You're So [ORANGE] It's Unbelievable

Timbers 1-0 Oregon State
A couple of belated notes on Saturday's Timbers-Beavers scrimmatch at Paul Lorenz Field in Corvallis:

A beautiful cross by Ryan Pore set up the winner by Darlington Nagbe, at about the 52'. We were standing with the remnants of the Timbers Army cheering section, on the OSU side of the field, where we expected the action to take place in the second half. Pore was playing on the right wing and slotted it beautifully for Nagbe to take it home. Pore looked to distribute all night - the predominant yell I remember from the crowd standing around us was 'Ryan! Be more selfish!' - and Nagbe owed the goal almost entirely to Pore's beautiful service. My wife, who only goes to a handful of Timbers games a year, was standing with me, and marveled at how unselfish Pore's play was. He really stood out Saturday night. Pore didn't overwhelm anybody, but he looked like the guy that Spencer deserves to places his trust in- the guy who makes plays happen for the better of the team through meticulous, thoughtful play. He's going to get the rhythm of MLS play and thrive, and my bet is on it happening sooner rather than later.

Eddie Johnson was the primary feature player at the front of the field. He provided tenacious energy at the front of the field, and although he failed to translate some long service balls into goals, he overpowered the Beaver defenders all night. As has been the case most of the season for the Timbers, our forwards depended a great deal on the long ball for much of the night, and Johnson's unrewarded, overpowering play was another in a string of examples of why this is a tough way to score goals.

Nagbe was jaw-dropping to watch on ball. He started the first half on the left side and struggled with linking up with Chris Taylor, who played left back. On a couple of plays Nagbe was visibly frustrated with Taylor's lack of connection, and seemed to avoid Taylor all together afterwards. Somewhere in the middle of the first half Nagbe apparently switched sides with Pore, who switched over from the right side of the field and played on the left the rest of the first half. Nagbe's footwork was dazzling, and he looked sharp, even if he gave up a couple of balls to the the Beaver defenders. He's a small guy- he looked about 5'9"- and his speed more than makes up for any slightness in build.

Besides Pore, the other Timber who really stood out- literally- was Futty Danso. He physically dominated the smaller Oregon State forwards, and punished them into the ground, including an awesome takedown of an OSU player on one of the only Beaver attacks in the second half. He towered over everyone and deployed his height and strength to impressive use attempting to head home two corner kicks, both of which sailed high. No one on the field was even close to him in terms of size and physicality, and even if the competition was a bunch of 19 year-old state college kids, watching him you had to wonder why he hasn't seen the field yet for MLS Timbers.

- It may have been a college field with bleachers, and we may have had a major malfunction with the official clock (it inexplicably started anew at 0:00 around the 55'), but the lingering impression is the professional character of this Timbers side. With the obvious differences, the eleven guys who took the field (twelve counting Rodrigo Lopez in after halftime) looked a lot like the guys we saw in last year's USL play. It was great to see some of the rising USL Timbers finally take the field together.

- Is it clear enough that we had a fabulous time? The eight-months pregnant lovely lady and I strapped our bicycles to the back of the car and made a date night of the match. We got to Corvallis, parked our car on the north end of town, and left our boy in care of an aunt and uncle. From there, we biked down into the OSU campus, locked up our bikes, and stood and cheered the Timbers and jeered the Beavers for ninety minutes. Quality of play notwithstanding, the evening had a very low-key quality to it, and there's something to be said for just taking in an early April evening in small town western Oregon and watching some good footy.

- The best cultural exchange of the night occurred early in the second half after an OSU defender came down with a case of the cramps. Usually a situation like this would provoke acerbic chants from Timbers Army. Of course, we called him a weenie and yelled at him to get up. Somebody next to us yelled something to the effect of get the fuck up, you pussy, which prompted a nearby OSU fan to yell back with essentially, "Whoa you're pretty tough Timbers Army!" which in turn led to a middle finger from the guy next to us. It was pretty instructive when after an errant OSU pass flew out of the field and into some neighboring trees well past the far sideline, no one had the heart to pick up the chant 'You're So Shitty It's Unbelievable.' Come on, they're kids who have to go to OSU, after all.

If the best part of the night was standing with the supporters section, of course it should be pointed out that there were some assholes. Around the seventieth minute a bunch of young guys to our right tried to break out "Rose City Til I Die." Timbers were leading 1-0. Learn to have some respect for the game and not tempt fate, guys.

Player notes:

Kevin Guppy got the start in goal. He wasn't really tested at all, and without a PA announcer giving the lineups, for the first twenty minutes I thought he was Troy Perkins, if that counts for anything.

New Trialist Constantin Arbănaş got the start at right back. He seemed to play well and had some physical challenges early in the second half.

Kevin Goldthwaite had a couple of measured, collected stops that definitely impressed. Credit where credit is due. On another note, apparently he has a radio hour in Portland. Anyone heard it?

Spencer Thompson got the start next to Eddie Johnson up front. He whiffed on an early chance right in front of the goal at about ten minutes, and picked up an unmerited yellow card halfway through the first half.

Rodrigo Lopez wore number 36 and came on for Thompson at halftime. He was the go-to guy on set pieces and corner kicks and looked solid.

Pull for Real Salt Lake, Or Hate Their Guts

If you're a fan of an MLS side that doesn't happen to be Real Salt Lake, who should you support in tonight's CONCACAF semifinal and, potentially the CONCACAF final? The MLS side, Real Salt Lake, obviously! Unless you completely hate them.

This one isn't that hard to figure out. There's been a lot of sniping and bickering on twitter among a number of belligerents, some with fair points about MLS's obnoxious chest-thumping and promotion of the "#MLS4RSL" hash-tag. But really, unless you hate Real Salt Lake's guts, there is almost no question among which outcome is better for MLS fans. Not only does a MLS win in Costa Rica tonight (not to mention in the CONCACAF final) raise the profile of MLS and allow it to attract better talent, it literally raises the league's standing in the international soccer world. Most of Europe relies on the antiquated, bizarrely relevant metrics of the IFFHS, which bases most of its ratings on success in international play like EUFA and CONCACAF champions' leagues. A successful showing on the international stage would raise MLS' standing in the rankings, and thus would benefit all MLS clubs. Wouldn't another MLS club's triumph over the rest of the teams in the continent make a victory by your own favorite side's victory over that club even sweeter? There's something to be said for having worthy adversaries. MLS fans should welcome the challenge.

Plus: the Central American and Mexican clubs almost always win! Who doesn't like to root for an underdog, especially when you can follow them domestically?

I understand why someone wouldn't want to see Real Salt Lake succeed. If they're your rival, then you always want them to lose. I get that. I took special joy in Seattle's humiliating loss to Monterrey in CONCACAF play last fall. For good measure, here's the video:



But unless hating Real Salt Lake is really important to you, you might as well root in your self-interest, and there's little question that a good showing in CONCACAF is good for every team in MLS. Then again, there's a case to be made that Real Salt Lake should be more hated more often. After all, they're named after a foreign monarch and every fascist's favorite team, and they're based in suburban Utah. I spotted a fan in the Saprissa stands tonight wearing a Real Madrid shirt, and I couldn't help but wonder exactly what that meant.

Additional note of parochial import: Real Salt Lake visits Portland the weekend after the CONCACAF Final, and a good showing by them there increases the possibilities of a letdown game in humble ol' Goose Hollow. Worthy adversaries, etc, etc. RSL has looked almost unstoppable so far this season, and Timbers, well, haven't. If RSL is in the CONCACAF Final, I still like their chances in Portland, only very slightly less.

Timbers 2 - 0 Chivas USA

Scattered notes before I collapse into bed:

- What a beautiful night for football. We sat (stood) in the west stands behind the goal with Timbers Army, close to exits which was convenient for a friend with us with special needs, and in the first row so my pregnant spouse could sit without missing a thing. As a matter of fact it was the perfect place to hurl down insults on Chivas defenders like Heath Pearce - where's your mustache now, big guy?! - even if I had promised last night to golf clap his return to University of Portland. There is not a bad seat in Merlo, and we were awed to catch MLS soccer from a few feet away. I watch a lot of professional soccer, and it's been a while since I audibly caught a referee laughing after I screamed bloody murder at him.

We were also privileged to sit (stand) next to the event security detail. Our security monitor lady was charged with keeping the aisle aka "fire lane" clear, which was rich because with all the rain a fire couldn't have started tonight with four gallons of kerosene. At one point early in the second half a Very Important Security Person came near to us to start spotting & cataloging rule-breakers in the Timbers Army crowd. "Fans get away with a lot in Europe, and that's fine," he said to the security monitor lady. "But they're about to learn you can't get away with it here. They're going to drive families away, and then no one's going to come to the games." He pushed a button with me. "Hey, I've got my family right here, and we're doing just fine," I said to him. Which was true- and we were sitting (standing) next to a young couple with a young daughter as well! If you want to stay home and watch sports on your TV where it's almost impossible to be offended, go ahead. But Timbers Army is something magical, and I'll be damned if the Ruffian Police and John Canzano use soccer-mad young families as their reason for trying to clamp down on people having a good time.

- Rodney Wallace is an artist on the ball. He made some dumb ass plays tonight, but every time he got near the ball tonight he seemed like he was on the verge of doing something special. My jaw almost dropped once as he curled on a dime around a swiftly skipping ball and returned it deep down the field. After tonight, I could see why Gavin and John passed up Dax McCarty for him.

- At the start of the second half, an apparently inebriated fan came near the goal and shouted, "Jake Gleeson! I want you to marry my sister!" Everybody got a good laugh, but I suspect I wasn't the only one who was nodding my head in vigorous agreement. Gleeson was outstanding tonight. For most of the second half, Chivas was the more organized, attacking side, and Jake repelled a number of close balls brilliantly. The surface was slick and unsure, and yet Jake looked exactly like the guy worthy of an international call-up, who sacrificed duty to his country to guide his injury-ravaged club to victory. Thanks for stepping in to be the man of the match.

(Photo - the lovely lady and I after a rainy, exhilarating full time at Merlo Field. Timbers' first match in Portland & win as an MLS side. Tuesday, March 29th, 2011.)

Goat Roast Time

It's match day in Portland!

No, it's not at the sparkling, newly-renovated Jelly before twenty thousand roaring fans, and no, it's not even lowly Chicago facing the boys in green, but rather the only team in the league currently below us in ESPN.com's power rankings. No, it doesn't count in the standings, and yes, there will be backups played in important places.

And, yes. Yes is this one of the most important matches of the Timbers young season.

Timbers will play their first MLS-side match in Portland in the U.S. Open Cup Tuesday at Merlo Field in north Portland. John Spencer has indicated that the starters will see the majority of the early minutes. His impromptu video interview with the Oregonian was likewise illustrative of the expectations for tomorrow's match. When asked what he expected from his side, "a win" was his immediate response. Only one other side in the league is as similarly homely as Chivas USA, and Timbers just gave up a two goal, shutout loss in Toronto. Look for Spencer to play some key players significant minutes with the goal of getting a slump-busting win.

Similarly, Robin Fraser will likely attempt to grab a solid opportunity for a victory by playing some of his better players. I'm looking for amateur mustache impressario Heath Pearce to receive a warm welcome on his first return to Portland since starring for the Pilots six years ago. I'll be cheering. He's not the kind of guy I feel like booing, unless he sticks a cleat through Kenny Cooper's leg.

Chivas employed a 4-5-1 in Sunday's demoralizing 0-1 loss to Colorado at the Home Depot Center. Because of international call-ups, I anticipate Tuesday's lineup to be similar: Zach Thornton looks to get the start because of the club's thinness at 'keeper, and Jimmy Conrad will anchor the defense. The Chivas USA back line will miss Zarek Valentin, Conrad's young partner in the middle, who is seeing time with the USA U20 team this week, and presents an excellent scoring opportunity for a struggling Timbers offense. Ben Zemanski scored two weeks ago after giving up an easy goal, and should be tested in the middle early and often. Justin Braun and Victor Estupinan should have plenty of scoring opportunities against Portland's sieve-like defense.

Bring on the US Open Cup and the Goats!

Masochism Monday: Toronto Revisited

After obsessively watching the Timbers match live at a pub in Garden Home, indifferently taking in parts of the replay on FSN later that afternoon, and finally watching the condensed game on MLS Matchday Live, I have a few, post-Ontarian thoughts:

Queen Elizabeth is History's Greatest Monster. You know it's a rough weekend when the match sends you scurrying to Wikipedia to find examples of otherwise competitive sides that lost on the road in Toronto early in the season. A quick review of Toronto's 2010 season revealed at least one squad that lost there, only to finish the season strongly in the top half of the league. Yes, it happens to the worst of them. Here's proof. Seattle Sounders had a similar debacle in Toronto early last year, and recovered nicely. There's a reason we play 34 games a year, and one of those reasons this year was apparently to lose on the road to a crappy team ruled by a foreign monarch.

You're Only As Good as Your Guys on the Ball. Jack Jewsbury, Jeremy Hall and Rodney Wallace are three of our players who epitomize the state of the team currently. Jewsbury has no business captaining an MLS side. He's a fairly capable CM who can tackle and defend but can't score or distribute, and has hardly shown an ounce of creativity so far. His set pieces are borderline-atrocious but I think have been unfairly maligned. When I watched live on Saturday it seemed like almost every corner ball he put in play was too low or high and right at the goalkeeper. Sure enough, on review at least one corner to Ryan Pore in the early first half looked like it was flicked low by design. This obviously isn't a defense of Jewsbury's play per se, but he isn't the sole reason we're at the bottom of the table.

In an odd way Wallace and Hall have been almost exactly as advertised, at least if the advertisements in question were the ones by the skeptics who wondered what the hell Gavin and John were doing. Two games is an extremely limited sample and they will hopefully bounce back, but so far they've been an utter disappointment. For a duo that was defended from such skepticism by claims that when put together, they would make the Timbers left side a team strength, they've played like the exact sort of disposable, Goldy-esque talent that makes people hate MLS. This is a pretty harsh assessment, but Hall and Wallace have looked downright cumbersome together. On one play early in the second half, Hall brought the ball close to goal and misread a charging Wallace. Hall put the ball well off him, which caused Wallace to punt the ball wide onto the left outside of the net. Of course, this set up another Jewsbury-certified milquetoast corner kick that Stefan Frei grabbed and beautifully punt to Martina for Toronto's second goal.

Wallace followed up his "Omar Cummings? Who?" moments last week in Commerce City with a bit of lazy defending and poor communication in the 14' that facilitated Toronto's first goal. As Goldy assisted Steve Purdy on Maicon Santos just outside the six yard box, he lazily assumed Wallace had his man Javier Martina covered. Wallace let Martina get three steps ahead of him, and Martina charged and dutifully put Santos' ball past Adin Brown for what turned out to be the decisive goal.

When You Get a Man Advantage, Use It. Timbers played up a man for the last eight-plus minutes after Mikael Yourassowsky was busted for time-wasting and received his second yellow card. You'd be forgiven for noticing a difference in the play for the ensuing eight minutes, and it was hard to blame Silvio Petresceu for blowing his whistle with about thirty seconds still seemingly on the stoppage time clock. Saved by the bell, indeed.

HIGHLY SCIENTIFIC PLAYER RATINGS

Adin Brown. 6.0. Again, Brown made some energetic stops, and again he was burned by his defense for an easy first half goal. He was surprisingly pulled at halftime for young Jake Gleeson. According to John Strong on Twitter, Brown likely will be out a couple a couple of weeks after "tweaking" his hamstring. Like with injury-prone Marcus Camby, anyone claiming a "Portland injury curse" by pointing to Brown's latest physical dilemma is an idiot. Brown missed most of the last couple of years with various ailments, and is no spring chicken. Get well soon, Portland needs the depth.

Jake Gleeson. 6.5. He made a great one-on-one stop and had a couple of terrific plays. He got burned for being out of position on Martina's second goal, but that one was a cracker. Also, Brown's injury likely means he'll be seeing a lot time on the field for Timbers the next few weeks. I'm excited to see him play and think he's done a tremendous job making the jump straight from the U23 ranks to MLS.

Steve Purdy. 6.0. He was torched on a lazy pass intercepted by Santos early in the first half on a play that easily could have yielded a goal. All in all though, he remains our top player on the back line, and we're lucky to have him. El Salvador's loss was our gain this weekend, as he stuck around for Timbers before heading off to Jamaica for the international friendly.

Eric Brunner. 6.0. Stronger than the guys on the left side of the defense, but not by a whole hell of a lot.

Kevin Goldthwaithe. 4.5. He played physically, took a couple of hard shots and had a couple of well timed punts out of danger. About the rest of his game, the less said the better. He is a total liability at this point, and if Futty Danso doesn't get a look in the next few weeks, it better be because he's playing for The Gambia full time.

Rodney Wallace. 5.0. As detailed above, Wallace followed up his nightmare in Colorado with another poor effort. My hope is that the reason he seems constantly out of position is related to spacing issues as the team gels. Still, he's been horrendous. He was caught out of position and burned badly by Santos for Toronto's last goal. The demoralized look on Jake Gleeson's face as he stared at Wallace after the goal kind of sums up how his play's left most Timbers fans feeling.

Ryan Pore. 6.0. He looked better on the left, and Spencer has to be begging him to step up and stop deferring. He had a great look early in the first half from the top of the box, one of Timbers best looks all game, and passed it up to try to hook up with Kenny Cooper for a header. To quote a great philosopher of sport: Shoot the J! Shoot it!

Pore had a beautiful interception in the 50' that set up Jeremy Hall's great look at a goal. As he gets more comfortable in MLS, I still anticipate big things. Sal Zizzo came on in the last half hour for Pore, but passed poorly and to tell the truth I didn't notice Zizzo's play much.

Peter Lowry 5.5. Like Jewsbury, Lowry hasn't yet played to expectations. The lingering impression is his awful out-of-bounds attempt to connect with a wide open Wallace as time expired.

Jack Jewsbury 5.0. His set pieces were borderline embarrassing and it's almost impossible to point to any meaningful play he helped set up. He's our captain, and that about sums the state of the team up.

Jeremy Hall. 6.0. Hall had a couple of spectacular looks but failed to find net. His passing was improved. After the looks he's had the last two weeks, it's hard to believe he apparently hasn't scored a goal in two years in the league. One of those little facts that should temper expectations.

Jorge Perlaza. 5.5. It may just be my stereotyping of undersized Colombian forwards but he reminds me a little of Flounder Fredy Montero when he first entered the league. He's adjusting to the more physical style of play, and looks tentative and under-utilized. He had a decent opportunity for a header that he missed, and another one in the 70' that he sent right at Stefan Frei. Brian Umony came on for Perlaza in the last twenty minutes.

Kenny Cooper. 6.5. He can't do it all. The lack of fluid attack means he plays with his back to the goal a good amount of time, trying to make it happen himself. I can't wait to see him play off Darlington Nagbe when he doesn't have to be the only source for offense.

(Top photo credit: Javier Martina after scoring his first goal. The Canadian Press, Chris Young.)

What I'll Be Watching This Weekend

We're spending time with the boy's respective grandparental units this weekend, both of which are closeby in the southwest Portland metro area, so naturally that means two of the greatest things known to this young parent: a)free, guilt-less child care and b)uninhibited access to copious amounts of live sports on satellite television. Usually we spend part of this weekend on the coast participating in the SOLV Beach Clean-up, but the combination of my spouse having family visit from overseas, with the 11 AM Timbers kickoff, convinced us to stay valley-ward. You can pick up litter any time, but when else can you combine the kickoff of a foreign country's election season with Portland Timbers soccer?!

WALES v. ENGLAND. I blogged a little about international friendlies last night, and the early morning PST timing of this intra-Britain tilt- effectively serving as the undercard to American soccer fans watching Toronto and Portland- could not be better. Gareth Bale is apparently out for the Welsh, which makes them even more sympathetic underdogs in these quarters.

PORTLAND at TORONTO. Some friend will be joining us to catch the 11 AM kickoff. This isn't a must-win, but I can't see how the Timbers can get through the next two weeks without securing four points at minimum. It should be dry and very cold, and if De Rosario doesn't net a goal and David Horst's mustache doesn't draw a red for causing a Toronto fan to throw herself in the midst of the match, I like Portland's chances. The artist known as M.A.O. has a preview here.

Update: while we'll be watching the match where the food and drink is already paid for, 107ist capo Joanne Crouchman has the scoop on TA-friendly places to get together and watch, and the FO has their own approved list here. Hmmmm... which bars are not on both lists? The TA list is where it's at, personally, although I have a special spot in my heart for Maher's.

ARGENTINA at USMNT. The biggest US friendly since Brazil last August comes back to Jersey. From the looks of things, the New Meadowlands is becoming our new national stadium. I think that's a shame, because new stadiums like the Meadowlands are long on creature comforts that stifle the passion that can be seen in places like Estadio Azteca. Give me a derelict RFK over the New Meadowlands any day. That said, my outrage is pretty muted because it's meaningless and I'll be watching on TV. The U.S. midfield will apparently feature Donovan; Bradley; Edu; Jones; and Dempsey, with Mo Edu playing above Jones and Bradley. Exciting stuff. I think B-team matches like the one last fall in South Africa are just as exciting, but it'll be fantastic to see our top Americans take the field against Maradona's eleven.

Full listings for international friendlies here; and as always, for listings in the Portland-area, see the indispensable DemonJuiceTV on twitter.

(Photo: watching a 5 AM World Cup match with the boy last summer.)

Whither Friendlies

According to Prost Amerika correspondent Cory Ritzau, former USMNT head coach and current LA Galaxy manager Bruce Arena has seen the future, and it doesn't include international friendlies:

"I do think that as we move forward, I think friendlies are going to be dinosaurs. I think as we continue to move forward globally, I think clubs are less and less in favor of having friendly dates. I think its one thing with official World Cup qualifying or Confederations Championships, but clubs around the world have had enough of friendlies. And I think they are going to put their foot down and prevent this from happening much in the future because they invest too much to be having (their top players) traveling to all different parts of the world.”

Bruce Arena is much more plugged in to the world of international soccer, and so I will take him at his word and assume he's making the above statement based on knowledge and not spite that his best player is being taken from him during a crucial league match. Two things on this. One is that the international friendly is increasingly becoming an anachronism that is deferred to where it is most convenient, i.e. western Europe, and openly disregarded where it isn't, i.e. in the Pacific rim and North America. Timbers, for example, have at least three players facing call ups for international duty this weekend. Of those, Kiwi goalkeeper Jake Gleeson has turned down his homeland because his club has only one other functioning 'keeper, and both Futty Danso (The Gambia) and Steve Purdy (El Salvador) will stay with their club through Saturday's match before shuttling off to do their national sides proud. When a player isn't from western Europe and doesn't play in a EUFA league, a co-commitment to team and country easily produces absurd travel results. Futty will have been in Portland this week, Toronto, Canada on Saturday, and will be present in Jamaica for El Salvador's match. Incredible! Timbers play Chivas USA on Saturday in a US Open Cup play-in match in Portland, and it's safe to assume that not only will neither of those guys be playing, but they won't be present. Buon viaggio, amici!

The second point I think bears making is that MLS has shown no intention of providing the respect traditionally shown international friendlies, and it will likely defer less and less as the league grows. With its contrarian and calendar-busting March-October season, which is more constricted than UEFA leagues' September-May season, MLS schedule-makers are less willing to provide the club soccer-free weekends that international friendlies depend on.

Uncompensated international duty is a part of a soccer culture that's quickly vanishing, especially in the States. I don't like that- right now I'm wearing my Deuce USMNT jersey in anticipation of the USA-Argentina tilt Saturday, after all- but as Bruce Arena notes, the writing's on the wall.

(Photo credit: Three Flags, by Jasper Johns, 1960.)