The Portland Timbers’ Chemistry Void

They absolutely love Pa Modou Kah in Vancouver.

Doesn’t matter that he hasn’t played a competitive game for the Whitecaps yet. Probably helps, in fact. All bets are off once Kah steps onto the field.

But for now, he’s beloved. In one short preseason, Kah has established himself as Vancouver’s director of morale, a kind of a spiritual leader of good times.

Kah, as we know, has a personality that defies description and categorization. He’s just Kah, a chattering, amusing, unpredictable, never-ending show, part joker, part savant.

Robinson is under no false pretenses about Kah on the field. He saw both sides of #44 last year when Vancouver played Portland, in a 4-3 ‘Caps win in Portland it was the erratic, homicidal Kah that was a train-wreck for 90 minutes, in a 3-0 Timbers romp in BC Place, it was the strong, iron-willed back-line leader.

He’s far more likable off the field than he ever will be on it, and that — along with the hefty salary he was going to pull for the 2015 season — was why the Timbers dumped him in November.

It was also why the Whitecaps picked him up in January.

You can learn a lot about what a team hopes to gain from a player by how that player is sold in team press releases and advertising campaigns, and from the get-go, Kah’s signing has been billed as one that could be okay on the field, but will be a bonanza in the locker-room.

Kah builds family environments. He builds camaraderie. People like being around Kah. He likes being around people.

Young ‘Caps starlet Kekuta Manneh shares Kah’s Gambian descent and the two are good friends. Carl Robinson is banking that Kah will get the best of his compatriot.

Chemistry isn’t an accident. That’s why Robinson is betting a very decent amount of a small and uncertain salary cap that Kah has more good moments than bad on the field and turns Vancouver’s already chummy locker-room into the best in MLS.

Kah has that power. It’s his most valuable trait. You remember 2013 in Portland — the Great Wall of Gambia, the playoff win over Seattle — Donovan Ricketts described that team as, “a family.”

It certainly played a part in the Timbers’ late-season run to the Western Conference championship.

But the decision was made about ten games into last season that the magic had worn off and neither Kah nor his merry band was a long-term answer in Portland.

Couldn’t blame Caleb Porter and Gavin Wilkinson at the time. The defense was terrible. The Timbers were trying to salvage their season.

So Futty was shipped to Montreal, and Kah and Ricketts were released at the end of the season.

The three that replaced the Great Wall, Liam Ridgewell, Nat Borchers, and Adam Kwarasey, are easily and obviously an overall upgrade.

Question is, will the Timbers still have the spirit they did in 2013?

Caleb Porter likes the psychology of the game, and he understands the need to keep players fit mentally as well as physically.

To be a successful sports team, you need talent, coaching, and chemistry.

Talent is often the easiest part. Either you have it or you don’t, and if you don’t, you can get it if you’re willing to pay for it.

Coaching and management is a little bit tougher. It’s hard to find a great leadership team. But get one in place, and the stars will start to align.

Chemistry is the wild card. Its impact is least easy to know. It’s the hardest to judge. But it’s not an accident. And it’s not to be ignored. Teams that like playing together play better. Teams that hate each other’s guts play worse. It’s intuitive.

It seems like Porter understands that. That’s why Kah got every chance to succeed last year before the Timbers let him go.

The question is, have they replaced the locker-room void he and Futty and Ricketts, the latter two being extremely well-liked as well, left.

Kah was a mentor to players like Alvas Powell. He was friends with new guys like Fanendo Adi. He set the tone for the club. Who does that now?

The Timbers have a lot of really good guys. It’s a perk of MLS — most players, untouched by true glamour, are down to earth solid people.

Portland’s leaders, from Will Johnson, to Jack Jewsbury, to Nat Borchers and Liam Ridgewell, are all fantastic professionals. The hope is that this 2015 team will have the same joie de vivre as that 2013 team.

Last year, not everyone was so happy. Kalif Alhassan was unhappy. Steve Zakuani struggled. Players like Norberto Paparatto and Gaston Fernandez were transitioning to a new continent, and by the time Futty was traded, there was a sense of unease around the squad.

Kah kept things light. He kept things upbeat. Who does that now?

This isn’t an indictment of the Timbers for ditching Kah. But you do have to applaud Vancouver for picking him up. We’ll see how this Timbers team shapes up off the field.

Last year’s team was a circus. Through and through. Their games were the acts.

So it’s no mistake that this offseason in Portland was about cleaning out the clown car. Portland has a lot of professionals now. Let’s hope they also have a lot of fun.

The season is long. It is absolutely a grind, and as fun as being a professional soccer player is, it is mentally and physically draining.

Kah is gone now. Vancouver can’t get enough of him, and there’s no question that they are going to be a fun team this year. The Timbers? We’ll have to see.