They say there’s no rest for the weary, but apparently in Major League Soccer there’s no rest for the champions either.
The Portland Timbers have had a busy (and short) off-season. Since winning MLS Cup just over 6 weeks ago, the Timbers have been involved in a flurry of player moves. MLS Cup starters Rodney Wallace and Jorge Villafaña, as well as backup striker Maxi Urruti left the club, and a number of new faces have since joined, with another rumored to be on the way. Given the salary constraints in Major League Soccer, it was always going to be tough to keep the whole team together after winning MLS Cup, but the Timbers feel confident they’ve done a good job keeping the core of their team together.
Questions As the Portland Timbers Preseason Begins
There are some key questions that need to be answered as the Portland Timbers preseason begins. Here’s five questions that will be key points of interest in both preseason and as the 2016 season gets underway.
Who is the replacement for Rodney Wallace?
The easy answer to this question is that nobody knows, or at least nobody who knows is talking. The Timbers front office has made it clear that a replacement will be signed, and it’s a good bet that Caleb Porter, Gavin Wilkinson, and Merritt Paulson have some idea (or maybe even know exactly) who it will be, but they aren’t talking.
There are two potential directions the Timbers could go with this (okay, there’s more than two, but two that are most likely). One, they spend near-designated player money to bring in a semi-big name winger who they plan on being a starting winger for them from day one. Two, they bring in a player who they are confident can compete with Dairon Asprilla and Lucas Melano for a starting role, but who maybe hits the budget a little less hard and isn’t so well known.
The second option seems more likely. Dairon Asprilla clearly grew into his role with the Timbers as the season went on, making major contributions down the stretch. Portland clearly has high hopes in the future of Lucas Melano. They should feel confident in starting Melano and Asprilla, but bringing in someone who can push both of them for minutes can only be a positive for the Timbers.
Ben Zemanski or George Fochive?
A year ago this wasn’t even a question worth considering. But, after Zemanski missed all of 2015 with an injury and Fochive performed better than expected, it’s at least worth discussing heading into 2016. The likely answer is that Zemanski will be number two on the depth chart behind Diego Chara and Fochive will be behind Zemanski, while also playing significant minutes for Timbers 2 in USL. After all, for a Fochive’s continued development, minutes, at either MLS or USL level, are vitally important. It might seem like a step back for Fochive to go from logging significant MLS minutes to playing mostly in USL, but if not for major injuries last year, it’s unlikely anyone would be talking about Fochive at all. Assuming Zemanski is completely recovered from his injury and back to the player he was pre-injury, Fochive will continue his development at T2, and the Timbers will be confident they have an able replacement ready in the wings if someone else gets hurt.
How well and quickly can Chris Klute replace Jorge Villafaña’s contributions?
This might be the biggest question of the spring for the Timbers. Though he started receiving recognition late in the year, and was rewarded with a big money move to Santos Laguna in Liga MX, Villafaña was probably the most underrated player on the Timbers last year and one of the most improved players over the last couple seasons. Villafaña’s combination of quality defending, tactical awareness, positional discipline, and the ability to get forward with the ball and play in quality crosses made him one of Portland’s key guys down the stretch.
All that goes to say, new guy Chris Klute has big shoes to fill. But, there’s every reason to think he can fill them. Prior to his move to Columbus, where he mostly served as a backup to one of hte best left-backs in the league (Waylon Francis), Klute was a standout fullback himself with the Colorado Rapids, even earning a national team call-up. In 2013 Klute was voted the Rapids’ best defender and named MLS Best XI honorable mention.
While there’s sure to be some bumps along the way, it’s reasonable to expect that once he hits his stride, Klute can more than adequately replace Villafaña’s contributions. The key question then becomes how long that will take. Klute made only 14 appearances for the Crew in 15, so it may take some time for him to get back into the rhythm of being a regular starter, and to find his top form. For the Timbers sake, hopefully that doesn’t take too long.
Will Lucas Melano meet expectations in 2016?
When the Timbers signed Lucas Melano last summer there was a lot of excitement around the acquisition. While the Timbers clearly framed the signing as one for the future, there was also an expectation of immediate contributions, and while Melano played consistently once he was brought into the team, the production wasn’t great, and certain things, such as his apparent lack of finishing ability, gave reason for concern.
Given that Melano was a mid-season signing and a young kid adapting to playing for a new team, in a new league, on a new continent, he certainly deserves the benefit of time, not to mention a full pre-season, before being judged too harshly. That said, given the Timbers investment in him, Melano will need to step up his contributions this season. He did put together some performances down the stretch which hinted at his potential, and his Western Conference clinching goal against FC Dallas got everyone excited all over again, but now it’s time to show that talent consistently.
If he does, watch out. If Melano can play to his potential, alongside players like Fanendo Adi, Darlington Nagbe, and Diego Valeri, Portland will score goals in bunches this season, something they lacked the ability to do for much of the 2015 season.
What roles will the new guys play?
In addition to the expected incoming winger, the aforementioned Chris Klute, and some draft picks who I won’t discuss in detail other than to say they’re almost certainly on their way to T2, not to be seen with the first team until 2017 at the earliest, Portland also acquired forward Jack McInerney, midfielder Ned Grabavoy, and defenders Zarek Valentin and Jermaine Taylor. None of these players are expected to start, but McInerney, Grabavoy, and Valentin especially are all likely to see significant minutes for the Timbers this season.
McInerney comes in as a direct replacement to Maxi Urruti. He’s a young striker. At 23, it only feels like he’s been around for forever because he made his debut for the Philadelphia Union in 2010. Similar to Urruti, McInerney will be a change-of-pace striker who likely will come off the bench for Fanendo Adi on a regular basis. While inconsistent, McInerney has proven he can be a solid MLS goalscorer, and if he can finally put it all together, this could be a great addition for the Timbers.
Grabavoy is a solid MLS veteran who will provide depth at multiple positions, as he can play in the center of midfield or out on the wings. He’s not likely to wow anyone or surprise with a huge number of goals or assists, but he’ll be consistent and reliable, especially when U.S. Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League matches come around and more rotation is needed. It’s worth noting that Grabavoy played at the University of Indiana while Caleb Porter was an assistant there.
Valentin is a young defender who should provide reliable depth at left back, and could contribute at right back if needed. Valentin played two seasons in MLS, with Chivas USA and Montreal, before spending the last few years in Norway as a starter. Valentin played for Porter at Akron, so Porter will be hoping he can get the best out of his former college player.
Jermaine Taylor comes in as the Timbers third choice center-back, after making over 100 appearances for the Houston Dynamo in the last five years. Given the consistency of Liam Ridgewell and Nat Borchers last season, the Timbers hopefully won’t need much from Taylor, but if they do, they’ll know they have a capable MLS veteran to step in.
Extra: Liam Ridgewell
There is one more question that possibly looms over the start of preseason, and that’s the return of Liam Ridgewell. The question isn’t whether he’ll return, but when. Originally, when Ridgewell went on loan with Brighton & Hove Albion in the English Championship, the agreement was for a short term loan, with Ridgewell set to be back in Portland before the start of the Simple Invitational on February 21st. Now though, reports out of England are that Ridgewell would like to extend the loan to spend more time with his children. Here’s Ridgewell’s comments:
“The kids aren’t with me in America, they stay here with their mum and the more time I can get with them is an added bonus for me, [the Timbers] understand that. And it is an added bonus for them, as well, that I get to play football and keep fit at the same time and am not just sitting on my a— and doing nothing. It works for them as well.
“There are talks for the loan to be extended. I’ve love to stay – the more games I get the better. There is a bit of wriggle room but there is a bit of a tug of war between the clubs and hopefully there will be some kind of arrangement.”
Presumably, Ridgewell would still be back before the start of the MLS season, but an extended loan, while not negatively impacting Ridgewell’s fitness, would mean missing out on preseason preparation with the Timbers.
Main Photo: Jamie Sabau, Getty Images
