:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/14482555/20130608_lbm_aw6_522.0.jpg)
It is always immensely disappointing to watch your team take a 2-0 lead, only to finish the game clinging to a draw. However, as Caleb Porter said of last night's game, at times the Timber's played some of their better soccer of the season, even without a few regular starters. We take a look at some of the positives in our Man of the Match picks.
Many of our fellow editors had other things going on in their lives this weekend, so it's just me and Ryan today. Here are our picks for Man of the Match versus the Chicago Fire.
Ryan: Frederic Piquionne
In a game that feels like a loss the Portland Timbers had a lot of positives. One of the biggest was the play of Piquionne. Usually we see him taking his own shot but this game we saw smart runs, great passing and successful flick-ons. While his two assists stand out the most, he also created a lot of confusion amongst Chicago's backline with timely runs and good hold up play. Caleb Porter has a decision on his hands, Ryan Johnson or Frederic Piquionne as the central striker.
Stacey: Frederic Piquionne
Still looking for his first league goal, Piquionne nearly put the Timbers on the scoreboard in the first minute last night. Though Sean Johnson saved that chance, Piquionne's best of the night, the Timbers forward still had a huge impact on the game. I particularly liked his assist on Ben Zemanski's goal, where he drew three defenders who were clearly expecting him to shoot. Instead, Piquionne unselfishly played the ball back for the late arriving and completely unmarked run of Zemanski. He showed off his intelligence and vision, and he simply could not have set Zemanski up any better on that play.
There are our picks, but what are yours? Vote in the poll below and let us know why in the comments.