There’s nothing like a winning night at Jeld-Wen Field. Yes, we had a bit of luck, and no, it was not the kind of convincing win that we got against the league leaders last season, but we still beat a team that seven other teams (including LA, Salt Lake, Vancouver and DC) couldn’t. Here are my five favorite things about the 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City Saturday night.
1) A Win is a Win
I wouldn’t care if that goal had come by way of a meteorite that entered Earth’s atmosphere, landed in JWF and nudged the ball into Kansas City’s goal. An own goal from a defense that had conceded only twice in seven matches before Saturday night was only slightly more likely. Regardless of how it came, we needed these three points. Before the game, we were five points out of playoff contention, and now we are three. At the end of the day, that’s what matters most.
2) Captain Jack
I will remember this night most, I hope, as the night we got our captain back. Jack Jewsbury, probably my favorite field player of 2011, has been missing in action so far this season, going long stretches without touching the ball and never really looking dangerous when he does. Saturday night, he was the Captain Jack of old, pouncing on the ball on both the attacking and defensive ends. In addition to running most of our forward moves, he was a de facto third center back whenever we needed it. Kansas City is Jack’s old club, so that might have been the thing to light a fire under him. We can only hope it stays lit.
3) Chewie!
After Jewsbury, one of the Timbers that most excited me to watch in 2011 was Mike Chabala. Chewie was a great pickup from Houston Dynamo midseason, combining hard-nosed defending with a string of goals and assists from the wing. On Saturday, he had his best performance so far in 2012, and was our best pure defender on the night. In a season marked so far by underwhelming fullback play, this was a really important night for him.
4) Lovel Palmer on Graham Zusi
The pitchforks have been out for Lovel Palmer for a few games now, and I must admit, I have been part of the mob calling for him to trade or sit. His play at fullback has been terrible. Last season, Palmer was the place that promising offensive moves went to die, as he shot from what seemed like midfield whenever the ball hit his feet. This year, he’s been one of our least effective defenders. On Saturday, John Spencer put him in central midfield, with pretty much the sole purpose of marking tight on Graham Zusi, the league leader in assists and the fulcrum of the Kansas City attack. He was incredibly successful, forcing Zusi into one bad pass after another and keeping him pretty well neutered the entire match. I’m not necessarily sold on this as a permanent place for him, but he’s proven that he can be an effective way to cancel out one dominant opposing playmaker.
5) A Shutout without a Perfect Perkins
Last season, Troy Perkins was pretty much unanimously agreed to be our best player, and as everyone has repeated ad nauseum, that’s never a good thing to say about your keeper. Without some absolutely heroic performances from Perkins – Chicago away sticks out in my head the most – we wouldn’t have even been close to the playoffs in 2011. On Saturday night, rather than Perkins saving a feckless defense, our defense actually bailed out a struggling Perkins. Troy was shaky all night, good on positioning but unsteady with his hands. Luckily, aside from a few early mistakes, the men in front of him were in really good form, and he wasn’t tested the way he was so often last season. We didn’t need him to save us, and taking that pressure off of his shoulders is a huge step toward achieving our goals as a club.
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