The Portland Timbers are playing for their faint playoff hopes tonight against RSL. Win, and they still have a shot at the postseason. Anything less… well, let’s just say we’re gonna be talking about 2024 tomorrow. Come chat about it the game in the thread!
Was a good game. Moreno finally showed up. Mora seems to be one of the only Timbers that can keep his shot from the gravitational pull of the moon. Chara had an excellent game. I like what the announcer said. Can't remember the words verbatim, but it was along the lines of "chara might have lost a step or two, but he has made up 10 yards with his experience." So true. I also have to say the announcers were good tonight. Not because they seemed to have our back on some questionable calls, but because they had unbiased and informed comments.
Two calls had me perplexed tonight. One being that blanco started. Not that I don't like him or anything but he can only play about 50 yards of the field. He can't outrun anyone for a ball and his defense is bare minimum at best. It honestly feels like he was out there to be a catalyst for the team. A motivation guy, cause it's hard to say be can really be dangerous anyone.
The other one was mabiala. Ffs my heart skipped a beat when he came on. I was ready for him to screw it up the minute the ball got around him.
The other thing I didn't like was how we were allowing them to walk into our box for 2/3 of the game. Everyone backed off an allowed them to keep attacking our goal. In the many years I have watched this team, THAT HAS NEVER WORKED!!!! We can't absorb pressure for large parts of the game. So don't try, or you are constantly going to be dancing on a knifes edge.
I still don't think yimmi is a winger. He isn't goal dangerous. Stick him next to his brother.
Evander still does not impress me. I'm waiting for him to come close to prime Valeri or blanco, or BF and he just isn't. When is this guy ever going to step up to the level of reynoso, Acosta (interesting that Berhalter is trying to get him to the usmnt next year when he is eligible) muhktar, etc. He isn't even a top 8 midfielder and he cost us 10m. He is exactly what I thought he would be and we have had enough underperforming crap dp's in this team. Im down to give him another year but if he doesn't crap or get off the pot, he needs to gtfo. I don't want to watch another 4 years of a crap dp not living up to the hype and expectations with excuse after excuse why he isn't performing. Ffs Williamson can do what he does. So why spend 10m on him. I hope I am wrong.
I agree with your assessment, but to be fair The force of gravity depends inversely on the square of the distance between them. This means that the force of gravity increase as distance decreases. And the moon last night was a super moon (closer than normal), so it makes sense that the ball was attracted toward the moon. (wink, wink...).
Go back and watch the first Timbers goal. Evander got in trouble - dribbled into the box where three RSL players closed in on him - then he got himself back out of trouble, dribbled out away from his three markers, and played a great ball over to Mosquera, who lobbed it up for Moreno.
It was a really nice piece of work by Evander, and while one play doesn't justify a salary (for anyone), it's an example of "he's not as shitty as people seem to assume he is", at least for me. That play showed creativity, vision, and skill - and it led to a goal.
Absolutely. Kind of shades of Nagbe there. Evander works well with a group of quality players supporting him - he's not a rock star. I'm fine with that, and losing Williamson hurt him the same way gaining Mora back has clearly helped.
A win - finally. And we really did play well enough to deserve it. Very positive performances from Moreno and Mora, especially. Bingham just scares me, period. And so does Mabs coming in the last few min. Otherwise, happy for the threee ponts as it helps us stay away from the dreaded wooden spoon.
I don't even recognize this team for long stretches of this game. And unlike, say, two months ago...that's a good thing? I don't think this is a dominant team, but this is what I was hoping for under a not-Gio - entertaining soccer that may win a game here and there even if they don't make the playoffs.
It damn well better be. There's a looooooooooooot of work to be done this off season; if this team looks even remotely the same in February as it does right now, most of the front office should be fired by March 1.
I'm actually ready to fire several players right now. But they shouldjn't have been here at the beginning of the season, anyway. I consider the rest of the season an extended autdion for all the players. And the FO. Don't worry about making playoffs at this point; worry about having a job here next season.
It is only been two matches so far. It does call into question if Gio did lose the locker room and they are playiing as if they are happy that he's gone.
I think it's an easy guess that there where frustrations between gio and several players, probably more than was public, feeling and performance did not look good and I think we are seeing the lack of some of that tension.
Yeah, I don't think this is all of a sudden a playoff- or MLS Cup-threatening team, but I think there's a large dose of truth to that. Just a breath of fresh air all the way around.
Yup. I'm like "who are these guys in green?" We are playing like there is a tactical plan. The guys are actually combining and finishing. Just bizarro world. Is it the "interim coach" effect?
I think it's the breath of fresh air I was hoping that the departure of a coach who had been there for six years would bring. I don't expect miracles, but I always think about job situations where the boss was boring or bad or uninspiring, and then that boss left and a new boss with energy and different ideas came in.
It puts a spring in everyone's step and makes people more conscious of what they're doing, because the new boss does things in different ways. Will it last? Who knows. But Joseph seems engaged and willing to push the Timbers to either try different things or to do the same things better, and that's never a bad thing.
surprising what a change can make to re-focus a team, i don't think it's like Gio was making the team bad, but everyone could see there where issues getting in the way of things.
I think he's one of the better players in that position in the league, but we often cannot balance our defence which puts players in trouble a lot and he cannot turn of being a fighter.
He just can't defend crosses. He keeps getting beat by any player that is taller than him. He almost gave up another goal yesterday at the end of the game.
We have many players that are not tall, it is a weakness in the team that is something that a coach would need to look at as opposed to seeing it as a thing to overly focus on in a fullback, he's better for example than Mosquera on set pieces but both are in the squad for many other things they bring.
For the first time in goddamn forever we look like we have a plan and purpose in possession. Maybe it’s RSL being bad right now but I love seeing it. Moreno looks great, Boli is super active, and Evander hasn’t put a foot wrong. I’m not gonna start saying this is because Gio is gone until we see a consistent run of games where we play like this, but man it does feel great
Or maybe he's giving everything he's capable of and what he's capable of is less than it was a few years ago. He's never again going to be the Blanco we have seen in the past and want to see now, but he was decent this half.
I think - hopefully - he understands that this season is his last with us. Maybe he just want to go out on a positive note. He hasn't been the Seba Blanco we all know and love for several season now. Father time has been calling for a while now. Both Blanco and D Chara.
Moreno has been very active and looks highly engaged so far. And he's playing on the front line - more twoard the goal than Gio ever put him in. Just raises more questions.
Don’t think he’s playing in a different position/role, he’s just playing better and looks more engaged. Could be either because he’s got his head straight with his mom visiting, Joseph being a better coach for his motivation, or a combination of both
From what I saw on the TV, Moreno and Paredes were swapping positions a lot during the game. First time I saw it I thought Paredes was hyper-aggressive pressing forward, but then I saw Paredes up front a lot after that. Its an interesting approach. Makes me wonder if there is some attempt to play Moreno more in the midfield with Evander.
rules of the games would have a ref calling it serious foul play or violent conduct, basically they would need to think he cocked and aimed an elbow, or was throwing it around recklessly, instead of an foul that is real but is unlikley to get called that way by a ref.
tiny contact to face, like Evander that other game, its one of those things where they are hyper on that kind of contact when plenty of snide fouls that can result in injuries are seen as not close to comparable.
I mean, ultimately, this game doesn't matter, because Inter Messi FC drew 0-0 today. No score from Messi, so I expect the league to disband no later than COB tomorrow.
And if Messi & co. don't play against LAFC on Sat? Headline might read something "LAFC blanks Miami-less Messi." Big props to Nashville for getting the draw at Miami. And nobobdy likes parking the bus - and I;m one of those folsk who rather win or lose 3-2, 5-4, etc. than see bore ball - but I actually approve the bus strrategy agianst Messi. Hope we do it next year if we play them. Only time I wndorse the tactic.
If MLS sticks with its current scheduling system, the Timbers won't play Miami until probably 2025 at the earliest; they played each other in 2021 and 22, and MLS rotates around their non-league opponents so it's highly doubtful that the Timbers will play them next year. And it's an open question, of course, where that 2025 game would take place - by rotation, it should be in Portland, but who knows what will happen.
As an Everton fan, I feel conflicted. But Klopp seems to have the right personality to succeed in this league. Why not with the Timbers? Only thing stopping us is a blockhead owner and clueless FO. Plus the fact that said manager can get a gig way better than this league.
Seems like Joseph wants the guys to play out of the back more, that’s a couple times now I was fully expecting us to bomb it forward but we were patient and built out, which allowed us to keep possession
Too bad Bingham loves to hit it forward to absolutely no one
That was some Timbers-esque ball watching on that lob, for sure. But also: credit to Evander for working the ball out of trouble and getting it out to Moreno
Not as high on Paredes as others seem to be, and I still don't understand why Jazzy isn't playing, but it's one of our stronger lineups, so let's see what happens. My bet is 45 of Blanco, 45 of Antony. Doesn't feel like Evander is forward enough with this lineup either.
It's kinda strange, really. Hardly any news on Antony. Kinda funny but Evander's signing made a splash and yet the others like Araudo and Antony were pertty quiet. I want to see how quickly he can integrate even though this season is pretty lost. But guess it is up to Joseph.
What's the oint of Bingham?! The lineup is fine though surprised to even see Blanco get a start. I'm glad to see McGraw back in. But whatever - Joseph is just a caretaker and I don't expect to see him around after this season.
Was a good game. Moreno finally showed up. Mora seems to be one of the only Timbers that can keep his shot from the gravitational pull of the moon. Chara had an excellent game. I like what the announcer said. Can't remember the words verbatim, but it was along the lines of "chara might have lost a step or two, but he has made up 10 yards with his experience." So true. I also have to say the announcers were good tonight. Not because they seemed to have our back on some questionable calls, but because they had unbiased and informed comments.
Two calls had me perplexed tonight. One being that blanco started. Not that I don't like him or anything but he can only play about 50 yards of the field. He can't outrun anyone for a ball and his defense is bare minimum at best. It honestly feels like he was out there to be a catalyst for the team. A motivation guy, cause it's hard to say be can really be dangerous anyone.
The other one was mabiala. Ffs my heart skipped a beat when he came on. I was ready for him to screw it up the minute the ball got around him.
The other thing I didn't like was how we were allowing them to walk into our box for 2/3 of the game. Everyone backed off an allowed them to keep attacking our goal. In the many years I have watched this team, THAT HAS NEVER WORKED!!!! We can't absorb pressure for large parts of the game. So don't try, or you are constantly going to be dancing on a knifes edge.
I still don't think yimmi is a winger. He isn't goal dangerous. Stick him next to his brother.
Evander still does not impress me. I'm waiting for him to come close to prime Valeri or blanco, or BF and he just isn't. When is this guy ever going to step up to the level of reynoso, Acosta (interesting that Berhalter is trying to get him to the usmnt next year when he is eligible) muhktar, etc. He isn't even a top 8 midfielder and he cost us 10m. He is exactly what I thought he would be and we have had enough underperforming crap dp's in this team. Im down to give him another year but if he doesn't crap or get off the pot, he needs to gtfo. I don't want to watch another 4 years of a crap dp not living up to the hype and expectations with excuse after excuse why he isn't performing. Ffs Williamson can do what he does. So why spend 10m on him. I hope I am wrong.
I agree with your assessment, but to be fair The force of gravity depends inversely on the square of the distance between them. This means that the force of gravity increase as distance decreases. And the moon last night was a super moon (closer than normal), so it makes sense that the ball was attracted toward the moon. (wink, wink...).
🤣
Go back and watch the first Timbers goal. Evander got in trouble - dribbled into the box where three RSL players closed in on him - then he got himself back out of trouble, dribbled out away from his three markers, and played a great ball over to Mosquera, who lobbed it up for Moreno.
It was a really nice piece of work by Evander, and while one play doesn't justify a salary (for anyone), it's an example of "he's not as shitty as people seem to assume he is", at least for me. That play showed creativity, vision, and skill - and it led to a goal.
Absolutely. Kind of shades of Nagbe there. Evander works well with a group of quality players supporting him - he's not a rock star. I'm fine with that, and losing Williamson hurt him the same way gaining Mora back has clearly helped.
I know. That was awesome composure and patience on his part.
Yeah I thought Evander had a pretty solid game. He also got a hockey assist in the first goal too
RSL came out flat and I think we’re a little lucky they didn’t get interested 5-10 minutes before they did.
But you take what you can get. Great to see Moreno score. I really want Blanco to get one.
Fun low-key night at the park.
A win - finally. And we really did play well enough to deserve it. Very positive performances from Moreno and Mora, especially. Bingham just scares me, period. And so does Mabs coming in the last few min. Otherwise, happy for the threee ponts as it helps us stay away from the dreaded wooden spoon.
bingham was huge tonight!
Nice. Started running out of steam a bit, and I will never, ever understand Mabs being subbed in, but nice to get a win at home!
He's still good in the air. He's a big body. Bravo leaves us very vulnerable on crosses.
Overall about 80% good, 20% bad. After the rest of this season, I'll take that ratio!
Well a fun game. A step in the right direction
Bravo: Thank you
3 Points!
Joeseph attempting to sntach defeat from the jaws of victory.
10 v 11 for the last few minutes
Oh no. No need for this sub
It was supposed to be Antony
Once rsl scored I bet any idea of putting Antony in (if there was one) went out the window.
Mabiala for the win
My heart
The Timbers kept smart possession in the attacking half for about a minute there. When's the last time we saw that?
1947
too soon.
That was filthy from Yimmi
Wave after wave of subs!
I don't even recognize this team for long stretches of this game. And unlike, say, two months ago...that's a good thing? I don't think this is a dominant team, but this is what I was hoping for under a not-Gio - entertaining soccer that may win a game here and there even if they don't make the playoffs.
well, it's better to watch for sure, I think the team many ways will be different next year, for better or worse.
It damn well better be. There's a looooooooooooot of work to be done this off season; if this team looks even remotely the same in February as it does right now, most of the front office should be fired by March 1.
I'm actually ready to fire several players right now. But they shouldjn't have been here at the beginning of the season, anyway. I consider the rest of the season an extended autdion for all the players. And the FO. Don't worry about making playoffs at this point; worry about having a job here next season.
Yep, that's where I'm at. This season's toast; set up for the future.
It is only been two matches so far. It does call into question if Gio did lose the locker room and they are playiing as if they are happy that he's gone.
I think it's an easy guess that there where frustrations between gio and several players, probably more than was public, feeling and performance did not look good and I think we are seeing the lack of some of that tension.
Yeah, I don't think this is all of a sudden a playoff- or MLS Cup-threatening team, but I think there's a large dose of truth to that. Just a breath of fresh air all the way around.
Definitely seem like they're having more fun, playing looser.
Give us a cookie!!!
Moreno: 1 goal 1 assist
He really reads the field well.
nice nice nice. who is this team? movement, passing, it all looks a bit better.
Yup. I'm like "who are these guys in green?" We are playing like there is a tactical plan. The guys are actually combining and finishing. Just bizarro world. Is it the "interim coach" effect?
I think it's the breath of fresh air I was hoping that the departure of a coach who had been there for six years would bring. I don't expect miracles, but I always think about job situations where the boss was boring or bad or uninspiring, and then that boss left and a new boss with energy and different ideas came in.
It puts a spring in everyone's step and makes people more conscious of what they're doing, because the new boss does things in different ways. Will it last? Who knows. But Joseph seems engaged and willing to push the Timbers to either try different things or to do the same things better, and that's never a bad thing.
surprising what a change can make to re-focus a team, i don't think it's like Gio was making the team bad, but everyone could see there where issues getting in the way of things.
Also effectively swapping Niezgoda for Mora. That helps.
Nice combo play! Mora's finish was clinical. Now that he's healthy he should get more pt.
I'm good with a pairing of Mora and Boli for another year. Not sure what the direction is going to be, but it seems like they can be effective.
Oh nice! Class goal
Is it just me or is Bingham the second coming of Tony "near post" Meola?
Mora and Yimmy on, good subs
Bravo isn't the best on attack and he is a freekick and card magnet, but when he does the thing he does best I love it
I think he's one of the better players in that position in the league, but we often cannot balance our defence which puts players in trouble a lot and he cannot turn of being a fighter.
He just can't defend crosses. He keeps getting beat by any player that is taller than him. He almost gave up another goal yesterday at the end of the game.
We have many players that are not tall, it is a weakness in the team that is something that a coach would need to look at as opposed to seeing it as a thing to overly focus on in a fullback, he's better for example than Mosquera on set pieces but both are in the squad for many other things they bring.
For the first time in goddamn forever we look like we have a plan and purpose in possession. Maybe it’s RSL being bad right now but I love seeing it. Moreno looks great, Boli is super active, and Evander hasn’t put a foot wrong. I’m not gonna start saying this is because Gio is gone until we see a consistent run of games where we play like this, but man it does feel great
Also trying not to get ahead of myself, RSL is playing terribly and have some heavy hitters on the bench. We have plenty of time to throw this away
Not bad. Much more cohesive looking. Some slight changes seem to be paying off.
I can think of one big change that paid off pretty well
Best first half in months!
I endorse this statement!
Great atmosphere.
I thought the Timbers looked much more oganized that half than they have pretty much all season, both offensively and defensively.
Half time report: I am entertained :-)
Need our runners to run
Blanco hasn’t been very active. Maybe he is saving it for the second half
Or maybe he's giving everything he's capable of and what he's capable of is less than it was a few years ago. He's never again going to be the Blanco we have seen in the past and want to see now, but he was decent this half.
I think - hopefully - he understands that this season is his last with us. Maybe he just want to go out on a positive note. He hasn't been the Seba Blanco we all know and love for several season now. Father time has been calling for a while now. Both Blanco and D Chara.
He’s not active at all anytime he’s stepped on the field this year, this is nothing new. I’d like to see him subbed out at half for Antony
Moreno has been very active and looks highly engaged so far. And he's playing on the front line - more twoard the goal than Gio ever put him in. Just raises more questions.
Don’t think he’s playing in a different position/role, he’s just playing better and looks more engaged. Could be either because he’s got his head straight with his mom visiting, Joseph being a better coach for his motivation, or a combination of both
From what I saw on the TV, Moreno and Paredes were swapping positions a lot during the game. First time I saw it I thought Paredes was hyper-aggressive pressing forward, but then I saw Paredes up front a lot after that. Its an interesting approach. Makes me wonder if there is some attempt to play Moreno more in the midfield with Evander.
Or he's one of the guys who are happy that Giio was fired.
Common! Red
That should have been a straight red. No question.
that guys is enemy number one, but we wouldn't want it if it was reversed circumstances
elbow to the jaw should always be unquestionably a red, like it or not.
rules of the games would have a ref calling it serious foul play or violent conduct, basically they would need to think he cocked and aimed an elbow, or was throwing it around recklessly, instead of an foul that is real but is unlikley to get called that way by a ref.
Nice cross! Moreno should of had that one
Yeah and then the heavy touch when he was thru on goal. He finally scored in 2023--he's good, doesn't want to get greedy.
David! David! David!
Is there a meme about refs managing corner kicks?
Moreno cooking tonight, he’s been awesome
How was that even review-worthy? Chara barely touched the guy, and didn't even come close to threatening a red-card level foul.
tiny contact to face, like Evander that other game, its one of those things where they are hyper on that kind of contact when plenty of snide fouls that can result in injuries are seen as not close to comparable.
but he didn't contact his face! He got the back of the dude's neck. And just barely. Review should have made that plain.
Technically, shouldn't that be a red or nothing?
Only reds are reviewable; from there it's the refs call
The only call is simulation
yeah, that whole thing was a farce
I mean, ultimately, this game doesn't matter, because Inter Messi FC drew 0-0 today. No score from Messi, so I expect the league to disband no later than COB tomorrow.
It's been fun!
And if Messi & co. don't play against LAFC on Sat? Headline might read something "LAFC blanks Miami-less Messi." Big props to Nashville for getting the draw at Miami. And nobobdy likes parking the bus - and I;m one of those folsk who rather win or lose 3-2, 5-4, etc. than see bore ball - but I actually approve the bus strrategy agianst Messi. Hope we do it next year if we play them. Only time I wndorse the tactic.
If MLS sticks with its current scheduling system, the Timbers won't play Miami until probably 2025 at the earliest; they played each other in 2021 and 22, and MLS rotates around their non-league opponents so it's highly doubtful that the Timbers will play them next year. And it's an open question, of course, where that 2025 game would take place - by rotation, it should be in Portland, but who knows what will happen.
They'll just lower the number of Messi photos on the MLS front page from 10 (as it was earlier today) to 6.
Are we playing....possession?
amirite?
Maybe we're trying to woo Porter back
I dunno but Caleb went all counterattack the last two years with us. Does he/us want back 2013?
Fair. He adapted.
I don't! Because the rest of MLS isn't in 2013!
For me, it's Klopp or bust
You just want Klopp? I'm holding out for Guardiola.
As an Everton fan, I feel conflicted. But Klopp seems to have the right personality to succeed in this league. Why not with the Timbers? Only thing stopping us is a blockhead owner and clueless FO. Plus the fact that said manager can get a gig way better than this league.
Seems like Joseph wants the guys to play out of the back more, that’s a couple times now I was fully expecting us to bomb it forward but we were patient and built out, which allowed us to keep possession
Too bad Bingham loves to hit it forward to absolutely no one
If you want to play it out of the back, Bingham;s not your guy. That is why the Bio's and now Joseph's obsession with him is so confusing.
That is some truly awful defending
Can you even call it "defending"?
What a gift!
But good spectating.
At least Nashville showed that this league can play mature defense like in the top European leagues, lol.
So Portland isn’t the only team that does that
MORENO IS GOOD
Hey, how about that. Nice!
I really thought Mosquera's lob was going to be a waste. Glad Moreno made something of it
I think the defenders assumed it was such a high cross the keeper was going to come out and collect it. So did I.
Moreno working on his recruitment tape ..so far, so good
That was some Timbers-esque ball watching on that lob, for sure. But also: credit to Evander for working the ball out of trouble and getting it out to Moreno
Look at those sharp, green kits. Nice to see those again
Amen to that
Not as high on Paredes as others seem to be, and I still don't understand why Jazzy isn't playing, but it's one of our stronger lineups, so let's see what happens. My bet is 45 of Blanco, 45 of Antony. Doesn't feel like Evander is forward enough with this lineup either.
It's kinda strange, really. Hardly any news on Antony. Kinda funny but Evander's signing made a splash and yet the others like Araudo and Antony were pertty quiet. I want to see how quickly he can integrate even though this season is pretty lost. But guess it is up to Joseph.
Would also love to see Antony come in at half. At least at the 60th, I wanna see him more
I am almost scared to watch after two bad losses. Do they have some good games left in them for the season?
Bingham
Mosquera
McGraw
Zuparic
Bravo
Chara
Paredes
Evander
Moreno
Blanco
Boli.
Solid, in my opinion.
What's the oint of Bingham?! The lineup is fine though surprised to even see Blanco get a start. I'm glad to see McGraw back in. But whatever - Joseph is just a caretaker and I don't expect to see him around after this season.
I don't know why they keep starting Bingham tbh