Returning home for their first game at Jeld-Wen Field in two weeks, the Timbers showed some fight in an ultimately futile 1-0 loss against Chivas USA last night. Several Timbers showed well, and but for some poor finishing and one mistake at the back the Timbers should have taken all three points from the match. Unlike last weekend's game in Dallas, there were some clear stand outs yesterday which made it easy for us to make our picks for Man of the Match.
Andy - David Horst
A number of Timbers players logged outstanding performances on Saturday, most notably Brent Richards, Franck Songo'o and Diego Chara, but David Horst looked to me like a man on a mission. He looked like he was going to win this game for the Timbers if it meant he had to run over every square inch of the field and wrestle every last Chivas player to the ground. He made a surprising run forward on a counter that helped free up Chara and Boyd in front of goal (to no avail) and nearly had an equalizer late with a header that just sailed over the bar. He was a beast at the defensive side, too, intercepting passes, breaking up plays, and generally causing mayhem.
The Timbers coaching staff will have a tough decision to make when Eric Brunner returns from his concussion.
Check out the rest of our Man of the Match picks and vote on your own after the jump.
Will - Franck Songo'o
Songo'o was electrifying on the flank.
He looked like Ryan Smith taking on Steven Smith.Songo'o created chance after chance, tearing apart a defense known for it's resilience. In the end, nobody was able to convert one of the many glorious chances that he provided, but Franck did everything possible to get the Timbers on top short of scoring himself. The combination of a virtuoso attacking performance with a solid effort on defense.
Ryan - Franck Songo'o
This game is tough because of the loss and the fact that no one was head and shoulders above the other players. If I were forced to choose I guess it would be Franck Songo'o with Chara and Richards 1b and 1c respectably. Songo'o worked hard on the wing to create some scoring opportunities for the Timbers and even on occasion tracked back. It really seems like Steven Smith is a lot more comfortable with Songo'o in front of him than any other winger and this makes the whole left side seem that much stronger than the right.
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.