The Portland Timbers ran into the buzz saw that is the Colorado Rapids defense on Independence Day. It didn’t help that the stingiest defense in MLS only got better with the addition of Tim Howard between the sticks. The Timbers still felt the full force of the raging Rapids defenders even though despite Howard was hardly a factor in this result. They failed to produce any goals despite a couple minor chances.
Portland Timbers Missed Chances Hurt Badly
The first opportunity for Portland was denied by some bad luck and poor officiating in the 25th minute. Fanendo Adi turned the Colorado back line around and was dragged down in the penalty area. Referee Ricardo Salazar did not make the call despite Adi’s protests.
That would not be the only time the Timbers saw themselves with a man through on goal for the night. Adi created another golden chance just before the half time whistle when he was free on a two on one break. While he had Lucas Melano streaking down the pitch to his left with a wide open goal, he decided to shoot and clanged one off the bar after beating Howard.
The next chances came late in the second half. Howard stoned Darren Mattocks after he collected a Lucas Melano through pass at the stroke of 54 minutes. Melano had a great opportunity denied by the American international on a two on one in the 64th. The final miss of the day came in stoppage time as Ned Grabavoy kissed the outside of the post with a shot from distance.
No Valeri and Nagbe playing out of position hurt
The Timbers lacked punch going forward and were forced to rely on long balls and transition attacks all night long. A lot of this was because Darlington Nagbe was forced forward into the attacking midfield. With no Diego Valeri in the 18, Nagbe had to take up the mantle at the number ten role, something he has never been able to handle well.
Without Nagbe in the central midfield, there was a missing link in the attack all match long. Ben Zemanski, who sat back in Nagbe’s stead, was only 72% efficient with his passes. Diego Chara tried to pick up the slack, but his defensive responsibilities took priority. This meant that there was nobody to truly feed the attacking four. Hence the reliance on long balls.
Strong defending kept things scoreless
The one bright spot for the match was the great play from the back four. Alvas Powell, making only his second start since April, put in a man of the match performance, proving that his presence was sorely missed. He frustrated Skelshan Gashi to the point where it felt like he wasn’t even on the field. He was subbed off in the 69th minute without having made a meaningful impact on the match.
The stability out wide put less pressure on Nat Borchers and Jermaine Taylor in the middle. Speaking of Taylor, his tackling was top notch and was a main reason that Colorado never truly threatened Jake Gleeson in goal.
Still a lot of problems out wide
The Timbers have struggled with wing play all year long and tonight was no exception. Neither Darren Mattocks nor Lucas Melano put in strong performances tonight. This limited the effectiveness of Adi in the middle. He was scraping the bottom of the barrel to create the couple chances he had.
Wing play will have to improve if the Timbers want to make another late season run. With Dairon Asprilla loaned out for the remainder of the season, Melano and Mattocks are going to have to shoulder the burden out there. Yes, there’s Jack Barmby and Ned Grabavoy around to fill in, but they haven’t exactly proven themselves either.
In the end, Portland will take the point on the road over the former Supporters Shield leaders. However, thanks to LA Galaxy winning over the Vancouver Whitecaps, it knocks them below the red line for now.
Main Photo: Michael Reaves, Denver Post, Getty Images
