Stumptown Footy - The Portland Timbers Win the Cascadia CupYou are my sunshine, my only sunshine.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/31537/stumptown-fave.jpg2012-10-23T13:02:49-07:00http://www.stumptownfooty.com/rss/stream/33011872012-10-23T13:02:49-07:002012-10-23T13:02:49-07:00Cascadia Cup: Portland Timbers Player Ratings
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<figcaption>Jeff Vinnick</figcaption>
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<p>The Portland Timbers finally pulled off something nobody thought they would this year: the elusive road win.</p> <p>It's been a turbulent season for <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stumptownfooty.com/">Portland Timbers</a> fans. What with the firing of head coaches, trading away of fan favorite players, and the general lameness of the current squad. The fact that they weren't able to win on the road was a consistent scab that was constantly picked open upon each successive road loss. The commentary afterwards was just salt in the wound.</p>
<p>So when the Portland Timbers finally managed to pull it off this past weekend, it was a momentous occasion! The fact that they earned their first road win AND managed to win the Cascadia Cup trophy? Well you can certainly understand why so many Timbers fans were elated afterwards...</p>
<p>But the team as a whole is one thing, let's see just how well each player managed during what could be argued was the Timbers most important game this season:</p>
<h3>Starting XI</h3>
<p><span>Donovan Ricketts</span> - 7</p>
<p>Will: Ricketts only faced one shot on the night, two if you count <span>Steven Smith's</span> amazingly mishit clearance, but it was his fantastic aerial presence that locked down the box for the Timbers and allowed the defense to stay calm when the pressure from the Whitecaps rose. The Timbers have not seen many shutouts this season, but this was a big one from the big Jamaican.</p>
<p><span>Kosuke Kimura</span> - 4</p>
<p>Stacey: On the one hand, it was impressive to see him playing so physically Sunday. He seemed twice his normal size at times. On the other hand, I think he was lucky not to give up a pk or a dangerous free kick. He was also downright exasperating going forward, making bad passes and ruining good passes from his teammates with bad touches.</p>
<p><span>David Horst</span> - 6</p>
<p>Andy: A man of the match candidate for sure, Horst played hard and smart against Vancouver, with just a couple of lapses that thankfully did not result in goals. <span>Kenny Miller</span> was nowhere to be found during most of the game, largely due to Horst's handling. And, bonus, the Timbers actually drew an offside call, something Portland fans are quite unaccustomed to seeing.</p>
<p><span>Hanyer Mosquera</span> - 6</p>
<p>Andy: Mosquera and Camilo exchanged a lot of unpleasantness throughout the course of the match, both of them receiving yellow cards in the process, and while Mosquera had to leave the game early due to injury, I'd say he still won this round.</p>
<p>Steven Smith - 4</p>
<p>Stacey: Smith ended up having Vancouver's best chance of the night when he tried to clear the ball out for a corner and instead kicked it right at Ricketts' goal. He seemed shaky the whole rest of the first half, though he looked decent when he got involved in the offense. He settled in more on defense in the second half, even when he was paired up against the speedy <span>Dane Richards</span>.</p>
<p><span>Jack Jewsbury</span> - 7</p>
<p>Will: All year Timbers fans have predicated conversations about the difference between last year's performance and this year's with, "Well, Jack was scoring then..." and it is true, last year Jewsbury played the savior on more than one occasion. With that in mind it is only fitting that as the Timbers try to get out of a slump that has had us all wondering what happened to our team, Captain Jack should come to the rescue. After Gavin Wilkinson called for players to roll up their sleeves and get tough Jewsbury did, not just scoring a goal but helping to organize the defense and control the midfield as the Timbers held on to their first road victory. This was exactly what the team needed from its captain.</p>
<p><span>Diego Chara</span> - 6</p>
<p>Geoff: Chara did pretty much everything we now expect him to do in a game, but little else. <strike>It</strike> He made the tackles that were needed in the midfield and put pressure on Vancouver when they looked like they were getting dangerous, but overall seemed to not be quite as impact-ful as we've come to expect. Perhaps it's just a side effect of the rest of the team playing better requiring him to do less. Hats off to him, however, for not getting a yellow card and successfully delaying the game late in the second half stoppage time.</p>
<p><span>Darlington Nagbe</span> - 5</p>
<p>Andy: Nagbe had a decent game - a step up from some of his recent performances - but some credit must be given to the Vancouver midfield for being at best lazy and at worst completely absent on defense. Still, he took his opportunities well, made good runs off the ball, and once again contributed some excellent defense, which this season has gone from being a serious liability to being one of his strengths on the pitch.</p>
<p><span>Sal Zizzo</span> - 5</p>
<p>Stacey: Made good use of all the space Vancouver allowed him to send some decent crosses in front of Knighton's goal. Other than the goal, the Timbers' best scoring chance of the game came when Zizzo lofted in a cross that Dike headed down, forcing a save from Knighton. Zizzo then immediately dispossessed <span>Gershon Koffie</span> to give the Timbers another chance. Unfortunately, too often his crosses failed to connect with his teammates.</p>
<p><span>Franck Songo'o</span> - 5</p>
<p>Stacey: Songo'o was actually much better about getting rid of the ball earlier, which led to a couple chances for the Timbers, like when he chipped the ball over the Vancouver defense for Dike. He also perfectly teed up the ball for Jack's goal.</p>
<p><span>Bright Dike</span> - 5</p>
<p>Will: Dike was not the most involved in play, but it was not for a lack of trying. The service just wasn't making its way up front to him, but Dike continued making runs and hassling his opponents until he was subbed late in the game. When the ball did make it's way to him, Dike did well with it, either holding the ball up for teammates who were slow to arrive (very slow by the second half) or turning his man and making a shot out of nothing.</p>
<h3>Substitutes</h3>
<p><span>Eric Brunner</span> - 4</p>
<p>Stacey: Although he did fine and didn't make any major mistakes, Brunner just isn't his old self yet. He slipped, he got tackled off the ball in the Timbers' defensive third, and he made a couple very awkward clearances.</p>
<p><span>Rodney Wallace</span> - 4</p>
<p>Will: Wallace came on to provide some cover to Steven Smith, who looked uncharacteristically shaky on defense for much of the first half. Unfortunately, he repeatedly over committed on defense, leaving gaping holes for Vancouver to attack through.</p>
<p><span>Danny Mwanga</span> - N/A</p>
<p>Will: Mwanga made a couple of good decision to hold up the ball and maintain possession during his brief stint on the pitch rather than going at defenders and possibly giving the ball up. It might not have been the goal scoring bonanza that we hope for from every player all the time, but it was smart play and not something that the Timbers have done well this year.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p><i>What do you think of the player ratings? Where would you have placed each player?</i></p>
https://www.stumptownfooty.com/2012/10/23/3544580/portland-timbers-vancouver-whitecaps-player-ratingsGeoff Gibson2012-10-22T11:25:10-07:002012-10-22T11:25:10-07:00Man of the Match: Last Chances
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<figcaption>Jeff Vinnick</figcaption>
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<p>The third time was the charm for the Timbers as they triumphed over the Vancouver Whitecaps and brought home the Cascadia Cup after falling short in their first two chances to clinch.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">In a season filled with games that Timbers fans will never forget, the boys in green have added another unforgettable game to the list. This time, however, the Timbers won and in doing so brought home the Cascadia Cup, the first time the organization has been able to do so with all three teams competing.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Against Vancouver the Timbers struggled to get anything going on the attack, needing a wonder-strike from captain <span>Jack Jewsbury</span> to secure all three points. However, on the other end of the pitch the defense locked things down, limiting Vancouver to only one shot on the game. With the Timbers defensive issues throughout the year in mind, most of our picks drew from the Timbers' back line.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 1.7em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; max-width: 100%;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Here are our picks for Man of the Match:</span></p>
<p>Will - <b><span>David Horst</span></b></p>
<p>Horst came out and did his thing against Vancouver. With the Whitecaps coming out and playing a physical game, Horst stood strong in the center of the defense, putting his body on the line in what was only the Timbers' fifth shutout of the season. Mosco certainly had the more high profile match up in Camilo, but it was Horst's calm and measured play that held things together and was just what the team needed to grind out a Cascadia Cup victory in the last road game of the season.</p>
<p>Andy - <b><span>Hanyer Mosquera</span></b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">With the exception of <span>Steven Smith's</span> first half performance, the Timbers defense made their case for staying on the team in 2013, holding Vancouver to a single shot on target (and even drawing a rare offside call). Mosco appeared to have the toughest task of the match, in keeping the Caps' most dangerous player of the game, <span>Camilo Sanvezzo</span>, at bay. Even handicapped by an early (and totally unfounded) yellow card, Mosquera shut down the Brazilian for 48 minutes. Even after Mosco had left the pitch, it looked as if Camilo was too worn out from the battle to contribute much more than a yellow card of his own, for persistent infringement. We'll hope the knee injury hasn't ended his season.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Stacey - <b><span>Donovan Ricketts</span></b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Ricketts looked calm, cool, and collected, and the Timbers badly needed that. Most of game they struggled to find a rhythm and often looked jittery and disorganized. Not Ricketts. He wasn't asked to make many saves (except his great reaction save on Steven Smith) but he made a big play when a long ball landed right in front of his goal for Camilo Sanvezzo. He also limited Vancouver's scoring chances by coming out strong and catching a lot of their crosses and corner kicks. Vancouver's offense didn't look terribly strong, but a loose corner kick bouncing around in the box could have been the one chance they needed.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Geoff - <b>Jack Jewsbury</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">While Cap'n Jack was having a decent night over all, his biggest and most obvious influence on the game was the golazo from outside the box. While an argument can be made for a number of players, I think it's safest to say that without Jewsbury on the field tonight we're looking at a completely different result. He was integral to the game at large and was largely responsible for bringing the Cascadia Cup back home to Portland, where it belongs. What more can you ask for from your captain?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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.</i></p>
https://www.stumptownfooty.com/2012/10/22/3539252/portland-timbers-man-of-the-match-cascadia-cup-editionWilliam Conwell2012-10-22T08:19:40-07:002012-10-22T08:19:40-07:00Timbers Bring Home the Cup
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<figcaption>Jeff Vinnick</figcaption>
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<p>The Portland Timbers put on a convincing effort to both secure the Cascadia Cup and their first (and last) road win of the season.</p> <h3>Keys to the Match</h3>
<p><b>Solid Defense</b></p>
<p>It wasn't perfect and <span>Hanyer Mosquera</span> and <span>Steven Smith</span> both made a couple of head-scratcher decisions. However, overall, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stumptownfooty.com/">Portland Timbers</a> were able to lock up their end of the field even during a 6 minute stoppage time rush for the goal from Vancouver's side. From <span>Kosuke Kimura</span> successfully locking up the right side, to <span>David Horst</span> not tracking up half way into the field. The Timbers' defensive backline was far more effective than we've seen in recent years. Nice to see <span>Eric Brunner</span> come up huge too.</p>
<p>Also, that was the Timbers first shutout since the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.burgundywave.com/">Colorado Rapids</a> home game on August 31st.</p>
<p><b>No "Trialists"</b></p>
<p>Gavin Wilkinson was lambasted a couple weeks ago for fielding a line up that was seen as inferior against arch rivals the Seattle Sounders. It was later found that he fielded them as a sort of "trial" for the upcoming season despite the importance of the game. Well, against Vancouver, we saw no such thing.</p>
<p><b>Cap'n Jack</b></p>
<p>He's been a wildly mixed figure for the Timbers this year. Fans have gone from loving him to hating him, to loving him. However, there's no two ways about it. If Cap'n <span>Jack Jewsbury</span> wasn't on the team tonight that goal of the week shot would not have been made and the results might have looked far difference because while the Timbers defense looked solid, their offensive efforts fell short most of the time.</p>
<p><b>Our House...</b></p>
<p>In the middle of BC! </p>
<p>With last night's win it officially makes the Portland Timbers undefeated in two years at BC Place. I know that's only across two games, but it kind of feels nice to be undefeated <i>somewhere</i>. Additionally, next year the Timbers will have to play there twice rather than once so going in with a bit of an edge will certainly be helpful, especially since it will be an uphill battle for the Cascadia Cup in 2013.</p>
<h3>Moment of the Match</h3>
<p>In the 39th minute when <span>Franck Songo'o</span> passed the ball back to Jewbury who sent in a howler of a goal to the upper right corner. The replay made it look like the keeper was closer than he was to saving the ball as well. In truth, he was quite a ways away from making the save. </p>
<p>In some ways, it reminded me of <span>Kenny Cooper's</span> goal last year, though I would argue that it the goal was a little more quality and a whole lot more exciting.</p>
<h3>Injuries</h3>
<p>Hanyer Mosquera was subbed off early in the second half due to a right knee injury. No word just yet on how long he's expected to be out or if he'll make the final home game of the season against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.centerlinesoccer.com/">San Jose Earthquakes</a>. </p>
<p>Aside from that there's nothing new to report. </p>
<h3>Around the League</h3>
<p>Despite the loss to the Portland Timbers, a 3-1 win by the Seattle Sounders against <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bigdsoccer.com/">FC Dallas</a> has successfully put our Cascadian-Canadian rivals into the play offs. This marks the first time a Canadian team has ever made it into the play offs. </p>
<p>Elsewhere in the league the San Jose Earthquakes won the Supporters' Shield due to a nil-nil sleeper by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thebluetestament.com/">Sporting Kansas City</a> against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.onceametro.com/">New York Red Bulls</a>. With that draw there was simply no way for Kansas City to catch up to the Northern California side. San Jose, for their part, played the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lagconfidential.com/">LA Galaxy</a> to a 2-2 in the California Clasico where, apparently, some <a href="http://www.ktvu.com/news/sports/soccer/rowdy-la-galaxy-soccer-fans-arrested-earthquakes-g/nSjmP/" target="_blank">LA fans were arrested</a>.</p>
https://www.stumptownfooty.com/2012/10/22/3538424/portland-timbers-match-day-postscript-cascadia-cupGeoff Gibson2012-10-21T21:22:23-07:002012-10-21T21:22:23-07:00The Cascadia Cup Belongs to the Portland Timbers
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<figcaption>At last, the Cup has come along. | Jeff Vinnick</figcaption>
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<p>Consternation among the Portland Timbers faithful was given a few days' deferral, as the Boys in Green finally got a win on the road in the most satisfying of circumstances, holding their opponents to just a single shot on the frame and bringing the Cascadia Cup back to the Rose City. </p> <h3>First half</h3>
<p>The first few minutes of the game were slow for both teams, with neither side looking confident on the ball. Vancouver tried a few long balls over the top for <span>Camilo Sanvezzo</span>, but they were far too sloppy and ended up each time in the hands of Timbers keeper <span>Donovan Ricketts</span>.</p>
<p>In the sixth minute, Vancouver created their first -- and only -- shot on target of the game. <span>Kenny Miller</span> attracted both Timbers center backs to the left side of Portland's penalty area. Miller passed back to <span>Barry Robson</span>, who took a touch to set up a lofty ball to the back post, where Camilo was waiting to redirect it. Ricketts had to sprawl to his left against his momentum to come up with the save.</p>
<p>The story for much of the first half, and indeed the match overall, was the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.eightysixforever.com/">Vancouver Whitecaps</a> physical style of play. The Timbers appeared ready for the challenge from the outset. One of the key matchups was between Camilo and <span>Hanyer Mosquera</span>, and in the tenth minute a yellow card for Hanyer Mosquera served as the opening salvo. Camilo would eventually receive a yellow as well, for persistent infringement, albeit after Mosquera had left the field.</p>
<p>The Timbers defense began dangerously to fall apart in the 14th minute, highlighted by a bizarre backpass by <span>Steven Smith</span> that might have gone for an own goal if not for Ricketts' quick reflexes. Steven Smith had a rough first half overall, putting some lousy touches on the ball, drilling some crosses right at Whitecaps players, and letting <span>Matt Watson</span> burn him in a key play in the 30th minute.</p>
<p>But the defense wasn't the only goat in the early going. The midfield, too, seemed quite unable to sustain possession early in the match, with <span>Diego Chara</span> and <span>Sal Zizzo</span> looking particularly unable to make the smart passes that might have generated some extended possession in the Vancouver half.</p>
<p>Still, the Timbers did manage to create a few chances, thanks to some clever poaching by <span>Franck Songo'o</span>. With Songo'o playing as a withdrawn striker, he and <span>Bright Dike</span> gave the Whitecaps backline problems all afternoon, picking off some errant passes and finding themselves on the end of some clearances out of the Portland defense. The play between the two of them lacked some creativity and, obviously, finishing, but their ability to create even a little out of nothing played a role in wearing out Jay Demerit and his band of thirty-somethings.</p>
<p>And indeed, starting in about the 35th minute, the tone of the match started to change. <span>Darlington Nagbe</span>, streaking across the pitch to pick up a short pass forward from Diego Chara, laid the ball off to Sal Zizzo, who finally managed to hit a Timber's head with an aerial cross. Bright Dike got on the end of it and forced a save from <span>Brad Knighton</span> nearly identical to the one Ricketts had contributed on the other end of the field twenty minutes earlier.</p>
<p>For the next five minutes the Timbers held possession in the Vancouver half and forced one error after another from their backline. The breakthrough came in the 39th minute.</p>
<p>Dike, surrounded and with nowhere to go in the right side of the penalty area, played the ball back to Diego Chara, who passed left <span>Jack Jewsbury</span>. Jewsbury laid the ball off to Nagbe, who immediately passed to Smith, streaking forward on the wing. Smith gave it a look like he was going to cross into Dike in the box, but instead went short to Songo'o, at the top of the penalty area. Songo'o steadied the ball before teeing it up for Jewsbury, who launched an absolute rocket into the far corner of the net. 1-0 for the Rose City.</p>
<p>Vancouver started to play more aggressively after giving up the goal, pressing forward impatiently. The Timbers defense responded calmly -- perhaps too calmly -- to the added pressure, creating counters and confidently holding onto possession. The half ended with some rare momentum heading into the second 45'.</p>
<h3>Second half</h3>
<p>The Timbers got some bad news right off the bat in the second half, after Mosquera landed awkwardly trying to jump up for a header. It didn't look like much more than just a bad sprain, but he left the field immediately in favor of <span>Eric Brunner</span>.</p>
<p>The Timbers took positive lessons from the first half and continued to play with the calm and confident rhythm they created after the 35th minute. No panicking on defense, no booting the ball upfield unless absolutely necessary. That allowed the team to maintain possession and get the ball past the high-pressing Vancouver midfield. Of course, getting the ball past the Whitecaps' defense was another challenge entirely.</p>
<p>Another consequence of an apparent 4-1-5 Vancouver formation was the free rein it gave to Darlington Nagbe, Franck Songo'o and Sal Zizzo to pass the ball around in Vancouver's half. That those chances only resulted in two shots, one on target, during the second 45' was disappointing, but the more important success was in maintaining pressure on the Whitecaps defense and making sure more Vancouver defenders didn't join their attack.</p>
<p>Each team made a substitution in the 67th minute, with <span>Rodney Wallace</span> coming on for Songo'o and <span>Darren Mattocks</span> replacing Camilo. Both players immediately made their presence known, with Mattocks giving an elbow to the back of Kimura's neck before contributing a shot off target with his head. Wallace's initial contribution was a foul on Matt Watson after Watson had burned past him. The resulting free kick produced two subsequent corners before the pressure abated.</p>
<p>The one dangerous chance Vancouver created in the second half also resulted somewhat from Wallace's flimsy defense. With Young Pyo Lee coming forward to attack, Wallace sensed a cross was coming and so flailed his body in front of its would-be path, leaving himself out of position as Lee cut in toward the middle, unmarked. Lee played the ball in to Barry Robson, whose Jewsbury-like strike skimmed just over the bar.</p>
<p>The remainder of the match was marked by several Timbers players collapsing to the ground in a heap and the referee reluctantly allowing the physios onto the pitch to cart them off, knowing full well they'd be hopping back onto their feet once they reached the sidelines. Yup.</p>
<p>Still, the Timbers are certainly not the only MLS team to employ such a strategy, and at the very least it frustrated the Whitecaps players and knocked them off their game. After a season full of late game collapses, I'll take a win however it may come.</p>
<h3>Final score: Vancouver 0, Timbers 1.</h3>
https://www.stumptownfooty.com/2012/10/21/3536518/cascadia-cup-vancouver-whitecaps-0-portland-timbers-1Andrew Wheeler