Wake Me Up When Sep-Timber Ends

*Cover photo credit to Sean Meagher/The Oregonian*

Well, that was a fun Wednesday night!

MLS roster rules are very interesting. The high-impact slots (DPs and U22 Initiative Players) are expected to be the biggest contributors on the roster. Both teams that took the pitch tonight invested heavily in their attack. The result was one of the most entertaining games of the MLS season.

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“I thought we started a bit scared in the first 10 minutes, but then we grew into the game,” Phil Neville said post-game. That is a very accurate assessment of the early stages. Both teams probed and tested each other’s defense, but it was Portland who found the breakthrough in the 18th minute. An absolutely perfect ball was lofted into the box by Evander and Jonathan Rodriguez was there to head it home from almost point-blank range. Getting the first goal was massive, but the Timbers needed to add a second before halftime. They did create several massive chances (Ayala missing a free header on a corner kick, Evander dragging a shot wide left) but weren’t able to score again until the 39th minute. Santiago Moreno squared the ball to Evander, and the Brazilian juggled the ball to himself before slamming it home on the volley with his weak foot. 2-0 is the most dangerous lead and soccer, and the Galaxy scored at the most dangerous time. After a very good defensive half, Gabriel Pec found the breakthrough for the visitors by roofing home a nifty backheeled pass from Miguel Berry with the last kick of the opening period. 

Half number two began with an instant chance for the visitors, but Joseph Paintsil’s shot went wide right. Before the Galaxy inevitably scored again, the Timbers needed to increase the lead to two. That’s exactly what they did in the 51st minute. Miguel Araujo played a long ball to Jonathan Rodriguez, and it was headed down to Felipe Mora. A through ball to Rodriguez followed, and the Uruguayan almost got his second before getting tackled in the box. Penalty shouts didn’t matter, because Evander was on hand to slam the ball home and get his second goal. 3-1. However, in the 59th minute, Pec’s shot hit the post and rebounded to Paintsil, who scored a tap-in. It was initially ruled offside, but was overturned after a VAR review. 3-2. The Timbers, not completely out of danger, needed to regain their two-goal lead. Antony entered the game in the 79th minute, and immediately contributed. Santiago Moreno found Antony on the left, and the Brazilian winger crossed it to the far post and Mora. The Chilean took a touch off his chest and then slammed it home past John McCarthy for a 4-2 lead and a delicious Sunshine Goal. Portland then held their ground until the final whistle blew and a massive three points were secured.

Both teams combined for an astounding 46 shots (LA 24 Portland 22) but the Timbers had the edge in shots on target. The Timbers, however, could have been up by at least 3 goals in the first half if they were ruthlessly clinical. If Portland had lost this game, I would have been harping on those missed chances. But that’s an exercise for losers, and the Timbers are winners. At least at Providence Park. Tonight’s victory extended their home unbeaten streak to 12 games, with the last loss coming in May. Their home form has been the biggest catalyst for their rise up the table. Making Providence Park a fortress is a key to future success and makes the fight for home-field advantage even more important. 

The Galaxy won the possession battle 60-40, but were lacking the killer instinct in the final third. It was the best performance from an opposing team I have seen in Providence Park this year. They didn’t sit back and try to hit Portland on the counter. A 4-2 victory against their biggest rivals last weekend added plenty of wind to their sails, and even with the Timbers taking a multiple-goal lead three times the Galaxy never felt out of it. That’s a testament to how good the visitors were and how good the Timbers were. Despite losing a multiple-goal lead twice, the Timbers kept fighting to score more. That’s what great teams do, and the Timbers are a great team when they’re playing at Providence Park. This is an incredibly impressive win, even though the Galaxy scored twice. What’s even more impressive is how the Timbers scored four goals. They are the first team to score 4 times against the Galaxy this season, and they could have scored more. What a fantastic win.

Portland’s ability to bend but not break won them the game. Yeah, the attack scored 4 goals, but the Timbers contested almost every shot and the Galaxy scored their 2 best chances. That’s what good teams do. However, Portland’s defense of the box was so impressive that they forced the Galaxy to shoot the ball 12 times from outside the penalty area. Some of those shots troubled goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, but the Timbers learned their lesson from the last time these two teams met. They closed down shots really well. They defended set pieces really well. They didn’t allow themselves to be carved open on the counterattack. It feels strange to say that the Timbers were excellent defensively even though they conceded twice, but that’s exactly what they were.

Player Ratings

Like the 3-0 victory against RSL back in July, every single player who stepped on the pitch was excellent. 

Maxime Crepeau: 9

Can you give a goalkeeper a 9 when they let in two goals? The answer is yes. Tonight was another example of why the Timbers signed Crepeau in the offseason. He is a big-game player. He really couldn’t do anything on both goals that went by him, and sometimes that happens. It took two golden chances to beat the former LAFC man tonight. He claimed every ball in his hemisphere and made 5 saves. One play that stands out in my mind happened in the 17th minute. While the game was still tied, the Timbers had a corner kick. In the first meeting between these two teams, a weak Portland corner kick immediately turned into a counter attack and a Galaxy goal. LA goalkeeper John McCarthy claimed Evander’s cross and immediately sent it long. Crepeau was far off his line and headed it back into the Galaxy’s half. I love his fearlessness. He is a true sweeper keeper and he makes the Timbers a better team.

Juan Mosquera: 8

This might be the quietest 8 of the season, but Mosquera showed why European clubs rate him so highly tonight. He didn’t put a foot out of line defensively and created 4 chances. His substitution in the 85th minute was a deserved rest after an excellent shift. The Colombian has played the most minutes on the team this season, and still doesn’t have a yellow card.

Dario Zuparic: 9.5

The same cannot be said for Zup, who picked up a yellow card in the 13th minute. That booking means that he will miss Saturday’s game in Salt Lake City, which must piss him off beyond belief. Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to play this upcoming weekend, he left it all on the field. How many times in the first half did he pop up to make a crucial tackle or interception? I was seriously considering giving him a 10, but the foul that earned him a yellow wasn’t necessary. A near-flawless performance from the Croatian giant. 

Miguel Araujo: 8.5

Araujo’s defending was absolutely stellar. He locked down Paintsil in the first half while putting Marco Reus in jail in the second. Easily his best defensive performance since the RSL game. However, while his passing is one of his better traits, he made a couple bad passes during this game that turned into Galaxy chances. That’s the only thing keeping his rating at an 8.5 instead of a 9. 

Kamal Miller: 8.5

For the second straight game, Miller played out of position at left back. I thought he held his own against Gabriel Pec. Late in the game, the Brazilian winger was rather frustrated at Miller’s tough defense. Once again, this could be a 9 but I’m placing the blame for the Galaxy’s first goal at his feet. He was caught out of position on the left and allowed Pec to get between him and Zuparic to fire the ball into the net. It’s rather nit-picky, but it shouldn’t overshadow an excellent outing from the Canadian defender.

Diego Chara: 8

Vintage Diego Chara games are becoming few and far between, but he showed up once again in a huge game. He didn’t make a tackle but drew 2 fouls. Not an elite outing on the stat sheet, but a captain’s performance.

David Ayala: 8

An “8” seems like the baseline for Ayala going forward. Tonight, he would have had an 8.5 if he was able to score his free header. I’m going to pose an interesting question that should be a focus of the Timbers in the offseason: is he eventually going to earn a DP contract for this team? If he can stay healthy and keep putting in excellent performances, I don’t see why not.

Santiago Moreno: 8

I wish I could give Moreno a defensive score and an offensive score. However, I have to average out both of them into a solid 8. Moreno’s defensive work continues to be the strongest part of his game. 4 interceptions, 9 recoveries, and 1 block. His interceptions often led to counterattacks, which is becoming a key part of this team’s philosophy.

However, I think I have realized his biggest weakness. Good attacking players aren’t just good on the ball; they’re able to recognize space. Moreno often carries the ball into areas that are already occupied and still struggles with his decision-making around the box. He turned the ball over several times in bad areas but still registered an assist on Evander’s first goal. Even during some poor attacking performances on the whole, he still finds a way to get on the scoresheet.

Evander: 10

Normally I don’t use official MLS statistics because they count secondary assists. However, I am going to use them to prove a point. Tonight, Evander tallied 2g/1a, which brings his OFFICIAL tally to 14g/18a. That is 32 total goal contributions, which is the most in the entire league. Cambridge Dictionary defines “MVP” as “an award given to a sports player who is judged most important to the sport, team, or game.” 

Using the literal dictionary definition of the term that I have just provided, it seems like Evander is a perfect example of the term. Now, the Apple TV talking heads seem to think that MVP status should align with table position. I have only one question to ask them: without Evander and his penchant for stuffing the stat sheet, where would the Portland Timbers be in 2024? If Evander’s exploits aren’t the most important (and therefore most valuable) aspect of this team, what the F*** is the point of handing out this award. No matter how you slice it, or try to convince yourselves otherwise, Evander is the frontrunner for 2024 MLS MVP. He is currently in contract negotiations with the Portland Timbers. I implore the front office to hand him a blank check. He has earned it. “My main goal is to get Portland to the playoffs,” he said post-game. “I’m just doing everything I can for Portland.”

Jonathan Rodriguez: 9.5

No one on the roster needed a big game more than Rodriguez. Prior to tonight, the Uruguayan only scored 1 goal in his previous 5 games. Phil Neville gave some insight post-game about his DP forward. When he came to Portland in March, he was already in the middle of the Liga MX season with Club America. That fatigue finally caught up to him during Leagues Cup, but it appears that he is fully back and ready to strike fear into opposing defenses.

I would like to highlight his aerial presence. He won 4 out of 6 aerial duels, and most of them led to attacking opportunities. It was his initial header that turned into a breakthrough on goal before getting fouled in the box. It didn’t matter because Evander was on hand, but I saw the fire fueling him. Getting that goal in the 18th minute immediately sparked his confidence. He took a slight knock after going up for a header, but got subbed out in the 79th minute after an excellent shift.

Antony: 8

I normally don’t talk about substitutes, but I’m very proud of Antony’s resilience. He had a poor outing in Colorado, but made an impact within 1 minute of entering the game tonight. As a young player who isn’t getting a ton of starts, it can be hard to find confidence. He was able to shake it off and put in an excellent shift in the closing stages of this game. Bravo.

Felipe Mora: 9

Phil Neville called Mora the “unsung hero” of the Timbers’ historic attacking trio. Yes, if you haven’t heard, the combination of Evander, Mora, and Rodriguez (they need a nickname, I’m willing to hear suggestions) have made MLS history. Tonight, with goals from all three of them, they became the first trio of teammates to score 14+ goals in a single MLS regular season. Mora continued to be a pest off the ball and he found himself in perfect position to smash home Antony’s cross in the 80th minute. It’s very fitting that he scored a Sunshine Goal tonight, because his resurgence this year has been crucial to this team’s success. 

Table Time

Although this victory is utterly fantastic, the Timbers now have to prepare for a short turnaround for RSL on Saturday.

It was physically impossible for the Timbers to climb out of 8th place tonight, but they did what they needed to do. However, rather than look farther up the table, it’s time to look below. The Timbers are now 8 points ahead of 10th-place Austin and 9 points ahead of 11th-place Dallas. Both teams will come to Portland for the final two home matches of the regular season. I think it’s safe to assume that the 2024 Portland Timbers will make the playoffs. And if the season ended today, they would host Minnesota in the Wild Card game before facing the Galaxy in the First Round if they conquer the Loons. However, they are only 4 points behind 4th-place Colorado. Every result went Portland’s way tonight, including a Sounders draw against the likely Spoon-winning Earthquakes and a Colorado faceplant in Kansas City. They still need help, and now they hit the road again as they try to find their first road win since June. There is no time to sit on their laurels. The climb continues.

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