Portland Timbers Man of the Match: Tin Can Edition [Poll]

After a 1-0 loss to the least inspiring team in MLS, it certainly isn't easy to single out any one player for their contributions. The defense gave up numerous soft chances, the attack never got going, and the midfield was culpable all around. Still, the Stumptown Footy editors put our heads together to pluck our picks for Man of the Match out of the morass of the Timbers' performance.

Andy - Diego Chara

I found myself imagining what it would be like if all ten of the Timbers' outfield players were Diego Chara clones, always reading the play well and constantly closing down the space. It would probably be a total mess on the attack (unless they were all psychically linked by virtue of being clones somehow), but it would certainly be an incredibly frustrating team to try to score against.

Check out the rest of our Man of the Match picks and vote on your own after the jump.

Ryan - Diego Chara

Has to be Diego Chara. He may have a few hiccups but he is the most consistent midfielder we have and without him this season would be even worse than it already is and that is a scary thought.

Will - Eric Alexander

Where the Timbers looked, once again, confused and uncoordinated in the midfield in the first half, the second half saw Alexander shifted from an out and out wing position to a more defensive midfield role as Gavin Wilkinson shifted the formation to something resembling a 4-3-3. From then on the Timbers looked like the more dangerous team (despite some more defensive miscues) and Alexander's passing and willingness to get forward were a large part of that. Now just imagine if he were allowed to play that position, his preferred one, for the whole match.

Geoff - Diego Chara

In my last player ratings I stated in the title that I missed him and it showed in this game. While I'm not sure Chivas has the same quality as the LA Galaxy, the midfield was far more secure against Chivas USA and I attribute this largely to Chara who was constantly closing down opponents, pushing the around, aggravating them and tracking back when needed. It was unfortunate that they lost, again, but not for lack of effort on Chara's part.

There are our picks for Man of the Match, but what are yours? Be sure to cast your vote and let us know why in the comments.