You should ask about the clause to be able to break the contract if not playing 50% of the matches in the last 2 years, with the intent of him being able to return to play at Peñarol and try to win a championship there, as reported in Uruguay:
You should ask how he feels about the nickname "Cabecita." I've seen some reports that he doesn't like it and getting that on the record so that the press/fans here don't use it if he doesn't like it would be a nice way to show him that he's appreciated here and highlight some of the benefits of playing for Portland instead of Club America.
Thank goodness, and we should have a much improved striker group soon. Cabecita-Mora is going to be significantly better than Asprilla-Fogaca. And the benefit of moving Asprilla back to wing is also going to help quite a lot. Its a cascade of effects that are improvements.
Definitely helps with our substitutions as well. Having Asprilla/Antony on the bench actually gives us a sub option who can make an impact. (which we haven't had so far this season)
Substitutions is huge. We should have two attacking players on the bench, two capable midfielders available, and the ability to shift to a three back at the end of games. Perhaps not ideal, but a lot better than what we have seen so far. Getting Bravo back will also really help out.
Will be interesting to see how he fits into the attack. But the idea of having him, and a healthy Mora up front, is very exciting as we've been going all season so far essentially with no first team forwards.
If we move Moreno back to midfield, presumably to a 10 spot, that shifts Evander to 8 or has us fielding two kind of 10s and sits Williamson AND Paredes. I don't see Mora being our starting center forward. It seems more likely that we'd sign another (Y)DP center forward in the summer, move Rodriguez to the left wing, and use Mora and Antony as depth. Antony and Mora are both quality enough that I hate to bench them, especially given Antony's recent form, but with the league improving I like getting used to the idea of quality depth and, given schedule congestion and other factors, even depth players should be rotated in often enough.
Yeah, this is how I see it as well. So many options for Phil and crew to adjust based on matchups and who has the hot hand. We are about to record a POD and discuss :)
Can't wait to see what he can do here. Hopefully his immigration/ITC paperwork gets done sooner than later, no idea if it'll all be done in time for this weekend or not though.
This is really great business from Ned imo. I think there was a $7 million fee reported initially awhile back, and it kept going down and down and it comes to $4.3 million. I know America were willing to sell, but negotiating that fee from one of the biggest clubs in the region (probably the biggest) is good work.
Now, I’ll be very curious to see how he looks on the field. There is a quote from his agent saying this was the last big contract he was going to get, so I’m *really* hoping he’s not going to phone it in because of that. It could go either way I think, he could be playing free and for fun and that’ll help him be happy and bang in goals, or he sees this as a relaxing way to end off his career at the high level. I don’t think it’ll be the latter, but it’s just a stray thought I have.
I think the guys got goals in him. He seems to love a curling shot with his right foot to the far post coming off the left side, and I expect to see a few of those. I really hope he brings more in the overall game outside of just goals, because Evander and Santi desperately need someone to play off of. I can’t wait to see him play, I think this will be a good signing. He’s probably not going to be a world beater, but he’ll score
With regard to contracts and how Rodríguez looks on the field, he might also react to his agent's quote by doing his best to prove the agent wrong. That would be terrific.
I want to see character and leadership in the new players hopefully. Seems like the new guy is a good signing in that he wins where he plays. I want Antony on the field developing and not wasting away on the bench. Mora, with his age and injury propensity, should be on the bench spot starting or starting when Rodriguez is spelling wingers or resting or if we go with two strikers..
Finally I get to exhale…I was about to turn blue! It will be a treat to see him on Saturday but I am done holding my breath. Now, please one more significant defensive signing in the summer window.
not quite sure whether he'll be available Saturday, he still has to pass a physical and, more complicatedly, get his visa and ITC sorted out and that's a lot of paperwork to do in essentially two days. I'd love to see it but if I were to guess, I'd guess it'd be next week in Vancouver, not this weekend. But I've been wrong about many things many times before, so who knows.
What significant defensive signing do you think we still need to make, given the current roster? We have too many centerbacks and goalkeepers. We could use fullback depth but I don't know if that would be a significant signing. We're good for defensive midfielders as well. I see us getting more depth on the wing in the summer window, or moving Rodriguez to the wing and signing a younger DP center forward.
Yes a solid fullback. As much as I enjoy watching Juan David Mosquera being dangerous in the attack I would like to have the option to go more defensive or someone who would help hold possession in that position depending on game state or opponent.
I'm glad to hear that the deal is done. Our offense could certainly use his help. Wish he were a few years younger. Whatever. Hope Evander doesn't start pouting if this guy gets paid more than he does which apparently will be the case.
Yet another in the long line of indictments of the Gavin Wilkinson era, in my opinion. He was good at a few things, but he was very, very mid at player recruitment. Ned's off to a much better start in that regard.
Man, the extent to which people seem to want to paint Evander as some sort of malcontent is breathtaking to me. This acquisition will only help unlock Evander's skills that much more. I can't wait to see what a fully formed Timbers attack looks like - now it's time to fix the defense.
I didn't mean to paint him that way. I could very well be wrong, but I see him as a young and possibly emotional person who also has an tender ego. I didn't mean he'd be a malcontent in terms of being a locker room problem, just someone who might want to be seen as "the straw that stirs the Timbers drink" (with apologies to Reggie Jackson). I think you make a good point about Evander actually benefitting from the signing. Hope so.
I didn't think our defense was all that bad last game. The go that was allowed seemed to be a miscommunication issue between keeper and defender.
sorry, that was probably a bit of overreaction on my part. I've just seen so many people, on here and elsewhere, jump on Evander's every misstep, failure to emote, or (paradoxically) any display of anger or emotion as a sign that he hates it here since he arrived, and that he is perpetually unhappy here and looking to leave, that it's hard to see a comment like that and not lump it in with all those...my apologies.
"someone who might want to be seen as "the straw that stirs the Timbers drink" "
I honestly think that's why he was brought here, and I think having a striker like Rodriguez (and a healthy Mora) up top will let him be that to an extent that we haven't yet seen from Evander. I'm excited to see that hopefully happen.
Considering that Rodriguez will likely open up big spaces for him to attack, I have a feeling it will just improve Evander’s mood, stats and potential earnings.
Evander's transfer fee was higher but Rodriguez' actual salary is reported to be much higher, I haven't seen a number but "highest on the team" is a phrase I've seen a lot.
read between the lines on this signing, slight failure by the FO. We went for an up and coming 25 year old and wound up getting a declining 30 year old. Sure the Timbers are better with him and Neville around but in no way shape or form are we going to be top tier if these are the best we can bring on. Hitting snooze.
Or, the other way of looking at it, as opposed to the GW years: Ned had a hole in his roster AND he had a Plan A *and* a Plan B as to how he wanted to fill it.
Plan A was the Platinum Plan, with all the bells and whistles, that would have cost a lot of money and had a lot of upside. Plan B was the Silver-Plus plan; not nearly as expensive up front, the running costs are more but is also a more proven commodity that will produce at a known rate for a shorter period of time, during which another Platinum Plan can be identified. We all wanted Plan A; that doesn't mean Plan B is some scrub from a Sunday rec league.
I wasn't thrilled about the idea of Rodriguez months ago when the concept of him as a transfer was first floated as a thing, but Berterame's national team situation pretty much guaranteed he wasn't coming here, and the more I read about Rodriguez, the more I think that he will be useful here. Given that his Plan A didn't work, Ned moved quickly on to his already identified Plan B, and - most importantly - didn't panic buy someone just for the sake of doing something.
Proof is (will be) in the scoring, of course, but this is in no way a "slight failure" as of right now in my opinion. This is Ned filling a position of need with a player who has been proven to be able to do the job wherever he's been in the past. How is that bad?
Also plan B was less expensive so there should be money for other players. I don’t see this as a failure. I would like to see how this team gels when everyone is healthy but I would also like to see a quality fullback added to the lineup.
There’s a very strong argument to be made that $4.3 million for Rodriguez is a far better deal than $15+ million for Berterame, who’s good, but is not close to being worth $15 million imo. It will on depend on how it turns out on the field but this could benefit us in the long run as it saves money for other big signings
I feel like long term maybe not best. is basically saying money to have a run at top of tables with no long term solution or gain. But the quality is there as long as his motivation to perform is it should give us a couple years of exciting football.
Time will tell if this is a good signing. Right now, though, this feels HUGE and just what the doctor ordered. I can't wait to see JRod get to work! Welcome!
I also noted that Aljaž Ivačič has been officially waived. I have no idea what took so long. Oddly enough, his name is still on the official Timbers website roster, while Jonathan Rodríguez is not there, yet.
I wonder what number he will wear. So far in the photos of him I've seen online, he's been wearing #11 or #21 and those are both taken. Would Antony possibly change to a different number, as he has once already?
No surprise there. If anyone wanted him, we would have been able to trade him. He will never play in MLS again, as no team will sign him and I'm sure he won't want to come back. He ended up a total mess.
I'm sorry but masquera has been poor. His consistency is a Rollercoaster. His average sofascore is 6.73 and last week he was a 6.1. I am 100% in the mindset that you earn your place in life. As for his potion on the team he has not earned it. Try Moreno out on the right as a wingback. Antony on the left. Now we have pace on the wings and an extra man on the backline for counters. This would also give Portland some good crossing coming into mora and Jon. We could move either Williamson or Moreno up to the 10 if Evander comes out and sub our rwb with masquera. Him being challenged to get back on the field will push him to get better. He has been regressing since the end of last season. We could move asprilla up top with Nathan if we want to or move asprilla to a wingback spot. He works hard on both sides of the ball. Then we could also replace chara with ayala or Paredes. I feel this formation would allow more pieces to be moved around if necessary. Especially since we are light on the wings. And I don't see Jonathan as a winger. Not at 30. He is a striker. Leave him up top to finish chances.
Still pretty epic. Supposedly the taco guys scrimmage in Balboa Park. They're genuine amateurs (my recollection is that Waldo slipped a bunch of ringers into Cal FC, since the whole idea was just to punk Merritt...)
Lots of optimism about this signing and that’s great. But a lot of that optimism is spilling over to Mora as in we now have a world class scoring dynamic duo. I’m not at all sure Mora has put his injury problems behind him. I’m hoping Ned is looking for yet another forward/striker during the summer window.
I'm excited to see JR/Mora as the attacking option, but I don't expect to see this team start scoring 3+ goals a game or anything. They are better than the Asprilla/Fogaca combination, which is what I'm looking forward to. I'm expecting split between the two of them to be 60-30 for any game, which should help to limit Mora's minutes and (hopefully) keep him healthy. Its a possible top-5 pair in MLS, which is pretty exciting.
Certainly hope so. I’m not convinced Mora is back to the player he was a few years ago. Injuries take their toll in the latter stages of a career. Again, hope he is all the way back, and can reliably combo with JR.
yeah, I'm optimistic but I'm not even sure this signing puts the Timbers in the top 5 attacking duos in MLS at this point, forgetting completely about the rest of the world. The league has a TON of good, dynamic attacking teams right now, and the Timbers have a lot of catching up to do.
Remember the good ol' days, when the West in general, and Cascadia in particular, and US Cascadia especially, dominated MLS? Those days are long gone. The East is where the power lies now, and where a lot of the true attacking talent lives.
World class? Really? I realize this is a Timbers fan site, but can we put the brakes on the over-hype traIn? They may end up being one of the best striker platoons in the league, but MLS isn't a top 5 (or even 10) league. Cabecita will help, but the roster still won't have enough depth to be a true contender without help at the wings and fullback. And no, getting Marvin Loria back from injury doesn't constitute help in any meaningful way.
I am trying to understand the excitement for this signing. He is being touted as a forwarded who I saw playing on the LW primarily the last few season. Don’t we need a true forward? We have wingers. Does score goals but is 30 and in the twilight of his career and moving to turf fields. Seems like a major injury away from not playing for us much. I thought both Merrit and Neville hinted at a mind blowing signing? Is this him? Can’t be right? This improves us, sure. But this isn’t the game changing player we have been lead to think was coming. He seems like an asprilla upgrade but does not answer our CF needs. Honestly, I am happy with less asprilla. Not a fan of the monster heavy first touch. But JR is a LW.
I think the "mind blowing signing" was planned/intended to be German Berterame, but he chose to stay in Mexico as he would have made himself ineligible for the Mexican national team had he moved away from LigaMX (or maybe just out of Mexico? I'm not quite sure which is correct, residency or league tenure) prior to August of this year. Rodriguez was Plan B, and as such I think it's a pretty decent move. Relatively small transfer fee for a DP; he's on high wages but he's a proven goal scorer and since the Timbers aren't exactly short on creators, a finisher to pair with a finally-getting-healthy Mora is going to be a solid addition to the squad.
He's definitely not a winger, he'll be counted on to score more than he creates.
We got carried away with the “hinting at a big signing” thing. Ned and Neville said that they got permission from ownership to spend big on a player, potentially a club record transfer fee. Now, just because they got permission to do that, doesn’t mean that will be what happens. We had a list of options and our top choice would’ve been a club record fee by a mile, but it didn’t come through so we got our second choice for a much better deal. Yes, they hinted at a club record signing and they were very close to getting that over the line but it didn’t happen, and not really to any fault from the FO, I think they threw everything they had at it. I don’t think they steered us wrong here
yeah, I do like him on the LW, but he looks like he could operate anywhere. I think there are options galore with him, hence the excitement. The fact that he is 30 and is proven has created a fan base that is going to follow him here. He's going to bring new eyeballs and fans to the team, and stir up the rest of us who have been waiting for such a player.
Apparently he doesn't like the nickname Cabecita? I read that on another site but don't remember which. If the author lurks or contributes here, which is likely, perhaps they can verify.
At the moment, I like the idea of using the summer window to bring in a younger DP center forward and move Rodriguez to the left wing over Antony. However, Antony is killing it so I hate to relegate him to the bench. On the other hand, we really should have starting quality depth to rotate and that gives us even more flexibility, with Asprilla also back to the wing and Loría returning.
Circumstances may change but, at the moment, I don't see another position crying out for a high quality starter, besides the obvious injury-caused hole at left back. I'd still like more fullback depth, especially on the left, but we will probably be good when Bravo returns from injury. National team call-ups could hurt us though. We're deep in central midfield, at centerback, and goalkeeper. T2 is stacked with right fullback prospects. Unless we have some unexpected losses due to trade, sale, injury, or poor form, we should be looking pretty good come summer.
If we can't make a deal with Asprilla, we'll need to replace him. Mabiala will be leaving. Fogaça will probably be gone unless he really impresses in limited minutes this season. Loría will be out of contract and have to similarly prove himself. Zuparic might be sold or traded if he really wants that and isn't getting enough minutes. There are rumors of big roster rules changes next offseason, as well as a possible change to the (Y)DP rule that would go into effect ahead of the summer window.
Big questions for me are when will age start catching up with Chará and will Ayala be a sufficient replacement? I'm not worried yet. If we need to, that would be where I'd use any extra DP slot beyond Evander and Rodriguez. But I can't imagine that scenario this season.
Paredes and Williamson are good but not great. I could see moving one of them because there is clearly value there and getting a DP 8 (or a DP 10 and letting Evander play the 8). Both have big enough gaps in their skill sets that we could use an upgrade there, especially if Mora comes back strong.
Paredes and Williamson can both improve and I'd argue that Williamson is actually pretty great in some areas. Both seem like good values as well, though Williamson not as much now that he no longer qualifies for the HG designation. My primary concern with them is injuries. I could theoretically be open to shipping both of them if it meant moving Evander to the 8, his natural position, and signing an actual 10 as a (Y)DP. However, I don't think Evander can manage the defensive responsibilities even as well as Williamson, who is weaker in that area than Paredes. That puts too much pressure on Chará. I think we'd need more height at the 6 spot, along with Chará's other gifts, to pull it off. Ayala is relatively short as well, so he wouldn't be a solution, even if he matched Chará in every other way. If Chará starts slipping this season, it could be that we'd want to use a (Y)DP slot there instead, if Ayala doesn't look like enough of a replacement. Then move Evander to 8 and Moreno to 10. That allows Rodriguez to play on the wing opposite Antony, with Mora up top. Even if Mora comes back strong, he's also 30. I'd really like to get a younger forward in the mix who is more proven and talented than what we've seen of Fogaça and Ikoba. It gets a little ridiculous to speculate on so many hypotheticals though.
I’ll be attending the presser tomorrow for STF. Will provide key takeaways from it.
You should ask about the clause to be able to break the contract if not playing 50% of the matches in the last 2 years, with the intent of him being able to return to play at Peñarol and try to win a championship there, as reported in Uruguay:
https://www.montevideo.com.uy/Deportes/Jonathan-Rodriguez-firmo-en-la-MLS-el-ultimo-contrato-antes-de-volver-a-Penarol--uc883069
You should ask how he feels about the nickname "Cabecita." I've seen some reports that he doesn't like it and getting that on the record so that the press/fans here don't use it if he doesn't like it would be a nice way to show him that he's appreciated here and highlight some of the benefits of playing for Portland instead of Club America.
Shockingly, he doesn't like being called "Pinhead", which is what "Cabecita" basically translates to.
https://twitter.com/sportsguyjeremy/status/1770905087008768322?t=vIuwCREldGubJ8K0wRhsBg
Naw, it actually translates to Big Head...
Thank goodness, and we should have a much improved striker group soon. Cabecita-Mora is going to be significantly better than Asprilla-Fogaca. And the benefit of moving Asprilla back to wing is also going to help quite a lot. Its a cascade of effects that are improvements.
Definitely helps with our substitutions as well. Having Asprilla/Antony on the bench actually gives us a sub option who can make an impact. (which we haven't had so far this season)
Substitutions is huge. We should have two attacking players on the bench, two capable midfielders available, and the ability to shift to a three back at the end of games. Perhaps not ideal, but a lot better than what we have seen so far. Getting Bravo back will also really help out.
Will be interesting to see how he fits into the attack. But the idea of having him, and a healthy Mora up front, is very exciting as we've been going all season so far essentially with no first team forwards.
Antony, Mora, JR as a frontline is fantastic and moving Santi back into midfield is what I’m most excited about.
Yeah, it'll be interesting if they see him more as a winger or a center forward.
If we move Moreno back to midfield, presumably to a 10 spot, that shifts Evander to 8 or has us fielding two kind of 10s and sits Williamson AND Paredes. I don't see Mora being our starting center forward. It seems more likely that we'd sign another (Y)DP center forward in the summer, move Rodriguez to the left wing, and use Mora and Antony as depth. Antony and Mora are both quality enough that I hate to bench them, especially given Antony's recent form, but with the league improving I like getting used to the idea of quality depth and, given schedule congestion and other factors, even depth players should be rotated in often enough.
Yeah, this is how I see it as well. So many options for Phil and crew to adjust based on matchups and who has the hot hand. We are about to record a POD and discuss :)
There's no world in which Antony is bench depth over Moreno.
Antony has been our leading producer in the attack so far this season and has impressed in practice. Moreno would end up going to the bench.
Can't wait to see what he can do here. Hopefully his immigration/ITC paperwork gets done sooner than later, no idea if it'll all be done in time for this weekend or not though.
This is really great business from Ned imo. I think there was a $7 million fee reported initially awhile back, and it kept going down and down and it comes to $4.3 million. I know America were willing to sell, but negotiating that fee from one of the biggest clubs in the region (probably the biggest) is good work.
Now, I’ll be very curious to see how he looks on the field. There is a quote from his agent saying this was the last big contract he was going to get, so I’m *really* hoping he’s not going to phone it in because of that. It could go either way I think, he could be playing free and for fun and that’ll help him be happy and bang in goals, or he sees this as a relaxing way to end off his career at the high level. I don’t think it’ll be the latter, but it’s just a stray thought I have.
I think the guys got goals in him. He seems to love a curling shot with his right foot to the far post coming off the left side, and I expect to see a few of those. I really hope he brings more in the overall game outside of just goals, because Evander and Santi desperately need someone to play off of. I can’t wait to see him play, I think this will be a good signing. He’s probably not going to be a world beater, but he’ll score
Naw, he's a psycho (in the best way). He's gonna compete.
With regard to contracts and how Rodríguez looks on the field, he might also react to his agent's quote by doing his best to prove the agent wrong. That would be terrific.
I want to see character and leadership in the new players hopefully. Seems like the new guy is a good signing in that he wins where he plays. I want Antony on the field developing and not wasting away on the bench. Mora, with his age and injury propensity, should be on the bench spot starting or starting when Rodriguez is spelling wingers or resting or if we go with two strikers..
Finally I get to exhale…I was about to turn blue! It will be a treat to see him on Saturday but I am done holding my breath. Now, please one more significant defensive signing in the summer window.
not quite sure whether he'll be available Saturday, he still has to pass a physical and, more complicatedly, get his visa and ITC sorted out and that's a lot of paperwork to do in essentially two days. I'd love to see it but if I were to guess, I'd guess it'd be next week in Vancouver, not this weekend. But I've been wrong about many things many times before, so who knows.
What significant defensive signing do you think we still need to make, given the current roster? We have too many centerbacks and goalkeepers. We could use fullback depth but I don't know if that would be a significant signing. We're good for defensive midfielders as well. I see us getting more depth on the wing in the summer window, or moving Rodriguez to the wing and signing a younger DP center forward.
(whispers) a much better defensive coach to replace liam ridgewell please and thank you
Yes a solid fullback. As much as I enjoy watching Juan David Mosquera being dangerous in the attack I would like to have the option to go more defensive or someone who would help hold possession in that position depending on game state or opponent.
That’s Eric Miller. Already on the roster. He’s just subbing for Bravo now.
I'm glad to hear that the deal is done. Our offense could certainly use his help. Wish he were a few years younger. Whatever. Hope Evander doesn't start pouting if this guy gets paid more than he does which apparently will be the case.
I think Evander is the type of player who gets frustrated with the skill gap. This is only going to help in that regard.
Good point. I'm excited to see how this works out. Ghosts of past highly anticipated players that didn't pan out are still haunting me.
There's a guy in our section who, to this day, wears a Melano jersey to games, and I just want to give him a hug every time I see him
I'd forgotten about him. One of several DPs that didn't pan out here in the end.
Yet another in the long line of indictments of the Gavin Wilkinson era, in my opinion. He was good at a few things, but he was very, very mid at player recruitment. Ned's off to a much better start in that regard.
Man, the extent to which people seem to want to paint Evander as some sort of malcontent is breathtaking to me. This acquisition will only help unlock Evander's skills that much more. I can't wait to see what a fully formed Timbers attack looks like - now it's time to fix the defense.
I didn't mean to paint him that way. I could very well be wrong, but I see him as a young and possibly emotional person who also has an tender ego. I didn't mean he'd be a malcontent in terms of being a locker room problem, just someone who might want to be seen as "the straw that stirs the Timbers drink" (with apologies to Reggie Jackson). I think you make a good point about Evander actually benefitting from the signing. Hope so.
I didn't think our defense was all that bad last game. The go that was allowed seemed to be a miscommunication issue between keeper and defender.
sorry, that was probably a bit of overreaction on my part. I've just seen so many people, on here and elsewhere, jump on Evander's every misstep, failure to emote, or (paradoxically) any display of anger or emotion as a sign that he hates it here since he arrived, and that he is perpetually unhappy here and looking to leave, that it's hard to see a comment like that and not lump it in with all those...my apologies.
"someone who might want to be seen as "the straw that stirs the Timbers drink" "
I honestly think that's why he was brought here, and I think having a striker like Rodriguez (and a healthy Mora) up top will let him be that to an extent that we haven't yet seen from Evander. I'm excited to see that hopefully happen.
No apologies necessary! I always appreciate your thoughtful comments.
Considering that Rodriguez will likely open up big spaces for him to attack, I have a feeling it will just improve Evander’s mood, stats and potential earnings.
Absolutely zero chance he makes more than Evander. He's in his 30s and we got him for $4 million. Evander is 25 and we paid $10 million for him.
I could be mistaken. I thought I'd read he is going to be the highest paid player on the team.
Evander's transfer fee was higher but Rodriguez' actual salary is reported to be much higher, I haven't seen a number but "highest on the team" is a phrase I've seen a lot.
right? oooof
I'm OK with that if he scores at the rate he's scored in the past, honestly.
read between the lines on this signing, slight failure by the FO. We went for an up and coming 25 year old and wound up getting a declining 30 year old. Sure the Timbers are better with him and Neville around but in no way shape or form are we going to be top tier if these are the best we can bring on. Hitting snooze.
Or, the other way of looking at it, as opposed to the GW years: Ned had a hole in his roster AND he had a Plan A *and* a Plan B as to how he wanted to fill it.
Plan A was the Platinum Plan, with all the bells and whistles, that would have cost a lot of money and had a lot of upside. Plan B was the Silver-Plus plan; not nearly as expensive up front, the running costs are more but is also a more proven commodity that will produce at a known rate for a shorter period of time, during which another Platinum Plan can be identified. We all wanted Plan A; that doesn't mean Plan B is some scrub from a Sunday rec league.
I wasn't thrilled about the idea of Rodriguez months ago when the concept of him as a transfer was first floated as a thing, but Berterame's national team situation pretty much guaranteed he wasn't coming here, and the more I read about Rodriguez, the more I think that he will be useful here. Given that his Plan A didn't work, Ned moved quickly on to his already identified Plan B, and - most importantly - didn't panic buy someone just for the sake of doing something.
Proof is (will be) in the scoring, of course, but this is in no way a "slight failure" as of right now in my opinion. This is Ned filling a position of need with a player who has been proven to be able to do the job wherever he's been in the past. How is that bad?
Also plan B was less expensive so there should be money for other players. I don’t see this as a failure. I would like to see how this team gels when everyone is healthy but I would also like to see a quality fullback added to the lineup.
There’s a very strong argument to be made that $4.3 million for Rodriguez is a far better deal than $15+ million for Berterame, who’s good, but is not close to being worth $15 million imo. It will on depend on how it turns out on the field but this could benefit us in the long run as it saves money for other big signings
I feel like long term maybe not best. is basically saying money to have a run at top of tables with no long term solution or gain. But the quality is there as long as his motivation to perform is it should give us a couple years of exciting football.
Time will tell if this is a good signing. Right now, though, this feels HUGE and just what the doctor ordered. I can't wait to see JRod get to work! Welcome!
I also noted that Aljaž Ivačič has been officially waived. I have no idea what took so long. Oddly enough, his name is still on the official Timbers website roster, while Jonathan Rodríguez is not there, yet.
I wonder what number he will wear. So far in the photos of him I've seen online, he's been wearing #11 or #21 and those are both taken. Would Antony possibly change to a different number, as he has once already?
Unless they announce something tomorrow, it looks like he cleared waivers, which sucks because it means we still have to eat his full cap hit.
No surprise there. If anyone wanted him, we would have been able to trade him. He will never play in MLS again, as no team will sign him and I'm sure he won't want to come back. He ended up a total mess.
Duh, I just saw at the end of the press conference, I guess he picked #14.
Hear me out.
Jon mora
Evander
Antony chara Williamson Moreno
Miller zup Mcgraw
Crep
I'm sorry but masquera has been poor. His consistency is a Rollercoaster. His average sofascore is 6.73 and last week he was a 6.1. I am 100% in the mindset that you earn your place in life. As for his potion on the team he has not earned it. Try Moreno out on the right as a wingback. Antony on the left. Now we have pace on the wings and an extra man on the backline for counters. This would also give Portland some good crossing coming into mora and Jon. We could move either Williamson or Moreno up to the 10 if Evander comes out and sub our rwb with masquera. Him being challenged to get back on the field will push him to get better. He has been regressing since the end of last season. We could move asprilla up top with Nathan if we want to or move asprilla to a wingback spot. He works hard on both sides of the ball. Then we could also replace chara with ayala or Paredes. I feel this formation would allow more pieces to be moved around if necessary. Especially since we are light on the wings. And I don't see Jonathan as a winger. Not at 30. He is a striker. Leave him up top to finish chances.
That's a *sloooooow* back 3. Wingbacks better be getting back on defense.
Zuparic is faster than Mcgraw and Miller. That's why I would put him in the middle
He's faster but not what I would call a fast CB.
OT but worth it for the laughs; the mighty T2 was knocked out of the Open Cup by an amateur side named after a taqueria.
it's no Cal FC, but still
Still pretty epic. Supposedly the taco guys scrimmage in Balboa Park. They're genuine amateurs (my recollection is that Waldo slipped a bunch of ringers into Cal FC, since the whole idea was just to punk Merritt...)
Ahh upsets, the joy of USOC! Austin FC 2 also knocked out by a lower-level team.
Lots of optimism about this signing and that’s great. But a lot of that optimism is spilling over to Mora as in we now have a world class scoring dynamic duo. I’m not at all sure Mora has put his injury problems behind him. I’m hoping Ned is looking for yet another forward/striker during the summer window.
I'm excited to see JR/Mora as the attacking option, but I don't expect to see this team start scoring 3+ goals a game or anything. They are better than the Asprilla/Fogaca combination, which is what I'm looking forward to. I'm expecting split between the two of them to be 60-30 for any game, which should help to limit Mora's minutes and (hopefully) keep him healthy. Its a possible top-5 pair in MLS, which is pretty exciting.
Certainly hope so. I’m not convinced Mora is back to the player he was a few years ago. Injuries take their toll in the latter stages of a career. Again, hope he is all the way back, and can reliably combo with JR.
yeah, I'm optimistic but I'm not even sure this signing puts the Timbers in the top 5 attacking duos in MLS at this point, forgetting completely about the rest of the world. The league has a TON of good, dynamic attacking teams right now, and the Timbers have a lot of catching up to do.
Remember the good ol' days, when the West in general, and Cascadia in particular, and US Cascadia especially, dominated MLS? Those days are long gone. The East is where the power lies now, and where a lot of the true attacking talent lives.
World class? Really? I realize this is a Timbers fan site, but can we put the brakes on the over-hype traIn? They may end up being one of the best striker platoons in the league, but MLS isn't a top 5 (or even 10) league. Cabecita will help, but the roster still won't have enough depth to be a true contender without help at the wings and fullback. And no, getting Marvin Loria back from injury doesn't constitute help in any meaningful way.
I am trying to understand the excitement for this signing. He is being touted as a forwarded who I saw playing on the LW primarily the last few season. Don’t we need a true forward? We have wingers. Does score goals but is 30 and in the twilight of his career and moving to turf fields. Seems like a major injury away from not playing for us much. I thought both Merrit and Neville hinted at a mind blowing signing? Is this him? Can’t be right? This improves us, sure. But this isn’t the game changing player we have been lead to think was coming. He seems like an asprilla upgrade but does not answer our CF needs. Honestly, I am happy with less asprilla. Not a fan of the monster heavy first touch. But JR is a LW.
I think the "mind blowing signing" was planned/intended to be German Berterame, but he chose to stay in Mexico as he would have made himself ineligible for the Mexican national team had he moved away from LigaMX (or maybe just out of Mexico? I'm not quite sure which is correct, residency or league tenure) prior to August of this year. Rodriguez was Plan B, and as such I think it's a pretty decent move. Relatively small transfer fee for a DP; he's on high wages but he's a proven goal scorer and since the Timbers aren't exactly short on creators, a finisher to pair with a finally-getting-healthy Mora is going to be a solid addition to the squad.
He's definitely not a winger, he'll be counted on to score more than he creates.
We got carried away with the “hinting at a big signing” thing. Ned and Neville said that they got permission from ownership to spend big on a player, potentially a club record transfer fee. Now, just because they got permission to do that, doesn’t mean that will be what happens. We had a list of options and our top choice would’ve been a club record fee by a mile, but it didn’t come through so we got our second choice for a much better deal. Yes, they hinted at a club record signing and they were very close to getting that over the line but it didn’t happen, and not really to any fault from the FO, I think they threw everything they had at it. I don’t think they steered us wrong here
yeah, I do like him on the LW, but he looks like he could operate anywhere. I think there are options galore with him, hence the excitement. The fact that he is 30 and is proven has created a fan base that is going to follow him here. He's going to bring new eyeballs and fans to the team, and stir up the rest of us who have been waiting for such a player.
Apparently he doesn't like the nickname Cabecita? I read that on another site but don't remember which. If the author lurks or contributes here, which is likely, perhaps they can verify.
At the moment, I like the idea of using the summer window to bring in a younger DP center forward and move Rodriguez to the left wing over Antony. However, Antony is killing it so I hate to relegate him to the bench. On the other hand, we really should have starting quality depth to rotate and that gives us even more flexibility, with Asprilla also back to the wing and Loría returning.
Circumstances may change but, at the moment, I don't see another position crying out for a high quality starter, besides the obvious injury-caused hole at left back. I'd still like more fullback depth, especially on the left, but we will probably be good when Bravo returns from injury. National team call-ups could hurt us though. We're deep in central midfield, at centerback, and goalkeeper. T2 is stacked with right fullback prospects. Unless we have some unexpected losses due to trade, sale, injury, or poor form, we should be looking pretty good come summer.
If we can't make a deal with Asprilla, we'll need to replace him. Mabiala will be leaving. Fogaça will probably be gone unless he really impresses in limited minutes this season. Loría will be out of contract and have to similarly prove himself. Zuparic might be sold or traded if he really wants that and isn't getting enough minutes. There are rumors of big roster rules changes next offseason, as well as a possible change to the (Y)DP rule that would go into effect ahead of the summer window.
Big questions for me are when will age start catching up with Chará and will Ayala be a sufficient replacement? I'm not worried yet. If we need to, that would be where I'd use any extra DP slot beyond Evander and Rodriguez. But I can't imagine that scenario this season.
We'll definitely find out tomorrow, as of now I can contact some of my contacts with the team and find out as well.
Paredes and Williamson are good but not great. I could see moving one of them because there is clearly value there and getting a DP 8 (or a DP 10 and letting Evander play the 8). Both have big enough gaps in their skill sets that we could use an upgrade there, especially if Mora comes back strong.
Paredes and Williamson can both improve and I'd argue that Williamson is actually pretty great in some areas. Both seem like good values as well, though Williamson not as much now that he no longer qualifies for the HG designation. My primary concern with them is injuries. I could theoretically be open to shipping both of them if it meant moving Evander to the 8, his natural position, and signing an actual 10 as a (Y)DP. However, I don't think Evander can manage the defensive responsibilities even as well as Williamson, who is weaker in that area than Paredes. That puts too much pressure on Chará. I think we'd need more height at the 6 spot, along with Chará's other gifts, to pull it off. Ayala is relatively short as well, so he wouldn't be a solution, even if he matched Chará in every other way. If Chará starts slipping this season, it could be that we'd want to use a (Y)DP slot there instead, if Ayala doesn't look like enough of a replacement. Then move Evander to 8 and Moreno to 10. That allows Rodriguez to play on the wing opposite Antony, with Mora up top. Even if Mora comes back strong, he's also 30. I'd really like to get a younger forward in the mix who is more proven and talented than what we've seen of Fogaça and Ikoba. It gets a little ridiculous to speculate on so many hypotheticals though.