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Lots of questions awaiting answers as the Timbers take on the Galaxy

 Posted by on July 14, 2012 at 6:36 pm  MLS, Portland Timbers
Jul 142012
 

The Portland Timbers (5-8-4, 19 points) take on defending MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy (7-10-2, 23 points) at JELD-WEN Field on July 14, 2012 at 8:00 pm (PST).

Some questions I have about tonight’s match:
* What changes, if any, will GM/Interim Coach Gavin Wilkinson make?

* Who will wear the captain’s armband? Jewsbury? Perkins? Boyd?

*  How will the Timbers starting XI respond to their first match without John Spencer?

* Which players will get more of a shot to play under Wilkinson?

* Which players will see the bench under Wilkinson?

* What tactical changes, if any, will Gavin Wilkinson make?

* With Chara being out due to a suspension, who will step up and be the Timbers ‘Energizer Bunny’ in the midfield?

* Does Hanyer Mosquera, perhaps the team’s best player in the first half of the season, regain his starting spot at center back?

* Where will Darlington Nagbe play? Does he continue to play in the center midfield (where he’s gone virtually anonymous for the last five games) or does Wilkinson move him to another position?

* Will there be a backlash from fans if Jack Jewsbury continues to wear the armband for the Timbers?

* If Boyd scores or the Timbers win tonight, will he talk to the media?

Other news and notes:
* Brian Rowe, formerly with the Timbers as a 3rd string keeper when Jake Gleeson was out with injuries, was signed by the Los Angeles Galaxy.

* Striker Bright Dike has been recalled from a LA Blues loan back to the Timbers.

* Central defender Andrew Jean Baptiste has been loaned to the LA Blues.

Quotable:
“We’ve also got to look at decisions that affect the mentality of the team. There’s been a lot of change. How much more change can they cope with? There may be some changes this week; there may be more changes in the next couple of weeks. I’m not looking to come in and do everything overnight. That could be very, very disruptive. At the moment, we’ve got a game just around the corner and it’s important to get the guys focused on that.” ~ Gavin Wilkinson.

“It’s obviously disappointing with the coach leaving his post. I said it was one of the big reasons I came here in the first place, but now we need to get on with it in a professional manner and look forward to the game against LA on Saturday. I’m a professional athlete; I turn out and do my job. I’ll do that until I’m told otherwise. As I’ve said, I’ve enjoyed my time here, it’s been great. As I’ve said, yes, it’s disappointing that the coach has lost his job. But we need to move on in a professional manner.”
~ Kris Boyd.

INJURY REPORT:
PORTLAND TIMBERS — OUT: DF Eric Brunner (concussion); DF Chris Taylor (R hip surgery); DF Rodney Wallace (R ankle sprain); PROBABLE: MF Franck Songo’o (R knee MCL sprain)

LA GALAXY — OUT: DF Andrew Boyens (L sports hernia surgery); FW Edson Buddle (R knee surgery); MF Dan Keat (R knee surgery); DF Leonardo (R knee inflammation); QUESTIONABLE: DF Omar Gonzalez (L knee surgery); MF Mike Magee (R shin hematoma); MF Kyle Nakazawa (back spasms); FW Pat Noonan (R quad strain)

INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

SUSPENDED:
POR: Diego Chara (through July 15)
LA: Juninho (caution accumulation; through July 15)


WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD:
POR: Lovel Palmer

SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS:
POR: Kris Boyd, Diego Chara, Jack Jewsbury, Steven Smith
LA: Landon Donovan, David Junior Lopes

PREVIEW:




Prediction: Well, the Timbers are back home (5-2-2, 17 points at home) so there’s a good chance fans will see the team that beat Sporting KC, Seattle and San Jose. That said, I’m very interested to see how the Timbers will respond to life without John Spencer. As I mentioned above, there’s lots of questions going into tonight’s match and I’m very excited to see how everything plays out. Despite these questions, I fully expect to see a fired-up Timbers squad and there should be plenty of opportunities for goals as the Galaxy defense has been extremely shaky all season. I think the Timbers win 3-1.

Timbers back in MLS action on the road against the Galaxy

 Posted by on June 17, 2012 at 5:48 pm  MLS, Portland Timbers
Jun 172012
 

The Portland Timbers (3-5-4, 13 points) travel to southern California to take on defending MLS champions Los Angeles Galaxy (3-8-2, 11 points) for a Sunday Father’s Day matchup (4 p.m. PT) at the Home Depot Center.


KEEP AN EYE ON:

* Danny Mwanga: All eyes will be on the newest member of the Portland Timbers. Mwanga is excited to come “home” to Portland where he was a high school soccer star and where he went on to star at Oregon State 90 miles south in Corvallis. It’s hard to remember that Mwanga is only 20 years old and despite not having scored an MLS goal for 358 days (thanks to @TheMikeDonovan for that stat), has loads of potential and no doubt has to be thrilled to have gotten away from Piotr Nowak’s doghouse.

* The team’s confidence: The Timbers players are saying all the right things in the media, but I still wonder about their psyche after losing to Cal FC in the U.S Open Cup. Hopefully the long layoff helped the team come back together and work on some of their struggles.

* Darlington Nagbe: With the addition of Danny Mwanga, it looks like Nagbe will move to the midfield and will hopefully be playing an attacking center midfield role at the top of the Timbers midfield diamond formation. Lots of fans have been clamoring for this to happen for awhile now (me included) and I look forward to seeing how this plays out against the Galaxy.

LINEUP:

TimbersLineupvsGalaxy Timbers back in MLS action on the road against the Galaxy


INJURY REPORT:

LA GALAXY – OUT: DF Andrew Boyens (L sports hernia surgery); FW Edson Buddle (R knee surgery); FW Adam Cristman (concussion); DF Omar Gonzalez (L knee surgery); MF Dan Keat (R knee surgery); DF Leonardo (R knee inflammation); QUESTIONABLE: DF Bryan Gaul (facial fracture); MF Hector Jimenez (L quad hematoma)

PORTLAND TIMBERS – OUT: DF Eric Brunner (concussion); DF Rodney Wallace (R ankle sprain)

INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES:

LA: Robbie Keane (Ireland)
POR: Futty Danso (The Gambia)

SUSPENDED:

LA: Hector Jimenez (through June 17); Michael Stephens (through June 17); Mike Magee (through June 17)

WARNINGS:

SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: LA: David Beckham … POR: Kris Boyd
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: LA: Juninho, Landon Donovan … POR: Lovel Palmer

PREDICTION:
The Galaxy are missing a host of players for this match: Robbie Keane, Mike Magee, Edson Buddle, just to name a few. You can even throw in Landon Donovan if you’d like since even while he’s been present with the Galaxy, he’s been practically invisible on the pitch. The Galaxy have been hit by injuries as well as suspensions and the three points are definitely there for the Timbers taking.

As we know though, anything can happen in an MLS match but I’ll be disappointed if the Timbers don’t at least pull out 1 point from today’s match.

Timbers’ late collapse sends them to 4th straight defeat

 Posted by on April 17, 2012 at 5:24 am  MLS, Portland Timbers
Apr 172012
 
For the third straight game, the Portland Timbers squandered a lead and two late goals by Juninho and David Beckham gave the Galaxy a 3-1 victory in front of 22,143 at The Home Depot Center on Saturday night.
Kris Boyd gave the Timbers the lead in the 23rd minute with his third goal of the season, but the Timbers couldn’t get out of the half with the lead. The Galaxy’s Robbie Keane eluded right back Steve Purdy and found a wide open Landon Donovan at the top of the box for the equalizer in the 44th minute.
The score remained 1-1 until the 83rd when Juninho fired a shot from outside the box to give the Galaxy the lead for good. Portland had a chance to tie just before the 90th minute but Darlington Nagbe’s header off a Mike Chabala corner kick was just wide of the frame.
The Timbers face a huge test when they return home Saturday, April 21, to take on an undefeated Sporting Kansas City.

Quotable:
Kris Boyd: “We have to stick together. We’ll come out of it and I’m sure we stay positive and hopefully, again next week, we go at it and hopefully we get three points.”

Men of the Match:
Hanyer Mosquera and Kris Boyd

Game Stats:
Scoring Summary
POR: Boyd (Nagbe, Alexander), 23
LA: Donovan (unassisted), 44
LA: Juninho (unassisted), 83
LA: Beckham (Donovan), 90+1
Misconduct Summary
POR: Boyd (Caution), 14
POR: Mosquera (Caution), 26
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Perkins, D Purdy, D Mosquera, D Brunner, D Chabala, M Alhassan (Songo’o, 58), M Jewsbury © (Palmer, 74), M Chara, M Alexander, F Nagbe, F Boyd (Perlaza, 81)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Rowe, D Jean-Baptiste, M Braun, F Dike
TOTAL SHOTS: 8 (Boyd, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Boyd, 3); FOULS: 8 (Boyd, Mosquera, 2); OFFSIDES: 5; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 8
LA: GK Saunders, D Franklin, D Lopes, D Meyer, D Dunivant, M Juninho, M Beckham, M Magee (Noonan, 81), F Donovan ©, F Keane, F Barrett (Buddle, 67)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Gaudette, D Boyens, M Jordan, M Sarvas, M Nakazawa
TOTAL SHOTS: 17 (Magee, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 11 (Beckham, Donovan, Keane, Magee, 2); FOULS: 8 (Eight players, 1); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 9; SAVES: 2
5 Quick Questions and Comments:
1.) So what is it about the late game collapses? The Timbers went through stretches of these last season as well. Is it lack of talent? Depth? Confidence? Fitness?
2.) Kris Boyd probably had the best ball, and maybe even the first ball, played to his feet all season and the result was an excellent goal. How different is this game if Boyd’s second goal was allowed instead of being erroneously whistled for being offside?
3.) Some good news: Midfielder Sal Zizzo is almost fully recovered from knee surgery and the Timbers signed 18-year-old forward Sebastian Rincon as well. Can Zizzo make an impact upon his return?
4.) One of the most questioned coaching moves from Saturday was Spencer’s substitution of Lovel Palmer for Jack Jewsbury. The question isn’t about why Jewsbury was substituted (most fans were applauding that actually), but rather why Palmer for Jewsbury. It’s true that Palmer played as a defensive midfielder for the Houston Dynamo, but hasn’t been in that position since arriving in Portland last season. If you go to the MLS Chalkboards for the match, check out the heat maps for Jewsbury and Palmer and you can see one of the problems with this substitution. Palmer was way up the pitch in the Timbers offensive end and not in a position to provide the necessary defensive support. This put a ton of pressure on Diego Chara to cover a wide open midfield. If you’re John Spencer and have Freddie Braun on the bench, why not sub him in for Jewsbury? Was Jewsbury injured? There was a mention about Jewsbury possibly having an injury, but I’ve not seen any confirmation of that.
5.) Where do the Timbers go from here?

Timbers take on the Galaxy for a battle for the Western Conference basement

 Posted by on April 14, 2012 at 12:51 am  MLS, Portland Timbers
Apr 142012
 
The Portland Timbers (1-3-1, 4 points) travel to Carson, CA to take on Los Angeles Galaxy (1-3-0, 0 points) in a 7:30 p.m. PST Western Conference matchup at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.

KEEP AN EYE ON:

* The first 20 minutes. Both teams should be coming out pretty fired up. While the Galaxy have shown a propensity for giving up quick goals, the Timbers have been slow starters. This game could be won or lost right here.
* Mike Chabala. Last week, Chabala came on for the second half because Rodney Wallace suffered a sprained ankle in the first half. He’ll get the start this week despite showing a fair amount of rust in his play against Chivas. He’ll be needed to step up his game big time against Los Angeles.
* Service to Kris Boyd. I could be wrong, but I don’t think I’ve seen a ball yet this season delivered to Boyd’s feet. I think Boyd can be a 15 goal/season scorer in MLS, but if he doesn’t get any service, the Timbers.
* How long does John Spencer remain loyal to his captain? After a stellar first half of 2011, Jack Jewsbury hasn’t been playing his best soccer. It’s been a slow start for Jewsbury in 2012, but Spencer continues to loyally give the armband to Jewsbury, while also giving him the nod at central midfield for the Timbers.
Possible starting lineup for the Timbers:
TimbersLineup Timbers take on the Galaxy for a battle for the Western Conference basement
INJURY REPORT:
LA GALAXY – OUT: DF Omar Gonzalez (L knee surgery); DF Leonardo (R knee surgery); GK Brian Perk (sports hernia surgery); QUESTIONABLE: MF David Beckham (back spasms); MF Michael Stephens (R ankle sprain)
PORTLAND TIMBERS – OUT: GK Joe Bendik (R knee meniscus surgery); DF Futty Danso (L foot fracture); FW Eddie Johnson (concussion); MF James Marcelin (L hamstring strain); DF Rodney Wallace (L ankle sprain); DOUBTFUL: GK Jake Gleeson (R knee IT band tightness); DF David Horst (R hip surgery); QUESTIONABLE: MF Sal Zizzo (L ACL surgery)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: none
MY PREDICTION:
I’m at a loss almost to even make a prediction for this game. Both teams are so enigmatic right now that I can hardly even make an educated guess as to what this game will look like. John Spencer has kept his lineup choices for this week close to the vest so there isn’t much clues to be had from that.
Last season, each team traded 3-0 home victories. The way both defenses are giving up goals, it wouldn’t shock me to see each team score three goals. The Galaxy though, just have too much talent to be as bad as they’ve been so far this season for this long. I expect them to get back to their winning ways against the Timbers 3-2.

Recap: Timbers easily defeat the Galaxy in first preseason match

 Posted by on February 8, 2012 at 6:59 pm  Uncategorized
Feb 082012
 

The Portland Timbers kicked off the preseason with a 4-1 victory yesterday against the 2011 MLS Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy.

Bright Dike, Jorge Perlaza, James Marcelin and Futty Danso accounted for the Timbers’ scoring. Trialist Franck Songo’o garnered two assists as well.
The four goals scored should please the Timbers faithful. In last season’s inaugural preseason, the Timbers didn’t score their fourth goal until the sixth game.
Timbers Lineup and Substitutions:
POR: GK Troy Perkins, D Lovel Palmer (Steve Purdy, 46), D Eric Brunner (Futty Danso, 46), D Hanyer Mosquera (Andrew Jean-Baptiste, 46), D Rodney Wallace (Mike Chabala, 46), M Franck Songo’o (Khalif Alhassan, 46), M Jack Jewsbury (James Marcelin, 46), M Diego Chara (Freddie Braun, 46), M Eric Alexander (Lance Davids, 46), F Bright Dike (Sebastian Rincon, 75), F Jorge Perlaza (Brent Richards, 46)
Scoring summary for the match:
POR: Dike (Songo’o), 8
POR: Perlaza (Songo’o), 9
POR: Marcelin (Alhassan), 67
LA: Keat, 80
POR: Danso (penalty kick), 85
Game notes:
I only have a few quick notes to add. There was no streaming of the match so unless you were on hand in L.A, it’s hard to comment. However check out and see if you agree about two things I noticed on the video:
* One, Bright Dike looks incredibly fit. I’ve heard this already from @maofootball and @timbersinsider, but to see it for myself (even on video) is impressive.
* Two, I think Timbers fans can get a little excited about Franck Songo’o. Watch how he just owned the Galaxy’s Todd Dunivant on the second goal.
The Portland Timbers next preseason match will be Friday, February 10th in Los Angeles where they will take on the Montreal Impact.

Ángel Strikes Again.

 Posted by on October 3, 2011 at 4:55 am  Uncategorized
Oct 032011
 

It was Juan Pablo Ángel to the rescue as he denied the Philadelphia Union the opportunity to move into first place in the Eastern Conference scoring a late equalizer as Chivas USA played to a 1-1 draw at The Home Depot Center on Sunday.

Robin Fraser made one change to the starting eleven that beat Toronto FC 3-0 the week before. Simon Elliott replaced Ben Zemanski in the midlfield leaving Justin Braun, Alejandro Moreno, and Ángel as Chivas’ threats up front.

After a scoreless first half, Justin Mapp handed Philadelphia the lead in the 59th minute with a great solo effort. With plenty of space and no defenders wanting to shut him down Mapp dribbled past the Chivas defense and lashed a shot past goalkeeper Dan Kennedy. This was the midfielder’s third goal of the season.

With only a few minutes left on the clock it looked as though Philadelphia were going to return home with all three points, but it wasn’t meant to be as Chivas USA found their equalizer in the 90th minute.

Substitute Michael Lahoud played a cross from the right side towards the back post that found Ángel who headed the ball over the goal line. This was Ángel’s seventh goal since joining Chivas USA back in August.

The Rojiblancos now have 36 points, but remain in seventh place in the Western Conference.

Chivas USA’s next match is the El Superclasico as they will be the visiting team this time around at The Home Depot Center. This is the second-to-last regular season match for the Rojiblancos as they take on the Los Angeles Galaxy, Sunday October 16.

Timbers embarrass Galaxy 3-0

 Posted by on August 4, 2011 at 2:55 pm  Uncategorized
Aug 042011
 

Parity may indeed be alive and well in MLS, but the Portland Timbers and their fans aren’t complaining. The Timbers came out from the opening kickoff and dominated action for a stunning 3-0 victory over the league-leading Los Angeles Galaxy.

Even without captain Jack Jewsbury and an injured Eddie Johnson (concussion during the warmup), the Timbers beat L.A in every phase of the game, especially in the first half, outshooting the Galaxy 9-0 and 15-8 for the game. All-Stars Landon Donovan and David Beckham didn’t get off a shot the entire game and were basically non-factors.
The Timbers got the scoring started in the 26th minute with a terrific combination play between Darlington Nagbe and recent arrival, Mike Chabala. Chabala found some open space in the box, receiving a nicely weighted pass from Nagbe and fired off a shot that blew by goalie Josh Saunders.
It only took until the 33rd minute for the Timbers to really fire up the capacity crown of 18,627 at JELD-WEN with another goal, this time from Jorge Perlaza. Chabala got this one started with a throw-in to Kenny Cooper, who was demanding the ball just outside the 18′ box. He tapped a pass to Diego Chara who then fed Perlaza. Perlaza’s quick first step gave him space to take the shot on goal from a sliding A.J DeLaGarza and diving Saunders.
After halftime, everyone expected to see the real L.A Galaxy squad and the ESPN2 announcing duo of Glenn Davis and Tyler Twellman were discussing the Timbers penchant for late game collapses.
While the Galaxy came out more aggressively, they still weren’t able to get their first shot on goal until the 71st minute. That first shot on goal though was even less consequential as the Timbers put the game away 3 minutes earlier as Sal Zizzo’s corner kick found Eric Brunner for the third goal. Brunner was left basically untouched by All-Star Sean Franklin and emphatically headed the ball away over a leaping Saunders.
After the game, Coach John Spencer had this to say:
“I’ve had to answer a lot of tough questions here, you guys questioning my players’ heart, motivation, fitness,” Spencer said. “It hurt me because these guys are under me, and I care for them deeply. Tonight, everyone connected with the Portland Timbers should be very, very proud.”

Next up for the Timbers (7-10-4, 25 points) is the beginning of a three game road trip this Saturday as they take on the San Jose Earthquake (5-8-9, 24 points).
GAME STATS:
Scoring Summary:
POR — Mike Chabala 1 (Darlington Nagbe 1) 26
POR — Jorge Perlaza 5 (Diego Chara 3, Kenny Cooper 2) 33
POR — Eric Brunner 2 (Sal Zizzo 2) 68
LA Galaxy — Josh Saunders, A.J. DeLaGarza, Sean Franklin, Omar Gonzalez, Todd Dunivant, Chris Birchall, Michael Stephens (Adam Cristman 46), Juninho (Dan Keat 81), David Beckham, Juan Pablo Angel (Miguel Lopez 46), Landon Donovan.
Substitutes Not Used: Gregg Berhalter, Bryan Jordan, Mike Magee, Brian Perk.
Portland Timbers — Troy Perkins, Lovel Palmer, Eric Brunner, David Horst, Mike Chabala, Sal Zizzo (Kalif Alhassan 89), James Marcelin, Diego Chara, Darlington Nagbe (Rodney Wallace 85), Jorge Perlaza (Brian Umony 87), Kenny Cooper.
Substitutes Not Used: Mamadou Danso, Bright Dike, Peter Lowry, Adin Brown.
Misconduct Summary:
LA — Landon Donovan (caution; Reckless Tackle) 64
POR — Diego Chara (caution; Reckless Tackle) 83
POR — Sal Zizzo (caution; Reckless Tackle) 89
HIGHLIGHTS:

Timbers embarrass Galaxy 3 0

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