With a week to go before their MLS Cup rematch against the Columbus Crew to open 2016 season, the Portland Timbers closed out the Simple Invitational with a 2-0 loss to the Chicago Fire on Saturday night. The result left the Timbers with one win and two losses in the friendly tournament but in an overall positive mood heading into their season opener. After the game, Timbers Head Coach Caleb Porter had this to say about the loss:
For me it’s good, it just kind of levels everyone off now. Gets everyone aware we are in a new year. Nothing is going to be easy, there is going to be some adversity. There are going to be some challenges, going to be losses. This prepares us for the long road ahead. It gets everybody back to a little bit of reality. We are not going to be perfect just because we won the MLS Cup. We will be more ready by making a few mistakes today that locks the guys in, that allows us to kind of tighten the backs a little bit.
MLS clubs use preseason tournament every year to help prepare for the new season. This year, with changes at left wing and left back, the Simple Invitational gave the Timbers a chance to test their depth and get their attack clicking heading into the season. Looking to avoid the slow starts that have plagued the Timbers in the last three years, building chemistry through these friendlies was vital to their preparation for the season.
Now that the preseason is over, it’s time to look back at what the Portland Timbers learned from this year’s Simple Invitational. Here are five lessons from the Simple Invitational.
Left back remains a question mark heading into the season
New signing Zarek Valentin was okay in the Simple Invitational, appearing in all three games as he fought to earn a spot in the opening day eleven. But, until Chris Klute, another new signing, and the assumed starter at left-back returns, the Timbers are likely to go with Liam Ridgewell at left back and Jermaine Taylor at center back. Taylor is an MLS veteran who apart from a few moments against the Fire had a very good preseason. Those few moments against Chicago served as a reminder that he’s not likely to be the first choice at center back once everyone is healthy, but it was an overall strong preseason. At the very least, Taylor’s preseason should give Timbers faithful confidence that they have an able backup if and when injury strikes.
Whoever it is playing left back for the Timbers, at least until Klute is healthy, is unlikely to provide the attacking support that Jorge Villafana gave them last season. The Timbers will need to adjust to this as it does take away one option in the attack that proved very useful last season. This all assumes, of course, that Klute returns to the form he was in when he was with the Colorado Rapids in 2014, form that saw him earn a U.S. national team call-up. If Klute can’t find that form, left back could remain a question all season long.
The Timbers need to figure out how to break teams down when they bunker
Chicago was the first team in pre-season to really defend the Timbers as many teams will in the regular season, by sitting back and hitting on the break. It showed as the Timbers struggled to connect on chances and open up the Fire defense. Especially in Portland, this will be the approach most teams take against the Timbers, and they need to figure out how to break down defenses with plan A isn’t working.
The Fire took things a step further and even changed formations, going with five at the back defensively. This clearly caused problems for the Timbers, especially after the Fire scored the opening goal and could sit back and be even more conservative.
The backline should be good again, but needs to eliminate big mistakes
In 2015 the Timbers backline was for the most part outstanding. They gave up among the fewest goals in Major League Soccer and were generally consistent throughout the season. The year before that, however, they failed to impress, often conceding due to mistakes even in games when the Timbers were on the front foot. While the backline looked mostly very good in preseason, in Saturday’s loss to the Fire, both goals came on defensive errors, and both in periods in which the Timbers were dominating. There’s no cause for panic, but it is something to pay attention to, as it has plagued this team in the past.
A full pre-season of Diego Valeri is an amazing thing
This is Valeri’s first healthy pre-season since his first season in Portland, and he looks great. Two years ago, Valeri missed the preseason recovering from offseason hernia surgery. Last year, Valeri missed the opening months recovering from an ACL tear suffered at the end of the 2014 season. This year, Valeri is healthy and appears to be in form. Valeri’s absence to open the season has meant slow starts offensively for the Timbers each year, which has resulted in poor results to open the season. Hopefully, a healthy Valeri and an in-sync attack will help the Timbers avoid another slow start.
The Timbers look ready for the new season
The Timbers under Caleb Porter are have zero wins in the month of March. In 2013, Porter was taking over a new team and had a lot of new pieces that were still gelling as the season got started. The last two years the Timbers have opened the season without Diego Valeri and other key pieces. This year, with the exception of Chris Klute at left-back, it looks like everyone is healthy, everyone knows their role, and things are starting to click.
The defense has looked mostly good. The midfield of Diego Chara, Diego Valeri, and Darlington Nagbe is one of the best in MLS. The front line is full of talent and looks primed to score goals. Even in the 2-0 loss to the Fire, the chances were not lacking.
Coach Caleb Porter said earlier this preseason:
Our guys look like literally they took the weekend off and we’re right back in, in terms of how sharp they are and how fit they look and how comfortable they look in how we work and how we do things and the system we play.
If he’s right, and it’s looked mostly so far like he is, the Timbers might overcome their normal slow starts and even get off to a fast start to the 2016 season.
Main Photo: Steve Dykes, Getty Images
