The Pendulum Swing

The Portland Timbers were due for a win. After 5 consecutive games without victory, with some games going down to the wire, a win would be utterly vindicating for this club. Two of their last three games featured late goals deep into second half stoppage time that cost the Timbers a result. The club has also been aggrieved by, in their words, controversial refereeing decisions going against them. Maybe it was time for the pendulum to swing the other way on both accounts.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon in Portland, both of those grievances were finally addressed in a 2-1 win against LAFC. The Timbers’ 5-game winless run is over, and some of the collective weight is off everybody’s shoulders.

Recap

This game started with some long balls as each team tried to test the temerity of the opposing back line. The first major event was a yellow card to Jimer Fory on a pretty routine tackle in the 7th minute. Three minutes later, Cole Bassett (making his return from injury) sent a cross into a crowded box for Kristoffer Velde. The Norwegian winger was unable to come down with the ball but did draw a little bit of contact. It didn't cross the threshold for a foul, so play continued.

The first major chance of the game arrived in the 13th minute. Nkosi Tafari handled the ball in buildup, but the play wasn't blown dead. A long ball over the top was played to Denis Bouanga, who got on the wrong side of Fory (who misplayed a header directly into the center of the box) and forced a scramble. The Gabonese winger got on the end of it, and fired a shot just outside of the far post. Bullet dodged. 

Three minutes later, LAFC was on the attack again. Bouanga was isolated on the left with Finn Surman. However, the Kiwi center back held his ground, which forced Bouanga to slide the ball to debutant Matt Evans. The Guatemalan midfielder tested James Pantemis from distance to no avail. An easy catch for the Canadian goalkeeper.

At this point, I should note that LAFC was missing several key contributors. Son Heung-Min and Hugo Lloris didn’t travel, while a full group of starters began the game on the bench. LAFC began the game with only four recognized starters (Bouanga, Nathan Ordaz, Mathieu Choiniere, and Nkosi Tafari). That depth was tested in the 23rd minute. Velde played a through ball to Brandon Bye, which caused backup goalkeeper Thomas Hasal to come off his line. Artem Smoliakov, deputizing at left back, was shielding the ball from Bye, who was trying to make a play. Hasal did not call off his teammate, and Bye continued his run. Smoliakov collided with his goalkeeper with Bye right behind him. Both LAFC players stayed down on the pitch, and a foul was called against Bye (definitely an awkward whistle). Hasal had to leave the game, and he was replaced by 3rd-string goalkeeper Cabral Carter, giving the LAFC academy product his MLS debut in the process. Congratulations to him.

At this point in the action, LAFC had taken 4 shots and the Timbers were held shotless. Not an optimal state to be in at the start of the match. Hasal’s injury caused a 7-minute stoppage, and the Timbers used the dead time to refocus. After an Antony interception led to Portland getting back on the ball, the Timbers engaged in some deep possession play. Jose Caicedo was pressured against the sideline, but he found Bassett in the middle of the field. The American midfielder took a heavy touch. Somehow, this touch forced Choiniere to make a lunging challenge, which caused the Canadian midfielder to miss the ball. Bassett quickly moved the ball to Velde, who was standing alone in the center circle. It took him two touches to start running downhill, and a third (heavy) touch increased the directness of his attack. The Timbers had a 6v4 advantage by the time Velde arrived at the top of the box. However, Velde noticed that Smoliakov had shifted inside, which left room inside the box. The Norwegian carried the ball into that space and fired a shot across his body, which nestled in the back of the net at the far post. Carter couldn’t save the first shot he faced in the big leagues, and the Timbers had taken the lead with their first shot of the match. In addition, LAFC’s record-setting shutout streak was broken. 1-0, 32nd minute. 

Now the onus was on the Timbers to add to their lead and put the game to bed. LAFC immediately followed with a couple of half-chances, but Portland began to slowly restore the game back to its previous state. This included a David Da Costa shot from distance that Carter was easily able to collect in the 41st minute. And one minute later, their golden chance arrived.

The sequence began with Antony winning the ball in Portland’s attacking third. The ball was moved to Da Costa on the left wing, who nearly broke Kenny Nielsen’s ankles with a delightful dribble. Portuguese Dave sent in a left-footed cross to the far post, where Bye was waiting for a header. That free header forced Carter to make a spectacular save, but it didn’t clear the danger. The ball stayed in play, and Bassett got to it first; firing a point-blank shot directly at Carter. Another save for the academy goalkeeper. However, the rebound fell to Mora, who couldn’t get a clean strike on the ball, forcing Carter to hang on for dear life after a spectacular sequence of events for the young goalkeeper.

The Timbers had three excellent opportunities to score in that sequence, and couldn’t convert any of them. That’s where this team continues to live; on the finest of margins. These margins swing side-to-side like a pendulum, and Portland’s poor luck in front of goal was still present. Three games ago in Houston, the Timbers had a similar goal-line scramble that could have (and should have) earned them all three points. Now their struggles struck again, and it resulted in only a 1-0 lead at halftime. That wasn’t the last chance of the first half though. Tyler Boyd tested Pantemis with a curling shot from just inside the box in the first minute of stoppage time. Pantemis acrobatically tipped the ball over the bar. 

The Timbers began the second half with the same goal in mind: increase their lead. However, the pendulum was stagnant. In the 49th minute, Velde led a fast attack down the middle and played the ball wide to Bye on the right. The Michigan native has developed a habit of sending dangerous low crosses into the box, and his delivery was perfect as he tried to guide a ball to Mora. However, Mora was unable to adjust his feet and simply swept the ball into Carter’s waiting arms. That’s two (technically four) huge Portland chances that didn’t result in a second goal.

The crowd wouldn’t have to wait long for a second goal, but it would be scored by the visitors. It would literally find the back of the net seconds after Mora’s missed chance. LAFC was able to quickly bypass Portland’s off-ball structure, and Boyd appeared in the box with the ball on the right. Boyd lofted a switch to Bouanga, who brought the ball down in space with Bye providing cover. Evans provided support, and received Bouanga’s lateral pass. However, instead of trying to chip the ball to a darting Bouanga, Evans played it backwards to 17-year-old Jude Terry instead. 

With absolutely zero pressure on him, the other academy graduate took aim for the top right corner. In a really impressive feat of skill, he found that corner with a curling effort. 1-1, 49th minute. The pendulum remained stationary. From a golden chance at one end to giving up a blockbuster to a 17-year-old at the other. They had opportunities to begin the funeral, yet they couldn’t capitalize and allowed one of the most unlikely players on the pitch to devastate them.

The majority of the second half was turgid. While the pendulum remained still, Portland’s best chance fell to the head of Caicedo on a Fory cross from a recycled corner kick in the 62nd minute. The header bounced right into Carter’s gloves. LAFC couldn’t break down Portland’s block, while the Timbers had no success against LAFC’s block. Real inspiring stuff. Substitute Alexander Aravena tested Carter from distance with a well-struck shot in the 76th minute, but Carter was able to hold on. The game wore on, and finally the moment of truth arrived.

Pendulums are supposed to obey the law of gravity, yet gravity doesn’t exist when the Portland Timbers are involved. Although plenty of officiating decisions have gone against them this year and throughout Phil Neville’s tenure, very few of them can be categorized as legitimate robberies. One of those borderline robberies occurred last year in this very fixture, when Bouanga went to ground in the box from some incidental Diego Chara contact. The real robbery occurred when the play went to VAR two minutes after the incident and a penalty was awarded. That decision technically cost the Timbers two points. Portland’s failures to see out results deep in the second half has been a serious flaw throughout the past two seasons. Just this year, it’s cost them dearly in Houston and Vancouver. Would LAFC do it again?

The first warning shot was another unpressured shot from distance in the 86th minute from Mark Delgado’s right foot. It forced Pantemis to make a finger-tip save and divert the ball outside his left post. Portland cleared the resulting corner kick, but the ball was recycled to Timothy Tillman on the left wing. With no pressure around him (aside from an encroaching Surman) Tillman curled a delicious ball to the back post and onto the head of a charging Ryan Porteous, who was able to slam the ball past Pantemis while completely unmarked. LAFC had done it, and the Timbers had completely failed. Or so they thought.

At this exact moment, the pendulum finally began to move. Every goal is checked by VAR, and referee Chris Penso (congratulations to him) noticed that Tillman might have been offside in the buildup. This is the exact type of play that would qualify for a “borderline decision.” Is Tillman actually offside here? I think the camera angles at Providence Park are very funny, but it certainly looks like he might be. That “might” is enough for Penso to send center referee Armando Villareal to the monitor for a review. Villareal doesn’t take a lot of time to arrive at a decision. He walks away from the monitor and turns on his microphone, announcing to the crowd that Tillman was in an offside position and the goal has been overturned. The scoreline remains 1-1, and the pendulum has finally swung.

This was the break that the Timbers were waiting for, more than anything. Neville has not stopped talking about the countless decisions that have gone against them, to the point that Merritt Paulson took him out for lunch this weekend and told him to stop doing so. That rhetoric has ignored several other officiating decisions that the Timbers have gotten away with (like a potential Velde penalty in Vancouver) and it has definitely not helped the morale of the team. But, make no mistake about it, they needed a call like this to go their way and give them a reason to push on. The momentum of the game had completely changed, and 3 points were suddenly in sight again.

It nearly happened in the 90th minute. Velde rolled the ball backwards to an overlapping Ariel Lassiter, who sent a dangerous cross into the box. Carter came off his line to punch the ball, but it fell to Aravena to the right of the penalty spot. The Chilean took a shot with his left foot. Tafari made a crucial goal-line block to keep the game tied. It boggles my mind how hard it is for this team to finish opportunistic chances in the box. But, hear me out, what if they could create a chance that would be nearly impossible to miss? Surely they’d be able to score that, especially with the pendulum finally swinging in the right direction.

Velde realized this in the final minute of the 6 allotted minutes of stoppage time. After a brief exchange with Lassiter on the left, he cut outside and sent a curling ball towards the far post. It was almost a carbon copy of Tillman’s except it didn’t have the height necessary to justify a header on target. That didn’t matter to Bye, who was making a run to the back post. After getting slightly shoved by Jacob Shaffelburg, he was able to redirect the ball into the center of the six-yard box. Carter had shifted to the far post to block a potential shot on target, so he wouldn’t be able to affect what happened next. Kevin Kelsy, freshly on the field following the overturned LAFC goal, held up his run from the moment he realized that the ball was going over his head. The ball took a bounce, and Kelsy nodded it home. 2-1 Timbers, with the last kick of the game. The pendulum had finally swung to the other side. Their streak of futility was over, vanquished by a point-blank header against the lone remaining undefeated team in MLS.

The Meme

That’s a very romantic way to talk about this game. Which, in real time, was an expression of a common meme.

The Timbers usually have one win like this per season. Last year’s version was the Open Cup game against Tacoma Defiance, which coincidentally featured a stoppage-time winning goal from Kelsy. Victory was made all the sweeter by a late goal which was probably undeserved, but counted nonetheless. But a large portion of this game was spent in the “I’m going to kill myself” portion, and that’s where the bulk of this analysis will also occur.

Why would the majority of this game fall into that category? Well, we have to start with the lineups. Portland started their strongest lineup of the season, with only 1 starter absent (Juan Mosquera). Kelsy and Mora are still in a battle for the starting striker spot. The Timbers fielded their first-choice midfield, while LAFC started two academy players and Choiniere. However, the Black-and-Gold had plenty of firepower on the bench. This game had to be won in the first half before their starters could enter. And they spent the majority of the first half without a shot on the board.

Velde’s goal was Portland’s first shot of the game. By that point, LAFC had taken 4 shots. The Timbers still have a problem with pulling the trigger. However, their buildup is continuing to improve.

Can the plane be built out of plays like this? Not all the time, but it’s good to see some progress. What really made this game into such a tough watch was what happened when they couldn’t utilize their speed once they progressed the ball into LAFC’s half.

This team is still having trouble with trying to find a final ball. Bye decides to pass backwards because no one is making a dangerous run in his vicinity, providing no option for a dangerous pass. Portland was able to go backwards to go forwards several times in this game (and several other times in recent weeks) but they’re missing the nuances. Almost none of these passes are played into space. They’re all going to feet. The priority is put on keeping the ball instead of trying to be dynamic. As a result, they did not take a shot during the entirety of this clip.

Those types of runs have been absent throughout the majority of Neville’s tenure. Keeping the ball helps the defense, but it isn’t helping them score goals. They’re still unable to change the tempo of an attack with simple one-twos. It’s all so static.

Turnovers can also lead to tempo changes, but the Timbers didn’t capitalize on any of LAFC’s losses of possession. If Pantemis claimed a cross, he didn’t distribute the ball quickly. The Timbers rarely took throw-ins quickly. These are significant issues that continue to hinder this team’s ability to be effective in the final third. It has to be improved.

Another tweak that hurt their ability to attack was a new out-of-possession shape.

Yes, Portland’s press triggers are completely off-kilter. Instead of trying to press the backline, they should be focused on LAFC’s inexperienced midfielders. Those midfielders (Evans and Terry) had acres of space to operate in throughout the game. But that’s not my main issue with this structure.

It effectively drew Portland’s line of confrontation at their own backline, which was compounded by Surman man-marking one player in particular. This isn’t the first time that the Timbers have done this. Last year, Joao Klauss was able to repeatedly draw Kamal Miller out of position in a 2-1 loss in St. Louis. Other teams will be able to exploit this. However, one part of this structure also played a part in Portland’s ability to transition quickly.

Antony spends this entire sequence as a left wing-back. Last week in Vancouver, he did the same thing during the second half. Portland was unable to escape their own half because their primary counterattacking threat was pinned close to his own goal. I think that this structure change was employed because of the threat that Bouanga can cause. But it also invites the opponent to lay siege to Portland’s box if they’re well-organized. LAFC did have the organization, but lacked the intensity to keep Portland pinned. 

Based on the balance of chances, the Timbers had value for a win. However, half of their xG came from Kelsy’s winner despite having the lion’s share of possession (58-42). It was the highest possession percentage that they’ve achieved all year, but they still got outshot 18-10. But how did they fare in each box?

Box Tilt

Portland was unable to win the box tilt battle again, but they posted their most respectable margin of the season (26-25). LAFC took 10 shots inside Portland’s box, which is the same number of shots that the Timbers took all game. But the Timbers didn’t allow a goal, and LAFC’s chances had a value of 0.87 xG combined. Is it sustainable to defend their box like that all game? Not really. But it worked in this game!

Portland did have all of the big chances in this game, and arguably should have put the game to bed before halftime. Their inability to do so was troubling, and follows their trend of failing to convert opportunistic chances within the six-yard-box. Is that down to luck, or something else? I’m kind of erring on the side of luck, particularly with Bassett’s chance in the 42nd minute and Aravena’s chance in the 90th minute. Sometimes those balls just get by the opposition, and sometimes they don’t.

The Timbers won this game because they won the battle in both boxes. The only other time they’ve done that this year was the season-opening victory against Columbus. There is progress to point to from this game. More on that later.

Player Ratings

James Pantemis: 6.8

The Canadian goalkeeper usually produces at least one stunning save per game. This week’s edition is his diving stop on Delgado’s long-distance effort in the 86th minute. But there are still some issues with his performance.

On the distribution side, he wasn’t getting rid of the ball quickly enough and robbed the Timbers of opportunities to counterattack. But the most worrying problem is another residual issue from this year: commanding his box. Although Porteous’ goal was ruled offside, Pantemis didn’t read the flight of the ball correctly and got punished. And there are still miscommunications that occur on a weekly basis (like a 40th-minute incident where he didn’t come off his line to claim a loose ball shielded by Surman). I’m chalking up Terry’s wonderstrike to an inability to pressure the shooter. I don’t think Pantemis could do too much there. 

Brandon Bye: 8

Aside from getting the game-winning assist, Bye did a good job defensively against Bouanga. In addition, he covered a ton of ground and didn’t look gassed by the end of the game. I wish I had more to say about him, but his performance speaks for itself. It’s also very funny that his first Timbers assist came from his head and not one of those excellent low crosses.

Finn Surman: COLOSSUS

Did you know that Portland’s best 1-2 passing sequence came from Surman and Bye in the 4th minute? Yes! It happened!

Surman led all players with 18 total defensive contributions. This is the type of game that would make me open Stathead IF IT STILL WORKED. Those defensive contributions were split as such: 3 tackles, 2 blocks, 8 clearances, 5 interceptions, and 2 recoveries. Per my notes, 5 of those defensive actions occurred in second-half stoppage time. LORDY.

In addition, he finished second on the team with 114 touches. I think that’s a symptom of their attacking problems, but he completed 88/93 passes too. Although Bouanga wasn’t always on his side of the field, Surman continued to hold him in check just like last year. Let’s start the Defender of the Year campaign right now.

Alex Bonetig: 9.2

For the second week in a row, Bonetig registered his best game as a Timber. The ball progression stood out once again, but he also got stuck in on the defensive side. He made 7 clearances, 1 block and 1 interception. In addition, he completed 76/80 passes. Outstanding work.

Jimer Fory: 6.6

This was a tough outing for Fory, who was harshly booked in the 7th minute and was instantly targeted by Bouanga. He was very close to an assist and didn’t look too bad on the ball. However, he was not at the proper level defensively. It made sense for him to be the first sub in the 63rd minute.

Jose Caicedo: 9

In his home debut, the Colombian midfielder led the team in touches. Do not laugh me out of the room when I say this next sentence: he reminds me of Sergio Busquets. Not in the sense of “all-time great defensive midfielder” but in the Vicente del Bosque mold: when you watch Caicedo, you see the whole game. He covered nearly every blade of grass in the middle third, but he should’ve scored his free header in the 62nd minute.

The standout aspect of his performance was his constant communication with every single player around him. He’s a true general in the center of the field. Velde called him a “dawg.” Neville said that he’s too good for this league. I think he’s the player that this team has been begging for. I think he’ll succeed no matter who his midfield partner is. That’s a huge compliment, and his first two games have raised the floor for this team. 

Cole Bassett: 8.5

2 home games, 2 assists for Bassett. That’s awesome. The first impression of the Bassett-Caicedo midfield was very positive. He started strong, but became visibly tired around the hour mark. It’s tough to come back from an injury, but he still gave 100% effort until he was subbed off in the 89th minute. 

Antony: 6.5

It’s time for a serious Antony discussion. 

The Brazilian’s effort isn’t in question. However, he isn’t offering much on the ball, particularly if he’s receiving most passes with his back to goal. I don’t know why this team isn’t playing balls into space for him. Bye gets those types of passes on the right side, so why can’t Antony get the same treatment on the left? I think a lot of his issues are compounded by the tactical setup, but his on-ball issues should call his guaranteed starting spot into question. Especially if he isn’t making off-ball runs.

I was also discouraged to see him playing as a left wing-back out of possession. He was only able to contribute 1 defensive action (an interception). He’s at a weird crossroads with his Timbers career. There was a big jump from 2024 to 2025, but that trajectory has plateaued so far in 2026. Very concerning.

Kristoffer Velde: 9.5

These are the types of games that remind you why Velde can be one of the top players in the league. He took a big step towards becoming a force magnifier.

We have to start somewhere. Instead of taking another look at his goal, let’s go to his heatmap first.

Getting Velde into central spaces allows him to be a force magnifier. When he’s able to receive the ball on the turn and run downhill towards the goal, plenty of opportunities can be opened up. During his goal, he opted to shoot instead of playing a pass wide right to Bye or finding another one of his teammates on the left. But he called his shot, and finished with DP quality. Afterwards, he climbed on the log before quickly realizing that it was a bad idea. “I don’t know if it was legal to jump on the log,” he explained post-game. “Next time I might grab the chainsaw and cut the log myself.”

He could probably do that, provided he becomes OSHA-certified in the next month. It was his first goal in front of the North End, and he spent the rest of the game trying to get another one. His cross to Bye at the back post was glorious, and he was rewarded with a secondary assist. After the game, cameras caught him going to a field-level seat and dousing himself with beer. He’s just a complete maniac who will be instrumental to this team’s success for the foreseeable future. In addition, he was able to chip in with some helpful chippiness. I don’t blame him for trying to get Smoliakov sent off with some CONCACAF-y antics. If this team runs on confidence, Velde is a top producer.

David Da Costa: 7.5

I would not qualify this game as a “bad” Da Costa outing. But Portuguese Dave is a DP, and with that tag comes expectations.

I expect Da Costa to be one of the tempo-setters for the attack. However, he spent a fair bit of this game passing backwards. He didn’t attempt a single dribble. That could be a byproduct of the shoulder injury, but he’s been back in the team for four games now. I did think he did a good job with his passing, but very few of those passes were truly incisive. That’s the DP quality he needs to bring, regardless of the team’s structure. I also found it odd that he was acting as an outlet for long balls. This wasn’t a bad game, but it could have been better.

Felipe Mora: 7.3

Mora spent the majority of this game starved for service, and didn’t finish any of his chances. But he did some excellent off-ball running to open space for his teammates. In addition to that, passes like this one are a regular part of his toolkit:

He’s got eyes in the back of his head.

Ian Smith: 7

Smith was the first person off the bench, getting his first bit of playing time since March 22nd against the Galaxy. He didn’t misplay a single pass (18/18) and held his position really well on the defensive end. A solid, dependable kind of outing from Smudge.

Alexander Aravena: 8

After Aravena’s encouraging cameo, I’m hoping that he gets a start against Minnesota. He finished with two shots on target, including a potential game-winner in the 90th minute. He came on as a substitute for Antony on the left wing, and played left wing-back out of possession as a result. But he was definitely one of Portland’s most direct players on the pitch. That’s a quality that should be worthy of a start.

Ariel Lassiter: 7

This was Lassiter’s first appearance since March 14th in Houston, when he started as an inverted right winger. I think it’s pretty clear that he excels in wide areas, and I think his ability to provide accurate and dangerous crosses should make him one of the first substitutes off the bench. In addition, he makes really smart runs. Good to see him back on the field.

Kevin Kelsy: ONE SINGULAR TOUCH

With his only touch, Kelsy won the game for the Timbers. And he needed that goal more than anyone else on the roster.

He only got on the field in the 89th minute, which I thought was a little late. Neville apparently called his shot yesterday, and informed the press about it after the game. “I knew Kevin was going to score because yesterday he said that ‘The team is more important than me,’ when I told him he wasn’t going to start.”

I’ll allow Neville to have whatever moment that was, but Kelsy’s focus during this season has been squarely on the team. “We really needed this win,” he said post-game. “Breaking their unbeaten streak feels great. For us, getting that win feels great.” He recently shaved his head, and Tyson Alger of The I-5 Corridor asked him why he chose that hairstyle. Kelsy responded with, “I was just bored.”

His first goal of the season was a game-winner against a previously unbeaten team to break a 5-game winless run. Congratulations to him. More will follow. When you open your season account, you have to start somewhere. And this is a pretty good place to start. 

Diego Chara: PARTICIPATION TROPHY

The club captain was able to get on the field for a grand total of 20 seconds at the very end of the game. Congratulations to him. He became the first defensive midfielder in MLS history to see the field as a 40-year-old. Once again, congratulations to him.

Coach Rating: 4.5

This is a good win, but the questions about the tactical vision and structure still remain. Neville continues to make some minor tweaks game-by-game, and the most noticeable was the change to the pressing structure. I think that the team created the chances to win this game before halftime, but Neville can’t control whether or not his players put the ball in the back of the net.

That was the line of questioning I opted to pursue in the post-game presser. I wondered if he was disappointed that the team couldn’t put the game to bed before halftime. “I said to them at halftime that we’re going to have to win this game by two or three goals. I didn’t think we were ruthless enough in the first half and just before they equalized we had a chance where I thought we should’ve been ruthless. But I think we’ll get there with the control that we had and the quality that we had on the pitch.”

That last part is what worries me. There still isn’t enough movement in Portland’s attack when they do have control. That control is a higher priority than creating chances. I think the next step is working on changing the tempo when they have established control to create those scoring opportunities.

On a less skeptical note, I did like the subs. Maybe a couple of them could’ve been used earlier, but the Timbers were still able to be in control no matter who was on the pitch. However, having that control is the expectation, especially with LAFC’s heavy squad rotation. LAFC was more than happy to escape with a draw, and it seemed like the Timbers were content with the same during periods of the second half. But they got there in the end, and that’s what matters in the short-term.

The long-term is another question. Neville got some satisfaction from the pendulum swing, quipping “Today is a reward for the adversity we’ve suffered,” after the game. Now that the win has provided some confidence, can they string together some results on the road in these upcoming games?

Table Time

Kelsy’s winning goal lifted the Timbers to 11th place, one point ahead of three middling outfits tied on 6 points. Technically, the Timbers are still a middling outfit, but they’re on 7 points instead of 6. LAFC lost out on the top spot in the West as Vancouver and San Jose were able to leapfrog them. The most notable Western Conference result was Colorado’s 6-2 demolition of Houston. Maybe that Colorado loss wasn’t so bad in hindsight. However, the Houston loss is still terrible. Seattle and RSL had the weekend off because the Sounders advanced in CCC. No other MLS team was given this advantage. Do you not believe me? Try this press release on for size.

They can’t keep getting away with this. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve said that phrase. I still can’t fathom how it keeps happening. LAFC had to come to Portland this weekend, Nashville had to go to Charlotte, and the Galaxy had to go to Austin. Once again, NO OTHER TEAM HAD THIS EXCEPTION. AND SEATTLE WAS THE ONLY TEAM WITH A HOME GAME ON THE SCHEDULE! 

Final Whistle

The Timbers won a game of soccer against a good team. Regardless of which players were on the field, LAFC is still a competent outfit and a tough team to beat. This was evidenced by their previously undefeated record prior to this game. Although squad rotation definitely played a part, the Timbers still had to get across the line. The pendulum swung on the VAR review, and they were able to capitalize on it. That’s a small sign of growth, but can they bring this momentum with them to Minnesota next week?

That Minnesota game, on paper, is their most winnable game in this miniature road trip they’re about to embark on. It’s also a place where they’ve never won, and a site where they dropped crucial points last year due to a late goal. The base expectation for this season is to win home games. They absolutely met that expectation today, but they didn’t exceed it. That’s where my worry comes in. If they cannot build on this win, I’m afraid that this result means very little in the long term.

But in the short term, it’s absolutely something worth celebrating. A winning goal scored with the last kick of the game on a beautiful Saturday afternoon against a team that should be reviled by all. This win was absolutely earned, and the players needed a win in their only home game during the month of April. Do I wish that it was more convincing? Absolutely. But 3 points is still 3 points at the end of the day. 

Those 3 points could be massive at the end of the season, but the Timbers are still on a quest to prove their own legitimacy. As more and more players get healthy, a clearer picture of the squad can be gleaned from their performances. Now the onus is on improvement in all areas of their game. They might just need a single moment to begin the takeoff. And that moment could be a pendulum swinging back in their direction. They won’t see Providence Park again until May. It’s been 11 games since they tasted victory on the road. Can this win power them to ending that streak? Only time will tell. The climb continues.