A Full Plate

Posted on May 25, 2013 | 1 Comment

Happy game day everybody. It’s a big day in the sport generally, with Bayern Munich facing off against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League Final. Things play out quite nicely for the discerning fan today. The UCL Final kicks off at 2:45 EDT, a good time to get set up on the west coast for a little lunch. Then, after the match (barring extra time and such), you’ll have a nice three hour window to get your affairs in order, maybe restock the cooler, and gather with your favorite fellow Timbers fans to watch our tilt in the nation’s capital.

I have high hopes for the UCL Final. I’ve been watching this game for a long, long time and I can’t remember a very many teams better than this lot from Bayern Munich. They attack with pace and can play from a lot of different angles, while their defense is a good as any in the world. They came out of the traps quickly this year and never looked back. I think they only lost three matches all year (one of which was a home loss to Arsenal). They amassed a barely believable 91 points, winning the league by 25 over their nearest rival (Dortmund).

They’re up against a side from Dortmund that you would almost want to describe as plucky if they hadn’t won the Bundesliga for the last two seasons (until Bayern ran away with it this year). They will be without the services of their young superstar Mario Götze, but they still have a ton of talented players, including Robert Lewandowski, Marco Reus, and Jakub Blaszczykowski. Mats Hummels has announced that the ankle injury that he suffered last week will not keep him out of this match, which is great news both for Dortmund and for neutrals watching this match in hopes of seeing an exciting spectacle.

There’s something eminently likeable about Dortmund. Led by their young (and often slightly disheveled) manager Jürgen Klopp, they have built a strong team the right way. They tend to build through their own system rather than splashing out lots of dough. It’s no secret that they’re losing a couple of their big stars over the summer, with Götze heading to Bayern Munich and Lewandowski heading somewhere (he swears it’s not Bayern but I have my doubts). Still, they are very deep and Klopp, whose name is brought up in connection with practically every major managing opening in Europe, signed a new contract in January that will keep him with the club until 2016.

You could look at this match and say that Bayern should win (Paddy Power has the spread on Bayern winning at 2/5), but this is by no means a lock. Dortmund have played Munich twice so far this season, once in December and again two weeks ago. Both matches ended up in 1-1 draws. Dortmund knows how to play Bayern Munich, for whatever such knowledge might be worth. Don’t be surprised if the lads from the Ruhrpott make a real game of this. [After a couple of cups of coffee I remembered that Bayern did knock Borussia out of the DFB Pokal at the quarterfinal stage. But managing to only be outscored by Bayern Munich 3-2 over 270 minutes is pretty impressive.]

The Timbers match with D.C. presents some interesting prospects, if for rather different reason. We are riding the longest road unbeaten streak in the league just now. This is a real change from the futility of our efforts away from home over the last two seasons, even if five of the six matches in that run have been draws. There’s a story on the MLS website about our road form. In it, Porter makes the following comments about the approach on which it is based:

I’ve said this before, why do the fans and the crowd make it different?…Those are peripheral, external factors that should not relate to anything that happens inside the lines. And I think we assume that it must be that much different and that much harder, and I think from a psychological standpoint as coaches sometimes we approach games assuming that. And by doing that what you’re doing is sending the wrong message to your team by saying that it’s going to be harder. So what I try to say, it’s no different.

I think these comments get at something really important. It should be noted that this approach was not necessarily the one taken in our first two road matches. Both against Seattle and the next week against Colorado, the Timbers came out with Jewsbury playing the role of providing cover over top of our central defenders. Now, you could look at that and say that it was a result of the problems that we were having in defense in the first few weeks of the season, rather than a choice to play a different style or formation simply because we were on the road. However that may be, it was clear in those matches that we came out with a more conservative, defensive mindset. Since then our approach on the road has been much like out approach at home: strangle the opposition in midfield, keep the ball, pass and move, and generally impose our game on whoever we have in front of us.

I’d expect that the match tonight will be no different, even given the fact that we have some challenges in defense with which to cope. There is every indication that, given situation with injuries and suspensions, we will see Pa Modou Kah get his first start for the club. Although this is being done out of necessity, there are some positive aspects to this way of introducing him. Rather than facing the pressure of coming out in front of 20,000 rabid home fans, he gets to find his feet on the road against one of the lesser sides in MLS. The pressure of expectation is not absent, but perhaps it will be a little less intense. He’s got to go into the deep end at some point, but his will give him a chance to develop his positioning and communication with Ricketts and AJB. It’s a little hard to tell from the available footage, but it looks to me as if he prefers to play on the right side. I believe that I read somewhere that AJB actually prefers to play on the left, but maybe someone can correct me if I’m getting this wrong. In any case, given that we have to run Kah out there before we’d prefer to have done, at least we’re doing it under about the most felicitous conditions possible.

Well, I’m off to catch the Aviva Premiership Rugby final; the beginning of a solid sports day on which Mrs. Mags may or may not catch sight of me. I’ll be throwing the usual away day stuff up on Farcebook starting about 90 minutes before kickoff. Up the lads!

Magadh

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Timbers to get off on the right foot…

Posted on May 24, 2013 | 1 Comment

A happy Friday to you all. This means we are back at the regular schedule and closing in on DC United. By “closing in” I do not mean that the Timbers, or anyone for that matter, are in the hunt for that side–they are a shadow of the team they once were and giving very few sides fits enough to worry me for tomorrow–I simply mean the game is nearly here. But more on that latter, or tomorrow.

First things first: an apology to you loyal customers (as if you pay for any of this). Sometimes Magadh and I are forced to participate in the real world. Yesterday was one of those times. After several hours of convincing someone that he was not very smart, I returned to the comptroller room and found a few messages in the axe in box requesting upgrades to silver membership. Little did I know that my S.O.S message to Magadh would go unnoticed and that we would leave you loyal readers in the lurch. I cannot make promises that such a devastating oversight, which cruelly prevented you from starting your mornings properly, may not happen again, but one post out of 430 is not a bad record. Right? At any rate, that dude and the axe staff all feel terribly dumb. We will endeavor to do better.

So, back to the Timbers grind and what better way to do it than discuss some of the residual matters from earlier this week. To quote Morrissey, stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but the Timbers have acquired a new central defender–Rauwshan McKenzkie. RM.5.24.13Given the thin ranks at centerhalf, this is the very type of move the Timbers needed to make. McKenzie is strong, talented, and experienced. Some might find it unfortunate that he was considered redundant and culled from the Chivas side this off-season. But that likely had more to do with town of origin than McKenzie’s ability–though it may boast a large Mexican population, Chicago is about as far north of the U.S./Mexico boarder as you can get. In fact, I have read from a few of our brethren in the MLS blogosphere discussing their frustration that Chicago did not grab McKenzie when they had the chance. What that may suggest is up to you, but our pals over at On the Fire tweeted their collective disgust earlier this week.

Regardless, with the acquisition came the news that Ryan Kawulok was waived from the side. On one hand, this really is a sad moment in Timbers lore–Kawulok was a local product and spent several years with the side, developing into a lower squad player. On the other hand, Kawulok was never going to fit the current system played by the Timbers. Whether you agree with the decision to let him go or not, if you have seen him in action, you cannot deny that Kawulok did not look comfortable sitting on the ball or within the possession based play. The fact remains he was trained in a style more akin to the not-so-heady days of Spennyball and not the cerebral play of Porterball. Depressing though it may be, it is not as depressing as the thought of watching him hoof the ball forward only to lose possession again and again and again.

So, what exactly does this mean for the Timbers in the back going forward? To be honest, I have given up trying to out-think the Midwestern genius but, if I had to guess, Porter goes with experience. I know: that guess did not really stick my neck out there. Without question, the Timbers now have a deeper corps of centerhalfs to choose from come tomorrow. AJB has performed well enough, though he still shows the signs of immaturity that may plague his game for the next couple years, or not. Kah Pow! has been with the side now only 2 weeks, where McKenzie has been training with the team off and on for the better part of a month. I think Porter might likely go with the centerhalf who has had more time on the ball and in training with the first team. From what I understand, that means McKenzie. To buttress that guess, in an interview earlier this week, Porter did suggest Kah Pow! is still working to gain fitness and that he will require more time within training. As they say: more will be revealed.

One concern many have vocalized  is the issue of left footed/right footed centerhalf pairings. Personally, I have never been an adherent to the theory that in order to have a versatile and effective centerback pairing they need to be right foot/left foot specific. As I so often do, I will point you to the Arsenal. The current pairing of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny was the statistically best centerback pairing in the English Premier League this last season. They are both right footed. There are others. Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, Man United’s preferred centerback pairing, are both right-footed. The point to be gathered from this example, aside from the fact Arsenal boasts some serious talent (watch out) and Man United used to, is that the centerback pairing is more about complimentary strengths and less about who uses which foot.

The fact McKenzie is right-footed and Kah Pow! is left-footed means little to whether they will play against D.C. United. The determinative factor will be how well they mesh with the rest of the squad, specifically the other half of the partnership. Not to mention fitness levels. Kah Pow! was pulled at the half in the reserve match against Vancouver this last weekend. Presumably due to fitness, not ability. A review of his skills from a fella I trust suggests Kah Pow! can work within the system and will do so seamlessly once his fitness is up to snuff. That is, he looked good but he was off the pace.

Speaking of looking good, but working off the pace…That is it for today. Magadh should be back with a further preview leading up to the capitol drama for a capital good time.

sunshine

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In Lieu of the Post

Posted on May 23, 2013 | 5 Comments

Hi Everybody,
So I’ve been doing a digital detox project for the last 24 hours. It’s been a really interesting experience. Unfortunately, I failed to mention to sunshine that I was going to be incommunicado for 24 hours, and as a result I didn’t see his text to me last night asking me to do the post. So we didn’t get it done today. We’ll be back on schedule tomorrow. Thanks for your patience.

Magadh

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A Capital Tragedy

Posted on May 22, 2013 | 1 Comment

Just in case you are worried, this column will feature absolutely no discussion of fluoridation. I’m hoping that that will be a relief to all and sundry. It will also contain hardly any details about our U-23 team getting knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup by the Charleston Battery of the USL Pro League. Except to say that we lost 1-0. Yeah, that’s about all I’ve got on that.

I do know that Rochester Raging Rhinos beat GPS Portland Phoenix (from Portland, Maine that is) to advance to the next round of the USOC where they’ll meet the Revs. Why do I mention this? Because I like saying Rochester Raging Rhinos. It just rolls off the tongue, kind of like the Hippo Hurricane Hello. Anyone old enough to get that last reference is probably too far gone to actually be reading this column, but I’m a little punchy this morning and I figured I’d just go with it.

In other news, the Wilmington Hammerhead defeated the Austin Aztex 2-0 in Austin last night to advance to the next round of the tournament. They will meet us here at the JW on the 29th. sunshine, who has ways of coming by information to which not even the National Security Council can aspire, will probably have some useful information about this in the future. As for what I have to say on the topic, well, this is a match we should win. When we got beat by Cal FC last year, someone posted on our Farcebook page that Eric Wynalda was the greatest coach in the world and that we should fire John Spencer and hire him. That sentence bats about .333. Eric Wynalda is not the greatest coach in the world. He’s probably a nice guy, but I really get the impression that he’s kept around just to have something for Warren Barton to wipe his feet on. [Caveat emptor: I don’t really watch the soccer pundit shows anymore because it costs me too much in migraine medication, so I have no idea of this pattern continues.] Firing John Spencer wasn’t a bad idea. It took us another month and change to get around to doing so. Hiring Wynalda as his replacement would have illustrated the difference between a disaster and a catastrophe. Anyway, if you can bat .333 for your whole career it will get you to the Baseball Hall of Fame, so I commend whoever threw up that post for at least getting something right (which is a lot more than I can say for the Timbers on that particular night.

Clearly, I still have issues about that whole affair. I suspect that I am not alone.

Of more immediate concern is (or should be) our next match, away to D.C. United on Saturday night. I went over to Soccernet.com this morning just to see how bad things had got for D.C. Quite strangely, when you go to their page the version of the league table that is up is the one from last year. If you hit the “full table” link from the partial table on their site you get the full table from last year with no option for the 2013 version. I’m assuming this is some sort of coding glitch, and it will probably be fixed by the time you read this. But I couldn’t help thinking that there must be some connection, perhaps in terms of quantum entanglement, between this fact and the collective psyche of D.C.’s supporters. If I were them, I’d want to focus on last season as well.

The years have not been kind to United. Since winning the division in 2007, they have been in mid-to-bottom half form, with last year providing a welcome exception. That had a lot to do with Chris Pontius making what appeared to be a break into the top level of attackers in the league (12 goals will do that for you in this league). Sadly for the lads from the capital, this uptick in form appears to have been chimerical. Their 1-1 draw at home to KC this weekend was their first non-losing experience in the last eight.

I must admit to feeling (a small amount of) sympathy for these guys. I’ve been seeing D.C. United matches for a long time, and they used to be giants in this league back in the days when it was still working its way to respectability. I always thought Ben Olsen was a solid pro, and you know it’s got to be eating him up that his team is this weak. And, of course, they play their matches in the cavernous spaces of RFK stadium, which they have no chance of filling up, even at the best time times (which these definitely aren’t).

Part of D.C.’s story of decline is the ebbing career fortunes of Dwayne De Rosario. Gone are the days when he was a rising star with the Quakes, moving then to Houston where he bloomed. Since then he has endured (and I do mean endured) spells with the rambling wreck that is Toronto F.C., and the latter days of the period of dysfunction at the Energy Drinks. De Rosario is not the captain of the good ship ScoreNot. The left side of D.C.’s “attack” illustrates the larger problem. De Rosario and DeLeon can’t figure out which one of them is supposed to be the attacking midfielder. It should be the latter, but for a number of reasons, one of which being the poor form of Pontius, De Rosario is starved of the ball and continually feels the need to drop deep into the middle of the park. It’s a sad sight, at least for anyone with good feelings toward United.

Fortunately, the bulk of people reading this blog are not so burdened. This is a side that we should be able to attack. They really don’t have the defensive quality even to park the bus effectively. The outcome of this match will depend in great measure on the degree to which we are willing and able to apply our system. If we are stubborn we will have success. If we aren’t…well it could be a long night.

Magadh

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Captain Obvious…

Posted on May 21, 2013 | 4 Comments

The sun was out. The day was nice. And the Timbers had a regeneration period, which left people scrambling for more tidbits of news than they were being given. Twitter fell apart and was boring. And life was miserable.

As I read through the offerings from the major news source(s), I came away with an uneasy feeling. So, goal celebrations are now evil? It is wrong for a player who raises a finger to his mouth in a mock declaration to quiet the opposition’s support? Celebrating a goal that quiets supporters is bad? I wondered if from this point forward whether it would be villainous or not for any player to state:

“Oh, shut up! Just stow it! Keep a lid on it, because I am tired of hearing you blather on about me and my play and how my team is performing.”

If telling between 1000 to 80,000 supporters to shush is enough to warrant being called a ”villain” then by all means do it. Still, when thinking about what it means to actually be a villain, I question the term when used to describe Will Johnson (or any player who sets his will towards winning a game legally).

The captain is a hard man. He is a relentless fighter. imagesCA763RVTBut contrary to a recent brief description of the drama that unfolds during a football match, Johnson is not some antagonistic scoundrel or Dick Dastardly rapscallion, who is willing to go beyond what is legally permissible within the game to achieve some form of advantage over the opposition. There are players like that within the MLS who deserve that epithet “villain” far more than the Timbers captain. Blas Perez, Steven Lenhart, even Camilo Sanvezzo, could wear that description. But a player like Will Johnson is a grinder, not a cheat. That is where the distinction should lie: is the player willing to cheat to earn some advantage?

The other day, during the final games of the Premier League, a pal who happens to follow the Tottenham scum texted the following:

If he didn’t play for Tottenham, I would hate Bale.

Necessary to understand the gravity of this text is the situation that preceded it–Gareth Bale had just been booked for simulation within the 18 yard box as he looked to find an advantage to put his side ahead. While he is a determined competitor, Bale is infamous for his diving. It is a characteristic of his game that has vilified him–he cheats and people know it. Crazy as it as it may seem, the man is imbued with all the talent in the world, recently earning the PFA player of the year and PFA young player of the year awards, but for some reason needs to cheat. Unfortunately, those accolades and the skills possessed within his game are overshadowed by his insistence to get one over. That is the hallmark of a cheat and a player that should be vilified.

Frankly, this tired debate took place when Will Johnson was acquired from RSL. The exasperate descriptions by players, coaches, and the owner, all made clear that the captain was the type of player one hated to play against but always wanted on their side. And, still, that holds true.  But what is not locked in there is a description of a villainous heathen, only one of a relentless competitor. Evidently, wanting to win is now a bad thing. Or so one would assume when reading about the ethic of the Timbers captain. But the Timbers captain does not cheat, which sets him apart from other characters within the game who should and have earned the epithet “villain.”

I suppose, if you were really going to carry the debate to the logical end, a comparison between the play of Johnson and Sanvezzo might be instructive (as any comparison between Johnson and other “villainous” type players would be). Camilo Sanvezzo’s efforts against the Timbers certainly suggest he is willing to cheat to gain an advantage. Though we cannot say his tumble that earned the free-kick, which led to the Whitecaps first goal, was cheating. After all, Johnson did put a challenge on him that should have resulted in the free-kick, but Sanvezzo did sell it. And selling it earned Johnson a yellow card. By my count, Sanvezzo attempted to sell it 4 times–2 of which earned cards for Timbers, and another should have earned him a card for simulation.

Even though Johnson earned a yellow card for some questionably rough play against Sanvezzo, he did not then look to have Whitecap players similarly booked. wj.3Even in his most provocative moment this season, when Alan Gordon dropped the now infamous slur, Johnson did little other than suggest the inevitable punishment. Sure, it was a heated exchange but only because Johnson took umbrage with Gordon’s challenge and hateful accusation.

Perhaps I am suffering through the entrails of limited ideas and news, but I fail to see the benefit or necessity in promoting a reputation of fair, but hard play as something more than what it actually is. If it was a short news day, which I find strange given the number of poor calls throughout the Vancouver Match, then I guess it would be a good time to take the day off. See a movie–I hear the new Star Trek flick is amazing. Go write a book, even. But stay away from the sensational and stop perpetuating an idea that a relentless drive to win is a characteristic worthy of drama.

Moreover, and this is the point that really matters, all players for the opposition are the villain. Whether they are great humanitarians or not, when stepping onto the pitch to play against the Timbers, the Whitecaps, Real Salt Lake, Red Bulls New York, or even the Galaxy, all players are the enemy and will be villified in some form or another. But discussing some emptyheaded definition (as I am doing now) in order to drum up some hits really distracts from the one undeniable fact surrounding Will Johnson–the Timbers are better off with his passion and drive than they would be without it. imagesCAFQWBDNHis personality has infected every player within the side and on that pitch wearing green. It was about time for the Timbers to have such a leader. Why not let other teams and other supporters and other news source(s) call him names while we sit back and enjoy his dedication to the cause?

But that is my emptyheaded and unnecessary thought brought to you in capitalization, necessary to impart the entire impact of a dirty word.   

My rant is over.

sunshine

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Player Ratings v. The Whitecaps, 2013 Vol. 1

Posted on May 20, 2013 | 2 Comments

This was a point on the road against a tough opponent. Make no mistake, it was a job well done. We came back twice, the second time while a man down, and looked the more dangerous side for most of this match. The situation was not helped by some sophomoric officiating decisions particularly with regard to the shameless conduct of Camilo, who flung himself to the turf at the slightest provocation. This latter issue was especially annoying because Camilo has the skills to succeed without the theatrics, but chooses to employ them anyway. If you want a good example of why a lot of people don’t take this game seriously, look at Camilo’s performance in minute 25. Bumped by Danso, he leaps into the air and the writhes around on the turf for two minutes. The trainer comes out. Camilo is in agony. Perhaps 999 will need to be called. And then Hosanna! He’s back on his feet and ready to go. It must have been the magic sponge.

Much of the story of this match (aside from the matters griped about above) was the high line that Vancouver played, which made it difficult for us to move the ball forward and get into our system. The result was that all too often we played long ball, which really isn’t our game. Yeah, I know we scored the tying goal that way, but success is built on correct application of the system rather than hoping for moments of individual brilliance (much as it is beautiful when they occur).

1. Donovan Ricketts: He was beaten by a very well taken free kick for the first goal. It looked to me that he was unsighted on the second, and in any case there were at least two other guys much more proximate to the source of the problem who should have closed it down in the first place. Good positioning and distribution in relatively limited action. 6

5. Michael Harrington: One of the most important changes for the Whitecaps in recent matches has been the emergence of Russell Teibert as an attacking presence on the right side. The need to track him absorbed a lot of Harrington’s attention during this match, and while he mostly kept the young Canadian out of the action, the job was done at the expense of a good deal of Harrington’s usual attacking contributions. 6

98. Futty Danso: A pretty uneventful match for Futty. Except for the shout for handball early in the match (which would have been harsh if it had been given), and for getting sent off (which was a ridiculous decision). I’ve watched the relevant passage of play a dozen times now and I am convinced that my assessment of the play when it happened was correct: Camilo initiated the contact and then crumpled up like a gum wrapper. The ref was in no position to make the call and I suspect that he just blew his whistle because he assumed something had happened. I guess we’ll get to find out just what Pah-Modou Kah brings to the table somewhat sooner than we expected. 6

35. Andrew Jean Baptiste: AJB coped as well as anyone with the fact that Vancouver wanted to get right up in our collective grille. He seems to be getting more comfortable with moving the ball forward on his own and passing positively. 6

13. Jack Jewsbury: Stalwart in defense and actually got forward a few times. He did a good job of keeping a lid on Hurtado is faster now than Jewsbury was on the best day of his life (which was several years ago). He used his smarts and his instinct for proper positioning, and got the job done. 6.5

4. Will Johnson: Watch the “foul” that resulted in the free kick on which the first goal was scored. What you will see is Camilo leaping off his feet at the first hint of contact. I give him credit. He played an inexperienced official and got a result. There really wasn’t much that Johnson could do if that sort of thing was going to be given as a free kick. His blast from the right side was blocked by Andy O’Brien’s arm and Johnson duly potted the resulting penalty. On the down side (and this is why his rating isn’t higher) I think he was culpable for the Koffie goal. As Camilo (for once staying on his feet) battled with AJB, both Danso and Johnson dropped to cover a possible cross to the onrushing Reo-Coker. This left Koffie free to receive the ball on his run to the D and take a free shot before either Danso or Johnson could move out to shut it down. If Johnson had held his ground and trusted Danso to prevent the cross (which Harrington probably had covered in any case) he would have been considerably closer to Koffie when the latter took his shot. It was a small error in a play that developed very quickly, but it highlights the fact that we still have a ways to go in terms of defensive organization. 6

8. Diego Valeri: This was an off night for him, or at least so it seemed from my vantage point. He did the things he normally does: driving the ball forward and looking to pick out a pass, but his efforts lacked their usual precision. It didn’t help that, all too often we were out of system; hoofing the ball up the pitch instead of working it forward on the floor. Vancouver’s high line disrupted our ability to get the ball to Valeri when and where he wanted it, but his play with the ball was also not quite at his usual level. 5.5

21. Diego Chará: Chará was matched up on Reo-Coker for most of the night and the two battled like gladiators for the full 90, no quarter asked, none given. Chará’s game has changed subtly over the last few weeks. He is ever more involved in the attack and has shown increasing aptitude for driving the ball forward and finding a pass. All the while, Chará looks after his defensive responsibilities and wreaks havoc in the middle of the park. 7

6. Darlington Nagbe: Mobile and effective while he was on the pitch, he looked good until he was injured in the 33rd minute. When he went down it looked like something to do with his leg, but he came off the pitch with the look of a man in some other kind of distress. No news yet on his condition, but it wouldn’t be a very good start to this long stretch on the road if he were not able to go. 5

9. Ryan Johnson: Of late, Johnson has had a tendency to float out to the flanks, especially on the left side. Opposing teams probably love this, because Johnson is a guy whose effectiveness declines precipitously the further he gets from the center of the box. He had some good moments, and probably should have gotten more calls than he did, but his overall performance was not as strong as it might have been. 5

22. Rodney Wallace: He might well have scored from the doorstep in the 14th minute but he whiffed on the shot. For the balance of the match he showed why it is that he has earned a starting spot. He slashed to the middle from both flanks and put himself in dangerous attacking positions. That his efforts were not rewarded (and this might hold for Ryan Johnson as well) has as much to do with the difficulties that Valeri had in making the connections as anything else. 7

11. Kalif Alhassan: He came on, not as he usually does as a change of pace for Wallace, but in relief of the crocked Nagbe. He did reasonably well, but looked a step slow. His tendency to sit on the ball too long persists. On the other hand, he ended up playing what amounted to right back for the last ten minutes of the match and got the job done. 6

10. Frederic Piquionne: In his more accustomed role he was pretty good. He held the ball up well, but for my money he frequently sat on it a bit too long. Even when we play over the top we need to retain the idea of playing quickly and in rhythm when it comes down. Piquionne kept the Caps defenders on our left flank honest, but a bit more alacrity in terms of his play would have improved matters. 5

20. Adolfo Valencia: I’m going to give him Man of the Match. Normally I would give this award to someone who played more of the match than just the last 15 minutes or so, but in this case I think it’s warranted. He has been frozen out of the side pretty much all season. Subbed on for Jewsbury in an attempt to get a point out of this match, he did exactly what was required. The Vancouver faithful were convinced that he brought the ball down with his arms, but the Caps players on the scene weren’t calling for a handball. The goal itself was brilliant. After shrugging off Rusin and getting the ball to his feet, he lost O’Brien with a neat bit of foot skill and then calmly slotted it by Knighton. Without this bit of grace under pressure there is every likelihood that we leave B.C. Place with squat. Well played. 7.5

This was a tough fight, and well worth the point. Let me just say that I loved the fact that we had such excellent travelling support. This is a team unbeaten in ten, and that’s something that we can hold on to going forward.

Magadh

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timbers cap off a comeback with a point…

Posted on May 19, 2013 | 10 Comments

there are ugly games and then there are ugly games and then there was yesterday’s match against the whitecaps. while the timbers had difficulty finding their stride and playing their brand of football, it could not be overlooked that their efforts were ensconced painfully between the theatrics of a side content on playing anti-football and the clear incompetence of a novice official.

still, the hallmark of a good side is their ability to grind out a result from a less than convincing effort. trenctio.smiles.5.19.13despite the poor officiating and the efforts of the whitecaps to ensure otherwise, the timbers earned a point after coming back from a goal down twice in one game. they did little to help their cause. though the stats may suggest otherwise, the timbers were profligate at every stage and area of the game. most of which is attributable to the extra-special attention diego valeri received from marques davidson, gershon koffie, and jordan Harvey.

like many of the timbers faithful i have often thought valeri was otherworldly, but there were times during yesterday’s match when i believed valeri had literally sprouted a third and fourth leg. that is how closely he was marked by vancouver, and, obviously, that affected the his play and the timbers overall attack. valeri was poor on the night. really poor. he was tackled and lost possession 25 times, he made 20 unsuccessful passes, 7 unsuccessful crosses, and looked frustrated by every turn of play.

the more valeri was marked the more difficult the bait and switch tactics involving the rod wall became, and the more they failed. where the timbers targeted the rod wall with several cross pitch switches last week against chivas, yesterday they did less with more. even when the ball was provided to the rod wall, his newly found, rangy play was suffocated within seconds. i hate to give an ex-spud any credit, but y.p.lee did a phenomenal job covering the timbers advance on that left flank.

factor all of the above in with the understanding that the match was played on what is the fake-turf equivalent of sharmen toilet paper and you might understand how the timbers could have 63% of the possession, retained with 78% passing accuracy, and still look as if they were treading water. personally, i have never seen a pitch grab a ball and eat it the way that pitch did, it stifled the length and speed of passes, and prevented any break away from fully materializing. (yes, those innuendoes were intentional, because, as you may feel as well, the timbers got jobbed yesterday).

culprit number one, and quite possibly winning the race for my least favorite player in the mls, surpassing even the likes of steven lenhart and wondolowski: camilo sanvezzo. i cannot begrudge the beauty of his free kick goal in the 24 minute to put the caps up 1-0, it was a sublimely struck deadball effort that left donavon ricketts no chance to make another save worthy of award. no, i cannot. but the problem with camilo sanvezzo is that his efforts last night on the whole were worthy of an academy award–he is a cheat of the highest order. much like the foul that saw the captain receive a yellow card and the caps a free kick, sanvezzo sold a novice ref a lemon and the official bought it (the fact remains, johnson did commit a foul just not a foul worthy of a yellow card). earning a free kick should have been enough, but sanvezzo looked to take players out of the game. there is an old saying in sport: if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying. well, sanvezzo definitely earned participation points last night.

regardless, a class act showed him how to perform without theatrics and with slight-of-hand play. again, will johnson carried the club when it needed a comeback. after a throw-in on the right flank and a jewsbury cross that was cleared to harrington, the captain took on y.p. lee within the 18 yard box and unleashed a shot that hit a sheepish andy o’brien on the arm. a clear penalty and an easy goal for the captain to make it 1-1.

the resultant celebration was emotional. unfortunately, teams are always at their most vulnerable after having just scored. there is a release, a sense of relief and safety, that dulls a team’s resolve to prevent the opposition from getting in on goal. as soon as the celebrations had ended and the ball was back in play, the caps took advantage of the timber’s temporary, mental slump. poor positioning and shepherding of attackers led to a cracking goal by gershon koffie. off of a throw-in, camilo sanvezzo backed into andrew jean-baptiste, who had the brazilian backed off goal, before sliding a pass to koffie at the top of the 18 yard box. uncertain of where he needed to be, futty determined that he should be everywhere but where he actually needed to be. and by the time he realized he needed to cover koffie the damaging strike had been unleashed, and curling around a retreating timbers backline and into far corner for a goal.  2-1 caps.

from that point, it was clear the game was going to turn only with some form of effort resembling either special or embarrassing or both. but before that came, the timbers had to weather a few counterattacks and a red card. normally, i do not complain about officiating in post game reviews because bad calls happen and it is up to timbers to make their own luck. this review is an exception because the officiating was exceptionally poor all match. futty.sanvezzo.red.5.18.13the red card awarded to futty for, one, having position on camilo sanvezzo and, two, being pulled into a tumble and dummied by camilo sanvezzo is likely the worst bit of officiating i have ever seen. first, futty did not foul sanvezzo–sanvezzo played that up as well as he could, which suggested even further that he is a cheat. second, and most importantly, that was not a goal scoring opportunity. sanvezzo was not away on goal, nor was he in possession of the ball even in the broadest sense of the term possession. and here lies one of the worst misconceptions and misinterpretations of the laws of football–the last man. nowhere within the laws of football will you find a rule that states “last man.” it does not exist. the rule is that if a player denies by obstruction a clear goal scoring opportunity then a red card will be awarded. that does not change the fact futty had every right to attempt to block out sanvezzo–he had both position and pace on sanvezzo. look, had futty come from behind and taken sanvezzo down i would say he earned a red, but he did not–he had position and a right to play the ball.

regardless, with ten minutes left in the game, and down a goal and a man, i am sure prayers were said and personal masses endured. and they must have been heard (which is a ridiculous statement because i sure god has more important things to do than watch over sporting event). at the 83 minute, the captain lobbed a longball to trencito that was suspiciously similar to doug flutie’s hail mary pass to earn the boston college eagles a famous win. trencito.v.van.5.18.13this pass would earn the timbers a not so famous draw. bewildered that the pass hit its mark, andy o’brien and brad rusin converged on the wee train and the wee train bowled right through them. valencia took the ball with his left, turned jordan harvey and put brad knighton on the floor to easily slot the ball into the net with his left. the moment many of the timbers faithful had been awaiting–trencito’s major league debut–brought what they had hoped.

here is the bottom line: in the worst of circumstances, against the worst of foes, the timbers fought back to earn a point. cascadia cup implications aside, this was an effort, born through sheer determination and an unwillingness to lose, that puts paid the claims made by the timbers by their own play that they are a formidable mls side. this was another effort about character, and you would be crazy to believe character did not matter in this game come the end of the season.

sunshine

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