Portland Timbers vs FC Dallas: Halftime Analysis

After a well played draw on Wednesday, Portland Timbers played a poor first half against FC Dallas. The Timbers find themselves down 2-0 after the first 45 minutes.

Diego Valeri's positioning

Portland had a quick, dynamic attack on Wednesday against the Houston Dynamo. PTFC played in the middle of the pitch and went through the Dynamo, not over or around.

Today, however, FC Dallas is playing in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Dallas's formation is stacking the midfield, and Portland is watching the same strategy that worked for them on Wednesday beat them now.

The main reason for this is the freedom that head coach Gio Saverese allows Valeri. When he ventures away from his position in the middle of the formation, Dallas is able to go through the Timbers.

Additionally, the lack of Timbers in the middle of the pitch is hurting the PTFC attach going forward. Portland hasn't been able to move the ball from the wings to the middle and back to the outside, which has allowed PTFC to get numbers into the attack in the past.

Defensive Pressure

Dallas has had too much time on the ball in dangerous areas. This is very much due to the fact that Dallas is just playing faster than the Timbers. The tempo of the Dallas ball and player movement has given Dallas numbers in the attack, forcing Timbers defenders to defend areas and passes rather than mark the ball carrier.