As we are at the mid season lets take a look at how the Timbers are doing. As of late the Timbers are winless in the last seven games and stand just above the Whitecaps who are on the bottom of the league. I seem to recall that the goal of this team was to do as well or even better then Seattle did in their first season in the MLS. That will not happen as the Timbers are out of the open cup which Seattle won their first season. The Timbers need 47 points to match what Seattle did in their first season. Can the Timbers get 29 points in the second part of the season? At the current rate the Timbers will not an thus the goal the Timbers set for themselves will not be reached. Can the Timbers make the playoffs? The current trend makes this another goal that the Timbers will not meet. So all in all what does this all mean. For one the Timber fans were let down as the team that was put together has not done their job.

Should the Timbers make some moves to try to turn things around? If you read the press, both Gavin and coach Spencer have been looking for players to make the team better from day one of the season. Now they are looking into the MLS market to make trades to improve the team. The problem here is that the Timbers don not have much to offer to make this happen. So lets take a look at the coach an the players on the team to see the good and the bad side.

First off Spencer tells it like it is which as a fan I love to see this. He has an aggressive style of play with attacking soccer. Could this be a reason the back line seems to be weak? The problem seems to be having the right players do this in the games. Now a good coach works with what he has and we did see some of that with the formation change in the last match. He has changed his lineup as well. The trouble is the team is not deep enough to turn things around. So the good in Spencer is his attacking style of play but the players he has are weak. The bad. You have to put the blame on the weak players on Gavin and Spencer as the are the one’s who picked them. Do you sack Spencer as the team is not doing well? No. You need to give a coach an entire season then review what they have done.

Now to the players. Who are doing well and those who are not So we will start with the player who may be on the trading block. Kenny Cooper was a big signing for Portland as he was a striker who did very well for FC Dallas in the past. But were did we get him from.
Cooper went over seas to play for 1860 Munich only saw 12 matches where he scored 2 goals. Not very impressive. So I guess what led us bring him back to the MLS where he scored all these goals. I do like the way Cooper players and I hope the Timbers hang on to him. It seems to me that you just need to get him the ball at the right time. It could be that Cooper may never fit in Spencer style of play then a trade would be needed.

Jorge Perlaza the very quick forward that has resulted in some goals. The only draw back I see is he can not handle the physical play of the MLS. I see him as a starter up front the rest of the season.

The only other forward I will mention is Bright Dike who is coming off an injury. Will he ever be as effective as he was last season I am not sure. It seems many players really never get over a major injury and Dike may be in this boat. i hope not a Dike was amazing to watch with his size and speed getting around defenders. This is a key we are missing this season and I do hope to see the Dike of old as he can turn this team around.

The best player on the team is Jack Jewsberry in midfield. His leadership is the only thing holding the team together . The set pieces are amazing from someone who was known as a defensive midfield player. Jack has the best outside shot of anyone on the club and is our best PK takers as well. Jack is the best pickup the Timber have made in their first season in the MLS.

Diego Chara. Is he the player Gavin and Spencer said would be the best midfielder in the MLS? If you remember back during the draft why we traded Dax was that we had a midfield player who would become the best in the MLS. We if this is the guy I am disappointed. Better then Dax no doubt but the best in the MLS? No. I do like this guy as he is really beginning to show some good play. His drawback is he is small and can be manhandled by bigger players.

Kalif Alhassan is a very good young player that needs to take more players on as he does have that skill. He is another player who has problems with the physical play in the MLS. Still a diamond in the rough.

Darlington Nagbe another quick young talent who will continue to improve with time and need to get use to the physical style in the MLS. Another diamond in the rough.

Sal Zizzo is used as a sub for Nagbe or Alhassan. Does very well when he comes into the match with his good speed. Would like to see what he can do as a starter as he has been in the MLS. Could be trade bait.

Eric Brunner the best defender we have on this team. However he can not do it all by himself. Sad thing is he maybe on the trading block as the Timbers look to improve their center defense. Brunner has saved the Timbers many times and the only solid defender we have.

Mamadou “Futty” Danso very good when it comes to set players but does need improvement on his D. At 28 years old he may be at his peek and Spencers needs to look hard at is it worth keeping him on the field for set plays and give up a goal in the process. Do not get me wrong as he way better then Wallace, Hall, and Goldthwaite.

Rodney Wallace scored two goals for us but how many has he given up. Makes the Dax trade look bad.

Steve Purdy is better then last season but again like Wallace how many goal has he given up. Better defender then Wallace? Yes.

David Horst when he plays he is solid but can he over come his injuries. He is the only central defender who can bring the ball up the field and he takes his players out which is something I would like to see all are defenders do more. This guy I would like to see as a starter.

Troy Perkins a good keeper but with Jake Gleeson in his shadow I see Troy moving to the bench or to another team in a year or two. The Timbers are good with their keepers it is other areas they need to improve on.

As far as the rest of the players some will come on to be better and make their mark for the club others will move on. As far as this season goes I do not seeing them having a major impact on our push to make the playoffs. I do not see this team making the playoffs the way they currently are playing and I am not sure by adding a player or two that will turn them around to make the playoffs.

The kick the long ball or Bobby Ball has been a real pain to watch this season and I think it has come to this point as the team struggles to move the ball forward. Do not get me wrong as seeing the first win at home is something I will never forget. It is time for the team to come together play solid defense and work the ball up the field and score some goals. Time to also get rid of our weak links as it has been more then enough time for them to step up. I would never want Gavin and Specers job as it is a thankless one when times are bad.

As always RCTID!

This had to be one of the largest displays ever in MLS history.

The match started with some amazing energy as all the crowd were on their feet. The Timbers were on the attack from the start as they made some quick passes on many good runs. The Timbers got an early corner kick which Jack Jewsbury took. His kick seemed right on the mark as Kenny Cooper headed it into the back of the net. The crowd exploded but as luck would have it the linemen ruled the corner was over the line before it came back in for Coopers header. Chicago is a well established club that a proved the game would be a battle with their physical play. The two sides got close to getting into it as Cooper was taken down hard. Yellow card was issued to Chicago as the game remained intense. Then in the 29th minute history happened as Kalif Alhassan received a pass just pass the midfield mark on the left side of the pitch. He slipped and went down and it look as he may loose the , which seemed to freeze the Chicago players for a second. Kalif was able to recover quickly placing a perfect through ball to Jorge Perlaza. Perlaza made a perfect run with a cutback move that froze both defenders and the keeper coming at him. This allowed him to put an easy shot into the far part of the net. The Timbers first goal was what dreams are made of and the crowd went nuts.The game was far from over as nine minutes latter defender Rodney Wallace would punish Chicago for a weak clearance as he blasted a shot from 2o yards out as the Chicago keeper  Sean Johnson watched helplessly as it went into the net. The play all started with a Jewbury free kick.

As the second half started in did not take long for the Timbers to find the net once again. Two minutes in Wallace crossed the ball in from the left side that got away from Johnson to a waiting Perlaza who slipped it in for his second goal of the night. It seemed the Timbers were in complete control of the match for the night, but Chicago came to life and the Timber Keeper Jake Gleeson and to make a break away save on Chicago striker Dominic Oduro.

This seemed to put the Fire on fire as the Timber ended up giving up an own goal in the 66th minute off defender Eric Brunner. From where I was at it look as if Marko Pappa of Chicago had scored on a great strike. The replay showed otherwise. Pappa did get his goal for Chicago in the 81st minute on one of the best strikes I have seen in the box into the upper left corner of the net. The Timber lead now looked shaky as Chicago was back into this match. The Timber got the momentum back on a Jewsbury corner kick in the 84th minute. There were a lot of bodies in front of the goal as the ball came in and what looked like a Cooper hand ball was not called and he ball ended up in the net off a Chicago player.

Johnson had no way of getting to the ball with all the bodies in his way. You may say it was a Timbers Army goal as it seemed their energy is what caused the ball to roll into the Chicago net.

Thus the match ends in fireworks and history is made as the Timber win their first match of the season at home. A night to remember!

The Timbers changed up their starting line up with David Horst  at center D. Kalif Alhassan played on the left side in midfield. James Marcelin made his first start of the season as a central midfielder.In goal Jake Gleeson started his second match. Once again Gleeson came up big with some fantastic saves.

New England got on the board first as the Timbers had a problem clearing the ball out of their area. Midfielder Stephen McCarthy found the net with a good strike as he picked up a loose ball outside the area. This was McCarthy first goal in his first season in the MLS. The Timbers started to pick up their game putting together some good passes and just before half time got the tying goal. It came on a play as a ball was found Kenny Cooper on the left side who slotted it to Jeremy Hall in the center just outside the area. Hall was able to make a soft touch to a wide open Jack Jewsberry who put a low shot pass Matt Reis into the net.

The second half saw both teams with some chances but no goals. The Timbers hit the post on Kalif Ahassan free kick just outside the area. The match ended with New England putting a lot of pressure on the Timbers.

It was sad to see just over 7000 fans attend the match. The home opener is sold out for the Timbers that will be just under 20,000.

Match Report

Portland came out of the gates on fire as Colombian forward Jorge Perlaza crossed the ball to Kenny Cooper who;s header was just over the cross bar in the opening drive. The Timbers continued to push the ball forward but they did not find the net. Perlaza had the best chances to score  as he put one shot wide of the goal and his header was stopped by the keeper. Their Timbers found themselves offsides six times in the first half.

Chivas forward Marcos Mondaini was booked for diving in the box early in the match. Chivas defender Andrew Boyens was hammering the Portland players and got his second yellow card just before the half. Being a man down did not stop Chivas picking up their game as they were able to get two break aways. Portland’s 20 year old keeper Jake Gleeson pulled off big saves on both of those attempts.

The Timbers first goal came in the last part of the match as Jack Jewsbury low hard shot from 35 yards out beat the keeper just inside the post. The second goal was a corner kick the Jewsbury sent in that defender Eric Brunner put in.

This was by far the Timbers best match this season.  They played better defense and had better control of the match. They still need to deal with better service to the forwards as it seems that time and time again passes were not finding their targets. On Saturday they travel to New England  for their next match.

The Timbers move on to play San Jose in the next round of the Open Cup.

Check out after match interviews at Dropping Timbers,

Once again it was a break down that resulted in Toronto’s first goal. Hall did not mark Javier Martina who had a easy shot past the Timbers keeper Aian Brown in the first half. The Timbers seem to be in control the rest of the first half .

In the second half the Timbers pressed once again with Toronto packing it in and playing the counter attack. the Timbers subbed in Jake Gleeson in goal. Gleeson made a great save on a one on one breakaway early in the second half as the Timbers continued to put pressure on Toronto. The second  goal in the match came on a counter attack as Javier Martina first time volley hit off the far post into the Timbers net. It seemed that the Timbers did too much passing to get that perfect shot. This could be the mark of a young team. One goal in two games is something to be concerned about and it maybe time to adjust the starting line-up as this group has been given their chance to prove themselves. I am a bit concerned about the Timbers depth too. It still early in the season and players still can be added. The next match after the Open Cup, is New England on the road which will no be an easy match.

I had fun watching the match at Prost with many of my friends.

Here is a match report:

The second half showed Colorado letting up a bit and it was not until the 80th minute that Portland got on board. Kenny Cooper put in a nice free kick that went under the defensive wall Colorado had set.

So the match ends 3-1 in favor of Colorado. A bit of a disappointment but we are lucky it still is very early in the season.

I liked coach Spencers take on the match
I like that he did not sugar coat things that many of the Timber fans seem to do. When your team had a bad match you need to step up and say that.

On a positive note the best supporters in the United States, the Timbers Army, proved to the rest of MLS fans they are indeed the best supporters in the MLS.

Next up for the Timbers is Toronto who got trashed in Vancouver BC.

Scoring Summary:

COL — Jeff Larentowicz 1 (Omar Cummings 1) 8

COL — Omar Cummings 1 (unassisted) 29

COL — Jamie Smith 1 (Conor Casey 1) 30

POR — Kenny Cooper 1 (unassisted) 80

Portland Timbers — Adin Brown, Steve Purdy, Eric Brunner, Kevin Goldthwaite (David Horst 46), Rodney Wallace (Kalif Alhassan 66), Ryan Pore, Jack Jewsbury, Peter Lowry (Adam Moffat 46), Jeremy Hall, Kenny Cooper, Jorge Perlaza.

Substitutes Not Used: Mamadou Danso, Brian Umony, Sal Zizzo, Jake Gleeson.

TOTAL SHOTS: 5 (Kenny Cooper 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 1 (Kenny Cooper 1); FOULS: 7 (Ryan Pore 2); OFFSIDES: 3 (3 tied with 1); CORNER KICKS: 1 (Jack Jewsbury 1); SAVES: 5 (Adin Brown 5)

Colorado Rapids — Matt Pickens, Kosuke Kimura, Marvell Wynne, Drew Moor, Anthony Wallace, Brian Mullan(Wells Thompson 89), Jeff Larentowicz, Pablo Mastroeni (Sanna Nyassi 77), Jamie Smith, Conor Casey (Quincy Amarikwa 61), Omar Cummings.

Substitutes Not Used: Mike Holody, Ross LaBauex, Scott Palguta, Steward Ceus.

TOTAL SHOTS: 12 (Omar Cummings 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (3 tied with 2); FOULS: 15 (Brian Mullan 5); OFFSIDES: 1 (Omar Cummings 1); CORNER KICKS: 8 (Jamie Smith 7); SAVES: 0

Misconduct Summary:

COL — Conor Casey (caution; Reckless Foul) 39

Referee: Ricardo Salazar

Referee’s Assistants: Craig Lowry; Peter Manikowski

4th Official: Yader Reyes

Attendance: 17,139

Jack Jewsbury had only arrived from Kasas City on Wednesday was slotted into the team Captains role. Portland came away with a 2-0 win after Seattle had dominated play. The Timbers did well to disrupt the Seattle attack and put together a few good runs resulting in the first goal. Zizzo and Purdy work well together on the right side with some very good passing. Purdy slotted a pass from the right that found Cooper whose shot was blocked by Keller but went to Perlaza who slotted it into the Seattle goal. The second goal came off a Zizzo pass which found Cooper on the right side of goal 15 yards out who tuned and fired a blast pass a diving Keller.

On Saturday the Timbers second unit faced the Whitecaps first team. Ryan Pore was the hero able to put in Nolly save at the far post. Vancouver got there score on a Portland own goal off defender David Horst.

I was able to watch the Seattle match online and went to the Vancouver game on Saturday. The downside of the Vancouver game is I did not see most of match due to playing the drum and spending most the second half in the beer garden chatting with friends.
It still was fun being at Starfire with friends.

My take from all this and the bits of video on the web this team has been put together well. Without seeing Nagbe in action I do not know if he would be a starter or coming off the bench. The weak part of the Timbers seems to be control in the middle of the pitch. I think Spencer started the best players Jewsbury and Lowry in that space. The Timbers are said to have made a offer to a midfielder. If that offer is accepted it will be interesting when that player would start playing. The rumors the Timbers going after Marcos Flores. Another tid bit is that we heard Gavin is in Germany. Today I saw that former Timber Shaun Higgins is in Munich. So could he be working with Gavin in finding players for the Timbers?

Looking at the rest of the players the Timbers seem set on the back line with Purdy being the player that has stepped up his game from last season. Wallace needs to pick up his game on the left but the centers backs of Goldthwaite and Brunner seem solid . The keeper position is a no brainier as Perkins can distribute the ball well and protects the goal better then
Brown.

Cooper is the man on the front line and the key will be finding the second forward to play along side with him. Dike is most likely out for the season which leaves us with Johson who seems tb be having a hard time getting into a starting role. According to Merrit Paulson we signed Perlaza and Unmony who have been in camp. So will see who gets to start with Cooper.

The outside mids I really like is Sal Zizzo on the right and Ryan Pore on the left. Spencer started Hall on the left against the Sounders but it seems the Hall and Wallace combination on the left was not working.

There are many players that I have not mentioned the likes of Marcelin, Moffat, Horst, Braun, Alhassan plus the players not signed in camp. It will be interesting to see how this team does, I hope to see the Timbers having a winning season going past the first leg of the playoffs.