Portland Timbers Season Preview

As the start of the 2012 season gets closer and closer, the Portland Timbers have been preparing for their second season as members of Major League Soccer. The Timbers are coming off a roller coaster first season where they played strong in front of the home fans at JELD-WEN Field and seemed to struggle during most away matches. The team was just not able to find a proper rhythm on unfamiliar turf. The team and Timbers Army are ecstatic to get going again in 2012.

Here is a breakdown of the Timbers’ roster.

Keepers:

• Troy Perkins

• Jake Gleeson

• Joe Bendik

There is no question here that Perkins will be top spot keeper for the Timbers. Gleeson and the recently signed Bendik have also proved they are outstanding between the pipes and there shouldn’t be any surprise if they find playing time in some non-MLS matches. For the majority of fixtures, Perkins should be seen starting in goal.

Defense:

• Eric Brunner

• Mike Chabala

• Mamadou ‘Futty’ Danso

• David Horst

• Andrew Jean-Baptiste

• Hanyer Mosquera

• Lovel Palmer

• Steve Purdy

• Chris Taylor

• Rodney Wallace

The back line for the Timbers faced many questions last season, and there are still decisions to be made about who will form the starting back four. After picking up Chabala and Palmer midway through last season, the backline usually consisted of Brunner, Futty Danso, Palmer, and Chabala. Before said acquisitions were made however, Purdy and Wallace often found themselves holding down the right and left sides. Unfortunately for the Timbers, injuries have set back up and coming center back David Horst when he was subjected to a hip injury and subsequent surgery leaving him sidelined for about 6 months. In the draft the Timbers filled the injured Horst’s position with Andrew Jean-Baptiste, who proved to be one of the better center backs during the MLS combine games. Another great pickup came in the form of Hanyer Mosquera, who played his previous six seasons in the Colombian top leagues. He now plays on the same side as fellow countrymen Jorge Perlaza and Diego Chara, having already been teammates with Chara during their time at Deportes Quindio in Colombia. When it comes down to looking for starters on the back line, it looks likely to replicate last season’s finishing lineup with Brunner and Danso in the middle, and Chabala and Palmer holding down the edges. Don’t be surprised to see Wallace or Purdy finding themselves in the starting XI plenty of times as well.

Also, prior to the season beginning, three Timber defenders have already been called up by their respected country’s national teams. Futty will be making some appearances for his home country of Gambia, as he did last season, leaving an empty spot for one of the newer defenders to strut his skills on the pitch. Danso will be playing in a qualifier match for Gambia on Feb. 29th for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. Steve Purdy has been called up for national duty in El Salvador in which he will play on Feb. 29th in a CONCACAF qualifying match. Finally, Rodney Wallace will receive another call up to the Costa Rica National Team after leaving an impressive mark last year, netting two in four appearances; including one we all remember with his lone goal in a friendly against the United States last year.

Midfield:

• Eric Alexander

• Kalif Alhassan

• Freddie Braun

• Diego Chara

• Jack Jewsbury

• James Marcelin

• Darlington Nagbe

• Franck Songo’o

• Sal Zizzo

• Charles Renken

The midfield of the Timbers looks strong yet again, but there is going to be some debate over who will be getting the majority of starts as so many players proved themselves last season or in the offseason to be worthy of starting positions. Of course, Captain Jack will hold down a central midfield position as usual, most likely alongside Chara, but strong offseason production by James Marcelin, and the midseason acquisition of Eric Alexander last year will provide great depth should Coach John Spencer choose to move someone else into the central midfield position. Reigning Goal of the Year winner Darlington Nagbe has potential to be one of the top midfielders in the league, but coming off a small injury in the offseason sets up minor inklings of worry for some. Other midfielders like Sal Zizzo, who saw a majority of starts last season, and Kalif Alhassan will have to work hard to find themselves in the starting XI as former Barcelona and Albacete(Spain) man Franck Songo’o showed he is well deserving of a starting position in the Portland midfield. It will be very interesting to see how Songo’o fits in with the Timbers early in the season and don’t be surprised to see him making quite a few starts on the wing. As for starters in the midfield, Jewsbury and Chara will most likely get the majority of nods in the center, with Nagbe holding down the wing more often than not. However, questions seek answers for the fourth midfield positions, and with plenty of possible solutions on the roster, Coach Spenny should have a good time trying to properly piece the midfield puzzle together to find out what works best for the squad.

Forwards:

• Kris Boyd

• Bright Dike

• Eddie Johnson

• Jorge Perlaza

• Brent Richards

• Jose Adolfo Valencia

Then comes the forward position. Seeing as the Timbers prefer to run two forwards, and there are an abundance of them on the roster, it will be interesting to see who steps up as goal scorers. Almost guaranteed is that the new acquisition of Scotsman Kris Boyd (leading goal scorer in the Scottish Premier League with 164 in almost 300 SPL appearances; as well as 7 for the Scottish National Team) will be getting the majority of striker starts as he has proven in the past that he has a knack for finding the back of the net. Although some criticism about his work effort has followed him through recent seasons, often being referred to as “lazy”, Boyd seems very excited to be in Portland playing under Scottish boss John Spencer. Boyd should not have any problem shutting his critics up as he will have a good chance at making a run for the Golden Boot in his first MLS season. Along with Boyd, others strikers will definitely be fighting for a spot in the starting XI. Perlaza, who found himself starting many matches last season alongside the streaky Kenny Cooper (now with the New York Red Bulls) will be the likely candidate for a starting position as his speed is one of the quickest in the league. Bright Dike, who played with the Timbers prior to their inclusion in MLS, and Englishman Eddie Johnson(who suffered a concussion during preseason camp in Los Angeles) will also prove top competitors for a starting position up front. as Newly  acquired Brent Richards, a local Northwest player, will also have a shot at earning playing time. The debut of new signing Jose Adolfo Valencia, “El Trencito” (son of Adolfo ‘El Tren’ Valencia, who played for European sides Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid) will have to wait some time after he underwent an offseason surgery that will put him out for quite some time. As for starters, the most likely decision will be Boyd and Perlaza, with spurts of other forwards finding their way into the starting XI.

My Picks For Starting XI Before The Season:

Keeper:

• Troy Perkins

Defense:

• Mike Chabala

• Futty Danso

• Eric Brunner

• Lovel Palmer

Midfield:

• Jack Jewsbury (C)

• Diego Chara

• Darlington Nagbe

• Franck Songo’o

Forwards:

• Kris Boyd

• Jorge Perlaza

Check out the preseason tournament being hosted by the Timbers at JELD-WEN Field in Portland on their website as they will be streaming all of the games being played for free. 

Come on you Timbers!! #RCTID

(image courtesy of portlandtimbers.com)