Portland Timbers Training Quotes and Notes: Moving On

The Portland Timbers held a regen session today at their Beaverton training facility, two days after their unfortunate 2-0 loss to the Colorado Rapids.

Practice started with Saturday's starters working out separately from the reserves as they recover from a difficult game at altitude. After doing some jogging around the field, the starters went through a series of stretches and light exercises before heading indoors to finish out their day in the gym.

The reserves and substitutes from Saturday's match stayed on the pitch for their workout, starting things off with an assortment of agility and passing exercises for their warm ups. From there the reserves moved to a spirited possession game which saw two teams of three holding the ball while a third tried to win it. Finally, a four on four short field scrimmage finished off practice.

Injuries and Absences

Donovan Ricketts did not train with the team today after getting stretchered off in the aftermath of his red card against the Rapids on Saturday. After practice, Porter said that the team's doctors thought Ricketts may have an MCL injury, but he is still being evaluated.

Norberto Paparatto warmed up with the reserves today, sticking with the team through their possession drill then moving over to work with a trainer on the sidelines as the reserves started their short field scrimmage. After the rest of the team had left the pitch, Paparatto was still out there, working one on one with one of the trainers.

Kalif Alhassan also warmed up with the reserves today, the first time he has done so since picking up a groin strain in the first game of the season against the Philadelphia Union. Kalif left the warmups before the reserves started their possession game.

Steven Evans and Rodney Wallace were once again on the sidelines  working with a trainer from the start of practice. Both players are recovering from their respective offseason surgeries.

The first training session of the week also means updates on the players who are on loan:

Bryan Gallego, Jake Gleeson, and Aaron Long all remain on loan with the Sacramento Republic, while Taylor Peay and Schillo Tshuma are on loan with the Orange County Blues. Neither Peay nor Tshuma were in the lineup for the Blues' season opener on Sunday, a 3-1 loss to LA Galaxy II. Sacramento kick off their season with a match at LA this Saturday.

Trialists and Guest players

Former Timbers U-23 keeper Jason Dodson was once again with the team, providing a third body in goal alongside Andrew Weber and Justin Luthy while Ricketts was absent from training.

Practice Notes

George Fochive, the only signed rookie remaining with the Timbers after Gallego, Long, Peay, and Tshuma were sent out on loan, showed off a rocket shot from the center of the pitch that he buried in the top corner of the net in the reserves' short field game.

Michael Nanchoff showed off some slick dribbling skills in the short field game, creating space for himself and his teammates on a relatively congested pitch.

Frederic Piquionne was doing very well with his aerial game, both heading the ball and otherwise. He sent several beautiful headers back across the goal on chipped passes to set up a teammate and volleyed several other passes into the back of the net with power and skill.

Alvas Powell got up and down the short field very quickly, showing well in the attack. In the one instance where he ended up on the left side of the goal rather than his more familiar right, however, he managed to sky a shot in front of an open net.

Rauwshan McKenzie, despite being the least talked about central defender on the roster, is a very effective tackler of the ball. When facing up players in the chaotic short field game, he managed to come away with the ball more often than not, something that no-one else involved could brag.