They Never Surrendered.

I needed to do some more thinking about last night’s match. While we did deserve a result, I’m proud of the effort shown from the team.

The Timbers started the first half ready to take the game to Monterrey. However, they couldn’t finish their chances. Monterrey couldn’t either, until they scored the go-ahead right before halftime on a Maxi Meza bullet into the right side of the net. 

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The game continued to be open in the second half, and both teams had massive chances. They both couldn’t finish them, but it was a chance in second half stoppage time that sealed the Timbers’ fate. Dario Zuparic’s shot was saved by Esteban Andrada, and that was that. A hard-fought loss against good competition.

Since I am proud of the Timbers’ effort last night, I’m going to start off with the negatives. There is only one serious negative, and it is finishing. If we go by xG, Monterrey just edged Portland 1.03-1.00. That’s a tiny difference and it means that we probably should’ve gone to penalties. Well, why didn’t we go to penalties? The shot map should provide some clarity.

There are some pretty high-value shots here. Zuparic’s late chance is the one right next to the penalty spot. All red dots are shots off-target, and all the orange ones are shots on target. The Timbers only had four shots on target this match. They took a total of 17. You might be tempted to think that a lot of these off-target shots were simply blocked. I hate to burst the bubble, but only three of those shots were blocked. That leaves 10 shots that were able to be taken but missed the target entirely. Franck Boli had a couple close chances, and Sebastian Blanco blazed one over the bar in the 89th minute. Chances were created, but they weren’t finished. If one of those go in, we go to penalties. Monterrey also had problems with their finishing, and that’s something to take advantage of. But alas, sometimes things aren’t meant to be. No matter how much effort you put in, sometimes it just isn’t your night.

Some will have complaints with the referee. He was bad for both teams. Santiago Moreno pretty obviously handled a ball in the 9th minute and no foul was called. I think the ref let the physicality get way too high and he lost control of the game. It’s a pretty big indictment of the officiating when there is a massive brawl after the final whistle. As far as I can tell, two yellow cards for that scuffle seemed a little bit low, but I don’t have any major thoughts on it. A physical game that boiled over after the final whistle. The challenge on Dairon Asprilla in the 27th minute was definitely red-card worthy, but I’m not too upset that it wasn’t given. It was certainly a hard challenge with the elbow, but yellow cards can’t be reviewed. Bottomline, this tournament needs better refereeing.

Out of all the players on this team, one is the most polarizing. He is also my Man of the Match. Claudio Bravo is a gambler. He’s one of the best dribblers on the team and he plays fullback. Using his skills, he often gets higher up the pitch than a normal left back in a back four would. This can lead to him getting caught out of position if he or the player he passes the ball to turns it over. It’s not the worst thing in the world, and there are bigger issues with the backline. I think both him and Juan Mosquera are more suited to wingback roles rather than fullback ones. But Bravo was once again excellent tonight. There are going to be people who will disagree with me, but he’s an asset to this team and has games where he just goes supernova. Tonight was one of those nights. 

I will be saving my thoughts on Jaroslaw Niezgoda for an entirely separate article. All I’m going to say is that he was electric whenever he touched the ball tonight. No, I’m not crazy. If you didn’t see his impact tonight I’m convinced you didn’t watch the game. 

One player I will dive deeper on is Sebastian Blanco. Once he entered the match, the Timbers began to get in more dangerous areas than they had before his introduction. Yes, he skied the chance at the end of the game. But he can still do a job and create moments of magic. We know what player he is at this stage of his career. I will applaud Felipe Mora’s bike attempt in the second half, just a shame that the ball was too high for him. 

Upon seeing the starting lineup, I was very concerned about the backline. A back four against a quick-twitch attack like Monterrey was a bold choice for Giovanni Savarese. Yes, the defense only conceded one goal, but it could’ve been more. I thought Dario Zuparic had an excellent game while Zac McGraw was subpar. Another center back alongside them (MIGUEL ARAUJO) could’ve really helped the Timbers achieve full defensive solidity. Araujo has the talent to start for this team, and I think including him in the XI would allow the Timbers to play their best soccer. This isn’t the place to expand on that idea because the Timbers were very good tonight. But as the season resumes, it’s something to keep an eye on.  

In the post-game press conference, Savarese said that the team was upset about tonight’s result while still acknowledging that they played a good game. That’s what’s tough about this sport. The Timbers have gone against two Mexican titans and played up to their level and maybe past it. Both teams were on pretty even footing tonight. While two hard losses isn’t a great barometer for the rest of the season, knowing that they could have won is a blessing in disguise. The fine margins were the reason for their defeats, and it will motivate the players to ace every aspect of the game to secure three points. They have the talent and the depth to push deep into the playoffs, but first they must make them.

In case you forgot, this is where we stand. 3 points out of 9th with about a game up on our competition. Yes, our goal difference isn’t pretty, but here’s where the late season rise is about to begin. The 15 day wait until the next match begins now. It is a trip to Houston, who are still alive in the tournament. Also, you may disagree, but it’s now time to root for the Mexican teams in Leagues Cup. If the Timbers won’t win it, why would I want another MLS team to do so? Whoever wins the Monterrey-Tigres game will decide who I’m rooting for. Yes, they’re both physical and you could call them dirty. But we didn’t get run off the field by either team. We stood our ground, and could’ve won under the right circumstances (Evander’s second yellow and just one goal). Losing to a champion in the early rounds is kind of a badge of honor. This is now our second cup exit of the year, and I’m honestly more upset about the Open Cup loss to RSL than this. I’m sure you might disagree, and I understand if you do. 

2 whole weeks to get ready for the home stretch. It is OK to believe in this team. The holes that needed to be filled on the roster are filled, we still advanced farther than Seattle in this tournament, and the team’s morale is still generally high. What will follow is anyone’s guess, but the Timbers got what they needed out of Leagues Cup. They needed belief and they got it. If they believe they can hang with any of the top teams in the league, they’ve already won half the battle. Gone is the team that routinely went belly-up to opponents in the face of too much adversity. Even if the scorelines haven’t reflected that shift, the team knows they can win. And now it’s time to rest up and get ready to prove it for the rest of 2023.

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