Portland stinks up Kansas City
by Ryan Gates on Aug 17, 2011 10:35 PM PDT
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PrintQuick recap:
If you watched the Houston game you watched this one, except for the fact that Portland had more fight in the Houston game. Sporting Kansas City score 3 and come away with a win 3-1
First Half:
I swear the Portland Timbers are clinically insane, since they keep doing the same thing and expect different results. I don't know if there is anything I can write that is positive about the first half. Portland had zero shots on goal, no offense to speak of and had two huge mistakes that the Wiz turned into 2 goals.
The only weird thing of the half was the fact that a Wiz fan threw a bobblehead doll at their own keeper. I mean how dumb is that?
Second Half:
This half was just as bad until the Timbers went down by three because after that everyone looked like they actually tried. Most likely it was because the Wiz didn't care. The positive out of the second half was the fact that Bright Dike scored his first MLS goal. Wasn't pretty but I cant think of a time when he has scored a "pretty" goal.
Rants:
Okay I was with yepyou'reright on this one, I had to kill things on a video game I was so frustrated with this game. I wasn't frustrated with the result, disappointed of course but not frustrated. I was frustrated with the lack of effort and the fact that Portland looked like they were U-11. There was no shape at all. They literally had 3 lines of players and played that way the whole night. There was no creativity, I am looking at you Darlington Nagbe and Jack Jewsbury. Jewsbury especially frustrated me with the lack of movement in the middle, he was never in the right place to receive a ball.
Diego Chara worked his butt of again but couldn't get forward because there was no option for him to pass the ball forward. Every ball was essentially back or a long ball. It was so bad that the Defenders needed to play the ball the forwards because our midfield was absolute, I so want to swear right now which should tell you how frustrated I am.
Rodney Wallace what in the name of H E double hockey sticks are you doing clearing that ball like that? Do you want them to score?!?!?!?!?! David Horst quite ball watching and pick up your man! Show me that you know this game was supposed to mean something, you did know a loss essentially costs us the play offs right? If you knew sure didn't look like you knew.
Mike Chabala that was your worst game yet. What happened?
John Spencer I don't know what that starting line-up was but it seems that the when you play a 4-5-1 or more defensively your team lays a big fat goose egg. However when you say "Screw it, we are going to play tonight!" and play a 4-4-2 or at least a more involved Nagbe in the middle then the Timbers truly look amazing at times.
However I do say good moves on the subs Spencer Brian Umony played better than Nagbe, Kalif Alhassan was better than Sal Zizzo, and Dike scored our only goal, however Kenny Cooper and Perlaza really didn't have a whole lot of service.
Well I would say use the comments to vent but remember keep it PG-13 if possible :) Oh and here is to a Cascadia win and a step towards possibly winning the Cascadia Cup.
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The only positive out of this game I can take
is that my likelihood of getting season tickets next year goes up, since a lot of bandwagon types will jump off.
Remember how last week we said we haven’t really been outplayed by a team yet in our losses? Not only did we get completely outplayed, but by a team that was very beatable as well. Houston and SKC aren’t exactly world beaters.
There’s problems with the formations, there’s problems with the backline, Alhassan.. man what happened to HIM? The quick, confident young guy who I was really growing to love back in May/June has completely lost his game and that part late in the game where he just stood there with the ball for a good 5-10 seconds looking around with a wide open shot there makes me think something is really wrong with him. Take the shot! Even if it’s not necessarily a good one, doesn’t mean someone can’t get something on the rebound!
The only thing worse than a team that doesn’t win games is a team that doesn’t win games and doesn’t try to attack and score goals when they’re down, either. It’s hard to root for a team that looks so tentative, to me. I’ve come to the conclusion that Zizzo, Alhassan, and Marcelin are not starting quality players, but neither is Rodney Wallace and maybe David Horst, and obviously Kenny Cooper. Either that, or they just don’t work in the formation we’re using because they were really off their game tonight. I like Brunner and he saved what would’ve been a sure goal in this game, and likely played with an injury throughout the game as well, but the rest of the defense is lacking. Speaking of which, where the hell is Futty? Why isn’t he playing? I thought the defense would play best with two big, tough physical dudes like Futty and Brunner in the middle and then a couple of quicker guys on the wings, but it sucks right now. I like Chabala, but is Palmer a good contributor?
There’s a whole lot of players on this team that I wouldn’t mind bidding farewell to if needed, and all I can hope for is that we get rid of the dead weight like Cooper and other overpaid guys like Goldwaithe, Wallace, and Hall. Moves can be made for almost anyone on the team outside of Nagbe, Chara, Perlaza, Jewsbury, Perkins, and Gleeson, although I’d be afraid of letting a guy like Alhassan or Zizzo go somewhere else and blossom into a stud.
Guess I’m already thinking about the offseason. Kinda sad in mid-August.
Better Mid-august than
When Vancouver started too, when was that mid-April?
Contributing editor to Stumptown Footy the Portland Timbers SBN blog.
KC very beatable and "aren't exactly world beaters"?
Come on, thats not very fair. After 10 games straight on the road, KC has risen up the ranks and has only lost once in at home in MLS play. In fact they’ve only lost once in quite some time. Dunno what KC needs to do for people to actually take them a little more seriously and look past the incredibly rough road trip (imagine, never hearing any cheers on your goals except for your teammates and always hearing stadiums light up when you cough one up. For 10 games straight. Dampers the confidence for sure). And while I saw this game as a must-win for KC, like Peter Vermes has said, I felt Portland was/is a team thats capable of surprising you. And I don’t mean that in the form of consolation, but Portland really does have talent on its team. I’m just not entirely convinced that the team has truly gelled yet and I don’t think you guys are getting the most out of the talent on your team. As I’m sure you’re well aware of, theres some definite underachievers. But this is exactly why I think Portland is capable of pulling a Philadelphia and surprising people next season. Hope the management sticks with Spencer for now. Nothing a fan hates to hear more than, “rebuilding”. Especially after one expansion season. Believe me, I’ve heard rebuilding more times than you can count coming from KC.
Also, to the last article, Bravo isn’t a scummy player. If you were there, Seattle took some dives as well. He normally does not have any hard tackles. At all. Roger Espinoza is the man you’d most likely see get a red card. He’s not dirty, but way way too aggressive sometimes and prone to the occasional bone-headed decision on a tackle. We call him Red Card Roger for a reason. That and Collin racks up yellow cards because of what I quote from someone else, his style of play which can be described as, “controlled recklessness”. He didn’t let Lenhart push him around (like Steven loves to do) and actually got into Lenhart’s head, for example.
See you all next year. Hope for the best and a stronger finish to the season. You all do have some admirers here in KC (except when we play, of course). Would love to visit your place sometime against SKC. Heard from a fellow fan that you guys are great hosts.
I mean no disrespect
but the fact of the matter is this Timbers team has beaten the Galaxy, Philly, Real Salt Lake, Columbus, Dallas, and should’ve beaten the Red Bulls at home if not for a crappy stoppage time penalty while not being able to notch a win against Toronto, Colorado, and now you guys, while also losing/drawing to teams like Chivas, Houston, and San Jose. See where the issue lies? We’re rising to the occasion when we’re playing the best teams in MLS and had arguably our best game of the year just two weeks ago against the best team in the league, but then are losing or drawing to teams that are on the fringes of getting a playoff spot, who the Timbers absolutely need to beat to make it in the playoffs. It’s insanity.
At this point, yes
When we played NYRB, they were in the top two in the East (although even now that may not be saying much). Talent-wise, NYRB should be a lot better than their record shows.
But its all about form
And KC’s is hot right now. I think KC at home right now is playing like a better team than NYRB was when they played us at home.
Futty
Is fasting for Ramadan, and he did also play for his national team in a CAF recently, so I’m not surprised to see him not play. He was pretty poor in September the last few years for us, and playing in a humid place, when you haven’t had any water or food all day, I’d be shocked if he could put out an even competent 30 minutes.
Kalif is what we (I) expected him to be. A 20 year old, maddeningly inconsistent player, who can show flashes of good (dribbling through players) but doesn’t do the little things right (defense, keeping his shot down (seriously, I doubt he has 2 shots on target all year). Maybe he’ll blossom, maybe he won’t.
I disagree that Marcelin isn’t starting quality. You look at his trajectory from last year, and his age, and his physical size, and he’s absolutely worth keeping around. And I say this as a guy that thought we wasted a roster spot on him pre-season.
The biggest problem to me, and I know that we are a young team, with alot of guys that have little to no professional experience, especially in such a professional league (at least compared to USL), is the complete lack of focus. Couple that with frankly poor conditioning (I know Nagbe is young, and was hurt pre-season, but he hasn’t gone 90 min for us all year….that’s criminal if he can’t go 90 minutes at MLS level by now, Zizzo shows signs of getting winded, Kalif wasn’t a 90 min player, half our defense appears to crumble the last 20 minutes). I wonder what the hell our “veteran” players are teaching these guys in the locker room, because frankly, it isn’t enough. For 4 weeks Strong and everyone associated with the team has been talking that guys like Nagbe need to realize how good they are, and be a little selfish and go for it. Last night was a HUGE step back in that regard. I’ll just come right out and say it, we have no leaders on this team. Perkins is a nice enough guy, but is a goalie, and frankly I can’t believe he hasn’t assaulted Brunner yet this year for some of the criminal clearances he and a ton of other guys have made. What has our captain done? How often do you see him getting on players for doing diddly out there? For making a bone headed defensive play? Encouraging them to push forward? Jewsbury’s stats make him look like our MVP, but I think he’s the starter I would change most next year. His set pieces have been abysmal after the first 5 weeks, and other than standing at the top of the box for a rebound or scoring off a pk, he’s not an offensive player, and he certainly isn’t helping to organize the defense, and honestly, why the hell can’t ANY of our young guns go 90 minutes? I’m really starting to question what kind of leadership he’s providing.
Didn’t help that Perkins, Kalif, Futty, Umony and Marcelin were the only players that came over to give people who travelled 1800 miles a hand after they laid a crapper on the pitch. I get it was alot of games in short succession. But that doesn’t mean that after laying down on the pitch, you can’t salute the people who still come out to see you. Where is the captain there? Off hobnobbing with his KC friends? Then retire and move back there if you want to do that. I don’t care if they win or lose, but to get my respect and undying adulation, at least act like you give a f*ck out there, and show us you know you f*kced up instead of wandering off. That’s bull, and frankly, the leadership that causes that, starts at the top.
There were several occasions last night when Perkins looked like he wanted to punch one of his teammates in the face.
I can’t disagree enough about your assessment of Jewsbury, though. He has been the most solid midfield player for the Timbers so far, goals aside. I’m not sure his goal as a player is to earn your respect and undying adulation, and I have no complaints with the way he handles himself. Whether he conforms to your expectations of how a captain should act or not is irrelevant – all that matters is how he performs during the game, and I don’t see how you can look at Jewsbury and say he’s “not an offensive player”.
Jack has been great
But despite his production the Timbers are in the midst of a losing season. So while his goals are nice, we can’t say that Jack is the secret ingredient to winnng games. Still, Jack should not be the leading scorer on this team and without he and Perkins this season would be a disaster. That said, Jack and Chara have no chemistry. Also, by relying on the failing Chara/Jewsbury combo in the middle Nagbe is pushed to the wings where he is less effective and is starting to look frustrated. What I don’t get is why is it okay for Nagbe to play attacking mid against West Brom of the EPL but it’s not okay to do it against SKC of MLS?
by yepyou'reright on Aug 18, 2011 9:59 AM PDT up reply actions
Futty really?
I know it’s politically incorrect to say so and I love Futty, but maybe it’s not a good idea for an MLS team to employ someone who will fast for Ramadan. I mean, if that’s the reason he hasn’t been playing. He hasn’t been the same since his shoulder injury anyway.
by yepyou'reright on Aug 18, 2011 9:36 AM PDT up reply actions
Fasting for Ramadan is only during daylight hours
There are other athletes that do this as well, and if you’re a professional athlete on a team with a staff of people who look after you it’s not that hard to keep yourself properly fed and hydrated.
Many players
With a family, skip fasting during the season if they “have a family to support”, its a choice he has to make, and I don’t see anything wrong with make a decision to put the best possible player out there.
Jewsbury hasn’t done anything productive since week 6. Seriously. He doesn’t boss the midfield. He doesn’t provide good free kick service any more. He doesn’t distribute. He doesn’t really even defend that well. He’s still productive, but look how much better Chara was when he had the freedom to go forward? Jack’s never shown any of those flashes, even though he has more stats to this point.
Yeah, I hate to say it
But the best the Timbers have looked lately and the best Chara has looked lately is when Jack isn’t playing.
by yepyou'reright on Aug 18, 2011 10:17 AM PDT up reply actions
Jewsbury seems to have long stretches where he has very little impact on the game.
But then he’ll score a goal. That’s a fairly common trait in forwards, but is more problematic for a center midfielder. I’m having trouble remembering a game where he really took command of the center of the park.
Based on his overall history
We can’t count on Jack to duplicate his goal scoring production next year. He is the team MVP this year, no question. But as the team falls further from playoff contention some new looks should be tried in the middle of pitch as the season winds down.
by yepyou'reright on Aug 18, 2011 10:04 AM PDT up reply actions
Oh and the guys that threw the bobbleheads
were probably not really fans. They didn’t have any SKC gear. This also happened on the end opposite to the supporter’s stand.
Drunk morons who probably don’t like soccer anyways. The kind of idiots that show up at a game for a sport that don’t care about/understand and think that its ok to act stupid. They’ve been banned for life from LSP and were taken into Police custody. They get to “enjoy” the very lovely KCK overnight prison.
by Replicant on Aug 18, 2011 1:30 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
No joy in stumptown
Actually, these road losses are going to affect the pub parties more than JWP. Who wants to go to a fav pub and have such a repetitive, gloomy focus to an evening out? Of course, the pub owners may like the high volume, self-medicating nature of the drinking…
All teams, even the best, have stinkers on the road. Of course, the good teams are also sometimes terrific in the hostile stadia. Our range is really from last night’s “sad” to “well, there were flashes!”
Ryan, do you see your clinically insane comment directed specifically at the coaching staff? After all, it’s they who try the same formations and player mixes over and over, hoping for the result to change. But, that’s what ALL coaches do, waiting for their system to kick in.
Last night was bad because the majority of Timbers reverted to what we’ve come to learn as their personal bad habits. The bad clearances from defense; the poor passing in the middle; the ball-watching when suddenly on the defensive, etc.
And I agree- what’s happened to Alhassan? Now, he’s anxious and without the early-season confidence. Has he been over-coached out of his creative impulses?
The Clinically insane comment
Was directed at all the Timbers which is the coaching staff and players.
Contributing editor to Stumptown Footy the Portland Timbers SBN blog.
When the man of the match vote goes to the crossbar for saving two goals you know it's been a bad night
That game pretty much flat out stunk. I’ve never coached any sport anywhere, but I agree with coaches who say things like “I don’t care if we don’t win as long as we work our asses off and do everything we can”. The Timbers didn’t even come close to working their asses off last night – they showed no imagination, no creativity, and no willingness to get the ball into a dangerous position.
I’ve defended him here before, but Kenny Cooper is rapidly becoming useless. He did nothing at all last night, and it’s becoming expected that he will do nothing. It was mentioned up above, but Alhassan’s standing there with the ball instead of actually doing something with it is mindblowing – and very typical of the Timbers’ approach in the last couple months. They’re thinking way too much, and not reacting to situations. Is that a result of overcoaching? I don’t know, but something’s gotta give.
Playoffs are not happening this year, so I’d love to see the remainder of the season used to find out who is worth keeping and who needs to go – and to try different formations, different combinations, whatever. Tinker the rest of the season and get in a good position to start next season strong.
Everyone says Spencer makes them want to run through walls.....
I’m beginning to wonder far more about the leadership on the field then the leadership on the bench. Where is the leader talking to Kalif about what he should have done? Where is the leader organizing the defense? Where is the leader helping implement Spencer’s strategy on the pitch? Where is the leader leading the team over to our supporters after a game? That’s right, we don’t have one……
Who would do better?
As above, I’m not sure Jewsbury should be the focus of your rage. This isn’t basketball, where a leader-type player (they don’t have official “captains” in basketball, do they? I don’t know) can shout his teammates into compliance and see immediate results. The guys on the field all have to do better because they know they need to, not because they’re being shouted at by a guy wearing a bit of cloth around his arm.
The guy I want isn't on the team
But seriously, Spencer can only do so much in coaching people up. Somebody has to start to hold guys accountable for their poor performances on the pitch, and that’s alot better if that guy is in the team.
If somebody like Omar Gonzalez has a terrible game, don’t you think Landon Donovan is chatting with him at some point? Or if a guy like Stephen Keel takes it easy in practice when he’s been getting winded in games, don’t you think a guy like Henry or Marquez is saying something to him? I don’t sense a significant amount of disappointment by a player when he, not the team, lets the team down by clearing the ball poorly, or a bad tackle, or anything like that. Everyone admits “yep we have to do better”, and Spencer has been tearing his hair out with “we have to do better, focus more, etc” all year as well. Obviously he hasn’t be able to make players man up, so whose someone that should, IMO the captain.
Sure, he can’t just yell at them, but he can coach up, encourage, support, and lead, and frankly, has Jewsbury done any of that this year? Love him or hate him (and frankly, not sure I’d want him on this team), but would Ian Joy let this crap go? Would Andrew Gregor? Heck would Scot Thompson? IMO we have a pretty leadership-less group of veterans…that’s something I’d like to see change in the offseason.
In Portland I noticed Henry was more player/coach than player
he was constantly telling guys where to go, what to do, and all that stuff. The problem with the Timbers is that nobody – not Jewsbury, not Brunner, nobody – seems to want to keep things organized. I just hesitate to place all the blame on Jewsbury, because the Timbers have been so bad throughout the team in the last month or so that I can’t see that all being his fault. Individual players have to stand up and take responsibility for their play no matter whether someone’s barking at them or not.
To me there’s far too much emphasis placed on the role of captain in soccer these days, and Jewsbury has done enough for this team this season that I don’t feel like calling him out for uncaptainlike behavior is really fair.
I agree with the “leadership-less group of veterans” assessment, though, and I hope that is addressed somewhat in the off season – I don’t care if the leader is a defender, a captain, or an equipment manager, but something’s gotta change.
Have there been any fights in training?
If not, they’re not trying nearly hard enough.
by yepyou'reright on Aug 18, 2011 10:15 AM PDT up reply actions
Jewsbury was out against Galaxy
Jewsbury was sidelined by his hamstring against the Glaaxy at home – the best I’ve seen the Timbers play for 90 minutes all season. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but now that we’re falling out of the playoff race, I would like to see Spencer experiment with moving Jack out of the starting lineup and see what happens.
I too had to take out some frustration on an Xbox.
Played a couple hours of FIFA 11, just to prove to myself that it is possible for a player to move when he doesn’t have the ball. Turns out it is.
Also possible:
- involving more than two players at a time when moving the ball up field,
- winning balls in the air roughly half the time, and
- not falling down at the slightest contact from an opposing player (but I need to remind myself of that every time I watch Cooper play).
Oh well. Better luck Saturday.
A stinker is right
Watched the first half on the DVR and couldn’t go through with the second after my girlfriend, who knew the result, said I should stop. Arguably one of the worst halves of the season. I think we may have combined for some 5 passes in the offensive third, we virtually had no influence on the game whatsoever. They have a firecracker of a first goal and it breaks our will immediately.
Overall though, no purpose, no desire, no creativity, nothing. Cooper sealed his fate with this game. He floats around aimlessly and as a big frame like he is, if he can’t hold up the ball for us to allow our midfield to join up and just wants to go to ground like the pillsbury dough boy, get him off the pitch. He looks like a player that wants out. Not that the rest of the team fared much better last night, but he gets the bulk of my ire for his string of whackness.
The two colombianos continued to work hard, but they were always doing so on their own isolated so nothing really came of it. Here’s to getting back in the JW and firing up Wankouver. Build a bonfire…
If you still have it on your DVR you have to watch the third goal, as it is pure comedy gold
And if you don’t have it DVR’d, it’s at about the 6:25 mark here.
Fantastic
The best part about is that the description below the video calls it a right footed shot from outside of the box. I suppose it might as well have a wonder strike.
Dike breaks his duck. I want the beast from last year where he just ran through people. Not sure if it will work against MLS quality, but loved watching him do his tazmanian devil impression.
Dike is built like a running back in a league where physical play is important
His style will work, and we’ll see much more of it next season once he’s 100% back to fitness.
by pdb on Aug 18, 2011 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Timbers away is like a bad movie that never ends
We all know the reasons why they stink. They’re an expansion team that plays soft on the road, Chara and Jack have no chemistry in the midfield, their defenders panic in the box, Nagbe is wasted on the wing, Wallace is a disaster, Cooper is a bust, etc., etc. It’s redundant. Trade Cooper already and try some new stuff so we can just have some fun the rest of the season without any big expectations. Spend the rest of the year trying to get Nagbe going, e.g. get him more involved in the middle. And try to win at least one more away, give all the loyal pubsters a reason to celebrate for once. After all the support this team has been given and all the snarky comments we’ve put up with from anti-soccer peanut gallery here in PDX, the least they could do is play hard every time and show improvement and competency.
Your first problem is listening to the anti-soccer people in the peanut gallery
Realistically I don’t see Cooper getting moved until the off season at this point. If you were a GM, would you want him right now?
I don't listen to the nutter gallery, but it's hard not to hear it
My point is that a lot of Timbers supporters have stood up and backed their team, their entry into MLS, and have supported soccer in general despite a lot of criticism and outlandish negativity directed towards them. The least the team could do is show up and play hard every time, no excuses.
As for Cooper, yes there are some would take the gamble on him. They might be thinking, “We can get him going.” or “He just isn’t a good fit with their system.” or “He just hasn’t gelled with their players and probably won’t”. I’m just tired of seeing him start just because he is KFC.
by yepyou'reright on Aug 18, 2011 10:12 AM PDT up reply actions
I think Cooper would have been very tradeable about a month ago
but with less games left in the season I don’t see anybody moving for him now – playoff contenders don’t need him, and non-playoff teams will wait until the winter to do anything at this point. I just hope they get decent return for him.
There might be a contender or two who see Cooper as adding depth
But you’re probably right, Timbers could have got more for him a month ago. If it’s true that he was on the verge of being traded and Paulson stepped in to say no, then Cooper’s impact on the team from here on is really on the owner. And if he did intervene at the last moment, then Paulson is overreaching in soccer related affairs and forgetting that his skill set has nothing to do with soccer and really isn’t what drives the business (the team and TA/fan atmosphere are the drivers of the business).
by yepyou'reright on Aug 18, 2011 12:38 PM PDT up reply actions
Do we have Cooper for next year?
volatilelyle.com
by almost awesome on Aug 18, 2011 11:10 AM PDT up reply actions
Everyone...
But Umony is signed/we have an option to sign. Umony is on a loan, we’d have to buy him if we wanted to keep him.
Should be noted
Contracts aren’t guaranteed like the NBA, more like in the NFL. With an option to sign, we hold/control the rights to that player, so unless someone wants to trade/send us allocation cash, we have that player as well.
Most players are signed to a 2+2 contract, 2 years, plus 2 1 year team options.
Did they extend his contract when he came over from 1860 though?
That contract runs until 2012, so if they didn’t extend it he’s only got one year left.
My guess...
He signed a completely new contract. But they don’t really release that info, so I can’t be sure. That said, he was making alot more than 260k in Germany, so it would make sense they just tore up and started over, and I’m sure MLS would have at least 2, probably more like 4 years.
Honestly, where else is he going to go? He’s not going back to Europe, and he’s not going to go to NASL, my guess is he’ll play his contract out in MLS, either be worth a second contract or he’ll retire.
Dike
I don’t want to be accused of a knee-jerk reaction because that’s not what this is, but I like what Dike brought to the table last night. With Perlaza leading the league in offsides penalties and Cooper dropping to the pitch at the lightest suggestion of a touch, I enjoyed seeing someone with size and physicality stick his nose into the opposing defense and tough out a goal. Perhaps we need an extra dose of this on a more consistent basis? He may not be the most technically gifted player, but I like how Dike looked — he stayed on his feet and took it into the teeth of the D instead of trying to play around anything.
Most frustrating things for me: I love Alhassan but cannot stand his timidity. Dude had a golden look at the goal last night and just froze. Really unacceptable. Someone needs to get in his kitchen.
Nobody tests the opposing keeper. I don’t care if it’s a bad shot, if you have one: take it! This is a team that doesn’t seem to believe that you can manufacture good chances off of rebounds or forcing the keeper to make a mistake. The keeper will never get out of position if you don’t test him. KC tested the hell out of us and it totally worked. Magic!
I can’t decide if Perkins’ lapses are due to his line or to being out of position. Or both. He’s maddeningly inconsistent.
I love Dike
But there is 0 chance he’s game fit. He’ll got spot minutes, maybe a half or two, but there is NO way you can have a guy that probably has been running for maybe 2 months max play 90 minutes of MLS. Next year.
I think Cooper honestly is just trying to make stuff happen. Its not him shying away from contact, its him realizing NO ONE is making runs in support, and he’s better off trying to earn a fk than take it alone. I’m not counting on it, but I bet he’ll be better next year, where ever he is.
You may be right...
about Cooper’s intentions, but there is a “boy cried wolf” factor going on by now. The refs are straight up ignoring his histrionics at this point.
I will say that in his last couple games he's stayed on his feet far more than in the previous couple months
While on his feet, he’s completely ineffectual, but still. Baby steps!
Well
How many times did he actually receive the ball to his feet last night?
Contributing editor to Stumptown Footy the Portland Timbers SBN blog.
lol
True I just think part of the issue with Cooper is the fact that the midfield is not getting either Striker the ball at his feet to actually make a decent play at it.
Contributing editor to Stumptown Footy the Portland Timbers SBN blog.
I'd add....
Dike + Perlaza is, on paper, not a terrible front line. Protypical hold-up big man striker with speedy guy to run off of him.
Dike will be one of the best players on the team next year
Coming back from a ruptured Achilles is a long, slow, hard process.
I don’t know why the Timbers are all afraid to take a shot when they have one, but they all are – that needs to change.
Don't know if I'd go that far
He’s a system guy. He’s not really able to generate his own offense, and eventually, teams will just start double-teaming him constantly (ala Casey to some degree), so he’ll need someone else to step up to take some pressure off him. I’d say if we don’t add a significant player, he’s got a chance to be an impact player, but I don’t think he’s really in the top-tier for us talent/skill wise.
Unacceptable.
I hope a bunch of these guys get benched on Saturday.
volatilelyle.com
by almost awesome on Aug 18, 2011 11:21 AM PDT reply actions
I doubt it...
Spencer is using the two game homestand as the make-or-break period when it seems to be that the season is already broken. It’s time to give those young prospects some minutes. Reserve matches are more interesting than road matches these days.
It seems like we've been hearing 'make or break'
for 10 straight weeks.
Whoever runs, I hope they play hard.
volatilelyle.com
by almost awesome on Aug 19, 2011 10:47 AM PDT up reply actions
I like Dike, and he should be in the mix next year
But that goal wasn’t a goal, it was a cruddy cross/pass that got knocked in by a KC player. Everyone at Horse Brass erupted like he just scored a stunner. C’mon, people, it was hardly his best effort, he’s still not match fit, and I honestly think people are grasping at straws.
After the game the Timbers played up to that point
Dike’s goal was practically Maradona’s Hand of God. I kinda went nuts when he scored too, because what else do we have to hang our hats on right now?
There’s no style points on the scoresheet. A goal’s a goal. Enjoy it.
Hard to celebrate a late kinda-goal when it's 3-0
by RipCityVillan on Aug 18, 2011 12:27 PM PDT up reply actions
Not really
When you’re down 3-0, moral victories are all you get. I’m not going to be churlish and say “that goal sucked” because I like it when my favorite team scores a goal.
It's the type of goal I would like to see more of
It happened because someone actually whipped the ball into the box and someone was actually in position to at least get it on goal. Funny how the ball winds up in the back of the net when you do those sorts of things.
The problem with Cooper, as mentioned 1000 million times, is that he drifts all over the field… he’s out wide, he’s selling popcorn in the stands, he’s chanting and signing with the supporters, he’s taking penalty kicks like the 5 year old at half time… anything but actually in the middle of the pitch up high where he could actually do something productive. And when he does he is usually off side or falling down.
There was a sequence last night where Wallace made a good overlapping run up the wing and was looking to pass to someone, but nobody was home. Where was Cooper? Behind Wallace standing near the touch line. WTF was that? Was he expecting a ball out of bounds? Really inexcusable at this level.
This type of thing makes it hard on Perlaza who is often the only one up field, but he’s surrounded by three or four opponents. Johnson and Dike have better positional awareness and got rewarded with run-of-play goals. In about maybe 1/100 of the time that Cooper has played, Johnson and Dike combined have 1/2 of Coopers goal scoring.
by yepyou'reright on Aug 18, 2011 1:03 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
The majority of the words out of my wife's mouth as we watched the game last night were
“WHAT THE F&^K, KENNY?”
You got me good with that second paragraph
Loved the selling popcorn reference.
But that's just it
It’s not a moral victory, it was a flubbed pass that deflected in. I’ll take “moral victories” from hard-fought losses. As fans, it’s well within our right to demand better, and that effort last night was flat out horrible.
by RipCityVillan on Aug 18, 2011 1:23 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't think the goal was as bad as you're making it out to be
Was it a goal of the week contender? No. But it was a decently hit ball that came from a decent pass that did what it needed to do. I’m not going to knock the one semi-bright spot in an otherwise horrid night – as you say, the overall effort was horrible, so I think taking even a little bit of happiness from that goal is fine.
Actually it wasn't deflected
What is sad about doing the write-ups is that I have to watch these games twice :( So I watched the goal replay 4 or 5 times and it goes right through the Defenders leg.
Check it out again here.
Contributing editor to Stumptown Footy the Portland Timbers SBN blog.
The flat 4-4-2 is outdated and not working
I REALLY think Spencer is making a mistake trying to play a flat 4-4-2 formation all the time. If you look at many of the top leagues, the top teams have abandoned it and that trend is already moving through MLS as well.
I’d love to see them try a few games with some version of what they do a lot in Germany now, the 4-2-3-1. With it, you have two defending mids in the middle, one a ball winner (Marcelin), the other a passer out of the back (Jewsbury or Chara). Your three offensive mids help make a diamond with the lone striker. And both Cooper and Perlaza could play in it, with Jorge possibly moving back to mid with Nagbe and Kalif/Zizzo.
Views from an outsider
What are everybody’s take on Spencer as a coach? Have you been impresed? Disappointed? He’s certainly done a better job than the clown show up in Vancouver, but still time and time again (including this thread) I read that he’s trying the same thing every time and expecting better results.
A few things I think were out of his control (Cooper being what looks to be a bust being one of them) but other things I was wondering straight from the beginning, including the selection of Findley and Bornstein in the expansion draft (among a couple other choices). Couple others I thought seemed suspect:
- Letting Cronin go and taking in a keeper who had an awful 2010 season
- Immediately trading away Dax McCarty (in hindsight, this may have been a good idea as he hasn’t had nearly the season he’s had previously)
On paper the formation seems to be a decent team. To me there aren’t any real head turners, but you’ve got guys like Jewsbury, Cooper, Wallace, Brunner, etc who have been solid players in the past. To me it seems like it could be a coaching issue that’s causing players not to gel, not having the right mentoring/support/whatever… I know Paulsen had a great team last season and had done great things with the team, is it Spencer that is the key to not making this work?
by chrisperry1983 on Aug 18, 2011 12:31 PM PDT reply actions
I'm of two minds about Spencer
He seems to be a solid coach, but he also seems to have very little in the way of imagination or alternate ways of thinking. He either puts the same players out in a different formation, or puts players together that don’t match up well together in his preferred system. He doesn’t make adjustments on the fly very well – last night, it was obvious from the start that things weren’t working, but he didn’t really do much about it.
I have no problem giving Spencer another season as coach, but if he doesn’t learn to be more adaptive he will struggle a bit.
I agree
I think firing a coach after a year is a bad idea. We’ve seen that with Toronto. Saw that with DC with Onalfo, and Vancouver (although Thordarson was the USL coach but that’s besides the point I think)
by chrisperry1983 on Aug 18, 2011 2:51 PM PDT up reply actions
I laughed when Vancouver hired Soehn to be their technical director, or GM or whatever he is
because he worked out so well for DC. They replaced him with KC’s failure of a coach. He must’ve been doing reeeeeally bad.
by chrisperry1983 on Aug 18, 2011 2:55 PM PDT up reply actions
Nope
We don’t know what he’s telling/coaching, just what he talks to the media about, and he was always going to be a “support the players in the media” kinda coach, as opposed to GW, who would have thrown half the team under the bus by now.
You can’t blame him for personal decisions, that’s GW’s job, but:
Cronin isn’t starting behind DC United’s previously 3rd string rookie. He wouldn’t be starting here either. Perkins was a good move, and has played alot better than what his goal differential is.
Dax has been traded twice, and has been average at best. He wouldn’t be a significant upgrade for us in anyway.
The problem is we are a decent team, not a good one. We do indeed have decent players in many spots, but Brunner isn’t a #1 CB on all but a few teams, Wallace, Hall, and probably even Chabala aren’t starters on the majority of teams. Zizzo is young and hasn’t played alot professionally, Nagbe is a rookie, Alhassan is 20, and our preferred CM pairing of Chara and Jewsbury lacks bite, passing ability, and any kind of creativity. Our forwards have flashes, but none of them can create their own offense. Honestly, this is pretty much what I expected with this team. A close but not quite end to the season. We have some upside, but Spencer isn’t a magician. He can’t make a midfield with youth on the wings and no muscle in the middle all-MLS quality. He showed at times he can make good subs/moves, and at others has shown a few mistakes a first year coach was bound to make.
The problem isn’t Spencer, its the players on the roster. This isn’t and wasn’t a playoff caliber team on paper day 1, and its just simply proving that point in spades. To me, I’d much rather see a GM that can really go get some players Spencer needs/wants this offseason. A real quality CB. A LB, some attacking MF and another quality striker. Then lets see how he does. I think he’s actually doing better than I expected, given his experience and what our roster looked like.
I think 10/18 chances of making the playoffs have been a bit of a disservice to the Timbers and fans
volatilelyle.com
by almost awesome on Aug 18, 2011 12:59 PM PDT up reply actions
Playoffs never should have been an expectation this year
It’s a nice thing for an expansion team to shoot for, but it’s unrealistic. Paulson said “Playoffs are the goal” but he also said “We need to be realistic”. The only one really talking up the “We can win now” thing was Spencer, but as we now know Spenny says a lot of things.
What I want to see is improvement and professionalism. I want to see the team development an identity, some pride in the shirt and their town, and some fighting spirit. We’ve seen it at home but there is no improvement at all away and that has me more concerned than anything else.
by yepyou'reright on Aug 18, 2011 1:12 PM PDT up reply actions
I wish
We took USOC seriously…..I was pissed when they did everything they could to avoid it, and right now, would have been a great way to form some team identity, chase for something we could probably actually win, and get us into CCL. Would have been far better for the team (even if we lost further along) to at least go for it, then try desperately for a last slot playoff position and hope to roll the dice.
Agreed
I was at that USOC game against SJ. Spencer’s choices that day infuriated me. It paid off in the short term against PHI later that week, but it has backfired in the long run. “Saving his players for league play” obviously hasn’t made one bit of difference.
by yepyou'reright on Aug 18, 2011 1:19 PM PDT up reply actions
Winning seven single-elimination games is combination luck/skill.
USOC is a crapshoot for those who have “play-in” games. Are there any teams left from the play-in? NO.
Jag kom, jag såg, erövrade jag.
I thought those players you just listed were good players
So to go along with what you’re saying, who is at fault for picking players that aren’t very good? A failure of the whole FO? Spencer? Wilkinson? Even with a scrappy team (which I am not saying Portland is) if you have the right coach (re: Steve Nichol, aside from this season and last) you can still make things happen.
by chrisperry1983 on Aug 18, 2011 2:54 PM PDT up reply actions
It can dificult to tell whether or not a player will be good for your team until he is actually on the team
Players not only need to be talented, they also have to fit in with the team and the system that the team is using. Sometimes one team’s all-star is another team’s bench player or vice versa. An expansion team will always have some players who don’t fit very well (which is one reason why expansion teams are usually bad), so what the Timbers need to do now is try to trade away the players who don’t fit and replace them with players who do.
Exactly
I think this is dead on. A team is built of chemistry, individual playing styles and coaching styles, and as we move deeper into the season it is clear that there are players here – not necessarily bad players – who do not mesh or play well together. Currently, the pieces are not fitting together.
Ultimately the GM and coach are going to have to decide what type of football they want to play, and choose whom to keep from the current roster to build upon for next season. There are some players that I think are bad, but mostly players in the midfield and forward area whose playing styles simply are not working together.
This has been a tough first season, but the Timbers are my home town team (and I can’t stand the NBA) so I will keep rooting this season and look forward to changes next season!
Can't speak for everyone, but possibly mixed feelings on Spencer
At times the team has overachieved, other times they’ve looked like a bad high school team. I’ve been very critical of his subs or lack of them and his tactical decisions (or lack of them). But there are really only a couple of games where Spencer really got out-managed imo. Spencer has the right personality for Portland and the bulldog mentality I wish the players had. Other times I wish he showed more composure during match play. But mostly it has been inconsistency and immaturity from the squad.
I think you’re right about the expansion draft though, odd moves. Findley is the real head scratcher. But I disagree with your assessment of the Cronin/Perkins trade, Perkins isn’t the problem.
by yepyou'reright on Aug 18, 2011 12:47 PM PDT up reply actions
Perkins had a shaky start to the season but I'm really coming around on him
Early in the season, he couldn’t clear a ball successfully to save his life. He’s much better at it now, which is good to see.
His balls really stunk for awhile
(no pun intended)
by yepyou'reright on Aug 18, 2011 12:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Oh my goodness he was horrible
It’s like he had two choices: Clear it into Row Z or put it right back into the trouble that it just came out of. Now he’s learning that he can actually clear the ball to one of his own players. Amazing!
No kidding
The pitch at JW is 70 yards wide, is that not wide enough for him? I think 80 might not be wide enough either. No we know why he become a goalkeeper.
by yepyou'reright on Aug 18, 2011 1:06 PM PDT up reply actions
The Findley/Bornstein pickups....
Were actually halfway decent moves in my opinion. Sure, you coulda got a guy like Collen Warner, but frankly he hasn’t handled the CAM/RM role that fludily for RSL this year. There wasn’t many guys at the end that I was real torn up we didn’t take.
When Findley comes back, we have his rights, which there could well be a team that wants them/allowing us to pick up a piece/cash for a piece, we need/want. Ditto Bornstein (though I’d love for him to suit up right now…would solve our LB spot in MLS). Its like buying a zero-coupon bond. Cheap price, ok upside, not bad for getting it for free.
I also feel pretty mixed about Spencer
The players absolutely love him. But his substitutions and formations are real headscratchers at times. Even his choices for the 18. He’s been straight up outmanaged in games.
I do worry that his popularity among players and fans could prevent a change if it as necessary (not saying that it is). I think if we could do it again I would want either a GM or a coach with MLS experience.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bornstein in green (. Tigres just added more depth at defense and he’s already stuck on the bench. Looking at all the picks in the expansion draft, I feel pretty alright about rolling the dice like that on a couple picks.
I don’t know about the Dax trade either. Wallace isn’t good He was later traded for DeRosario, so at the very least we didn’t play that chip as well as we could have.
Perkins is not a problem.
volatilelyle.com
by almost awesome on Aug 18, 2011 12:54 PM PDT up reply actions
I guess I'm probably giving Perkins kind of a raw real here
At first glance, you’d most would probably assume Stefan Frei is terrible, but in fact I would rank him among the top 5. He just has an awful defense in front of him. That’s how Perkins was with DC last season. Not that Portland is really in that same equatable situation in my mind, but seems to be in that vein more or less.
by chrisperry1983 on Aug 18, 2011 2:59 PM PDT up reply actions
Actually you're not wrong
As I mentioned above in this thread Perkins looked like he wanted to punch his defense in the face several times last night. They’re not doing him any favors.
I agree
I just meant I am not equating Timbers to DC of 2010. Their entire season was a colossal failure, much in the same way Vancouver is this season. I wouldn’t call Portland’s inaugural MLS season a failure, just more typical of an expansion team. And still, when you look at it on the whole, still middle of the pack.
by chrisperry1983 on Aug 18, 2011 3:17 PM PDT up reply actions
Perkins put a stop to the ball on the second goal. But no defenders helped him out.
Jag kom, jag såg, erövrade jag.
I'm not really a fan of the tactics the team uses under Spencer
But in terms of results I would say that the team is meeting expectations. It’s a young team and an expansion team, so people should have expected the first year to be difficult.
Box of parts
Right now it feels like the Timbers are a team that is like a box filled with parts of various motors that are supposed to make an engine; they don’t fit. Welcome to an expansion team. The GM and coach brought in what they thought were good players, players with potential, and in some cases that is true, but what is becoming apparent is that in some cases the quality is not there, and in other cases the chemistry and styles of play are not meshing.
Once we are officially out of the playoffs, it is time to let some of the bench players get out there and go through the vetting process and see if any of our players have chemistry together. I am especially sad that Eddie Johnson has gotten banged up, and he seemed to give the forward line some spark.
I won’t get into too many specifics but I will say that Troy Perkins has gotten a fair shake this year. Our backline has been terrible most of the season and getting some hard core CB’s is a priority. Say goodbye to Hall and Wallace, ugh.
The biggest challenge, and this is where things get tricky, and touched in the above comments, for some reason, in a lot of games, our midfield and frontline have simply not connected. There is no build up, and often not even good delivery to our forwards. So, do our forwards suck for not getting into position for delivery, or does our midfield lack the build-up and patience to make good deliveries. Probably a bit of both. I love captain Jack but I would like to see Chara and Nagbe in the center and see what kind of movement and creativity they can create. What have we got to lose at this point?
Love you, Timbers, but I think season 2 will be starting almost from scratch again and rebuild the team into something more cohesive.
Disagree about starting from scratch
Before the draft last year, we had basically nothing. Pore, Johnson, Dike and Cronin were signed. A few guys were headed to camp. Cooper was likely coming in.
This next year, we’ll have 3 pretty good young wide midfielders, at a price that most teams would want any/all three. We’ll have a DP that might not be a DP any more, thats proven he can handle MLS in the right pairing, and whose settled in and learned english. We’ll have at least 2 decent strikers, maybe 3, of the bunch. Sure there is some up and down up there, but overall, I can think of other teams with worse options up front. We’ll have 1 pretty clear cut starting CB, and some good depth there, and some ok utility players in Palmer, Chabala and Hall. Plug is a good LB, and very good CB, maybe another midfielder and a striker, we’re in the playoffs. Thats not from scratch.
I actually feel pretty good about our midfield
Would not mind if our entire back line and front line was remade, though.
volatilelyle.com
by almost awesome on Aug 18, 2011 12:57 PM PDT up reply actions
...well, not entirely good
But we have at least a couple pieces of a very good midfield
volatilelyle.com
by almost awesome on Aug 18, 2011 1:06 PM PDT up reply actions
Disagree
Brunner is as solid a #2 (recently play not-with-standing) as you can find in MLS, and Horst/Futty are great #3s. We just lack that #1. Between Palmer and Hall and maybe even Chabala and Purdy, I think we have pretty decent RB coverage. LB….well, yeah.
Perlaza is a great guy to have, speed for days, when he is on, can really harass an opponents back line. I know if he can handle grinding it out every day, and to be fair, he’s not a great scorer, but I like him, especially at his wage. Cooper is probably overpaid for what he is providing, but well who knows, he obviously has had a really tough year, after 3 really tough years, but at least he’s healthy. Maybe he comes back and turns a corner, maybe he doesn’t, maybe he goes somewhere else and turns a corner, maybe he doesn’t. I think he hasn’t be able to handle alot of the pressure with being “the go to guy” at least at the beginning of the season. Maybe some bigger names (and some real service around the box) could make him change his tune. Dike has some promise up there too. I’d like another striker with a nose for goal and maybe some hold-up ability (and SIZE, Johnson is just too small imo), but remaking it is probably a little drastic.
Okay
I do think we have a lot of quality players, but the bigger question, and whether it is the personnel chemistry, or the coaching, is that at this point, and for most of the season, nothing is clicking. The connection between the midfield and forwards is not happening. I like Perlaza a lot and I like Chara and Nagbe, as well. Palmer and Chabala were good acquisitions.
I think the CB position is incredibly tough, no doubt, but I think we could still use a new starting pair. Sorry, we can do better, and that is one area that should be a priority in the off season.
Sounds simple, but
we need 3 things:
1. A proper partner for Brunner
2. A true dynamic playmaking midfielder (sorry, Jack isn’t it)
3. A striker who can actually finish, preferably one of decent size
by RipCityVillan on Aug 18, 2011 1:26 PM PDT up reply actions
I'd love to see two defenders and a striker brought in at the top of the depth chart
..and I mean current depth chart, not pre-Houston trade.
I’m not sure what needs to happen with the midfield, but I would like yours and others opinions about that.
Jorge’s inability to finish on those speed-produced chances is maddening.
volatilelyle.com
by almost awesome on Aug 18, 2011 1:30 PM PDT up reply actions
Midfield thoughts
We basically have one asset: Speed. I’d like to see us play the 4-1-3-1-1, that would look something like:
Perkins
Chabala-Horst-Brunner-Palmer
Chara (defensive mid)
Alhassan (wing) – Jack (center) – Perlaza(wing)
Nags
Johnson
Perlaza on the wing makes sense in the same way moving Agbonlahor to that position has worked out for Villa – a striker who can’t finish is not a striker, and when your number-one asset is speed, you have to utilize it in the most productive way possible: to disrupt the opponent’s formation.
Using a single defensive middy behind the attacking five provides some relief for our back line and allows for the skill players to get forward and use their creativity with a safety valve behind them.
Nagbe playing just behind Johnson would give him space to use his skill; he’s always a threat to uncork something brilliant from distance, and he can use his speed to run at the back line. Eddie is probably our most “complete” striker, and will be there to poach goals when the ball lands at his feet.
It’s time to get real and stop pretending we’re going to make the playoffs this year. Let the young talent get experience. Spenny: STOP TAKING NAGBE OFF AFTER 60 MIN!!!. We could play some high-scoring, entertaining games and finish the season on a high note. Let’s all be thankful there’s no relegation.
by RipCityVillan on Aug 18, 2011 2:55 PM PDT up reply actions
I like the formation, but ...
Chara is not a defensive midfielder. He’s been described as box-to-box, and from what I’ve seen that description fits. They need a ball winner in front of the back four, and Marcelin might be the only one on the roster right now.
Adding him has always meant sacrificing a forward, because Spencer wants to play both Jewsbury and Chara together, and that’s not working. As seen in the LA Galaxy game, when you take one of them off, it makes things better.
Agree with Stephen
Drop Jewsbury (whose not a creative force or defensive force in that formation), but Marcelin on top of the CBs, Chara in front of him, and allow him and Nagbe to press forward, with Chara doing more of the dropping back, defensive work.
But I should add
I’d be willing to bet, Johnson is done. For definitely this year, and very possibly, for his career. Dike could play that role as he gets fitness though. I also think Zizzo is a guy you want out there, definitely more so than Alhassan.
Good point
Forgot about Sal. Sal over Khalif for sure. Eddie needs to take a holiday and get his head straight; I can’t see a fluke concussion ruining his entire career, but it was incredibly stupid to rush him back. Jeez.
I originally had Marcellin penciled in over Chara, but here’s the problem: I think logic is taking a back seat to money. That’s why FKC keeps starting. The Timbers FO took a (in relative terms) expensive flyer on the unknown Chara, and I honestly don’t think he’s the right fit for this team, at least in a starting role. Marcellin was FANTASTIC against LA, and he absolutely earned another chance or three. Disgrace that some of these guys get chance after chance.
by RipCityVillan on Aug 19, 2011 7:53 AM PDT up reply actions
It's not just one fluke concussion any more though
He was hit on the head pretty good twice in Houston. I’m legitimately worried about his career at this point.
Chara was also good against LA
The combination the Timbers used in their best win was Marcelin and Chara, not Marcelin and Jewsbury. Given that they were so successful the first time, they should get another chance working together.
So then, is Jack the problem?
Let’s be real: he’s not the future, and his early set piece success has left him a tad overrated.
by RipCityVillan on Aug 19, 2011 10:31 AM PDT up reply actions
Maybe
Jewsbury does some good things, but he also has the lowest pass completion rate if the central midfielders. Also, I suspect that Chara might be better as a more attacking midfielder than as a defensive mid, but when he plays with Jewsbury he ends up defending for most of the game while Jewsbury takes a more attacking role. I think it’s pretty plausible that a different combination might be better without him.
It’s definitely something that we should experiment with, since the results of the experiment could influence what moves we make in the off-season. Chara and Marcelin are both 5 years younger than Jewsbury, so if they play well together then they would be much more attractive players to build the team around. However, Jewsbury is an all-star who has achieved career highs in goals and assists this year, so his trade value should be pretty high.
So if I were the coach, I would test the Chara & Marcelin combination. If it works, then we can build the team around them and look to trade Jewsbury for an upgrade in a different position. If it doesn’t work then we can keep trying other combinations until we find something that does work.
Chabala is a left back
I actually think we are decent at left back and weak at right back. It’s normally a lot more difficult to find good left backs than it is to find good right backs.
If Cooper can't handle being the "go to guy" then he should return some of his pay
Like I’ve said before, Cooper should be wear a ski mask each time Timbers do payroll.
MLS writes his checks.
Only DPs have contracts with the teams they play for…
Jag kom, jag såg, erövrade jag.
That is my brother
He is always so literal :)
Contributing editor to Stumptown Footy the Portland Timbers SBN blog.
Not trying to deflate your argument.
If you want to understand my humor watch Harvey with Jimmy Stewart. My serious side Körkarlen [The Phantom Carriage] that influenced Ingmar Bergman. And The Searchers just because it is a great Western.
Jag kom, jag såg, erövrade jag.
Spencer for hire?
I’m a proponent of patience….I’m just no sure to what extent. I don’t know where the line of patience blurs into futility. I don’t think it has been reached, just not sure what the objective markers are for it’s announcement.
What 1st year MLS teams that enjoy on-field success have in common is a coach with some sort of HEAD coaching experience (and every 1st year team is, more or less, a “piece meal” team, so the Timbers are not unique in that respect). 2nd year teams that enjoy success on the field typically have a new coach with HEAD coaching experience or the same coach (with previous HEAD coaching experience before he was hired) gets it clicking.
I hope for our sake Spencer breaks the mold. I’m not saying he couldn’t use better players, but what coach doesn’t think they want/need better players? And isn’t the mark of a good coach drawing more from the players than even they might have expected?
by billyraybatesmotel on Aug 18, 2011 2:01 PM PDT reply actions
Chabala
Mike Chabala that was your worst game yet. What happened?
Chabala is clearly left-footed. In most of the games he has been playing in his natural position at left back. In this game he was playing out of position at right back to make room for Wallace at left back. As a right back he has to use his weaker right foot a lot more while at left back he was mostly using his dominant left foot.
Which may be another reason Nagbe had a terrible game
Chabala and Nagbe were amazing working together. Wallace does not have “soccer IQ” like Chabala and therefore doesn’t combine well with Nagbe.
Contributing editor to Stumptown Footy the Portland Timbers SBN blog.
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