There may be one of the biggest matches of the year taking place in Cascadia this weekend, but at least in Portland all eyes are on Timbers 2, Portland’s USL side, as they take on Arizona United SC on Saturday night.
Obviously Sunday’s matchup between the Portland Timbers and the Seattle Sounders is a massive game. Anytime Cascadia rivals meet in any setting, “friendly,” regular season, playoff, on a street corner, wherever it may be, it’s a big deal. The teams (Vancouver included) always ramp up the intensity for the match as do the supporters. When the Timbers and Sounders kick off Sunday night there’s sure to be fireworks of some kind. One need only think back to the 4-4 draw the teams played to in early April of last season (or really any matchup between the sides, if we’re being honest), to know that this is true.
All that said, Saturday’s USL match for T2 might actually be most important game the Timbers organization plays this weekend. No, there isn’t some hidden rivalry between T2 and Arizona United. No, a T2 win doesn’t somehow earn the MLS side three points in the table. What makes this match so important is that it will be the first time since breaking his leg late last season against Toronto FC that Timbers captain Will Johnson plays in a competitive game. Johnson returned to training in the last couple weeks, and only recently began fully participating in practices, so this will be his first chance to face the pace and physicality of a real game.
After training on Thursday, Johnson had this to say about his return to the field:
“Obviously, I’m not out of the woods, it’s a long process, but it just feels great to be back with the guys and coming to training knowing I’m going to actually train and not do rehab stuff. I’m still doing that stuff on the side, but I don’t wake up every morning thinking, ‘Yeah I want to do rehab.’ I’m excited in the mornings that I get to come here and get back to doing what I love.”
Getting back into training and working his way back to fitness is one thing, but going hard into a tackle to break up an opposition attack is another. Regardless of anything else Johnson does Saturday night, that first time he’s forced to make a hard tackle to win the ball will be a heart-in-mouth moment for Timbers fans.
Often times the most difficult part of coming back from an injury like this for a player like Johnson is mental. Even after he’s pain free and back in shape (one would assume he’s pain free as he’s back to full training) he has to have confidence in his body if he’s going to be the player he was before his injury. There’s nothing to suggest he won’t be, and Johnson has always been one full of heart and confidence, which should help him when it comes to approaching this return from a mental side. He certainly sounded ready, adding:
“There’s nothing wrong with my heart, there’s nothing wrong with my passion, and that will carry me a long way. And I think I can contribute with those two things alone, and obviously the rest will hopefully come as we build toward the business end of the season.”
Timbers head coach Caleb Porter added that the Timbers hope Johnson can go 50-60 minutes for T2 to continue building his fitness and match readiness ahead of his return to the first team.
Portland fans will be further encouraged by the fact that Diego Valeri is also nearing a return, having indicated that he’s targeting a return next weekend against Vancouver in the second of consecutive Cascadia Cup matchups for the Timbers and their third already of this young season.
The return of both players is eagerly anticipated and it’s crucial to Portland’s hopes for a successful season that both Johnson and Valeri are able to get back to top form quickly. Because of that, all eyes are on Timbers 2 this weekend.
As for the big game on Sunday night, if things go according to form, Timbers fans might want to stick to just watching T2 for the weekend. That said, it’s a rivalry, and results rarely reflect form in rivalries as big as this. Seattle comes in to this match in good form, though their defense will be hurt by Chad Marshall’s suspension. The Timbers meanwhile are coming off a win at NYCFC, though nobody would describe that performance as dominant. There tend to be plenty of goals when these teams clash, and Marshall’s absence should give the Timbers attack a bit of a boost. Whether or not it will be enough to match the Sounders high powered attack led by an in-form Obafemi Martins will be the key question of the weekend.
