It’s a Happy Hour hoedown (I’m sorry) in ATX as the Timbers square-dance off (again — I am so sorry) against Austin FC. Can Portland start a win streak with three points deep in the heart of Texas? Come chat through it in the match thread! (Once again — so sorry).
I'll give Neville credit for winning the battle against Wolff. At least for tonite, Phil's not the worst manager in the league. Heck, he's probably not the worst of the season. Bar is low but if forced to choose, I'll take Neville over a guy who barely wins with Druissi.
We got a shutout!!! On the road!! In Texas?! I watched the last 13 or so mintues of the first half and we actually did better in the 2nd with regard to protecting the lead and closing out the match. Still a long way to go. But we should all celebrate the clean sheet.
Still can't believe they killed off the match. It was nice to see moments when there was actual closure of space and not letting Austin get good shots off. Wasn't consistent but chances were reduced.
Indeed. When Timbers lose, thread here is all about how it is 100% on the coach. When Timbers win (and, it is 3 out 4 now), it all has little to do with coach. Come on! Truth has to lie somewhere in the middle.
If the truth lies in the middle, which it does, why don't you spend time there, and try to convince people of that, instead of instantly attacking people when they don't agree with you?
After this win, for instance, you could have tried to convince people that Phil moving K Miller to left back in a four-back setup at the weekend was a good idea (it was!) and it paid off even better against Austin (it did!), as he looked more comfortable there, which even the most ardent of Neville detractors (me!) would readily admit, if asked in a reasonable discussion.
Phil made a good move at the weekend, and it has paid off with two consecutive wins and a more solid defense. I have no problem admitting that, and no problem enjoying this win and Saturday's, and wanting the Timbers to do well even as I still think overall he's a bad coach. It's possible to have both thoughts at once.
I get it. You think we're beatingup too much on Neville. Hey, a broken clock sometimes still works once in a while. Let's see if he can string together enought wins in a row to at least maybe get close to 7th place in the West. Tonight was a win for hime and you. We'll see what happens going forward.
A win against Houston and a Colorado loss on Saturday is enough to put us in 7th, tho... Even a win against Houston and Colorado win ties us for 7th before tie breakers.
Crazy how you evaporated from these chats while we were spiraling toward rock bottom in the league and we get a single win and you step back into the light to try to pull an “I told you so” when we’re in 9th in the west with 2 more games played than most everyone below us.
Congratulations on winning today's internet points! Small sample sizes are great, aren't they? One win on the road does not make Phil Neville a good coach. Talk to me at the end of the season and we'll see how his tactical mind actually plays out over a whole season.
SPOILER ALERT: history shows it won't go well
I"m glad they won today! It's great! Winning is better than losing! But my brain is capable of holding multiple thoughts at once, and I still think Phil Neville was both a bad choice of a coach and is a bad coach. Both things can be true, even as I enjoy this good run of form.
We're on the road. And this is the second match we got a pk called. Mind, it was pretty clear. But I'm in shock and trying to come to terms with what I'm seeing in this match.
Why? A guy was taken down in the box with a clumsy tackle. It was the right call, it resulted in the right penalty. Not sure what the problem is there.
If defender doesn’t foul Antony, he is taking a shot on a 1-on-1 v GK which is (by the FIBA Laws of the game) an offence that denied an obvious goal scoring opportunity where the defender made no attempt to play the ball (as he pushed Antony down from the back)
I'm not sure it's obvious that he could have taken a shot there, though. Antony wasn't unobstructed, the defender was shoulder-to-shoulder with him when he pulled him down, and the shot would probably have been contested had a foul not happened, so "obvious" was probably a bit of a stretch in that situation. Either way I'm fine with the play as it was called.
I may have misremembered. I don't claim to know any or everything. I'd need to rewatch to remember correctly, and I'm happy to have a discussion about it. I'm not trying to assert that I'm correct, I just was saying what I remember. If I was wrong in my recollection of the play, please correct me and let's have a discussion about it, there's no need to attack me.
I know very little, a lot of the time, and I'm open to learning what I don't know. If I remembered the play wrong, that's on me - just tell me that and walk me through it, there's no need to be a dick about it.
I love Asprilla...we all love Asprilla. But Mora really does need to be starting every week. And going 90. He's healthy and show no signs of a relapse. So what's the deal? Phil really didn't learn anything from that 3 in the back experiment. Guess he just wanted to tease us. Meanwhile, we need another goal or hope Pantemis keeps standing on his head.
I’d like us to get the ball into our half with some efficiency and not spend the rest of the game surviving in front of our goal. We all know how that works.
Nice to have 2 gks that can bail out the team week in and week out. I'm all for increasing their salaries. Take the $$$ from the dead weight that we need to cut in the offseason.
We're trying to hold on to a lead and possibly add another goal. Yet we keep giving teams like Austin space to possess and move the ball around. Every single match. Just mind boggling that the coaching staff can't correct this issue.
Well that certainly was a half of soccer. 90+ humid degrees certainly plays a role but that was not much from either side. Pantemis is having a great game, that Evander free kick was otherworldly good, otherwise, well, the less said the better. Timbers aren't doing badly, but they're also not doing all that well? Which is a weird thing to say but here we are.
Just tuning in...so how's JDM? Neville seems hung up on him being in the back rather than in the midfield. Seems like Phil is also rotating the back line trying to find some sort of combo that works (gd luck!).. Btw, how does everyone else feel about the return of the midwekk games? For myself, scheduled time is rather inconvenient since it cuts into my working hours. But YMMV.
I almost forgot there was a game tonight, honestly. The older I get the less I like midweek games, but away games are easier because I can watch from my couch hahaha. JDM's been...fine I guess? Hard to judge anyone too harshly, since they're playing in 94 degree humidity as the second game in a three game week, but he hasn't been bad really.
Aside from Evander's wundergoal and Pantemis' PK save, everyone else has been underwhelming. A lot of watching ATX possess the ball albeit not very dangerously. A meh 1st half but we're leading so there's that.
Just in case anyone possibly hasn't noticed: Antony is and has been almost 100% incapable or unwilling to use his left foot. Not just to shoot—to dribble, control the ball, etc. Been seeing this for most the season and to my eyes it's a severe impediment. Last match I counted a single touch all game with his left and even that looked incidental.
for those not on Reddit or X I made this highlight video of David Ayala against SKC. it's my first video ever editing. I have only been learning to edit since Sunday. It's something I have been wanting to do for the Timbers. I was going to do a full game breakdown, but it took me two days just to learn to do this simple video. lol so a full video was out of the question. I hope you guys like it.
Did not expect that in Texas....solid win. Onward.
I'll give Neville credit for winning the battle against Wolff. At least for tonite, Phil's not the worst manager in the league. Heck, he's probably not the worst of the season. Bar is low but if forced to choose, I'll take Neville over a guy who barely wins with Druissi.
We got a shutout!!! On the road!! In Texas?! I watched the last 13 or so mintues of the first half and we actually did better in the 2nd with regard to protecting the lead and closing out the match. Still a long way to go. But we should all celebrate the clean sheet.
I'm legit stunned that they got the clean sheet but it's awesome. Pantemis had a hell of a game and K Miller looked pretty comfortable at left back.
Still can't believe they killed off the match. It was nice to see moments when there was actual closure of space and not letting Austin get good shots off. Wasn't consistent but chances were reduced.
That's so inconvenient for those of you with the BS "tactical genius" stuff.
Indeed. When Timbers lose, thread here is all about how it is 100% on the coach. When Timbers win (and, it is 3 out 4 now), it all has little to do with coach. Come on! Truth has to lie somewhere in the middle.
If the truth lies in the middle, which it does, why don't you spend time there, and try to convince people of that, instead of instantly attacking people when they don't agree with you?
After this win, for instance, you could have tried to convince people that Phil moving K Miller to left back in a four-back setup at the weekend was a good idea (it was!) and it paid off even better against Austin (it did!), as he looked more comfortable there, which even the most ardent of Neville detractors (me!) would readily admit, if asked in a reasonable discussion.
Phil made a good move at the weekend, and it has paid off with two consecutive wins and a more solid defense. I have no problem admitting that, and no problem enjoying this win and Saturday's, and wanting the Timbers to do well even as I still think overall he's a bad coach. It's possible to have both thoughts at once.
I get it. You think we're beatingup too much on Neville. Hey, a broken clock sometimes still works once in a while. Let's see if he can string together enought wins in a row to at least maybe get close to 7th place in the West. Tonight was a win for hime and you. We'll see what happens going forward.
A win against Houston and a Colorado loss on Saturday is enough to put us in 7th, tho... Even a win against Houston and Colorado win ties us for 7th before tie breakers.
Crazy how you evaporated from these chats while we were spiraling toward rock bottom in the league and we get a single win and you step back into the light to try to pull an “I told you so” when we’re in 9th in the west with 2 more games played than most everyone below us.
That’s character for ya.
LOL, I leave because you all act like children when we face difficulty. I'm sorry if you don't like being told you're all acting stupid.
“You’re all acting stupid”
but we’re the children… lol
you come in with one line of snark after weeks of silence, and we're the ones acting like children? Cool
Congratulations on winning today's internet points! Small sample sizes are great, aren't they? One win on the road does not make Phil Neville a good coach. Talk to me at the end of the season and we'll see how his tactical mind actually plays out over a whole season.
SPOILER ALERT: history shows it won't go well
I"m glad they won today! It's great! Winning is better than losing! But my brain is capable of holding multiple thoughts at once, and I still think Phil Neville was both a bad choice of a coach and is a bad coach. Both things can be true, even as I enjoy this good run of form.
WUT?
Clean sheet and a win? Wow
Clean Sheet!!!!!!
7"+ added time. Union refs or the scabs - they're going to do whatever.
I was expecting this much time at the end of the first half, and like three minutes at the end of this half.
Feels like ages since we've had squeaky bum time
Penalty saved, penalty won and we're up 2-0. Are.we.sure these are the Timbers?
We're on the road. And this is the second match we got a pk called. Mind, it was pretty clear. But I'm in shock and trying to come to terms with what I'm seeing in this match.
In Texas no less
our group text is still trying to verify who exactly we are seeing because nobody is sure
Should have been a DOGSO call
Why? A guy was taken down in the box with a clumsy tackle. It was the right call, it resulted in the right penalty. Not sure what the problem is there.
If defender doesn’t foul Antony, he is taking a shot on a 1-on-1 v GK which is (by the FIBA Laws of the game) an offence that denied an obvious goal scoring opportunity where the defender made no attempt to play the ball (as he pushed Antony down from the back)
I'm not sure it's obvious that he could have taken a shot there, though. Antony wasn't unobstructed, the defender was shoulder-to-shoulder with him when he pulled him down, and the shot would probably have been contested had a foul not happened, so "obvious" was probably a bit of a stretch in that situation. Either way I'm fine with the play as it was called.
Like I posted before, not only are you never wrong, but you also know it all. What a winning combination! Enjoy!
I may have misremembered. I don't claim to know any or everything. I'd need to rewatch to remember correctly, and I'm happy to have a discussion about it. I'm not trying to assert that I'm correct, I just was saying what I remember. If I was wrong in my recollection of the play, please correct me and let's have a discussion about it, there's no need to attack me.
I know very little, a lot of the time, and I'm open to learning what I don't know. If I remembered the play wrong, that's on me - just tell me that and walk me through it, there's no need to be a dick about it.
Very well taken penalty.
And leadership by Evander to give it to Jona.
Woot!
I love Asprilla...we all love Asprilla. But Mora really does need to be starting every week. And going 90. He's healthy and show no signs of a relapse. So what's the deal? Phil really didn't learn anything from that 3 in the back experiment. Guess he just wanted to tease us. Meanwhile, we need another goal or hope Pantemis keeps standing on his head.
I’d like us to get the ball into our half with some efficiency and not spend the rest of the game surviving in front of our goal. We all know how that works.
Nice to have 2 gks that can bail out the team week in and week out. I'm all for increasing their salaries. Take the $$$ from the dead weight that we need to cut in the offseason.
I know this will never happen, but it would be wild and a nightmare if Canada called them both up for one tournament.
We're trying to hold on to a lead and possibly add another goal. Yet we keep giving teams like Austin space to possess and move the ball around. Every single match. Just mind boggling that the coaching staff can't correct this issue.
TGPN just brought on Eric Miller, so problem solved!
Evander’s free kick looked even better in the replays. And only 0.08 xG haha
Pantemis came up huge with those 3 saves
Well that certainly was a half of soccer. 90+ humid degrees certainly plays a role but that was not much from either side. Pantemis is having a great game, that Evander free kick was otherworldly good, otherwise, well, the less said the better. Timbers aren't doing badly, but they're also not doing all that well? Which is a weird thing to say but here we are.
6+ minutes stoppage time?
That goal by Evander...what a strike! Now just gotta close out the half and take a lead to the locker room.
Evander GOTW.
Louve worthy goal there.......wow
Pantemis MOTH
Just tuning in...so how's JDM? Neville seems hung up on him being in the back rather than in the midfield. Seems like Phil is also rotating the back line trying to find some sort of combo that works (gd luck!).. Btw, how does everyone else feel about the return of the midwekk games? For myself, scheduled time is rather inconvenient since it cuts into my working hours. But YMMV.
I almost forgot there was a game tonight, honestly. The older I get the less I like midweek games, but away games are easier because I can watch from my couch hahaha. JDM's been...fine I guess? Hard to judge anyone too harshly, since they're playing in 94 degree humidity as the second game in a three game week, but he hasn't been bad really.
Aside from Evander's wundergoal and Pantemis' PK save, everyone else has been underwhelming. A lot of watching ATX possess the ball albeit not very dangerously. A meh 1st half but we're leading so there's that.
Just in case anyone possibly hasn't noticed: Antony is and has been almost 100% incapable or unwilling to use his left foot. Not just to shoot—to dribble, control the ball, etc. Been seeing this for most the season and to my eyes it's a severe impediment. Last match I counted a single touch all game with his left and even that looked incidental.
Thanks for the theads up since I just tuned in. Wonder what's up with that?
Exactly. That bugs the hell out of me too.
Blasé 30 min, to be expected given the heat. I will say Austin having what feels like 80% possession hasn't worried me so there's that
Pantemis!!!!
Pantemis you beautiful man
oh man....Chara. his step to close space has just been that much slower this year. this year has really shown Chara is no ageless.
Chara giveth, Chara taketh away
is anyone besides me having problems watching the game on apple tv mls season pass?
no. its working for me
My ask is for a solid 90 minute effort
mid 80s in Austin. going to be a slow-moving game today. its going to be all about keeping shape
for those not on Reddit or X I made this highlight video of David Ayala against SKC. it's my first video ever editing. I have only been learning to edit since Sunday. It's something I have been wanting to do for the Timbers. I was going to do a full game breakdown, but it took me two days just to learn to do this simple video. lol so a full video was out of the question. I hope you guys like it.
https://youtu.be/A1_9cs6sMNM?si=H_4cMkFhH6LQb_M7
Looked good to me. Keep up the good work!
thank you!!!