Rodney Wallace, Diego Valeri, and Will Johnson all scored Sunday night extending Portland’s unbeaten streak to 9 games. The Timbers dominated Chiva from the start, attempting their first shot in the second minute and first corner in the fifth. This was followed a Diego Valeri header saved by Chivas GK Patrick McLain in the 10th minute. Portland sustained this pressure all game preventing Chivas from ever taking control.
The Portland Timbers and Chivas USA began the 2013 season the same way. Both teams hired new head coaches with no MLS management experience: Caleb Porter for the Timbers and José Luis Sánchez Solá, or Chelis, for Chivas. Since then, their paths have forked.
The game Sunday night between the Portland Timbers and New York Red Bulls in Portland could end up being one of the more exciting games of the 2013 season. The game had its moments of sloppiness that one would expect of an opening day game, but there were also moments of brilliance and skill that nearly took your breath away. When I look at this game from a Portland perspective, there are three major takeaways for me, which are as follows: 1) Mikael Silvestre should never be allowed to play another MLS game; 2) Diego Valeri is going to be a very good MLS player; and 3) Portland is going to be a very fun team to watch in 2013.
There is a great line in the movie “Miracle” (about the 1980 USA hockey team) where head coach Herb Brooks is giving his team a pep talk prior to their big match against the Soviet Union. He says “if we played these guys 10 times, they might win 9. But not tonight.” That’s kind of how I feel about the match tonight between the Portland Timbers and New York Red Bulls.
As I peer over my computer screen and look at the large calendar pinned to the wall, I notice two things: 1) I need to find a Valentine’s Day gift ASAP and 2) we are less than a month away from the start of the MLS season. Guess which one of those things I’m looking forward to more? But I digress.
One of the main storylines of the 2012 MLS season was the disappointing play of the Portland Timbers. Having narrowly missed the playoffs in their inaugural MLS season the year before, expectations were high for this team heading into 2012. But, a slow start to the 2012 season, coupled with an embarrassing loss to Cal FC (yes, that Cal FC of the U.S. Adult Soccer Association) in the U.S. Open Cup, cost head coach John Spencer his job in early July. The second half of the season under GM and interim coach Gavin Wilkinson was almost a carbon copy of the first half. Portland finished near the bottom of the table in 8th place in the Western Conference – only four points clear of last-place Chivas USA. It was clear that changes needed to be made.
Portland Timbers came away with a gargantuan win this afternoon at home against longtime I-5 rivals, Seattle Sounders. The sellout crowd of 20,438 experienced a real show this afternoon whether it was 2 red cards in a last minute scrum, Seattle’s neon “cyan” kits, or the proudly loud Timbers’ Army. As everyone expected, the match was a gritty, hard-fought physical battle.
It was a great day for soccer this past Sunday as Portland met the Galaxy in Carson, California for the first time since beating them handily during pre-season. This time was quite the different story, however. With four LA defenders on the MLS injury list and Oregon State standout, Danny Mwanga, making his debut for the Timbers, it was the perfect opportunity for the Rose City attack to boost its embarrassingly low record of 10 goals in 12 games. After Sunday’s match, the record is now 10 goals in 13 games since losing one-nil at the Home Depot Center. In terms of attack, Portland showed they can play with the star-studded Galaxy but time and time again lacked the finishing that has been absent from the club since entering Major League Soccer.
Sunday the Timbers fly south to take on West Coast powerhouse and defending MLS Cup champions, L.A. Galaxy, which is somewhat of a misnomer seeing as the Hollywood squad has not won in the last 8 games. This includes their most recent loss in the Open Cup to Carolina RailHawks from the North American Soccer League. With the new addition of Danny Mwanga to Portland’s attack, this could be the Timbers’ best opportunity to extract 3 points from the last place team in the Western Conference.
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.
