The Portland Timbers defeated rival Seattle Sounders 3-1 on Sunday in the first matchup between the clubs in 2016. Neither team is where they want to be in the Major League Soccer standings this year, but standings never seem to matter when these clubs face off. Any time a team gets a 3-1 win over their main rival, there are multiple players who put in key performances, and nobody rose higher than Diego Valeri on Sunday with his two goals, but it was the performance of Lucas Melano that should have the Timbers front office and fans alike excited for the rest of the 2016 season.
Is Lucas Melano the key to the Portland Timbers attack?
Everybody knows that Fanendo Adi, Diego Valeri, and Darlington Nagbe together creates a powerful attack for the Timbers. After Sunday’s brace, Valeri is tied with Adi for the team lead with nine goals, third best in MLS. While Nagbe’s numbers don’t jump off the page, anyone watching the Timbers knows his importance to the team.
What may not be so obvious on a regular basis is the importance of Lucas Melano. Melano has been the subject of much frustration to the Timbers and their supporters since his arrival last season. A young player with an abundance of pace and obvious talent, the lack of production from Melano, and high number of missed opportunities, have led many to question whether the Argentine winger is worth his designated player price tag.
Blown chances like the one Melano missed early in Sunday’s game give credence to the argument that he’s not, and misses like that have been far too common.
Melano. Clinical. pic.twitter.com/UygYmUhnwF
— Total MLS (@TotalMLS) July 17, 2016
Other times, Melano has simply been absent from games, despite being on the pitch the majority of them. In Portland’s 1-1 draw with the Chicago Fire earlier this year, Melano attempted just 10 passes and made one defensive action, despite playing nearly 70 minutes.
Melano Shows His Potential in Cascadia Win
On Sunday though, the Timbers got the Melano they thought they were buying last summer, the Melano who has shown up a few times, but not nearly often enough. This was the Melano who brings pace, energy, and creativity to the Timbers attack. This was the Melano who takes the Portland attack, especially on the counter, to the next level. This was the Melano who, if he finds the form he’s capable of, could be the key to the Timbers making a run at another MLS Cup.
Lucas Melano has scored or assisted in seven games now this season. In those games, the Timbers have won five, drawn one, and lost just one.
Between his surging counterattacking runs and finding teammates in the final third, Melano put forth an inspired performance that had Portland’s counterattack looking like it did towards the end of 2015 when the Timbers found their form on the way to an MLS Cup victory. Then, as on Sunday, Melano was a big contributor to a dangerous, flowing Timbers attack, with an assist in the MLS Cup final, that goal that everyone remembers against FC Dallas, and more.
On both the Timbers’ first and third goals, it was long, surging runs from Melano on the counter that led to the goals.
Portland’s counter on Sunday was reminiscent of their best form under Caleb Porter, and it was in large part due to Melano’s energy on the ball. While Valeri and Adi (as well as Nagbe) are clearly the centerpieces to Portland’s counter, Melano gives opposition defenses another player to worry about, meaning they can’t just focus on Valeri or Adi all game long. As Valeri showed with his two goals, when defenses aren’t at their best, he’ll rip them to shreds.
Valeri and Adi have been great in 2016. There’s no reason to think they won’t’ continue their form going forward, and the Timbers absolutely need them to if they’re going to make a run at defending their MLS Cup title. But, it’s possible that the real key to it all is Lucas Melano. If Melano can play anywhere close to the level he showed against Seattle, Portland’s counterattack will be as lethal as it was during their run to the MLS Cup.
Of course, Melano as the key for Portland is a scary thought for many Timbers fans. Melano has been far below the level Portland needs him to play at for most of his time in MLS. There’s not exactly a great reason to think that Sunday’s performance will put him on a run of great form and he’ll be the player Portland thought they were getting last summer and everything will be great. The point of this piece isn’t to say that Melano is better than everyone thinks and Portland is going to win MLS Cup. Based on everything so far, it’s more likely than not that he won’t find that form, and that if Portland is going to make a run, they’ll need somebody else to step up to support Valeri and Adi’s heroics.
That said, Melano has shown that he absolutely has the ability to be that player. If he can find some consistency, watch out.
