Portland Timbers Give Up Late Goal, Drop Points At Home For Second Straight Week

What a funny game soccer is. A week after failing to score despite numerous chances and dominating the run of play against Real Salt Lake, the Portland Timbers once again ended up splitting the points with the visitor, albeit under completely different circumstances. This time around, this was not a toothless Real Salt Lake, consistently bailed out by the outstanding play of Nick Rimando; this was the defending champion LA Galaxy and reigning league MVP Robbie Keane. Portland once again managed to dominate the game for long stretches, applying near-constant pressure on the Galaxy defense that eventually led to the Portland goals. The difference this week was that the Galaxy were able to respond in kind, with pressure of their own and multiple goal-scoring opportunities. While the Timbers will obviously be disappointed giving up a goal in the 92^nd minute, the result was probably a fair one for both sides.

The first 30 minutes of the game, Portland was dominant in both possession and scoring opportunities. Darlington Nagbe and Fenando Adi keyed a direct attack that challenged Los Angeles from the opening minutes until Adi calmly put away a chance that came about through brilliant team play and passing with Nagbe and Rodney Wallace.

Adi was a man possessed the entire game, and was a thorn in the side of the Galaxy from the opening whistle. Just as he did against Real Salt Lake, Adi forced the opposing defense to key almost entirely on him, with Galaxy DP Omar Gonzalez unable to handle Adi 1-on-1. After 2 games, it is clear that Adi and Nagbe will be bearing the overwhelming brunt of the responsibility for the Timbers attack while Valeri is missing. Nagbe’s dribbles and creativity stressed the Galaxy defense all 90 minutes, and his pace and ball control were a constant challenge all night long. In particular, his work on the 2^nd goal where he brought down a perfect Liam Ridgewell pass and dribbled between 3 defenders before dropping it off for Adi’s finish was the play of the night from the Portland perspective. Nagbe’s presence was felt much more consistently this week, much to the delight of Timbers fans. Despite the two goals however, this game was a perfect example of what the Timbers miss while Diego Valeri is out rehabbing.

While this direct attack was effective at times, it is also limited. Los Angeles adjusted its defense at halftime, and Portland’s attack was neutered for a good portion of the second half while it attempted to protect the 1-0 lead. The addition of Gaston Fernandez in place of Darion Asprilla provided another central playmaker, and gave the Portland attack versatility that it was lacking. While Asprilla has moments and his speed presents challenges to the defense, he consistently failed to beat defenders 1-on-1 and made poor decisions in the final third that ended Portland threats. Caleb Porter might be better served using Fernandez in a starting role while Valeri is on the shelf to provide another playmaker and leaving Maxi Uruti as the super-sub when needed.

Portland’s defense was also seriously challenged for the first time in this game, and the results were mixed. While Portland was able to effectively keep Robbie Keane in check, Nat Borchers struggled with Gyasi Zardes all game long. Throughout the game, Borchers demonstrated exactly why his offseason addition was so valuable for Portland, while also exposing his limitations. Zardes beat Borchers on multiple occasions throughout the entire match and had numerous opportunities that he failed to capitalize on, particularly in the first half. Despite this, Borchers never panicked and always made an effort at recovery that often made Zardes’ chance slightly more difficult than it otherwise might have been. Borchers and Ridgewell also teamed well to clear many dangerous balls into the box, including a sliding block on Robbie Keane when he was 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper.

In the second half, Zardes finally capitalized when he split Borchers and goalie Adam Larsen Kwarasey to finish an excellent cross from Jose Villarreal, knotting up the game at 1. Borchers and Kwarasey share blame for me on this goal, as Borchers lost track of Zardes, and Kwarasey should have come out much stronger. Borchers was also marking Omar Gonzalez on the stoppage time corner that he and teammate Alan Gordon headed into the Portland goal to secure the draw.

While Portland struggled at times with the Galaxy attack, the bright side for the Timbers is that there are not many teams in MLS with a one-two punch like Keane and Zardes. Containing them is a struggle for every team in the league, and should not be treated as a black mark against them. But Borchers, Ridgewell, and Kwarasey have work to do before they are ready to consistently challenge the best the Western Conference has to offer. Alvas Powell, who was my man of the match from the first game, also took a step back against the Galaxy. He was beaten down the flank numerous times and gave up too many good opportunities, which eventually turned into LA’s first goal.

One thing we can say for certain after two weeks is that this is not the 2014 Portland Timbers. Against LA, Portland once again badly lost the possession battle, holding under 44% of the total possession. That’s now two games in a row where Portland, the same team that finished 5^th in all of MLS in total possession last season, has held the ball less than 45% against their opponents. It’s important to point out that this is not necessarily a bad development, but it is a notable one. Caleb Porter has been among the leading advocates of possession-based play since coming to MLS in 2013, and has built his entire offensive philosophy around the concept. But these first two games, and the style of play the Timbers have demonstrated, signal that a change may be occurring in Portland. As Portland travel to Sporting Kansas City and host Vancouver over the next two weeks, it will be worth keeping an eye on the possession stats and whether Porter continues to utilize the direct attack through Nagbe and Adi in lieu of his traditional “beautiful” build up play.

Portland frustratingly dropped points at home for the second straight game; the same early season results that ended up costing them a playoff position last year. But the optimist in me is forced to point out that 2014 began by dropping points at home to the likes of Philadelphia, Chicago, and Chivas; not exactly the cream of the MLS crop. While Portland may be ending up with the same results so far, no one will ever mistake RSL and the LA Galaxy for any of those squads. So long as the Timbers continue earning points and keep their heads afloat until re-enforcements in the form of two all-stars arrive in late April-early May, Portland should be primed to make a strong run towards the top of the Western Conference.