Another week, another 1-0 loss to Chivas. Or so it would appear, but appearances can deceive. This was a much better performance than in any of the past four matches. The lads looked well up for it from the opening kickoff and played hard until the final whistle. There was none of the lethargy and disorganization that was so plain to see in Dallas, and if it must be conceded that all their good works once again resulted in no points, it must also be said that this was a definite step in the right direction.
The changes started with the formation. Gone was the 4-2-3-1 which had been so ineffective. In its place was which you might describe as a 4-1-4-1. In central midfield, the team played an inverted diamond, with Jewsbury covering the backs and Chará and Nagbe playing over the top. This, along with a newfound compactness in their formation (about which I’ll say more later in the week), allowed the Timbers to really compete for the ball in the middle of the park, as well as providing copious opportunities to get forward. Not surprisingly, the team also created a lot more dangerous situations than they had in all of the previous four matches combined.
Losing always sucks. But the pill is a little easier to swallow when it there is evidence of progress. And with that, let’s do the numbers.
1. Troy Perkins: I guess we have to get the bad news out of the way early. Sad to say, responsibility for the goal rests squarely on Perkins’s shoulders (as he conceded in the post game interview). His decision to come out to try to parry Zemanski’s free kick was poor, as he was never, ever going to get there. That the goal proved to be Portland’s undoing highlights the sometimes cruel nature of this game, but it is what it is. This rating may strike some as harsh, but the magnitude of the error must tell here. 3
12. David Horst: A much more focused performance from Horst that in some other recent matches really set the tone at the back. He was physical when he needed to be, but was not put off by the speed and technical ability of Chivas’s attackers, which admittedly were not much in evidence for most of the match. 6
33. Hanyer Mosquera: Partnered well with Horst and didn’t foul anybody. This was due in part to Chivas’s lack of attacking ambition, but had also to do with the fact that we really suffocated them in the middle of the park. 5
14. Stephen Smith: Sometimes you don’t know whether you’re going to get Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde. On Saturday night it was the former. In previous matches Ryan Smith’s ownership of our Scottish defender was such that he probably had to report him on his tax forms. In his absence, Steven Smith kept things calm on the flanks, using his pace and guile to keep things in front of him, at least in the vast majority of cases. 5
15. Kosuke Kimura: After a spate of poor performances, Kimura finally gave Portland fans a little glimpse of the qualities that led to his acquisition in the first place. Played well in defense and did a better job of assisting the wing on his side, in this case the rookie Brent Richards, in holding possession of creating forward production. 5
21. Diego Chará: Chará absolutely ran his socks off, and I strongly suspect that the injury that saw him limp through the final stages of the match was a result of this massive effort that he gave. And why not? Portland finally played a formation that allowed him to get close to opposing midfielders and make his aggression tell. This was one of his very best matches of the season. He harassed Chivas midfielders without mercy, won tons of ball, and time and time again turned defense into attack. For me, he was MOTM. 7.5
13. Jack Jewsbury: Once again entrusted with the captain’s armband, and playing in a formation that allowed him to use his skills effectively, Jewsbury showed marked improvement on his recent form. With Chará and Nagbe wreaking havoc ahead of him, Jewsbury could pick his spots and was able to blunt Chivas’s ability to attack through the middle of the park. 5
8. Frank Songo’o: Somebody needs to find out what Songo’o ate before the match and make sure everyone else eats that too. Wow, did he look up for this game. His level of technique and aggression has never been as high as it was on Saturday, and he repeatedly ran at defenders to good effect. He also put in a number of dangerous balls, although some of his set piece deliveries left much to be desired. You could say he was partly culpable for the goal, as the free kick from which it was scored was the result of a rather ill considered shirt tug in midfield. For my money, that would be a pretty harsh judgment given that the spot of the kick was some 35 yards from goal. In any case, overall you’d have to say that this was a very good performance. 7
16. Brent Richards: Welcome to the league my son. I haven’t been convinced up to now that Richards had what it took, but this performance made a believer out of me. Fairly early on he discovered that Jazic had about as much chance of sprouting wings and flying back to Nova Scotia as he did of winning a ball in the air, and he mercilessly exploited this advantage to put balls into dangerous places. He also showed that he has a throw in of Rory Delap-esque proportions. Still made some of the kind of mistakes that a young player will, but really showed a lot of promise. 7
9. Kris Boyd: Worked hard from the first whistle to the last and was more engaged due to getting much better service. He flubbed a number of chances from which he should have done better, so this his rating is a bit low, but if he keeps getting fed the ball like this he will prosper. 4
6. Darlinton Nagbe: Played in a slightly advanced role in midfield with Chará and looked quite good. With Chará’s ball winning keeping things steady in that part of the pitch, Nagbe was able to make better use of his skills and showed that he can be an attacking threat when formation and personnel allow him to be. 5.5
10. Danny Mwanga: Came on late and had a hard time getting into the flow. He seems to be another guy like Alexander who really needs time on the pitch to get into things. 4
11. Kalif Alhassan: Came on for Songo’o and you could kind of see that he wanted to try to make an immediate impact. Had some good touches, but his decision making in the final third was not great. 4
17. Eric Alexander: Usually, Alexander is a bit of a dud as a substitute, but he did reasonably well. Provided good service from the corner and at least made a show of wanting to get to the byline. 5
Magadh
Liked a lot of the same things you saw; the overall team shape, the creativity, the energy from Chara and Songo’o. The backline looking stronger and working better, though against Chivas that’s tough to rate, they’re so awful going forward.
Overall I agree that this was the strongest we’ve seen the team look in the Wilkinson Interegnum Era (I thought the boos for Gavin were a bit harsh; the man is no better than he is, but given what we saw on the pitch his work Saturday was at least competent. When he clearly screws the pooch it’s one thing, but I’d give him at least a 4.5 for this match…)
But the subs – this has always been a Gavin sore point with me, and I think of all the negatives this was the biggest. He 1) never seems to have a good “read” on the match, and shared with Spencer the seeming inability to figure out what the other coach or team was doing to his side, so he 2) tends(ed) to seem to substitute at random, both who and when.
Example – KAH for Songo’o. I commented to my neighbor in 109 “I think Franck is gassed, we should get Zizzo or Kalif in there” at about 55 minutes. By the time Kalif DID come on Songo’o had given up the free (pretty soft yellow, too, but that’s another thing entirely…) and we were down a goal.
Likewise, Fraser seemed to have adjusted to Richards’ strengths (the great long throws and his jump) after the break, but Gavin/McAuley either didn’t or couldn’t figure out how to get Richards back into the match.
This one just hammered home how the front office really needs to find a competent coach soon. There’s a lot of potential in this squad (there’s a lot of deadwood, too – I agree that Jack, Smith, Kimura, and Nagbe had decent matches, but I don’t think that means we’ve solved the long-term problems they, among others, represent…) and we need a sharp guy with top-flight experience to sort it out. This season shows me that Gavin’s not that guy. I hope Merritt is seeing that, too.
hopefully, the below got to you.
as you may know, this blog has limited to no love for gavin and his ability as a technical director.
gavin may have some accolades in the usl days, but he is nothing if not a novice in the mls. for some reason he has hoodwinked merrit into believing that he knows what he is doing though he has no mls experience and is learning on the job. it is one thing to bring in a talented coach, who is unfamilar with the mls (he can develop a system, plug players into the system, and get the most of them through tactics and playing to strengths), it is another thing to give a man a porsche who has never driven. the technical director puts the side together, brings in players, adjusts for the immeasurably difficult to understand salary structure of the mls, and has more contacts than sri lankan 3rd division.
moreover, he has never endeared himself to the supporters–avoiding contact and making attempts to diminish their importance to the club have not assisted his standing with them.
keeping those issues in mind, we must consider them in light of the current situation. the timbers have now lost 4 on the trot and look unlikely to right the ship anytime soon. in mid-season he fired a manager growing in unpopularity, but who seemed to get more out of the limited pockets of talent the team possesses than even he can, without a plan for the future in place. essentially, he threw in the towel half way through the season and expects the faithful to understand, show patience, and continue on as if nothing is happening, all the while asking for a mulligan.
while some may be amenable to the ostrich routine, those who have supported the club through every gavin era have enough experience to know they should not be. so long as gavin remains gavin, this club will never move forward. that is why they did what they did. the vocal disatisfaction with the direction of the club is understandable, if not expected.
A few things:
1-Congrats Dike on your hat trick in yesterday’s reserve match. That was fun.
2-The new assistant coach was out yesterday giving the back line a rash of shit for being out of position, but more specifically Chabala for being a twat. I liked seeing that. It made me happy.
3-Congratulations to The98 on the birth of your daughter yesterday. She shares a birthday with…
4-Happy belated birthday Troy Perkins. A bitter pill, your allowing the goal on Saturday. I think all of the timbers faithful will quickly forgive the momentary lapse in judgement, given you have been the most consistent and vocal fella in green this year. You’ll get em next time.
So sorry I missed seeing you guys yesterday. Dunno where my head was.
Thrilled to see Smith more focused Saturday and equally thrilled to see Dike’s hat trick yesterday. That’s the second time I’ve seen him do that in a reserve match. I want more of him in the big kids 18, at the very least.
evidently, you were more concerned with acquiring a certian pair of shorts than stopping off to say hello to shecky.
A girl’s gotta have priorities.
(It was part of a charity auction, by the way, but I expect those shorts will be a trigger for hilarity for years to come.)
No argument that Gavin deserves a good sacking ASAP. Just not for Saturday in particular, IMO; one of the better efforts of his I’ve seen.
I hope Shecky’s post means that McAuley has taken over the first XI’s backline coaching from Cam Knowles. Loved him as a player but our backline has been a shambles this year other than the brief stretch in May.
One thing that the reserve match report made me think about. Given our current troubles getting service to our forwards, I wonder if Dike (who, at least when I’ve seen him, tends to collect the ball outside the 18 and then crashes the backline) might be a better fit with our midfield than the present more traditional front-running strikers like Boyd and Mwanga? Maybe with Boyd alongside to clean up and poach from the chaos Dike creates?
from what i saw saturday night, mcauley seemed to be running the show, not gavin. he was insistent the back four keep a good shape, and it looked to be of assistance. cam knowles was hired based on sentiment–that is never good.
Well, given Gavin’s record, and assuming that the side’s better showing was the result of another hand at the tiller, I’d just as soon McAuley be given charge sooner rather than later, then.
My only thought is that Chivas is so dire going forward that it’s hard to say whether we looked better because we pressed higher on the pitch and kept our shape…or because they’re just THAT bad. And we’ve got bloody Dallas AND Toronto the next two weeks, so that’s no help.
I’m going to be watching the NYRB away match with interest, though, to see if this better look continues against a team with some attacking skill…