I understand that there were very limited options in this game, but JDM really shouldn't be seeing significant minutes, pretty much ever. He is...not good. This summer really needs to see defensive upgrades happen before anything else.
This was an interesting game, because the defense actually did a reasonable job (JDM aside) while the offense struggled to do anything of note, for once. Those slow offensive nights are gonna happen occasionally, so it's good to see that the most porous defense in the West can hold firm when they need to.
Also It should be Zac McGraw's birthday every game day, apparently, because wow what a night for him. A solid point overall, for sure.
Ok, call me crazy, but I thought Mosquera had a decent game and has had consistently decent games for like a month now. He still has consistent brain farts, but so does Bravo. That pass to Klauss was awful and he was caught a few times but he also made several great plays to break pressure, dribbled guys, made some good passes, was effective offensively with some nice crosses, and even some nice tackles. He had one really great pass to Moreno at the top of the 18, and my gripe is that I wish it was Evander playing the 10, and then he would’ve been there instead of Moreno and that would’ve been a chance. Instead Moreno took a heavy touch and the chance was gone. But regardless I thought Mosquera was alright, I don’t know I just felt he’s been fine recently
And that's my issue with him - he doesn't really ever improve or eliminate those from his game. Brain farts happen, I get that, but in JDM's case, they happen far too often, they repeat themselves a TON (he makes the same mistakes all. the. time.), and the isolated moments of good play are very much outweighed by the volume of those mistakes.
I think there may be a good player hiding in there somewhere; for whatever reason, though, the way Portland plays isn't set up to find that player, and I think it's best that he be turned loose to find a place where he can get a fresh start and maybe improve overall. For whatever reason, it's just not happening for him here.
I might write a longer comment later but I just want to give a shout out to that outside of the foot volley pass from Evander that alllllmost made it to I think Moreno. Genuinely one of the most audacious passes I’ve ever seen live, that was insane. Messi will get all the headlines but that pass is on par with things I’ve seen him do this year
That pass was unbelievable. I had to rewind and watch it several times in a row because in real time, it didn't really look all that amazing, but then I was like WAIT WHAT WAS THAT and then watching it again and again...jawdropping. Evander is a special player and I don't care if the rest of the league doesn't recognize it yet. We do.
I'm glad to see Zac get some love, because he's a good dude. He still has a long ways to go in my book. Falling asleep and miscues on the backline can cost you, but with Pantemis back there, it helps. The one play where Zac cleared it off the line? Rewind that and watch Zac ball watching and allowing Klauss to make a run. If not for Pantemis quick off his line, that's a goal, and yes, Zac cleared his own mistake, IMO. Second, he hung out Zup to dry with a bad pass and Zup got a yellow. Just saying that there are things that just can't happen. Nice job elsewhere, though.
McGraw seems to have taken a step back in the last year or so, which is too bad - he started out really well and seemed poised to really level up after 2022, but it just didn't happen, for whatever reason. I was really encouraged by him last night, though, and hopefully - as with the whole team - he found something last night he can build on to improve in a sustainable way, because I really like him and hope he can take that next step and be that consistently good.
I don't know if he'll ever hit "the next level"... Dude is 27. Sure, CBs peak a little later, but he's currently where he should have been at like 22. I think he can be a decent back-up but that's about as good as he's gonna get.
If he can consistently play like he played on Saturday, that's kinda what I mean by "next level" I guess. I don't think he'll ever be like elite-tier good, but how he played Saturday is more what I would have expected from him week in and week out a year ago, so if he keeps that up that'll be huge.
Gotta love my man Bravo! His instincts to cover the goal are terrific. I'm no soccer expert for sure, but I'm starting to think that the Timbers have a problem on their hands at the keeper position. Their marquee keeper signing of Max C hasn't worked out all that well while James P. continues to impress me. The latter seems quicker and more athletic than the former and while James P. has certainly been lucky at times, he does have the team's only two clean sheets this season.
I don't think Crepeau has been terrible, but I honestly think Pantemis can steal the starting job while Crepeau is gone, if he keeps playing as well as he has. Unless Phil is wedded to "our number 1 is the number 1 no matter what", which he might be - a lot of managers think like this, and it has always bugged me, because no other position is like that - Pantemis is doing a hell of a job, and that should be rewarded.
I'll settle for between less than good and not terrible. The fact is, Crepeau is giving up two goals a game, at least. His red card against ... ahh, never mind. Pantemis is getting results.
Crepeau's not solely responsible for that run of goals conceded, though - the defense in front of him, until the last few games, has been absolutely diabolical, particularly on set pieces. He certainly shoulders some of the blame, but Crepeau's not the only reason for that run of putrescence. Either way, Pantemis has a chance to step up and I hope he can.
Is there a stat for which team draws the most yellow cards? The Timbers may be setting a record this year. I can only think it is because they are so fast and dangerous on the counter so opponents are making tactical fouls. Hopefully more of those yellows will turn into reds going forward.
It’s frustrating to me when the refs don’t give yellow cards early for obvious tactical fouls (often from behind to stop a counter attack). First half against Houston there was one yellow card given; second half there were nine. First half against St. Louis there were two verses six in the second. Whether earlier yellows would lead to a red or two, I don’t know. Maybe it would cut down on the tactical fouls later in the game. Regardless, that type of foul should be penalized with a yellow early and often to set the tone. Moreover, how is it fair to give starters one or two freebies early and then give a card to a substitute for the first offense?
It is hard to play good soccer with an opponent on your back. St. Louis really mucks up the game; in fact, a lot of the pressing teams do, and then they act all innocent like and upset that they get called for a foul. It makes for a really ugly game. I'll give a ton of credit to the Timbers for their composure because they really do get a lot of teams coming at them. I think they are so close to really blowing teams away 3-0, 4-1.
As long as they can continue their recent trend of stopping teams from scoring. This team has not had a problem scoring all season, until Saturday (that is gonna happen every now and again, and isn't a huge worry); it's the not-letting-the-other-team-score that's been the issue. That seems to be changing; if that change is persistent, this team all of a sudden looks a whole lot better than it did two months ago.
If we can defend that well consistently (understanding there was some luck as well), we’ll be a competitive team.
With Evander and JRod and in-form Mora, I don’t worry about the attack. I know he scores a little, but I do wish we had a better option than Nathan as depth striker.
A question, have we ever had Williamson out on the wing?
I think we'd see the attack gel a little more with more consistency in the players playing together. For example, Moreno is playing the 10, which he doesn't always play, and the one time he got a good ball in from Mosquera, he takes a touch and loses it, but a nice give to Fogaca who is making a good run and he's in to slot it home. Instead, he loses it trying to shoot. That takes experience and reps to pull it off. Phil kinda tinkers - sometimes out of necessity - but I think he really needs to lock in with players at certain positions to get more consistency. It seems like he's getting there, like with his sub rotations. The question for me is Moreno. What to do with him? Personally I prefer Antony over him at the wing because Antony is way more threatening and plays really good D. The guy draws two yellows within a minute because he actually terrifying to defenders that they tackle him with their hands. He should not be splitting time with Moreno in my opinion. I think he would develop better with longer stretches.
On Antony vs. Moreno: One interesting thing for me is that when Moreno first came to the Timbers, I perceived him as fast. Finally, I thought, we have a truly pacey person who we can use to keep the other side honest, which I think is really important, given how wobbly our defense has been. Well, somehow, Moreno's not really playing fast now. I'm not saying he's lost a step. It just seems like he's kind of Evander Jr., trying to hold the ball and tiki taka it around. Which could be fine, I guess, except we still need the speed. So Antony's ability to actual flat out run makes him more attractive to me in that spot at the moment for that role on the squad.
Moreno’s definitely pretty fast, but he doesn’t have Antony-level wheels (few players do). But that’s not what made Moreno great, he’s always been a guy who had great technique, dribbling, and especially passing ability. But for whatever reason, for the past year and a half he hasn’t hit the consistency that his promise showed. Personally I think he’s been playing much better than people give him credit for, but he’s been so off and on even still. A lot of times it feels like his brain is ahead of his body. He has good ideas but makes the wrong decisions or the pass/shot is just way off. When Evander is on the ball it feels like the game slows down for him. When Moreno is on the ball it feels like he’s playing at a gazillion miles an hour. He gets the ball and suddenly it’s a race to get down the field as quickly as possible. And I like that, I love his energy! But it makes him miss passes and get the ball taken off him. He needs to learn how to slow down and play more relaxed. He’s very talented, it actually feels like now he’s relying too much on speed of play instead of his technical ability
Antony is the most single-footed non-goalie player I've ever seen play at the pro level. It's a major liability, and it's already cost him and the team goals, goal opportunities, and possession in attack. Many times. He's insanely fast and he plays hard and ihe's clever with his right foot, but it won't take long for teams to scout his glaring weakness, exploit it, and shut him down. At which point he will (continue to) have... nothing left. ;)
I see what you're saying but on a team with fairly minimal pace it's still good to have someone who has lots of it, even if it's just a matter of being someone to kick it to stretch the field.
JDM has good attacking ability and instincts, but he’s unreliable in defense. Maybe he has trade value to a club that can use him as a winger. Wing back in a 3 back system would be a natural role for him if his 1 on 1 defense were good enough. Bravo can be successful in this role. We need a right side wingback who is as good. Let’s hope we can sign someone in the summer window who is an upgrade.
I was disappointed to see Moreno stay on and switch to the wing while Antony got subbed. Moreno and JDM are not a good combo for defense later in the game. Moreno - not bad but not good. I think Antony is more of threat on the wing and he actually is really good on defense. I don't like to see a splitting of time with those two because one guy needs the reps and gel with the rest of the attack.
I understand that there were very limited options in this game, but JDM really shouldn't be seeing significant minutes, pretty much ever. He is...not good. This summer really needs to see defensive upgrades happen before anything else.
This was an interesting game, because the defense actually did a reasonable job (JDM aside) while the offense struggled to do anything of note, for once. Those slow offensive nights are gonna happen occasionally, so it's good to see that the most porous defense in the West can hold firm when they need to.
Also It should be Zac McGraw's birthday every game day, apparently, because wow what a night for him. A solid point overall, for sure.
Ok, call me crazy, but I thought Mosquera had a decent game and has had consistently decent games for like a month now. He still has consistent brain farts, but so does Bravo. That pass to Klauss was awful and he was caught a few times but he also made several great plays to break pressure, dribbled guys, made some good passes, was effective offensively with some nice crosses, and even some nice tackles. He had one really great pass to Moreno at the top of the 18, and my gripe is that I wish it was Evander playing the 10, and then he would’ve been there instead of Moreno and that would’ve been a chance. Instead Moreno took a heavy touch and the chance was gone. But regardless I thought Mosquera was alright, I don’t know I just felt he’s been fine recently
"He still has consistent brain farts,"
And that's my issue with him - he doesn't really ever improve or eliminate those from his game. Brain farts happen, I get that, but in JDM's case, they happen far too often, they repeat themselves a TON (he makes the same mistakes all. the. time.), and the isolated moments of good play are very much outweighed by the volume of those mistakes.
I think there may be a good player hiding in there somewhere; for whatever reason, though, the way Portland plays isn't set up to find that player, and I think it's best that he be turned loose to find a place where he can get a fresh start and maybe improve overall. For whatever reason, it's just not happening for him here.
Crazy. ;)
Fair enough lol
> it's good to see that the most porous defense in the West
You mean the SECOND most porous defense in the West, lol...
haha yeah, true.
I might write a longer comment later but I just want to give a shout out to that outside of the foot volley pass from Evander that alllllmost made it to I think Moreno. Genuinely one of the most audacious passes I’ve ever seen live, that was insane. Messi will get all the headlines but that pass is on par with things I’ve seen him do this year
That pass was unbelievable. I had to rewind and watch it several times in a row because in real time, it didn't really look all that amazing, but then I was like WAIT WHAT WAS THAT and then watching it again and again...jawdropping. Evander is a special player and I don't care if the rest of the league doesn't recognize it yet. We do.
I'm glad to see Zac get some love, because he's a good dude. He still has a long ways to go in my book. Falling asleep and miscues on the backline can cost you, but with Pantemis back there, it helps. The one play where Zac cleared it off the line? Rewind that and watch Zac ball watching and allowing Klauss to make a run. If not for Pantemis quick off his line, that's a goal, and yes, Zac cleared his own mistake, IMO. Second, he hung out Zup to dry with a bad pass and Zup got a yellow. Just saying that there are things that just can't happen. Nice job elsewhere, though.
McGraw seems to have taken a step back in the last year or so, which is too bad - he started out really well and seemed poised to really level up after 2022, but it just didn't happen, for whatever reason. I was really encouraged by him last night, though, and hopefully - as with the whole team - he found something last night he can build on to improve in a sustainable way, because I really like him and hope he can take that next step and be that consistently good.
I don't know if he'll ever hit "the next level"... Dude is 27. Sure, CBs peak a little later, but he's currently where he should have been at like 22. I think he can be a decent back-up but that's about as good as he's gonna get.
If he can consistently play like he played on Saturday, that's kinda what I mean by "next level" I guess. I don't think he'll ever be like elite-tier good, but how he played Saturday is more what I would have expected from him week in and week out a year ago, so if he keeps that up that'll be huge.
His best game of the season so far imho 👏🏼
Gotta love my man Bravo! His instincts to cover the goal are terrific. I'm no soccer expert for sure, but I'm starting to think that the Timbers have a problem on their hands at the keeper position. Their marquee keeper signing of Max C hasn't worked out all that well while James P. continues to impress me. The latter seems quicker and more athletic than the former and while James P. has certainly been lucky at times, he does have the team's only two clean sheets this season.
Both Crepeau and Pantemis have been good, that doesn’t seem like a problem to me, it’s great to have two starting caliber players for one position
True, but only one can play. Pantemis is getting the results.
I will add that I don't think Crepeau has been good.
I don't think Crepeau has been terrible, but I honestly think Pantemis can steal the starting job while Crepeau is gone, if he keeps playing as well as he has. Unless Phil is wedded to "our number 1 is the number 1 no matter what", which he might be - a lot of managers think like this, and it has always bugged me, because no other position is like that - Pantemis is doing a hell of a job, and that should be rewarded.
I'll settle for between less than good and not terrible. The fact is, Crepeau is giving up two goals a game, at least. His red card against ... ahh, never mind. Pantemis is getting results.
Crepeau's not solely responsible for that run of goals conceded, though - the defense in front of him, until the last few games, has been absolutely diabolical, particularly on set pieces. He certainly shoulders some of the blame, but Crepeau's not the only reason for that run of putrescence. Either way, Pantemis has a chance to step up and I hope he can.
He seems fairly composed and good with his feet as well. I'm surprised he hasn't had more playing time in his career to date.
Is there a stat for which team draws the most yellow cards? The Timbers may be setting a record this year. I can only think it is because they are so fast and dangerous on the counter so opponents are making tactical fouls. Hopefully more of those yellows will turn into reds going forward.
It’s frustrating to me when the refs don’t give yellow cards early for obvious tactical fouls (often from behind to stop a counter attack). First half against Houston there was one yellow card given; second half there were nine. First half against St. Louis there were two verses six in the second. Whether earlier yellows would lead to a red or two, I don’t know. Maybe it would cut down on the tactical fouls later in the game. Regardless, that type of foul should be penalized with a yellow early and often to set the tone. Moreover, how is it fair to give starters one or two freebies early and then give a card to a substitute for the first offense?
So true!
It is hard to play good soccer with an opponent on your back. St. Louis really mucks up the game; in fact, a lot of the pressing teams do, and then they act all innocent like and upset that they get called for a foul. It makes for a really ugly game. I'll give a ton of credit to the Timbers for their composure because they really do get a lot of teams coming at them. I think they are so close to really blowing teams away 3-0, 4-1.
I like your optimism. If they can start scoring early in games, then yes other teams will be in deep doo doo.
As long as they can continue their recent trend of stopping teams from scoring. This team has not had a problem scoring all season, until Saturday (that is gonna happen every now and again, and isn't a huge worry); it's the not-letting-the-other-team-score that's been the issue. That seems to be changing; if that change is persistent, this team all of a sudden looks a whole lot better than it did two months ago.
If we can defend that well consistently (understanding there was some luck as well), we’ll be a competitive team.
With Evander and JRod and in-form Mora, I don’t worry about the attack. I know he scores a little, but I do wish we had a better option than Nathan as depth striker.
A question, have we ever had Williamson out on the wing?
> it's good to see that the most porous defense in the West
He's slow and doesn't track back. Seems like it would be a massive liability.
I think we'd see the attack gel a little more with more consistency in the players playing together. For example, Moreno is playing the 10, which he doesn't always play, and the one time he got a good ball in from Mosquera, he takes a touch and loses it, but a nice give to Fogaca who is making a good run and he's in to slot it home. Instead, he loses it trying to shoot. That takes experience and reps to pull it off. Phil kinda tinkers - sometimes out of necessity - but I think he really needs to lock in with players at certain positions to get more consistency. It seems like he's getting there, like with his sub rotations. The question for me is Moreno. What to do with him? Personally I prefer Antony over him at the wing because Antony is way more threatening and plays really good D. The guy draws two yellows within a minute because he actually terrifying to defenders that they tackle him with their hands. He should not be splitting time with Moreno in my opinion. I think he would develop better with longer stretches.
On Antony vs. Moreno: One interesting thing for me is that when Moreno first came to the Timbers, I perceived him as fast. Finally, I thought, we have a truly pacey person who we can use to keep the other side honest, which I think is really important, given how wobbly our defense has been. Well, somehow, Moreno's not really playing fast now. I'm not saying he's lost a step. It just seems like he's kind of Evander Jr., trying to hold the ball and tiki taka it around. Which could be fine, I guess, except we still need the speed. So Antony's ability to actual flat out run makes him more attractive to me in that spot at the moment for that role on the squad.
Moreno’s definitely pretty fast, but he doesn’t have Antony-level wheels (few players do). But that’s not what made Moreno great, he’s always been a guy who had great technique, dribbling, and especially passing ability. But for whatever reason, for the past year and a half he hasn’t hit the consistency that his promise showed. Personally I think he’s been playing much better than people give him credit for, but he’s been so off and on even still. A lot of times it feels like his brain is ahead of his body. He has good ideas but makes the wrong decisions or the pass/shot is just way off. When Evander is on the ball it feels like the game slows down for him. When Moreno is on the ball it feels like he’s playing at a gazillion miles an hour. He gets the ball and suddenly it’s a race to get down the field as quickly as possible. And I like that, I love his energy! But it makes him miss passes and get the ball taken off him. He needs to learn how to slow down and play more relaxed. He’s very talented, it actually feels like now he’s relying too much on speed of play instead of his technical ability
Antony is the most single-footed non-goalie player I've ever seen play at the pro level. It's a major liability, and it's already cost him and the team goals, goal opportunities, and possession in attack. Many times. He's insanely fast and he plays hard and ihe's clever with his right foot, but it won't take long for teams to scout his glaring weakness, exploit it, and shut him down. At which point he will (continue to) have... nothing left. ;)
All the more reason to play him on the right, where he really shines. Also, I'd say Nagbe did all right with one foot.
I see what you're saying but on a team with fairly minimal pace it's still good to have someone who has lots of it, even if it's just a matter of being someone to kick it to stretch the field.
JDM has good attacking ability and instincts, but he’s unreliable in defense. Maybe he has trade value to a club that can use him as a winger. Wing back in a 3 back system would be a natural role for him if his 1 on 1 defense were good enough. Bravo can be successful in this role. We need a right side wingback who is as good. Let’s hope we can sign someone in the summer window who is an upgrade.
I was disappointed to see Moreno stay on and switch to the wing while Antony got subbed. Moreno and JDM are not a good combo for defense later in the game. Moreno - not bad but not good. I think Antony is more of threat on the wing and he actually is really good on defense. I don't like to see a splitting of time with those two because one guy needs the reps and gel with the rest of the attack.