farrington on the far sideline. Four legitimate passing options are available, but there’s a fair amount of space for Caicedo to carry the ball forward.

Caicedo doesn’t run with the ball. I don’t think aggressive carrying is a major part of his game. That’s OK. But there is a problem here. Caicedo’s four passing options are halved because of Fory and Da Costa’s positioning. Bassett is the immediate option. That should be Da Costa. Fory is the farthest man forward. That should be Antony, who is in the channel.. But the bigger sin is all three players being in a straight line along the sideline.

Because all three players remain on the sideline after Bassett quickly moves the ball to Da Costa, Portuguese Dave is immediately in serious trouble. All of his passing angles are about to be closed down. Bassett is charging forward, which takes Valiente with him. Instead of tracking his runner, Valiente is literally dragged into position to challenge Da Costa instead. 

Portuguese Dave makes the right decision by immediately tapping the ball to the onrushing Bassett. However, this puts a ton of pressure on the native Coloradan to receive this pass with a perfect first touch. He doesn’t have a lot of room for error due to Valiente’s decision to jump early and stay in front of the ball. When Bassett attempts to move the ball to Fory, all Valiente has to do is stick out a leg. The Timbers are trying to quickly change the tempo here. Good idea, but the execution is about to let them down.

Valiente’s intervention puts the ball directly into Antony’s path. All the Uruguayan midfielder has to do is stick with the ball to make a play. Two of Antony’s immediate passing options are now blocked. He recovered the ball, yes, but is now completely unsure about his next move. Caicedo is the best option and he’s right behind Antony. Does Antony know he’s there?

It doesn’t matter whether or not Antony knows where Caicedo is. His first touch lets him down. Suddenly, with two players converging on him, the Brazilian winger tries to dribble through both of them. It doesn’t work.

Now the “3 players standing in a line on the sideline” REALLY hurts the Timbers. They went from having significant numbers in front of the ball to stumbling into a giveaway. Now the ball is in front of them. I spy the eventual goalscorer beginning to make a run through the center of the pitch. Portland’s midfield has completely rotated over to the left side. Only the center backs stand in Patrickson Delgado’s way.

The Timbers have found themselves in a 6v5 situation. But everyone is watching the ball. Delgado still drives forward, unseen.

Antony hasn’t re-entered the frame. Fory has just entered the frame. Delgado is still in a perfect pocket at the top of the 18-yard-box. Valiente knows where he is.

Kamal Miller should be on Delgado, but he’s also focused on Farrington’s run at the top of the screen. The Timbers have been caught in transition with their fullbacks up the field. This happens a lot to the Timbers.

Too much space for Delgado to shoot. Too much time for Delgado to pick out where he wants to aim. This should be Caicedo’s space to cover. He’s not there. Fory hasn’t even reached the box yet. The quality of the finish is great, but it came out of a play that the Timbers should know how to stop. But they’ve been conceding goals like this all year. Sigh.

The second goal doesn’t require the same level of depth to break down.

Six seconds prior to this frame, Aravena receives a pass from Velde in the left channel. He’s bracketed by three defenders, but there’s no immediate ball pressure. He’s looking up when he receives the ball.

I’m putting this here for reference. The natural instinct of a player receiving a pass is to create more time and space for himself. So Aravena’s retreat here isn’t bad. Neither is a pass to Kamal Miller. Let’s jump back to the first frame, but slightly “enhanced.”

He’s looking at his feet. In the first instance of Aravena touching the ball during this sequence, he was looking up and his first touch was good. Now that he’s looking at his feet, he screws up the first touch. By screwing up his first touch, he invites more pressure. By looking at his feet, he’s completely unaware of Musa ghosting into the passing lane.

His second touch is also bad, and his eyes don’t leave the ground. Ouch.

His eyes only leave the ground after the pass. That pass was aimed at where Aravena thought Miller would be, not where he was. If Aravena was looking up instead of down when he received the pass, this Musa goal never happens. Wild.

Those two turnovers were far from the only giveaways the Timbers committed in this game. But they were the most costly. The fluidity and ball retention from the Seattle game didn’t carry over into tonight’s match. Why was that?

It’s even more ironic considering that Dallas played with a two-man midfield matched up against Portland’s three-man midfield. How does a numerically superior midfield become outmatched? A lack of organization. In tonight’s game, two different sectors emerged in Portland’s shape, particularly in possession. Caicedo became isolated deep with the center backs and fullbacks, while Da Costa and Bassett remained high. This allowed Kaick and Christian Cappis (Dallas’ two central midfielders) to cut off the passing lanes and force the ball out wide. Once the ball reached the wing, Dallas pressed Portland players using the sideline as a defender. These triggers were utilized to great effect, particularly if the Timbers were playing at a slower tempo.

This positional defense also opened up the majority of the field for Dallas to win second balls. The advantage in numbers out wide led to consistent turnovers, while Cappis and Kaick (alongside the front two) vacuumed up second balls in the middle of the field. Quill definitely did his homework on the Seattle game. “Without a doubt, we lost too many duels and second balls. And we didn’t do that on Thursday, it was the other way around. So it’s probably a good learning moment for us of how important that is,” Jack Cassidy said after the game. 

Speaking of duels, let’s take a look at the statsheet.

Cassidy noted in the post-game presser that the team uses their own data to calculate the duels. I’m very interested to see what the team’s data says. Particularly when it comes to the second half.

Dallas won the second half duel battle by 15. Osaze Urhoghide, Moore, and Musa accounted for +13 of that differential, with Moore posting a +6 margin by himself. Kelsy and Bassett each recorded a -7 in the second half. Ironically, the Timbers were more dangerous on the attacking end in the second half and held Dallas to 6 shots, with only one on target. Of course, that lone shot on target was Musa’s goal. Soccer is a funny sport.

That Stupid Post

Especially when the Timbers left several goals on the table. The unfortunate Velde-Kelsy double post would have tied the game, and Kelsy’s opportunistic free-kick scramble would have given the Timbers the lead! But leaving several goals on the table can be a good thing, especially if they come from repeatable sequences.

It’s time to talk about one of the biggest differences between Phil Neville’s Timbers and Cassidy’s Timbers. Portland has scored 3 out of their last 7 goals from cutback crosses. Mora’s equalizer, Kelsy’s second up north, and Aravena’s first Timbers goal all came from low driven crosses delivered close to or on the endline. The deliveries in Neville’s system always came from the width between the top of the box and the penalty spot. Not the most optimal way to create chances. With those types of crosses, you’re basically asking your box occupiers to win a header or your late arrivers to potentially win a second ball. But those late arrivers are also trying to crash the box themselves, which allows most second balls to be scooped up by recovering opposition midfielders.

The cutback is a perfect delivery. Defenders usually travel in line with the ball, and most MLS defenses always leave space near the penalty spot when the ball gets to the endline. Those crosses find players in the middle of the box with the entire goal to aim at. The Timbers are creating the right situations for those crosses to occur on both flanks of the pitch. A very positive development.

Player Ratings

James Pantemis: 6.5

The Canadian goalkeeper was only credited with one save (Farrington’s chance in the 20th minute). I think the blame for both goals can’t be laid at his feet. However, I did see another piece of evidence in a worrying pattern. In the 7th minute, he whiffed at a cross into the box. His primary instinct is usually to punch rather than catch, but it seemed like he was trying to catch this dangerous delivery. His defenders were able to cover the mistake, but it almost cost the Timbers a goal. I’d like to see him exercise more command over his box. He has the talent to deal with almost every cross, but sometimes these errors pop up.

Brandon Bye: 7

There was some good Bye, and there was some bad Bye in this one. Let’s start with the good. He won 5/6 aerial duels and continued to be a threat from set pieces. However, he wasn’t very tidy in possession. With Juan Mosquera’s status for the future in doubt (he saw a specialist for his injury this week) Bye’s addition during the winter has proven to be a major positive. A veteran fullback who isn’t a star but functions as a steady Eddie with several plus traits is a must-have on any MLS roster. His 90th minute yellow card moves him into a tie with Kamal Miller, Jimer Fory, Diego Chara, Ian Smith, and Kristoffer Velde for the team lead with 3. The Timbers haven’t had a yellow card suspension yet. They’re spreading the cautions around equally. I find that fact heartwarming. 

Finn Surman: 8

The World Cup goalscorer is two yellow cards away from tying for the team lead. However, it’s very unlikely that he’ll be climbing the caution table anytime soon. He set the tone in this game by putting in a strong challenge on Santiago Moreno in the 1st minute. Captains are expected to lead vocally and by example. I’m unsure about how much team-wide vocal leadership Surman is doing, but he is the inheritor of the Diego Chara “leading by example” mantle. If I could nitpick one thing, I’d like to see him take more risks with his passing. But that really doesn’t matter when he’s putting up a statline that includes 2 tackles, 2 blocks, 7 clearances, 2 interceptions, and 5 ball recoveries.

One of my favorite past-times is gauging a player’s popularity within the fanbase based on the cheers they receive during lineup announcements. Long-time servants of the club like Felipe Mora receive walls of noise that can only be dwarfed by the phrase “The captain, number 21 DIEGO CHARA!” Roars for Kelsy, Fory, Da Costa, and Velde have been getting louder in recent months. But Surman’s ascension from steady applause to lung-busting thunder has been a wonderful sight to behold. In his first game at Providence Park since his awesome World Cup goal, he was blessed with the loudest explosion of noise for any Timbers player. I like when newer players start to fill the gaps of noise in the lineup announcements that used to be reserved for club icons. When your club has been around for 51 (FIVE-TO-ONE YEARS? HAS THIS JOKE BEEN MADE YET?) years, the transition between past legends to current ones really drives home the point that the Timbers are for Portland. Someone should tell Tom Dundon that the same sentiment applies to the Blazers. I’m sorry for polluting Finn Surman’s section by mentioning that evil name. I hope I can be forgiven. Surman can always be forgiven. I think he’s reached that echelon in Timbers history. 

Kamal Miller: 8.2

Let’s talk about Miller’s yellow card first. It was a very harsh decision, especially considering it was Miller’s first foul of the game. But there’s one Miller moment that stands out to me from this game. 

In the 32nd minute, the Canadian center back carried the ball through a couple lines of pressure before playing Portland’s first through ball of the game to Fory. The sequence ended in a questionable Fory foul, but I’d like to highlight Miller’s confidence. He’s always been a pain in the neck to play against due to his trash talk and physicality, but he doesn’t always utilize his skill on the ball. I think his stellar performance against Seattle encouraged him to take more risks in this game with the ball at his feet. And it was pretty cool watching him weave through Dallas’ stubborn block! I also thought he did pretty well on Musa’s goal considering the circumstances. The Croatian forward is the best striker in the league. He’ll do that to you sometimes.

Jimer Fory: 7.3

Fory gets one highlight and one lowlight. In the 41st minute, he snuffed out a Moreno-led counter by bullying his former teammate off the ball. The North End immediately serenaded him with chants of “He’s in your heaaaaad, in your heaaaaad, Fory, Fory, Fory-y-y-y” to the tune of Zombie by the Cranberries. I’m very happy that this chant template has made it to Portland because it’s a West Bromwich Albion original. The first subject of this chant was combative Irish midfielder Jayson Molumby, who also has a tendency to get stuck in and pick up some yellow cards.

Tonight marked Fory’s 6th consecutive game without a booking. He’s adapted very well to the consistent inconsistency of PRO referees. When he bowled Sarver over in the 70th minute and emphatically told the 23-year-old with an unfortunate hairline to “Get up,” he embodied the confidence and intensity that a player with his profile should always play with. However, the lowlight is getting dunked on by Sarver two minutes after the “Get up” tackle. I didn’t think Fory vs. Sarver would be a matchup to watch. I can’t wait for the reverse fixture in mid-September.

Jose Caicedo: 8.4

There’s an age-old clip on YouTube of Skip Bayless debating himself. Because the professional Dallas Cowboys fan is notorious for changing his opinions based on the results of his favorite football team, he’s said many different things about NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The highlight of the (heavily edited) clip is Bayless calming down his usually fiery tone to gently say, “Because Aaron Rodgers is hot and Aaron Rodgers is cold.”

This is immediately countered by the other Skip Bayless exclaiming “Are you kidding me?” That brief exchange between both of Bayless’ personalities always makes me laugh. Jose Caicedo also brings a smile to my face whenever he steps on the pitch.

That could be because of his instant embrace of the city of Portland and the surrounding natural beauty (unlike Tom Dundon, OK, fine, I’ll stop, this is the last one I promise), culminating in numerous trips to Multnomah Falls since his arrival back in March. But it’s also due to his play on the field. I recently highlighted Caicedo in a preview of the upcoming Charlotte match I did with another outlet (it’s in September) by describing him as a player you watch to see the entire game.

Caicedo certainly bossed this game in the first half. But this is where the “hot and cold” stuff comes into play. Like Aaron Rodgers, the natural beauty of Oregon brings him great joy (without the same, uh, “methods” employed by the former New York Jets QB). But unlike Rodgers (well, the Rodgers of yore) he doesn’t take a ton of risks with his passing. There were times in this game where he had the opportunity to up the tempo of Portland attacks but chose to play it safe. I think he’s still finding his feet in terms of his important on-ball role.

But he did a great job defensively tonight. 2 tackles, 2 interceptions, 5 recoveries, and 4/5 ground duels won. It was his first time as a lone 6 in Portland’s defensive set-up. If the “hot” aspect continues to be his defense, that’s a huge positive for the entire team. Let’s see how much he helps the Timbers’ ball movement with a little more familiarity in the new system. After all, tonight was only his 8th start. He’s had to deal with a severely delayed work visa, a poor run of form, an injury, and a coaching change in such a short amount of time. But his quality continues to shine whenever he gets on the pitch. Skip Bayless doesn’t have to contradict himself about Jose Caicedo (or whoever the MLS Skip Bayless is, that sentence just sent a chill down my spine). Everyone can agree that he’s a good player and is excited to keep watching him get better and better.

Cole Bassett: 6.7

I utilized a graphic last week to explain how good he was in Seattle. Let’s take a look at that same graphic from tonight’s game.

Against Seattle, he was more effective closer to the touchline. But he was very good in the channel tonight, even though he didn’t get a lot of touches. I’d like to highlight the cross-field switches. They’re about to become a crucial part of Portland’s possession phases. Especially with new head coach Marti Cifuentes’ preference for overloads and switches. Imagine a Timbers team with Bassett quickly switching the field of play to an isolated Velde. That did happen tonight with regular frequency. That’s a good player-to-player connection to build on.

So why is his rating so low if I’m praising his contributions to Portland’s attack? Because he is a midfielder, and I wasn’t impressed with his defense. The switch to the 4-3-3 puts a lot of pressure on both attacking midfielders to defend, and Bassett got pushed around a bit by a physical Dallas team. The -7 duel differential in the second half is definitely something to improve upon. Maybe the number is too harsh. But I’ll stand by it.

One aspect of this league that I love is watching former teammates catch up with each other when both of them have moved on from the club where they used to play together. This was the case after the final whistle blew. Bassett walked over to Lalas Abubakar and started to chat. I don’t know why I focused on this particular conversation, but I think I just thought it was cool. Bassett and Abubakar were teammates in Colorado in 2021; the year that the Rapids won the Western Conference but got knocked out of the playoffs by the Timbers on Thanksgiving. One of those players went on to join the team that kept them from the promised land of a MLS Cup. The other went to Dallas and hasn’t changed his hairdo. As I was leaving the stadium, I ran into Bassett and talked to him about his chat with Abubakar. Bassett said that Abubakar was a stand-up dude but understands why opposing fans don’t like him. It’s always cool to get perspective on a player you’ve become very familiar with as an opposing fan from one of his former teammates. Abubakar didn’t see the pitch tonight, and I’m kind of glad he didn’t. He always has something wild in store when he plays the Timbers.

David Da Costa: 7.6

Portuguese Dave didn’t match the heights of 5eatt1e, but he did put together another quality performance in the left-sided 8 role. He won the majority of his ground duels (5/8) and drew two fouls. In this new role, he’s much more equipped to get into the box AND be threatening while doing so. When Velde entered the game, both DPs looked like they were playing off of each other and to each others’ strengths. That’s very encouraging for the future. If Velde can be the primary option around the box, it exponentially increases the amount of danger Da Costa can provide. 

Ariel Lassiter: 6.8

Here’s the big difference between last week and this week for Lassiter: a lack of quality support on the right wing.

The Costa Rican winger is stronger at delivering the final ball than beating players on the dribble. That’s fine. However, he was put into a lot of situations that required him to beat his defender. Nolan Norris did a good job of shadowing him, which led to the majority of his crosses being hit with his weaker right foot. He wasn’t coming inside on his left; he was staying wide on his right. The dead balls were still great, but he became trapped in possession at times. When he’s holding the ball on the right, he needs either an underlapping run or an overlapping run. That off-ball movement wasn’t evident from his teammates tonight. No, it’s not the end of the world. But it is something to notice.

Antony: 7.3

The missed chance from the rebound looms large, and it was easier to deal with than the one that fell his way in Seattle. But I liked what I saw from him in the first half. He drove into space routinely, and was so close to an assist if Kelsy didn’t screw up his feet. The Brazilian winger is at his best when he gets to drive forward into space, with or without the ball.

That applies to either wing. In the first half, he used that downhill threat to try and open up space for his teammates. He just has to keep working on his decision making and trying more first-time crosses when he plays on the right.

Kevin Kelsy: Glass Half Full

By now, you should all know my position on missing big chances. Finding those chances (which Kelsy did multiple times tonight to the tune of 1.55 xG [not even counting the twisted foot opportunity]) speaks louder than missing them. Soccer is a game of variance, and Kelsy was the poster boy for that tonight. Think about it. Two big chances fall to him, and he hits the post. On a different day, one or both find the back of the net.

But that xG total is very overinflated by his goal. It’s undoubtedly the easiest one he will ever score. I like that he had a delayed reaction to tapping the ball over the line. That chance was worth 0.97 xG, which makes me wonder what situations can lead to the 3% chance of a player missing that opportunity. Even Antony’s big miss against San Jose wasn’t worth that much xG.

Kelsy’s hot streak continues. He’s up to 8g/1a in his last 10 games. For the record, the first game of that chosen timeframe was the LAFC win; the match where he scored his first goal of the season. All he needed was one goal and then the floodgates began to open.

However, he left tonight’s game due to injury after the collision with Daniel. After the final whistle, he was seen with an ice bag on his leg. I hope it isn’t too serious. Updates should be coming on Friday. 

Kristoffer Velde: CONGRATULATIONS!

I’ve been waiting for a while to see Velde play after Neville was sacked. His return from the break (and recent journey into fatherhood) upped the excitement. When he began this game on the bench, the question became, “When does he come on?”

The 55th minute was the answer, and Cassidy put him on the left wing. He likes playing on the left wing. Yet Neville kept putting Antony on the left wing and pushing Velde to the hybrid 10 role on the right. It did make sense at the time, but tonight’s performance was long overdue.

The total package of Velde’s skills were on display. Good dribbling and ferocious shooting was already evident regardless of where he was on the field. But some of those back post crosses from dangerous angles really widened my eyes. When he previously lined up on the left under Neville, he got isolated very quickly and had to try and do it all himself just to get into a dangerous position. With the new structure providing supporting runs, he was completely unleashed against Dallas.

Under Neville, he wouldn’t be getting to the endline to deliver a game-tying assist. His slashing style of play energizes the crowd whenever he gets on the ball. You just want to see what he’ll do next. Now the Timbers have a player who cannot be moved from his new spot. 

Diego Chara: 40

“Two more years, two more years, Diego Chara…Two more years, two more years I say, two more years, two more years Diego Chara…playing football the Portland way.”

This is what “playing football the Portland way" looks like.

These five touches illustrate why a generational soccer brain paired with generational athleticism is critical to the success of a team. I don’t need to explain anything else.

Alexander Aravena: 6

After 14 games, the consensus opinion on Aravena has arrived through unfortunate circumstances. However, there is a silver lining.

Aravena has tantalized throughout his time in Portland because of what he does off the ball. Mora’s equalizing goal doesn’t happen without Aravena pinning the center backs close to goal and allowing his fellow countryman to reap the rewards of a free shot from a golden position. He kept finding spaces like that throughout the season, and it paid off against Seattle when he was able to score.

But that stellar off-ball work is drawing comparisons to another current Timber: Omir Fernandez. Like Aravena, Fernandez specializes in finding space to exploit but the Bronx Messi offers more on the ball and defensively. When Fernandez returns, I think he’ll take Aravena’s minutes. Especially now that the structure has shifted into a 4-3-3 with need for another attacking midfielder; which is closer to Fernandez’s natural position.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention the blown counterattack in Vancouver that led to (the now departed) Sebastian Berhalter’s game-winner. It’s a pattern of poor decisions made with the ball at his feet contrasted with excellent ability to get into dangerous places. Tough.

As of right now, the verdict reads as such: Aravena is a loan player and doesn’t look likely to become a permanent Timber. Especially if he would hit the cap at a larger amount than Fernandez. I like him and I think he’s got some quality. But it doesn’t look like it’s the quality that the team is desperately searching for right now. His loan lasts until the end of the season, so he does have some time (potentially under Cifuentes’ reign) to show his quality. This game unfortunately provided a platform to do a mid-season assessment of the club’s only loan player. I just wish that it didn’t have to be from such a high-profile mistake.

Felipe Mora: The King Of Moments

It’s always special when Mora finds the back of the net, particularly if it occurs in dramatic fashion. We all know the chief moment that comes to everyone’s mind when the words “Mora goal” get uttered. His equalizer tonight didn’t carry the same weight, but it was similar in execution.

The years since that timeless equalizer have not been kind to the Chilean. Surgeries, working his way back to fitness, a glorious 2024 where he put it all together while surrounded by peers in skill and smarts, and a slow regression from that peak two years ago. I still find it fascinating that he found that peak after all the injury struggles and not before it. It really speaks to the strength of his character and resolve. With the emergence of Kelsy as the entrenched starter, that character and resolve continued to be tested. Mora took it in stride. “I haven’t had the continuity I’ve been looking for all season, but I’ve been working hard at training all week and I’m glad that it ended up paying off,” he said post-game.

“Paying off” is one way of putting it. It is forbidden to celebrate in the press box. Containing your excitement when Mora finds the back of the net is a nearly impossible task. He is a man who has given everything he has to this club. Tonight, all I could do was shut my eyes and clench my fists out of excitement and relief. I talk about players being “overdue” for a goal, and Mora is always overdue no matter how long it has been since his last strike. His drought that lasted from the season opener back in February was broken tonight. But was it really a drought if the striker position has been wrestled away from his grasp by Kelsy?

That’s an interesting question considering Mora possesses an ability to always impact the game from the bench. The potential of a Mora goal always populates the realistic outcomes when the green number 9 gets raised on the substitution board. As long as he wears the jersey, he can and will always do his job on the pitch. “I always enjoy scoring goals with this jersey. I’m happy to score and especially [so] being at home.”

Because my eyes were literally shut due to excitement and happiness, I did not see how Mora celebrated this equalizer in real time. He has always shown free rein to let his emotions burst through to the surface, most notably after the Immortal Equalizer. Tonight’s celebration echoed the timeless stumble to the corner flag with his face in his hands as his teammates mobbed him to the background noise of an exploding stadium. All of those conditions were present on the Providence Park pitch tonight. Velde came over to greet him, and Mora buried his head in Velde’s chest. The emotions from this celebration hadn’t worn off by the time he stepped behind the podium. I am a reporter, and my job is to report. Speculation surrounding Mora’s future is nothing new, but his contract expires at the end of this season with no club option to pick up. I probably could have phrased it better, but I asked him about his future at the club. He was already a bit raw, but he gave a great response. “No, there’s no news on my future. You know, currently I’m enjoying the present. Everyone knows I love playing for this jersey.”

No one has ever doubted that last line. Never for a second. Mora will one day enter the Ring of Honor, and he’ll be joined by his family on the field when he lifts the golden axe into the sky. “They’re the ones who have been with me every single day. They love coming to the stadium. My little princess was a few days old during that first goal in the season opener, so I’m very glad that she was able to be here for this.”

That’s what it’s all about. Tonight’s game was a convergence of futures for Felipe Mora: the uncertain one surrounding his job and the eternal one with his wife and three kids. I believe that it’s imperative that Mora receives all the support in the world to help solve the uncertain future for the sake of the eternal one.

I hope it involves the continuation of Mora’s time in Portland. Although his current contract doesn’t represent value for money at the current moment in a salary cap league, he is one of only two geniuses that currently suit up for the Timbers on a weekly basis. The other is his captain and great friend Diego Chara. There should always be a role for Mora in Portland, because no one else can own the moment like he can. He wears that jersey like it’s an extension of himself. The traits that he brings to this team, from his otherworldly soccer IQ to his presence as the member of the welcoming committee and bonafide team leader on and off the pitch are priceless.

Coach Rating: 8.5

Cassidy cannot control the mistakes that his players make. Quill did a great job of providing a solid gameplan to limit the damage that Cassidy’s motivated Timbers could cause. And the Timbers still left chances on the table and could have walked away with a win.

The interim head coach got the subs right and his steely attitude towards his current temporary job is further proof that Ned Grabavoy made the correct choice for Neville’s temporary successor. Marti Cifuentes’ arrival doesn’t have a date attached to it due to the visa process. But Jack Cassidy’s stellar transitory stewardship has reinjected life into this team. And when the Timbers have life, they become so easy to root for. 

Table Time

Is this two points dropped or one point earned? How about both? From the “dropped points” perspective, the Timbers fell to 12th in the West and are only 4 points ahead of the true basement (represented by SKC, who beat Minnesota tonight). St. Louis and Colorado rose while Colorado and San Diego fell. However, the “point earned” theory says that the Timbers are still 3 points back of the final playoff spot and just put on a win-worthy performance against a Dallas team that is far better on the road than at home. Which camp are you in? I’ll continue to dip my feet in both waters.

It’s also worth checking in on Portland’s final two opponents before Leagues Cup. RSL comes to town on Saturday, and they just lost 3-1 at LAFC. Despite a dominant box score showing, the Black-and-Gold made their best moments count while the Monarchs couldn’t finish their multitude of chances. 

Normally I wouldn’t pay too much attention to the Seattle Sounders (that is a lie) but something happened to them today that directly affects their game in Portland in a week-and-a-half. I’m not talking about their 3-1 loss in Austin. That’s not an innovation. They literally lost in Austin last year due to a late Myrto Uzuni goal. Losing their ability to innovate is a sign that things are seriously wrong. So does losing 4 straight MLS games; something that has never happened in Brian Schmetzer’s entire tenure (dating back nearly a full 10 years). Accountability was expected to be present during this game in boiling central Texas, yet it didn’t come.

Instead, the opposite of accountability occurred. Noted blockhead Jackson Ragen entered this Austin game on a yellow card warning. He picked up a fateful yellow in the 59th minute; ruling him out for Saturday’s game in Philadelphia. That’s awfully unfortunate. However, as the Sounders were down 3-1 in the dying moments of the game, Ragen decided to take it one step further. Uzuni dashed through the middle of the pitch with four Sounders surrounding him. After slipping the attempted tug down by Hassani Dotson, Ragen barreled into the Albanian with all the grace of Muggsy from the Looney Tunes. This earned Mr. Blockhead a second yellow card, and a TWO-match suspension instead of one (yellow card accumulation PLUS red card). On second thought, maybe I was too harsh earlier. This is a fantastic new innovation. With trademark Schmetzer efficiency, Ragen found a way to miss two games instead of one. The latter of which is against the Timbers, a team that has humiliated Ragen personally over the past few years. You really have to hand it to him. Would you like a cherry on top of this accountability cake? Ragen was the Sounders’ captain for this game and beloved Seattle resident Albert Rusnak defended his teammate for the tackle after the game. Do you think Ragen’s first words back in the locker room were “Did I do good boss?”

Bottomline: the Timbers seem to be on the ascent alongside St. Louis while several other teams in the Western Conference meatgrinder might be trending down. Momentum is important in this league, and Portland might benefit from several dumpster fires in the surrounding table places.

Final Whistle

I think the story of this game speaks for itself. A hard-fought draw that could have been a win against quality opposition is still a result at the end of the day. Fixing the malaise from the Apertura was never going to be solved by one legendary victory against the Seattle Sounders. This team still has flaws to work out, but there’s one key difference: they actually seem intent on fixing those flaws instead of being stubborn about it.

The Santiago Moreno return could have been the main story. Yet it became a sideshow after the inconsistent Colombian (now on a DP loan contract with Dallas) showed Timbers fans another monument to ineffectiveness. Sure, he stood out at times, but you don’t want to get yanked off the pitch at the hour mark in your revenge game. The stadium responded to every Moreno touch with boos, and he did nothing to silence them. At least Evander had the decency to score a goal, for God’s sake.

I find this game fascinating because it is nearly an exact mirror of the game these two teams played at Providence Park last year. But it also provided a mirror moment of Mora’s Immortal Equalizer and a chance to see Santiago Moreno turn the ball over while wearing another team’s jersey. Sometimes not much else needs to be said. It felt good to be back in Providence Park with thunder and lightning crashing down from above. A winning goal would’ve been really perfect, huh.

But these Timbers can look forward to many more magical nights at the 100-year-old bastion of community in the Rose City. They have five more games at home before they hit the road again, and it’s a great way to ease back into the season as the games come harder and faster. The playoff race is beginning to heat up, and the Timbers are determined to make it back for the third straight year. But tonight’s result showed two things: the Timbers still have more work to do and they can hang with a bonafide playoff team. One of those statements begets motivation to keep working, and the other provides confidence. Both will be necessary as a new head coach gets the lay of the land. The climb continues.