Also: this week's replacement refs were far, far worse than last week's. This lockout can't end soon enough - PRO, get back to the table and get this resolved ASAP.
That was a rough game for the replacement ref. But to be fair, I think they have done a decent job so far. I have many of the same complaints with the regular refs. Both sides need to work this out.
This crew was waaaaaaaay worse than week 1's. This bunch never had a sense of control, and the amount of stuff they let go was way more than any regular crew would have. I mean, at one point, Chara got fkin horse-collared, and there was not even a whistle, much less a card. Eryk was taking a beating all night, and not once was a defender punished for it. And those are only two examples.
I know we all like to complain about the refs, all the time, but there's no way anyone could watch Saturday's game and come away with "this isn't that different from the regular refs" - it was night and day, exponentially worse.
What I saw on Saturday was inexcusable for a professional league - which makes sense, as they aren't professional referees.
PRO is not giving an inch. Last I saw, their latest offer, from last week, to both referee bodies (one for the US-based refs and one for the Canadian-based ones) is on the table until the 11th, after which their subsequent offer will include "less favorable terms in some areas" (https://theathletic.com/5306589/2024/02/28/mls-referees-union-pro-psra/). What that means, I'm not sure, but it's a very "take it or leave it" stance that can't really sit well with the union, I wouldn't think.
Given that the referees' main concerns are around wages (whatever one thinks about referees, one cannot argue that they are grossly underpaid) and travel arrangements, I'm not sure PRO is in the mood to budge on either, which means we could be seeing replacement refs for a while.
I support the TA and most things they do, but considering that nearly every time an opponent even breathes wrong on a Timber, and a referee doesn't immediately brandish a card, chants of F**K YOU REF start howling down from all quarters of the TA, I don't have a whole lot of confidence that they'll take a stand on this particular issue.
I think I’m just too sick to care about the pretty poor performance overall since I’m really not that bothered by it. No DPs, thin bench, no Bravo or Mora, team is definitely not gelling yet under Neville, but it’s only the second game. Poor performance but I have a few quick takeaways that are mostly positive.
- Crepeau is the MAN, holy hell. Insane saves, MOTM for me. Kamal Miller was also quite good, both those signings are great business.
- Diego freakin Chara. One of the best games I’ve seen from him in years. He looked sharp on the ball and made so many excellent tackles. Too bad about the PK but I swear, based on two games he somehow looks better than he did last year despite turning 38 next month. Tactics maybe?
- We had a very tough time breaking pressure, but we did have some plays that were really nice that not only broke the pressure, but sprung a counter. I haven’t seen us do anything like that in a while.
- I really like Paredes but he doesn’t offer much of anything in possession, especially when we’re trying to break a press. It’s just not his game. He’s a workhorse, he hunts for the ball on defense, but can be pretty passive when the team has possession and he doesn’t have the technical ability to receive the ball with a defender on his back and turn away to find an outlet. I think with Williamson in his spot and Evander on the field we will be able to break a press much better.
- Kits look awesome. Not talking about the (lack of) sponsor, I just really love the design.
- Moreno was great for the first hour or so, then got tired and started making sloppy passes. Love to see that he is feeling better and is comfortable.
- Ayala was *awesome* when he came on, as he always is imo. In contrast to Paredes, he does have the technical ability to spin a defender and find a great outlet pass away from pressure, and he’s a great ball winner. He is this team’s future 6, I think he has such amazing potential. I don’t anticipate this being a popular opinion, but I think we would’ve played better this game had Ayala started over Paredes (NOT saying I would have done that, just given how the game went I think he would’ve been better in breaking the press with the benefit of hindsight).
- I thought Araujo also looked quite good, even playing out of position. Too bad he’s far down on the depth chart, but I really liked what I saw.
- I think this team is gonna be scary when Evander is back and with a DP 9. If we land Berterame… oh boy, watch out.
I'm a little troubled by what's happening, but when I think about Evander and a DP 9, I think this is a strong team. The weak points for me are Mosquera on defense, and how will Williamson deal with being an 8. Looks like he's not quite fit yet; he'll get there.
From my seats, it was hard to see what was happening with D.C.'s press. I'll have to watch the replay. From what I saw, basically, the defense tried to play out of the pressure when they actually should have tried to just blast the ball out, regroup and try to win the ball themselves higher up the pitch. It never really happened. No Timber really got in front of D.C when balls came out (especially Asprilla), and there was no threat in behind to soften them up. Maybe Ayala could have helped out in that regard. We already know Chara and Paredes pairing will not win you the possession battle.
I'll give the Timbers some credit - it did look like they tried to play soccer, but the ref must have gotten a mixup in assignments and should have been at a rugby match. He was THE worst ref I have ever seen. I don't usually talk about refs, but he had an impact on this game. There were three atrocious calls or non calls in the first half and then I knew it would devolve into an ugly mess. Still, the Timbers did not adapt well, and they should have.
A lot of times our possession felt scarily similar to Gio ball. Not enough through the middle, we’d pass the ball to our outside backs, who would then pass the ball to the winger with a defender on their back, and they’d try to hold them off but would get the ball stolen away from another defender. Happened over and over. I think we will have to be braver and try to pass through the middle, there’s more space there. When the ball is out wide it’s so predictable, and we never give enough support to the wingers. Perhaps if we played more of a 4-3-3 with Eryk deeper it might’ve been better. I wasn’t a fan of how high he was playing, I don’t really see him as a 10.
The replacement refs are terrible. Not their fault, they just aren’t cut out for this level. Let’s not pretend like regular PRO refs are incredible but they’re several steps above these guys. I hope PRO sucks it up and pays their damn refs what they deserve, because being a ref is suck a thankless job
It looked to me like their midfield was just bigger and stronger than ours. We were getting out-muscled consistently anytime Williamson or Asprilla got near the ball. The reffing certainly played a part there, so I'm not as concerned about it going forward -- our guys certainly fought back
Antony had a bad game. But he is young and inconsistency is to be expected from a young player. Lets hope he has fewer of the DC games and more of the Colorado games.
The replacement refs are doing the best they can, but they're in over their heads for the most part I think. I wasn't able to go to the game yesterday as I have a raging cold, so I spent the day on the couch watching a lot of MLS, and the replacements are all pretty bad. I'm not going to pick on them, they're doing the best they can in a really bad situation, but they're not fit for purpose and the sooner this lockout ends, the better it will be all around for everybody.
I do believe the loudest noise I have ever heard - mind you, I worked on the tarmac at PDX at one time - was the entire TA screaming at a ref last season. If these scab refs keep making bad calls it's gonna get uggggly in soccer fan world.
It started around 56-58 mins when Williamson’s effort and attitude went south. Neville was right to pull him. But, 3 in the back…same old, same old.
I don't know that I'd put it to "attitude," but the reality was that he lost possession repeatedly throughout the game, something that he's often quite good at. Along with Antony getting eaten alive by his marker, we just couldn't hold the ball up top. Tough night that way.
Wasn't it Mosquera, not Asprilla, who was beaten on the second goal? Everybody loves when Mosquera attacks, but he's supposed to be a defender first, and that lapse cost 2 points. If Ridgy is in charge of the defense, he really needs to shore things up, or it will be a repeat of the dismal last season.
They were massively disorganized--Kamal thought there was someone to his left and no one was there. Getting beat backpost was secondary to everything getting blown up on the Timbers' left side. Thought they went defensive way too early, too.
Asprilla (or somebody) didn't get the memo that they were supposed to take over at left wing back. This left their right winger completely open to receive the field switching pass, charge down the field, and cross it across the box where Mosquera had just given up on his guy for now reason. So it was really a team effort...
jdm got drawn out of position because williamson had clear possession, got softly bumped off the ball and then just stood there. that 2nd goal is on williamson.
yes, but point well taken, even if the resulting shot missed by hitting the post and the rebound skying over the bar. Can't believe we dodged that one.
I saw JDM jogging back. Unfortunately I think this is one thing we are going to have to deal with for a while. I think he works at his defense, but the focus just isn't always there. I can't tell if this is something that will get better with experience or if he is simply too focused on attacking the other team. I don't want to pigeon-hole him as a bad defender, but it happens at bad times.
That was a brutal end to a game. But there are some things to remember about this years team:
1 - They are ruthlessly efficient in scoring. I don't expect it to continue at this level, but when they are in position to score they are doing it consistently. That is a really good sign.
2 - Depth is a real problem. Did you see who was available to come off the bench? That was tough to see. And once Williamson, Antony and JDM came off the only player who could create was Moreno. Getting Evander and More back, and finalizing the DP signings is more important then ever.
3 - New coaching staff needs to keep working with the players. This is roughly the same team as last year, and developing new habits is going to take time. It is nice to see the attack get back to a fearsome level, but we give up possession too much to really be able to see out games.
This team needs some work, but it looks like it is getting there. The early injuries are disappointing, but each one is understandable. The team is being careful with Evander, which it should. Mora is going to miss games, and is why the team needs to finalize the DP signing sooner rather than later. It could be a fun season, so we will see how it develops.
I mean, he's not a "has been". He's still a decent player. But he is 30, and if the Timbers are gonna spend DP money, I'd rather them spend it on a younger player just entering his prime rather than a 30 year old on his way out of his prime.
I mean, he's the third striker (for a good team). He's a TAM-able DP in MLS, not a full DP and they are talking full DP money, which would limit our other DP slot to a TAM-able DP/YDP, meaning we effectively end up with two TAM-able DPs or a TAM-able DP and kid.
I would much rather get Bertrerame as a full DP since he's probably actually worth full DP and then get a TAM-able DP/YDP and end up with a full DP and TAM-able DP or kid.
Right. I just don't think "has-been" is a fair description of Rodriguez. He's a decent player, he'd probably be higher on the pecking order on another LigaMX team; he's just not a full DP-level worthy player at this point in his career. Berterame is the better move, for sure, and I hope it comes to be.
Timbers were very fortunate to get a draw out of this match. If not for the heroics of Crepaux the Timbers could easily have suffered a 4-2 loss. Back line needs more work to avoid this kind of mess going forward.
We were at the came and Crepeau was indeed amazing. I actually felt like our D was better than last year. I think we'd have won if it weren't for the PK. I hope they sign at least one DP and soon B we need more scoring punch.
That was terrible all around and it started way before the second half. We couldn't get out of our own half. Passing was terrible. Possession was terrible. 6 of the top 7 players for ground covered were DC players. We only had one and it was Paredes.
They knew how to press and we gave them nothing but time to pass out of our "pressure." It's as if nobody on our team knew how to properly mark their man. Such a frustrating game and a lot of that comes down to coaching. Our positioning in offense was also terrible. It wasn't just the tactical changes in the second half. It was the entire game. Youth level coaching.
Moreno had a lot of joy in the first part of the first half down the right side, but then it started drying up rather quickly with tighter marking. Meanwhile, Herrera was locking down Antony on the other side. After awhile, maybe they should have switched sides. I was disappointed that Antony didn't get played in behind, but credit to Herrera, he played really well.
Also, I will give credit to D.C. - they ran their butts off the WHOLE game -- there was never any let up, and when they won the ball they didn't let up either, and ran off the ball and knew right where to go with it and they earned a lot of corners and got in a lot of crosses that we had to deal with. We didn't clear the ball well, which might have helped with some of the pressure. They were clearly more fit. We could have punished them a few times - Williamson's shot that was saved, and Mosquera's side netting shot. Any joy there and that might have taken some sting out of their press. This kind of a result might serve as a good wake up call, instead of winning in a way that covers up the flaws. I hope Phil rides 'em hard.
Fogaca - I liked that he was getting in behind a little bit and gave D.C something else to think about than Asprilla posting up every time. We became/were very predictable.
I think the theme for the game was that the Timbers had no hold-up play. Moreno, Antony, Asprilla were pretty weak. In a game like this where the other team is dominating possession, we need that hold-up play more than anything just to take the sting out of the game and give the defense a rest. Watching this game, I was really missing Darlington friggin' Nagbe, who I did not appreciate nearly enough at the time...
I would say Williamson and Paredes were more aggregious. when they had opportunities to makes and allow us to get numbers up filed they turned the ball over way too easily. In particular EW looked like the old ew that would lose all interest in the game once he lost the ball and just stood there watching. so infuriating, where is your desire to win.
Sometimes or more times when a team is pressing, you need to get in behind to soften them up, rather than "hold up." I thought we became too predictable trying to target the forward. It was like Adi 2.0.
It's fairly obvious to my mostly untrained eye that Phil wants the Timbers to be a lethal, quick counterattacking team (whispers: kinda like Gio did at first!). And when that works, it works really well. But it's also obvious that the Timbers aren't fit enough to play that way for 90 minutes yet. In the first half of both last week and this week, as soon as a Timber forced a turnover, you could see the other outfield players turn and start bombing back up the pitch the other way, instantly switching on an attack. And early in games, that can work.
That's not sustainable for 90 min if you're not hyper-fit, though, and the Timbers just aren't. So, in about the 50th-55th minute, the gas tank empties, and you get what has happened in the second half of both games so far - a disorganized hit-and-hope mess on offense, and a lot of scrambling from what should be a really solid defense.
Once was a fluke, twice is a coincidence...if it happens again next week, it's a pattern and it's something that Phil needs to fix, quickly. Other teams will have figured this out by now, and a counter is the easiest thing to defend against, and the Phil-volution will be over before it can begin at this rate.
The struggle in the middle was rough. Evander would help to get the ball out of our half, especially once Williamson was gassed. But at the same time, you’d hope Chara, Paredes, and Ayala all in together could cork the wave after wave of threats—even without much in front of them.
Fun first half. Bad, familiar looking second half. Crepeau looks great.
The team has had a reputation of starting games slow and not showing up until after halftime. Of starting seasons slow and not picking up until the second half. We have things to work on defensively and we need reinforcements. With a busy year, we need the early points ugly or not.
Also: this week's replacement refs were far, far worse than last week's. This lockout can't end soon enough - PRO, get back to the table and get this resolved ASAP.
That was a rough game for the replacement ref. But to be fair, I think they have done a decent job so far. I have many of the same complaints with the regular refs. Both sides need to work this out.
This crew was waaaaaaaay worse than week 1's. This bunch never had a sense of control, and the amount of stuff they let go was way more than any regular crew would have. I mean, at one point, Chara got fkin horse-collared, and there was not even a whistle, much less a card. Eryk was taking a beating all night, and not once was a defender punished for it. And those are only two examples.
I know we all like to complain about the refs, all the time, but there's no way anyone could watch Saturday's game and come away with "this isn't that different from the regular refs" - it was night and day, exponentially worse.
What I saw on Saturday was inexcusable for a professional league - which makes sense, as they aren't professional referees.
I wonder where this whole ref thing is gonna go.
PRO is not giving an inch. Last I saw, their latest offer, from last week, to both referee bodies (one for the US-based refs and one for the Canadian-based ones) is on the table until the 11th, after which their subsequent offer will include "less favorable terms in some areas" (https://theathletic.com/5306589/2024/02/28/mls-referees-union-pro-psra/). What that means, I'm not sure, but it's a very "take it or leave it" stance that can't really sit well with the union, I wouldn't think.
Given that the referees' main concerns are around wages (whatever one thinks about referees, one cannot argue that they are grossly underpaid) and travel arrangements, I'm not sure PRO is in the mood to budge on either, which means we could be seeing replacement refs for a while.
If the situation remains as it is I hope the TA - and other supporter groups around MLS - take a massive official stand on the issue.
It seems to be somewhere supporter leverage, insofar as it is possible, should be applied.
I support the TA and most things they do, but considering that nearly every time an opponent even breathes wrong on a Timber, and a referee doesn't immediately brandish a card, chants of F**K YOU REF start howling down from all quarters of the TA, I don't have a whole lot of confidence that they'll take a stand on this particular issue.
I think I’m just too sick to care about the pretty poor performance overall since I’m really not that bothered by it. No DPs, thin bench, no Bravo or Mora, team is definitely not gelling yet under Neville, but it’s only the second game. Poor performance but I have a few quick takeaways that are mostly positive.
- Crepeau is the MAN, holy hell. Insane saves, MOTM for me. Kamal Miller was also quite good, both those signings are great business.
- Diego freakin Chara. One of the best games I’ve seen from him in years. He looked sharp on the ball and made so many excellent tackles. Too bad about the PK but I swear, based on two games he somehow looks better than he did last year despite turning 38 next month. Tactics maybe?
- We had a very tough time breaking pressure, but we did have some plays that were really nice that not only broke the pressure, but sprung a counter. I haven’t seen us do anything like that in a while.
- I really like Paredes but he doesn’t offer much of anything in possession, especially when we’re trying to break a press. It’s just not his game. He’s a workhorse, he hunts for the ball on defense, but can be pretty passive when the team has possession and he doesn’t have the technical ability to receive the ball with a defender on his back and turn away to find an outlet. I think with Williamson in his spot and Evander on the field we will be able to break a press much better.
- Kits look awesome. Not talking about the (lack of) sponsor, I just really love the design.
- Moreno was great for the first hour or so, then got tired and started making sloppy passes. Love to see that he is feeling better and is comfortable.
- Ayala was *awesome* when he came on, as he always is imo. In contrast to Paredes, he does have the technical ability to spin a defender and find a great outlet pass away from pressure, and he’s a great ball winner. He is this team’s future 6, I think he has such amazing potential. I don’t anticipate this being a popular opinion, but I think we would’ve played better this game had Ayala started over Paredes (NOT saying I would have done that, just given how the game went I think he would’ve been better in breaking the press with the benefit of hindsight).
- I thought Araujo also looked quite good, even playing out of position. Too bad he’s far down on the depth chart, but I really liked what I saw.
- I think this team is gonna be scary when Evander is back and with a DP 9. If we land Berterame… oh boy, watch out.
How nice is it to have not one, but two starting quality GKs? That's a situation the MLS era Timbers have never had, I don't think.
I'm a little troubled by what's happening, but when I think about Evander and a DP 9, I think this is a strong team. The weak points for me are Mosquera on defense, and how will Williamson deal with being an 8. Looks like he's not quite fit yet; he'll get there.
From my seats, it was hard to see what was happening with D.C.'s press. I'll have to watch the replay. From what I saw, basically, the defense tried to play out of the pressure when they actually should have tried to just blast the ball out, regroup and try to win the ball themselves higher up the pitch. It never really happened. No Timber really got in front of D.C when balls came out (especially Asprilla), and there was no threat in behind to soften them up. Maybe Ayala could have helped out in that regard. We already know Chara and Paredes pairing will not win you the possession battle.
I'll give the Timbers some credit - it did look like they tried to play soccer, but the ref must have gotten a mixup in assignments and should have been at a rugby match. He was THE worst ref I have ever seen. I don't usually talk about refs, but he had an impact on this game. There were three atrocious calls or non calls in the first half and then I knew it would devolve into an ugly mess. Still, the Timbers did not adapt well, and they should have.
A lot of times our possession felt scarily similar to Gio ball. Not enough through the middle, we’d pass the ball to our outside backs, who would then pass the ball to the winger with a defender on their back, and they’d try to hold them off but would get the ball stolen away from another defender. Happened over and over. I think we will have to be braver and try to pass through the middle, there’s more space there. When the ball is out wide it’s so predictable, and we never give enough support to the wingers. Perhaps if we played more of a 4-3-3 with Eryk deeper it might’ve been better. I wasn’t a fan of how high he was playing, I don’t really see him as a 10.
The replacement refs are terrible. Not their fault, they just aren’t cut out for this level. Let’s not pretend like regular PRO refs are incredible but they’re several steps above these guys. I hope PRO sucks it up and pays their damn refs what they deserve, because being a ref is suck a thankless job
It looked to me like their midfield was just bigger and stronger than ours. We were getting out-muscled consistently anytime Williamson or Asprilla got near the ball. The reffing certainly played a part there, so I'm not as concerned about it going forward -- our guys certainly fought back
add Antony to this--the whole attack (but Williamson and Antony in particular) lost possession and duels regularly. Good defending by DC.
Antony had a bad game. But he is young and inconsistency is to be expected from a young player. Lets hope he has fewer of the DC games and more of the Colorado games.
The replacement refs are doing the best they can, but they're in over their heads for the most part I think. I wasn't able to go to the game yesterday as I have a raging cold, so I spent the day on the couch watching a lot of MLS, and the replacements are all pretty bad. I'm not going to pick on them, they're doing the best they can in a really bad situation, but they're not fit for purpose and the sooner this lockout ends, the better it will be all around for everybody.
I agree - I hope this gets resolved ASAP. A bad ref can ruin a game and the fan experience. Last week was fine.
I do believe the loudest noise I have ever heard - mind you, I worked on the tarmac at PDX at one time - was the entire TA screaming at a ref last season. If these scab refs keep making bad calls it's gonna get uggggly in soccer fan world.
It started around 56-58 mins when Williamson’s effort and attitude went south. Neville was right to pull him. But, 3 in the back…same old, same old.
I think he was tired of being manhandled with no calls. Witness his body slam of a defender in the 52nd minute.
I don't know that I'd put it to "attitude," but the reality was that he lost possession repeatedly throughout the game, something that he's often quite good at. Along with Antony getting eaten alive by his marker, we just couldn't hold the ball up top. Tough night that way.
I would love to see a summary written up of the rumored DPs and thoughts on their fit/value
https://theathletic.com/5312227/2024/03/02/portland-timbers-german-berterame-offer/
Wasn't it Mosquera, not Asprilla, who was beaten on the second goal? Everybody loves when Mosquera attacks, but he's supposed to be a defender first, and that lapse cost 2 points. If Ridgy is in charge of the defense, he really needs to shore things up, or it will be a repeat of the dismal last season.
They were massively disorganized--Kamal thought there was someone to his left and no one was there. Getting beat backpost was secondary to everything getting blown up on the Timbers' left side. Thought they went defensive way too early, too.
Asprilla (or somebody) didn't get the memo that they were supposed to take over at left wing back. This left their right winger completely open to receive the field switching pass, charge down the field, and cross it across the box where Mosquera had just given up on his guy for now reason. So it was really a team effort...
Defense is definitely a team effort but as a member of the team, Mosquera didn't have much effort there and he let down the team.
If Phil wanted to get more defensive after going up 2-0, he probably should have kept E. Miller on and taken Mosquera off.
Miller definitely a guy you keep on in that situation.
jdm got drawn out of position because williamson had clear possession, got softly bumped off the ball and then just stood there. that 2nd goal is on williamson.
actually that was a different play not the 2nd
yes, but point well taken, even if the resulting shot missed by hitting the post and the rebound skying over the bar. Can't believe we dodged that one.
I saw JDM jogging back. Unfortunately I think this is one thing we are going to have to deal with for a while. I think he works at his defense, but the focus just isn't always there. I can't tell if this is something that will get better with experience or if he is simply too focused on attacking the other team. I don't want to pigeon-hole him as a bad defender, but it happens at bad times.
That was a brutal end to a game. But there are some things to remember about this years team:
1 - They are ruthlessly efficient in scoring. I don't expect it to continue at this level, but when they are in position to score they are doing it consistently. That is a really good sign.
2 - Depth is a real problem. Did you see who was available to come off the bench? That was tough to see. And once Williamson, Antony and JDM came off the only player who could create was Moreno. Getting Evander and More back, and finalizing the DP signings is more important then ever.
3 - New coaching staff needs to keep working with the players. This is roughly the same team as last year, and developing new habits is going to take time. It is nice to see the attack get back to a fearsome level, but we give up possession too much to really be able to see out games.
This team needs some work, but it looks like it is getting there. The early injuries are disappointing, but each one is understandable. The team is being careful with Evander, which it should. Mora is going to miss games, and is why the team needs to finalize the DP signing sooner rather than later. It could be a fun season, so we will see how it develops.
Sounds like it is CF Monterrey’s Germain Berterame or Club America’s Jonathan Rodriguez? Any thoughts?
I'd prefer Rodriguez - he just looks more polished and ruthless - but Berterame looks like he's got a ton of upside.
Rodriguez is a has been. Berterame is on the up *and* already has a hat trick against Seattle.
I mean, he's not a "has been". He's still a decent player. But he is 30, and if the Timbers are gonna spend DP money, I'd rather them spend it on a younger player just entering his prime rather than a 30 year old on his way out of his prime.
I mean, he's the third striker (for a good team). He's a TAM-able DP in MLS, not a full DP and they are talking full DP money, which would limit our other DP slot to a TAM-able DP/YDP, meaning we effectively end up with two TAM-able DPs or a TAM-able DP and kid.
I would much rather get Bertrerame as a full DP since he's probably actually worth full DP and then get a TAM-able DP/YDP and end up with a full DP and TAM-able DP or kid.
Right. I just don't think "has-been" is a fair description of Rodriguez. He's a decent player, he'd probably be higher on the pecking order on another LigaMX team; he's just not a full DP-level worthy player at this point in his career. Berterame is the better move, for sure, and I hope it comes to be.
Timbers were very fortunate to get a draw out of this match. If not for the heroics of Crepaux the Timbers could easily have suffered a 4-2 loss. Back line needs more work to avoid this kind of mess going forward.
We were at the came and Crepeau was indeed amazing. I actually felt like our D was better than last year. I think we'd have won if it weren't for the PK. I hope they sign at least one DP and soon B we need more scoring punch.
Thanks, good summary...that just about sums it up. Some bright attacking play, especially early, but a lot of silly errors that gave DC momentum. They were just much more intense attacking the ball in the second half, and their second goal seemed inevitable. Crépeau had two amazing stops, or we would have lost.
We just need to settle the ball down and play possession once we have a lead. I thought that’s what Neville wanted to do.
That was terrible all around and it started way before the second half. We couldn't get out of our own half. Passing was terrible. Possession was terrible. 6 of the top 7 players for ground covered were DC players. We only had one and it was Paredes.
They knew how to press and we gave them nothing but time to pass out of our "pressure." It's as if nobody on our team knew how to properly mark their man. Such a frustrating game and a lot of that comes down to coaching. Our positioning in offense was also terrible. It wasn't just the tactical changes in the second half. It was the entire game. Youth level coaching.
Moreno had a lot of joy in the first part of the first half down the right side, but then it started drying up rather quickly with tighter marking. Meanwhile, Herrera was locking down Antony on the other side. After awhile, maybe they should have switched sides. I was disappointed that Antony didn't get played in behind, but credit to Herrera, he played really well.
Also, I will give credit to D.C. - they ran their butts off the WHOLE game -- there was never any let up, and when they won the ball they didn't let up either, and ran off the ball and knew right where to go with it and they earned a lot of corners and got in a lot of crosses that we had to deal with. We didn't clear the ball well, which might have helped with some of the pressure. They were clearly more fit. We could have punished them a few times - Williamson's shot that was saved, and Mosquera's side netting shot. Any joy there and that might have taken some sting out of their press. This kind of a result might serve as a good wake up call, instead of winning in a way that covers up the flaws. I hope Phil rides 'em hard.
Fogaca - I liked that he was getting in behind a little bit and gave D.C something else to think about than Asprilla posting up every time. We became/were very predictable.
completely agree about Herrera--he was really good.
I think the theme for the game was that the Timbers had no hold-up play. Moreno, Antony, Asprilla were pretty weak. In a game like this where the other team is dominating possession, we need that hold-up play more than anything just to take the sting out of the game and give the defense a rest. Watching this game, I was really missing Darlington friggin' Nagbe, who I did not appreciate nearly enough at the time...
I would say Williamson and Paredes were more aggregious. when they had opportunities to makes and allow us to get numbers up filed they turned the ball over way too easily. In particular EW looked like the old ew that would lose all interest in the game once he lost the ball and just stood there watching. so infuriating, where is your desire to win.
Sometimes or more times when a team is pressing, you need to get in behind to soften them up, rather than "hold up." I thought we became too predictable trying to target the forward. It was like Adi 2.0.
It's fairly obvious to my mostly untrained eye that Phil wants the Timbers to be a lethal, quick counterattacking team (whispers: kinda like Gio did at first!). And when that works, it works really well. But it's also obvious that the Timbers aren't fit enough to play that way for 90 minutes yet. In the first half of both last week and this week, as soon as a Timber forced a turnover, you could see the other outfield players turn and start bombing back up the pitch the other way, instantly switching on an attack. And early in games, that can work.
That's not sustainable for 90 min if you're not hyper-fit, though, and the Timbers just aren't. So, in about the 50th-55th minute, the gas tank empties, and you get what has happened in the second half of both games so far - a disorganized hit-and-hope mess on offense, and a lot of scrambling from what should be a really solid defense.
Once was a fluke, twice is a coincidence...if it happens again next week, it's a pattern and it's something that Phil needs to fix, quickly. Other teams will have figured this out by now, and a counter is the easiest thing to defend against, and the Phil-volution will be over before it can begin at this rate.
No offensive subs available hurt a lot.
The struggle in the middle was rough. Evander would help to get the ball out of our half, especially once Williamson was gassed. But at the same time, you’d hope Chara, Paredes, and Ayala all in together could cork the wave after wave of threats—even without much in front of them.
Fun first half. Bad, familiar looking second half. Crepeau looks great.
The team has had a reputation of starting games slow and not showing up until after halftime. Of starting seasons slow and not picking up until the second half. We have things to work on defensively and we need reinforcements. With a busy year, we need the early points ugly or not.