Maybe it’s a good thing that Sunday’s game between the Portland Timbers and New York City FC was bumped from Fox Sports 1 to Fox Sports 2 due to a NASCAR race that went longer than planned. Had it been on Fox Sports 1 as originally scheduled, even more people would have been subjected to one of the uglier performances put on by two MLS teams this season.
The thing is, at least for now, ugly works for Portland. At least it does right now. In the first two years of the Caleb Porter era in Portland the team built a reputation for playing attractive possession soccer. This year though, Porter has changed his tactics and gone with a more direct approach that hasn’t always been ugly, but has certainly had it’s moments of being hard to watch.
Coming off a 1-0 win on the road against NYCFC, here’s a few questions that could be raised:
1. How can it be said that “ugly works for Portland” when they’ve got only two wins through seven games?
Claiming that “ugly works for Portland” is matter of perspective. Compared with 2014, ugly is working just great for Portland. In 2014 the team had four points through seven matches, and no wins. In 2015 they’ve got two wins and nine points. Ugly “works” because with Diego Valeri, Will Johnson, and Ben Zemenski out and an opening schedule that has included five of their first seven games against 2014 playoff teams, the start to 2015 could’ve been a complete disaster. You can’t win MLS Cup in March and April, but as the Timbers proved last season, you can blow a season with a slow start. While they aren’t off to a flying start, and there are definitely problems that need to be addressed before this team can be called “good,” three points is three points now matter how they’re earned.
It certainly hasn’t looked pretty, and Timbers fans have a right to be frustrated, but the fact that despite all that’s gone wrong to start the season the Timbers are only seven points behind league leaders Vancouver (who have a game in hand) is a good thing.
Timbers goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey, who made a number of game-saving saves late in this one, summed it up best after the game:
“We can definitely improve. This is not our best game so far this season. We’ve played better earlier. I think we just need to win some more games. We can’t just play sexy football and not get any points.”
2. What impact did the formation change (from a 4-4-2 back to their usual 4-2-3-1) have on the Timbers?
The formation change was huge. The 4-4-2 experiment had mixed results: a loss to Vancouver in which the Timbers actually looked pretty good, a convincing win over FC Dallas, and a dismal loss to Orlando City. There was however, one constant in the 4-4-2 and it was that the partnership between Fanendo Adi and Maxi Urutti up top wasn’t working. It’s a partnership that should in theory work well. Adi and Urutti have different playing styles that should be complementary, but it was clear in the three games they started together that the chemistry wasn’t there.
Going back to the 4-2-3-1 got the Timbers into more familiar positions and, more importantly, got Darlington Nagbe back in the middle of the field. While Nagbe is always in a floating role, when he’s played on the wing this leaves empty space. Space which, if not accounted for, can burn the Timbers. Starting in the middle Nagbe has more space to roam and has an easier time leading the attack. Nagbe was one of the very few bright spots for Portland on Sunday, especially in the second half.
Nagbe was incredible in the second half, and the Timbers dearly needed it. As a team, the Timbers created only three chances in the first half. They created six in the second half, four of those by Nagbe himself. Nagbe spent much of the half dribbling his way through the NYCFC defense, completing seven successful dribbles. That’s the most any MLS player has had in an entire GAME in the 2015 season. Basically, when Nagbe got the ball in the second half, good things happened for the Timbers.
Check out the video below, beginning at the 2:04 mark. It starts with Nagbe beating Jeb Brovsky on the wing to start a break and creating a chance for Fanendo Adi. Then, after Gaston Fernandez forces a turnover, Nagbe picks the ball up and plays Adi in again on goal. Next comes the Timbers goal. Nagbe picks the ball up near midfield and dribbles towards the box. As he attacks, five (FIVE!) NYCFC defenders move towards him and while they manage to stop him, Nagbe manages to get the ball to Fernandez, who finds Asprilla to set up the goal.
3. What happens when Diego Valeri and Will Johnson return from injury?
Most likely the return of Valeri and Johnson will see the Timbers return to their regular, more aesthetically pleasing style of play. This is good for the viewers and good for Portland as they seem to be at their best when Valeri is directing traffic and they’re possessing the ball. Porter has been forced to adapt without two of his most important players and they’ve made ugly work, but expect a return to normal once Valeri and Johnson are healthy.
Part of the struggle for the Timbers against NYCFC was their inability to deal with NYCFC’s high pressure early in the game when the Timbers were trying to play out of the back. While the Timbers miss Valeri’s creativity dearly, Johnson’s ability to hold possession under pressure and get the build up going from deep is vital to Portland’s play. Here’s Johnson’s replacement, Jack Jewsbury, on facing that high-press:
“We knew that was something they’d probably do. We were a little disappointed we didn’t handle it better, but at the end of the day on the road you’re going to have to weather the storm at times and we did that.”
Jewsbury is right. They weathered the storm by going more direct as the game went on, and it worked. The small pitch at Yankee Stadium probably didn’t help with handling the pressure, but Johnson’s return will also significantly help in this area.
No doubt, the Timbers and their supporters will be looking for an improved performance in the coming weeks, and they’ll need it with a trip to Seattle coming up next weekend.
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