Player Grades:

On Saturday, the Portland Timbers won 3-0 against their rival, the Seattle Sounders, as they displayed some clinical finishing and did just enough defensively to shutout the Sounders at home.

Here’s my breakdown of how the Timbers’ players performed as they moved up into the ninth position in the Western Conference.

Aljaz Ivacic (GK) - 7.3

While Ivacic had virtually no role in the buildup (he attempted just nine passes in the game), the Slovenian made some good saves and played a large role in keeping a clean sheet. Even if Ivacic has very little presence as a passing option for the Timbers (20th percentile), as long as he continues to put together these kinds of his performances with his goalkeeping (83rd percentile in this match), I wouldn’t mind suffering a little when it comes to passing out of the back.

Jose Van Rankin (RB) - 4.8

As a whole, Van Rankin didn’t have that great of a performance as he ranked above-average in just one category, which was his playmaking (54th percentile). Apart from this, the Mexican struggled as he ranked in the 42nd percentile for his passing, 34th percentile for his defending (he conceded a wide open chance to Nouhou due to his poor marking), and the 21st percentile for dribbling. Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed that Van Rankin has started to become more involved in the final third for the Timbers, but now I’m wondering if that’s coming at the expense of his defending, which a lot of Timbers fans have had issues with all season.

Dario Zuparic (CB) - 6.6

Both of the Timbers center backs had large roles to play in the win, as they made last ditch blocks and duels when they needed to. Although Mabiala was the better defensive center back for the Timbers (Zuparic ranked in the 50th percentile), the Croatian still managed to affect the game through his passing out of the back, where he ranked in the 63rd percentile. The other parts of Zuparic’s game, his aerials and total actions, were not very impressive as both landed below the 30th percentile. However, Zuparic’s performance in two key categories and his clean sheet bonus lands him an above-average grade.

Larrys Mabiala (CB) - 6.3

While Zuparic displayed some solid passing, Mabiala was a lockdown defender in this match, ranking in the 75th percentile. The Congolese international didn’t do much in his other three major categories: his passing ranked in the 38th percentile and his carrying and aerials were both below the 30th percentile, but this defensive performance alone results in a solid grade for him.

Claudio Bravo (LB) - 6.5

Claudio Bravo was a bit all over the place with his performance against the Sounders. He made some head-scratching defensive errors, but also displayed some solid composure and technique in defensive areas. This culminated in a slightly above-average defensive rating in the 57th percentile. Apart from that, Bravo’s grades varied as he ranked in the 61st percentile for passing, 34th percentile for playmaking, and 49th percentile for dribbling.

Diego Chara (CDM) - 4.4

Diego didn’t seem like his normal self in this game as it looked like he was still trying to ease back into the game following his injury. The Colombian was barely involved in the buildup and didn’t make many plays while he was defending and it showed in his statistics as he ranked in the 20th percentile for his offensive grade and the 30th percentile for his defense. Chara’s passing was the one slight silver lining from his performance as he ranked in the 54th percentile for that category.

Eryk Williamson (CDM) - 4.6

Despite accumulating a yellow card within the first 10 minutes of the game which surely affected his performance, Williamson was still able to carve out some sort of role statistically in this game through his passing (54th percentile) and playmaking/offensive grade (62nd percentile). However, Williamson’s defensive grade in the 27th percentile heavily influenced his below-average score considering the fact that he lined up as a central midfielder. He did have a major influence in the buildup to Portland’s opener, for what it’s worth.

Sebastian Blanco (CAM) - 9.2

Besides his passing (which ranked in just the 25th percentile), Blanco had a very solid all-around performance as he recorded an assist, landed all three of his shots on target, and recorded five progressive runs with three carries to the penalty area. Moreover, the Argentine landed in the 72nd percentile for his dribbling, 58th percentile for his pressing/defending, 49th percentile for his playmaking, and the 58th percentile for his overall offensive grade, capping off a good overall performance.

Santiago Moreno (Winger) - 7.9

Santiago Moreno’s performance was also somewhat all over the place, but he converted a very well-taken penalty and had a decent contribution to the Timbers win. The Colombian ranked above-average in his passing (76th percentile), playmaking (58th percentile), and defending/pressing (62nd percentile). However, he also ranked below-average in his offensive (36th percentile) and dribbling (33rd percentile) grades. The negative correlation between Moreno’s defending and dribbling continued in this game and it will be interesting to see if he can make any future adjustments to put together a truly all-around performance.

Jaroslaw Niezgoda (ST) - 8.1

Relative to his standards this season, Niezgoda actually was fairly involved in this game as he ranked in the 47th percentile for his total actions. This culminated in a well-rounded performance as the Pole landed in the 70th percentile for his passing and 73rd percentile for his aerials. His shooting was about average, but his dribbling and pressing were both not great. Hopefully, he can continue to score goals with this limited service and has led the Timbers on a necessary run required to move into the playoff spot.

Yimmi Chara (Winger) - 7.0

Like his counterpart on the other wing, Santiago Moreno, Yimmi had an up and down performance. He ranked above-average in his passing and playmaking (both in the 69th percentile) and put in a solid defensive shift in the 55th percentile. Once again though, Yimmi’s offensive and dribbling grades were both below-average (44th and 46th percentile, respectively) and it seemed like he couldn’t quite manage that final touch required to shoot and possibly score a goal.

Substitutes:

Cristhian Paredes () - N/A

Marvin Loria () - N/A

Dairon Asprilla () - N/A

Felipe Mora () - N/A

Bill Tuiloma () - N/A

These players aren’t graded because I currently do not have a grading system that will fairly evaluate players who have under 25 total actions, compared to the rest of the team, who played most of the game.