I know its been rough few weeks for Timbers but I am still optimistic. Just need these boys to get healthy. I wonder how seriously Vancouver is taking the CCL and whether they play their starters on Wednesday and Saturday against us.
True we did not look good from minutes 60 - 80 but we were the more dangerous team the last ten minutes. I believe this pattern goes back to the game vs LAFC where we were knocking on the door at the end. Same for st Louis and LA Galaxy (Atlanta what Atlanta, we don’t talk about Atlanta).
“The prettiest pass the Timbers have hit this season so far...”
The prettiest pass this season for me was Evander’s looping shoulder pass over the backline of SKC (I think it was that game). Honestly not sure if that will be topped
I hope we get to see a start or an earlier Sub for Frank so we can see a little more from him. I do think Nathan had a better game. Anyone have updates on timelines for returns of our other injured? I didn't see Evander , Yimmi or Paredes on the bench so I'm guessing not likely to be part of Whitecaps game. I did hear Ayala is going to have a game with T2 before being back, but not a starter really. Anyone heard any dates or likely return timeline for Blanco?
Ayala did play about a half hour with T2 over the weekend. As for the other dudes (according to a training report from Ryan Clarke):
- Yimmi & Paredes in training, still working on their own
- Evander training in full
- Loria, Bingham, and Blanco not in training
My guess is that Evander is back for Vancouver (maybe starts), as is Ayala (on the bench). No clue when/if Seba will be back. That knee sounds like it's still bothering him. Gio did say he was "optimistic" he will be back at some point, no timeline though.
Personally as much as I love Seba, I suspect we have seen the last of him playing. Sounds like he has little to no knee left and with intense pain that should be his main focus. I blew out my left knee twice and the surgeon told me I can either stop playing soccer (the game I love) or not walk in my later years with it. That was the day I retired from the game.
Eric Miller vs Dallas. Was suggested to do this and thought it was a good idea since we don’t really know much about him. Feels to be a very safe, unremarkable veteran presence who is ok for a spot start here and there. And after Van Rankin, I’m ok with someone like that. But this is a pretty boring highlight reel
"Feels to be a very safe, unremarkable veteran presence who is ok for a spot start here and there"
I mean, that's pretty much why they got him, right? I don't think anyone imagined Eric Miller being a starting defender once everyone's healthy, and if he becomes that, the problems with this team are even bigger than I thought...hahaha.
>But this is a pretty boring highlight reel
The nation thanks you for your service! (seriously, these are cool and thanks for doing them)
"But as we saw, and as Savarese also recognized, the Timbers wilted as the game went on."
This is a recurring thing, and it's very worrisome. If it's a physical thing, the training staff needs to get better; if it's a mental thing, the coaching staff needs to get better. Either way, if the Timbers want to be an elite team, they need to ratchet up the intensity quite a bit, for the whole game, not just in short bursts.
Games ebb and flow. Maybe certain players needed to be subbed but the Timbers wilted as a whole? - hardly. Tell that to Bravo or McGraw, Chara, etc. They'll have something to say about that. I think what is to be commended is Gio throwing a bunch of offense on the field to get the equalizer. Obviously it worked out. But it should be noted that he actually had some players to throw on like Ikoba and Boli and, ahem, Niezgoda.
I have just lost count of the number of games in the last two years where the team as a whole just sort of sputters and doesn't maintain the level of the Charas and McGraws that are on the field at the time. I don't know, again, if that's a fitness level thing for some of the team or a mentality thing, but there's a definite effect that ripples out team-wide. Chara can work his ass off for 90 minutes, and always does, but if the majority of the players around him aren't doing the same, that effort is wasted.
It's good to see some health returning to the team, for sure - another thing that healthy depth brings is competition for places, which in theory should raise the intensity level all around.
I know its been rough few weeks for Timbers but I am still optimistic. Just need these boys to get healthy. I wonder how seriously Vancouver is taking the CCL and whether they play their starters on Wednesday and Saturday against us.
Looks like they played their starters vs LAFC and rotated a little vs Montreal, and yet LA still hammered them
True we did not look good from minutes 60 - 80 but we were the more dangerous team the last ten minutes. I believe this pattern goes back to the game vs LAFC where we were knocking on the door at the end. Same for st Louis and LA Galaxy (Atlanta what Atlanta, we don’t talk about Atlanta).
“The prettiest pass the Timbers have hit this season so far...”
The prettiest pass this season for me was Evander’s looping shoulder pass over the backline of SKC (I think it was that game). Honestly not sure if that will be topped
I hope we get to see a start or an earlier Sub for Frank so we can see a little more from him. I do think Nathan had a better game. Anyone have updates on timelines for returns of our other injured? I didn't see Evander , Yimmi or Paredes on the bench so I'm guessing not likely to be part of Whitecaps game. I did hear Ayala is going to have a game with T2 before being back, but not a starter really. Anyone heard any dates or likely return timeline for Blanco?
Ayala did play about a half hour with T2 over the weekend. As for the other dudes (according to a training report from Ryan Clarke):
- Yimmi & Paredes in training, still working on their own
- Evander training in full
- Loria, Bingham, and Blanco not in training
My guess is that Evander is back for Vancouver (maybe starts), as is Ayala (on the bench). No clue when/if Seba will be back. That knee sounds like it's still bothering him. Gio did say he was "optimistic" he will be back at some point, no timeline though.
Personally as much as I love Seba, I suspect we have seen the last of him playing. Sounds like he has little to no knee left and with intense pain that should be his main focus. I blew out my left knee twice and the surgeon told me I can either stop playing soccer (the game I love) or not walk in my later years with it. That was the day I retired from the game.
https://youtu.be/fKzlOp802jQ
Eric Miller vs Dallas. Was suggested to do this and thought it was a good idea since we don’t really know much about him. Feels to be a very safe, unremarkable veteran presence who is ok for a spot start here and there. And after Van Rankin, I’m ok with someone like that. But this is a pretty boring highlight reel
"Feels to be a very safe, unremarkable veteran presence who is ok for a spot start here and there"
I mean, that's pretty much why they got him, right? I don't think anyone imagined Eric Miller being a starting defender once everyone's healthy, and if he becomes that, the problems with this team are even bigger than I thought...hahaha.
>But this is a pretty boring highlight reel
The nation thanks you for your service! (seriously, these are cool and thanks for doing them)
Yep, it’s why we got him, so it’s good to show that we got what we paid for
And you’re welcome, they’re fun to make, I just wish the quality was better. Apple TV doesn’t stream in high quality on a windows browser apparently
"But as we saw, and as Savarese also recognized, the Timbers wilted as the game went on."
This is a recurring thing, and it's very worrisome. If it's a physical thing, the training staff needs to get better; if it's a mental thing, the coaching staff needs to get better. Either way, if the Timbers want to be an elite team, they need to ratchet up the intensity quite a bit, for the whole game, not just in short bursts.
Games ebb and flow. Maybe certain players needed to be subbed but the Timbers wilted as a whole? - hardly. Tell that to Bravo or McGraw, Chara, etc. They'll have something to say about that. I think what is to be commended is Gio throwing a bunch of offense on the field to get the equalizer. Obviously it worked out. But it should be noted that he actually had some players to throw on like Ikoba and Boli and, ahem, Niezgoda.
I have just lost count of the number of games in the last two years where the team as a whole just sort of sputters and doesn't maintain the level of the Charas and McGraws that are on the field at the time. I don't know, again, if that's a fitness level thing for some of the team or a mentality thing, but there's a definite effect that ripples out team-wide. Chara can work his ass off for 90 minutes, and always does, but if the majority of the players around him aren't doing the same, that effort is wasted.
It's good to see some health returning to the team, for sure - another thing that healthy depth brings is competition for places, which in theory should raise the intensity level all around.