After the Dick-ing

Well, that was nice. Timbers opened up their first top-level US campaign in years with a match that will probably be remembered, if at all, for the bifurcated quality of play the team produced. Timbers simply got their asses handed to them for the first forty or so minutes. They were down 1-0 on an embarrassingly beautiful Omar Cummings ball to the middle that Jeff Laurentowitz nailed home. Welcome to the big leagues, boys. After another Cummings strike and Jamie Smith's $500,000 Tomahawk missile past Aidan Brown, Timbers were down 3-0 in their initial half-hour as an MLS club. What looked like a very long night was mostly mitigated by a hard fought end of the half, and the ball started to bounce a little more over to the Rapids' side of the field in the last 45'. Kenny Cooper's beautiful drill off a set piece gave the 500 strong travelling Timbers fans something to remember and carry forward. Over all, this looked like a team with soft passes that played on its heels against a superior, impressive side. See you in June, Colorado.

HIGHLY SCIENTIFIC PLAYER RATINGS
Kenny Cooper Towering over Anthony Wallace, he looked like the bionic forward. No dumb shots, muscular, aggressive leadership throughout. 7.0
Jorge Perlaza He put too much on one easy chip over Matt Pickens in the 14' but otherwise looked sharp and responsive, especially to a couple of nasty takedowns where the referee swallowed his whistle. 5.9.
Ryan Pore He looked slow and overmatched against Marvell Wynne. Still hoping for big things from him. 5.5.
Jack Jewsbury I think his play in the first half kind of summed up Portland's status on the field: more aggressive, more methodical and stilted, slower, and less dynamic. 5.7.
Jeremy Hall saw too little of him. 6.0.
Rodney Wallace Ugh. How many times could he get abused in crucial situations? Need to see more from him here. 4.9.
Adin Brown He was hung out to dry by the defense on the Rapids' first two goals, and probably couldn't get to the third even if he didn't look like Stone Cold Steve Austin. Thanks for coming through where you could, man. 6.2.
Khalif Alhassan ("Khalif All-Hass'in" if you're the Whitecaps announcer) What a spark plug. He looked like the exact same player who sparkled at the end of the Timbers' USL season. More of this guy, please. 6.5.

(Photo: a pic texted to me this afternoon from my good friend D. as he entered today's match in Commerce City, Colorado.)