Sometimes all it takes is a lucky bounce to get the right guy going at the right time. That’s what seems to have happened with Portland’s Rodney Wallace as we near the close of the MLS season.
After a breakout season in 2013 which saw Wallace become a key part of the Timbers attack as they finished 1st in the Western Conference, the 2014 season has been more of a struggle for Wallace. An ACL tear in the MLS Playoffs in 2013 meant a delayed start to Wallace’s season and the going has been slow since he got back on the field. A year after scoring seven goals and notching six assists, Wallace now has five goals and one assist in 2014.
Three of those five goals have come in the last two games, both against the San Jose Earthquakes. The first two, last Saturday in a 2-1 Timbers victory, were quite fortuitous, with both taking deflections on their way to the back of the net.
The first may have ended up in the back of the net even without the deflection. The second might also have scored anyways, but the goal would’ve gone to Liam Ridgewell, whose header directed near post deflected off Wallace’s head and ended up in the far corner of the net.
The goals may have been lucky, but sometimes that’s all a scorer needs to get their confidence back and start scoring regularly. Wallace’s finish in the first half on Wednesday against San Jose shows that he may be back in the form that made him so important in 2013.
Wallace also set up Valeri’s second goal, which gave the Timbers a 3-0 lead in the 73rd minute. Wallace’s blast from the left of goal was too hot for Earthquakes GK Jon Busch to handle and the rebound fell to Valeri who calmly slotted it into the back of the net.
If Wallace is indeed back in his 2013 form that could be huge for the Timbers, who, after a 3-0 victory over San Jose are in 5th place, two points ahead of Vancouver, who has a game on the road in Seattle in hand, with two tough games remaining.
Their second consecutive victory over San Jose, after defeating the Quakes 2-1 on Saturday night, was a much simpler affair. After coming back from a goal down to win 2-1 in a chippy match with little flow and few chances on Saturday, Portland controlled from the start on Wednesday.
While controlling the match early, the Timbers also managed to avoid giving up an early goal, something they’ve struggled with throughout the season, falling behind in many games they seemed to be dominating. Wallace’s opener came in the 41st minute. Valeri then converted a penalty in the 51st minute after Wallace was taken down in the box on a set piece, and Valeri slotted home the third in the 73rd minute.
Valeri not only netted the brace, he was also the maestro in the midfield for Portland. Nearly every chance Portland had started at the feet of Valeri, who in addition to his goals, created another 5 chances, including the pass which led to Nagbe’s assist on Wallace’s first.
After the game Timbers coach Caleb Porter praised Valeri’s play last night and all season, saying “I told you guys before he’s one of the best players in the league and he showed that again tonight. That’s huge…If we are going to make a push for the postseason, if we are going to make some noise when we get into the postseason, you need your big players to step up. You see that on the teams that are doing really well.”
In addition to Wallace scoring, another Timber who has struggled in 2014 looked great Wednesday night. While Darlington Nagbe still has yet to score in 2014, he did pick up an assist and was a key component of the Portland attack all night long. Nagbe did miss one great chance, after which coach Caleb Porter appeared to mouth “It’s in his head,” but he was otherwise fantastic, assisting on Wallace’s goal.
The final product hasn’t been there for Nagbe this year, but he’s still managed to contribute to Portland’s attack, being a consistent threat with the ball and chipping in with six assists. Nagbe doesn’t necessarily need to score to contribute, he’s proven that, but it certainly would help things if he could get on the score sheet and give his confidence a boost.
Defense has been Portland’s biggest problem in 2014, but if Wallace and Nagbe can keep up the form they showed Wednesday night, the Timbers should have a great shot at ending the season above the Vancouver Whitecaps and in the MLS Playoffs.
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