View from the gantry: A walk-off win that brought the vibes (so) back

On a heaping of hope, Brazilian brilliance, and a refreshing look down

Welcome to view from the gantry! A chance to zoom out and take a 1,000 foot view at the week that was for the Timbers and/or Thorns, and find some key takeaways from their recent match(es).

This week: a comeback on the road the likes the Timbers haven’t seen in almost a decade.

---

Phil Neville had many priorities piled on his plate when he took over as head coach of the Portland Timbers. “Make the playoffs,” was a big one. “Figure out how to fix the defense,” was a major one as well. But progress towards both of those, along with many others, is decidedly TBD until we get closer to the end of the season.

“Lift the vibes of a struggling squad",” was another huge priority for Neville, and one that could actually be readily evaluated within the first few weeks of the season. One home win, one home draw, and one massive comeback road win later, I think we might have our first major data point to that goal:

Yes, the Timbers’ good vibes are well and truly so back.

Let’s get into it: