PTFC Weekend Takeaways: Timbers rise and Thorns fall
Two games at Providence Park, two very different vibes & outcomes
The Portland Thorns flopped at home against one of the most porous defenses in the NWSL, while the Portland Timbers scored on and won against one of the stingiest defenses in MLS.
Let’s take some things away from the weekend, shall we?
The Timbers look ready for a playoff fight
Beating Seattle — it never gets old.
Portland’s first victory over their biggest rivals in 2024 felt good in its own right, just as they always do. But it also felt good in the context of their previous fixture and the fight ahead.
Just a week removed from shipping four goals at home to an in-conference rival, the Timbers posted a clean sheet against the team directly above them in the standings. Portland’s biggest Achilles heel this season has been its defense, and the draw against St. Louis sent up red flags around how that weakness could be exploited by times battling against Portland for playoff spots.
So posting a gritty 1-0 win was pretty much exactly what the doctor ordered. The resilience the Timbers showed to (just barely) endure a flurry of early corners and the commitment that pretty much every player showed to defend with their whole bodies was not only a welcome sight after the St. Louis game, but exactly what this team will need in the fight for the playoffs.
Moreover, Portland did this without their two leading scorers. Adversity and MLS go hand in hand, and the Timbers surely will be again presented a less-than-ideal situation where they need to get results before all is said and done. And now, we all know they can overcome that obstacle.
In a homestretch that includes pivotal games both home and away, this type of performance is the one that the Timbers will need to grind out results. In a month’s time, we could be looking back on this game as the blueprint that helped Portland return to the postseason.
The Thorns still don’t know who they are
On the other side of Providence Park, outlooks are much less rosy. The Thorns dropped their second straight result in a bruising 3-1 loss to Bay FC, and earned the ignominious distinction of having won just once in their last six league games. They are skidding down the table, and while they are currently not in peril of dropping out of the playoff spots entirely (they are currently in sixth) a few more bad results and they could be on the outside looking in.
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