Portland Timbers Slip ‘n Slide To 2-1 Loss At San Jose

The Portland Timbers traveled south to San Jose on Sunday, falling 2-1 in a wet and wild game that saw numerous bouts with standing water and poor field conditions.

Portland dominated the early portion of the game, creating a number of half-chances and getting into excellent positions. But 30 minutes in, Chris Wondolowski scored off a corner kick against the run of play to set the visitors down 1-0. Then, just before the halftime whistle, Quincy Amerikwa produced an absolutely sublime chip of Portland goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey from 35 yards out, placing the ball just over Kwarasey into the top corner and sending Portland into the halftime locker room down 2-0.

San Jose sat back much of the second half and was content to let Portland attempt to break them down in the harsh conditions. It wasn’t until the 89^th minute that substitute Jack McInerney scored his first goal as a Timber, bringing the visitors back within one. But Portland was unable to capitalize in extra time, and the San Jose took all three points from the defending champions.

A few observations from Portland’s first defeat in 2016:

• Portland is really going to miss Liam Ridgewell

It was announced mere hours before kickoff that Liam Ridgewell had suffered a muscle strain in training on Friday and would probably miss “a couple of games”, according to coach Caleb Porter.  Ridgewell’s absence had a domino effect on Portland’s back line that had an obvious negative impact on the team. First, Jermaine Taylor was forced to move to central back. While Taylor is a natural center back and is a perfectly adequate replacement for Ridgewell, he does not have the same chemistry with Nat Borchers. Taylor also was at least partially responsible for San Jose’s first goal, as he allowed Wondolowski to slip in front of him on a corner kick.

But the bigger impact of Ridgewell’s injury may have been felt in the left back position that Taylor manned last week. Zarek Valentin was forced to start in his place, and struggled both offensively and defensively. San Jose attacked Valentin’s side repeatedly, and on the second goal, Amerikwa beat him badly down the side. If Valentin is forced to play significant minutes moving forward, Portland will struggle mightily on that left side.

• The posts giveth, and the posts taketh away

While the north end goalposts of Providence Park have taken on a legendary status among the Portland faithful, this game was an unfortunate reminder that not every set of posts are as friendly. Just a week after opening “The Double Post” bar in Providence Park, Portland had an unfortunate double of their own, hitting the post on two different strikes from Lucas Melano and Diego Chara. Melano’s, in particular, was a beautiful move to open up space and probably deserved better. But if he is able to strike the ball that well as the season progresses, Melano will see plenty in the back of the net.

• One loss does not a season make

Portland had not lost a game since October 3^rd of last year, a span of 162 days. While coach Porter is undoubtedly frustrated and feels that Portland may have deserved a better result, he also knows that the season is just beginning. While results are important, it is of note that, even in a loss, Portland was probably the better team and had the better chances. As last season proved, a focus on creating chances and playing good soccer may not earn a result every game, but it can pay off in spades come September and October when playoff positions and seeding are on the line.

Next up, Portland returns home for a match against Real Salt Lake, who just defeated Seattle 2-1. The match is scheduled for next Saturday, with a kickoff at 7:30 PM PST.