The Portland Timbers need points. They have 23 for third in the West behind FC Dallas with 28 and Real Salt Lake with 27. Seattle, LA, and Colorado are all close on Portland’s heels with 21, 20, and 20 points respectively. With three teams within one to two games of the Timbers in-conference wins are vital. Three points on Saturday would give Portland some breathing room before travelling to The Home Depot Center in LA next Wednesday.
With Jamaica now out of World Cup contention starters Donovan Ricketts and Ryan Johnson should be back in Portland. Defender Futty Danso will also make his return from the Gambian national team. The return of these players couldn’t come at a better time as the Timbers are coming off a U.S. Open Cup win and play two games this week. Rodney Wallace will continue to miss time until after the 18th with the Costa Rican national team.
So, who starts in place of Wallace on the left wing and who starts at CB?. I think Kah will stay at LCB and AJB starts at RCB. This really depends on how tired AJB is after Wednesday’s game and how Futty looks in practice on Friday. Most likely AJB will start, someone his age should be fine playing two games in four days. Futty may be a nice change though as his ability to win headers could help to negate Dallas’ free kick threat.
Wallace’s left wing position is a bit trickier to fill than either CB spot. After a disappointing start in the U.S. Open Cup it would be surprising for Kalif Alhassan to crack the 11. I think it’s most likely that either Ben Zemanski or Michael Nanchoff get added if Porter keeps with a 4-3-3 formation. Zemanski can play either RB, DM, RM, or CAM and switch with Jack Jewsbury as needed. Nanchoff is coming off a great USOC game where he scored off a beautiful volleyed shot and got an assist. He could start at LW and allow Portland to have a more normalized lineup.
FC Dallas is coming off a 3-0 win over the Houston Dynamo in the U.S. Open Cup. Even though they also played a USOC match, the fact that Dallas fielded a team made largely of starters could benefit Portland. Kenny Cooper, Eric Hassli, Andrew Jacobson, Jackson, Matt Hedges, Zach Loyd, George John, and Jair Benitez all played the full 90 minutes. Six of those eight players started when Dallas played Colorado on June 1st. With Blas Perez still missing due to international duty, Dallas may have some heavy legs travelling to Jeld-Wen.
Portland’s Key to Winning:
Defending Set Pieces. FC Dallas relies on set piece goals and defensive communication has been an issue for Portland all yea . Michel can send in dangerous balls and Jackson and Cooper can finish them with ease. Ricketts will need to be on his game to keep clean sheets.
Projected Lineups:
Portland Timbers: Donovan Ricketts; Michael Harrington, Pa Modou Kah, Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Jack Jewsbury; Diego Chara, Ben Zemanski; Will Johnson, Diego Valeri, Darlington Nagbe; Ryan Johnson
FC Dallas: Raúl Fernández; Jair Benitez, Matt Hedges, George John, Zach Loyd; Fabian Castillo, Andrew Jacobson, Michel, Jackson; Eric Hassli, Kenny Cooper
(image courtesy of mlssoccer.com)
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