Monday, October 8, 2012
Seattle Smashes
I'm sorry but I cannot provide an analysis of this game. I'm disgusted by the whole thing, and I cannot force myself to watch the thing again in order to give you any insight except we need to fire Gavin Wilkinson as soon as possible. Lineup decisions are always suspect and his substitutions are atrocious. #GWout NOW
Sunday, September 30, 2012
A Tale of Two Defenders: The David Horst Story
For a man who made many phenomenal tackles last night, David Horst lost his team two points last night, and a first ever league win over D.C. United, because he lost his focus and jumped to block a cross with his arm outstretched instead of close to his body. The controversial call was made by the line ref who immediately suffered the ire of the Portland defenders, as Bendik, Futty, and Horst all rushed over to yell at him. Futty eventually suffered a yellow for their complaints; Pontius buried the PK.
Gavin made only one change to the lineup he went with against RSL, starting Dike alone up top over Mwanga. Wallace continued in center midfield in Chara's absence. Mosquera would come up lame with a hamstring injury in the middle of the first half so Futty made a rare appearance off the bench.
Ben Olsen made a few changes to the formation I anticipated, picking Lewis Neal over Branko Boskovic to start. He also moved Pontius from the left wing into the middle of the midfield front three, switched Nick DeLeon to the left and put Lewis Neal on the right side. The rest of the lineup remained unchanged.
The boys in green and white started the match slowly, failing to string together consistent possession. Najar and Neal were combining well on down the flank and causing Songo'o and Smith lots of trouble. Portland read the game well and made a switch, moving Songo'o into the middle. That was the smart part of the move - the dumb part of the move involved moving Nagbe outside in his place instead of Wallace. Nonetheless, Songo'o immediately started bossing the game and Nagbe shut down Najar.
Portland created four good chances after the change. The first happened after a smart move by Zizzo to take a throw-in quickly with Dike in an otherwise offsides position, who took his shot wide. Zizzo was busy again not much later when he split two defenders and squared it to Dike in the box, but McDonald got to it first hit it directly to Hamid. Bright intercepted a lazy pass along the backline but didn't have the technical skills to beat the two defenders for a clear look after he didn't shoot with his first touch. The referee decided a few minutes later that inside the passing triangles during the run of play would be a good place to position himself, getting repeatedly caught up in play, eventually springing Nagbe for a great shot which Hamid parried fantastically. The ball spun up and toward the goal, but Hamid was able to snag it off the line.
So into the locker rooms the team went, tied up still at zeros. United could be happy that they had held the Timbers scoreless, but knowing they need to make some kind of adjustment to the tactical switch made by the Portland bench. The Timbers would enter the half hungry for the goal they seemed close to a few times. But neither team would make any wholesale changes at the half.
The second half played out much like the first until Horst's ill conceived spread eagle jump gave the visitors the lead at the hour. The match would proceed with the home side pissed off and energized to make a statement. It found one after another quarter hour when Steven Smith intercepted a poor header by Najar out of the back. He worked a give-and-go with Nagbe, first timing a ball into the box towards Dike. They both would have been awarded the assist if Najar hadn't gotten there first, cradling the ball under his armpit for a while (where's the whistle for the handball mister blind and incompetant referee) before Dike could poke it away. His pivot and rocket finish to the roof of the net were picture perfect.
It wasn't long after the goal when Pajoy came off for Salihi, and then Lewis Neal was removed for Boskovic. Portland decided to throw numbers forward, removing Kimura for Mwanga, moving Zizzo to right back. Mwanga did nothing with his cameo, making one successful pass and losing possession once, but Zizzo continued to ravage the right flank. He was replaced late by Brent Richards, who can throw the ball over half way across the pitch and has an amazing vertical leap. Richards never really got to showcase his skills as his time was so limited. It felt like he was coming on for mayble one or two maybe chances. Olsen took off DeLeon at the end to lock down the defense with Robbie Russell.
All the changes came to nothing, with neither team really looking any more dangerous nor generating any really good chances. The team was hard done by the referee this match, and I'm not talking about the penalty - though I screamed bullshit as loud and as long as anyone - nor about Songo'o trying to pick the ball off Hamid's foot. Whether what Franck did specifically is allowed completely depends on the local federation's interpretation of FIFA's rules. The run of play was fairly even, from my vantage point in section 202 row G, but the stats say DC won more duels while Portland held onto the ball a little more. I think the former stat is a more meaningful metric than the later, as a duel won anywhere on the field is always a good thing, while possession across the back line extensively only indicates offensive frustration or futility. Some duels are more meaningful than others but none are meaningless; sometimes possession becomes fairly meaningless.
I can't wait for the match in Seattle this weekend. Stay tuned for a Cascadia Cup analysis as well as a preview for the Seattle match.
Gavin made only one change to the lineup he went with against RSL, starting Dike alone up top over Mwanga. Wallace continued in center midfield in Chara's absence. Mosquera would come up lame with a hamstring injury in the middle of the first half so Futty made a rare appearance off the bench.
Ben Olsen made a few changes to the formation I anticipated, picking Lewis Neal over Branko Boskovic to start. He also moved Pontius from the left wing into the middle of the midfield front three, switched Nick DeLeon to the left and put Lewis Neal on the right side. The rest of the lineup remained unchanged.
The boys in green and white started the match slowly, failing to string together consistent possession. Najar and Neal were combining well on down the flank and causing Songo'o and Smith lots of trouble. Portland read the game well and made a switch, moving Songo'o into the middle. That was the smart part of the move - the dumb part of the move involved moving Nagbe outside in his place instead of Wallace. Nonetheless, Songo'o immediately started bossing the game and Nagbe shut down Najar.
Portland created four good chances after the change. The first happened after a smart move by Zizzo to take a throw-in quickly with Dike in an otherwise offsides position, who took his shot wide. Zizzo was busy again not much later when he split two defenders and squared it to Dike in the box, but McDonald got to it first hit it directly to Hamid. Bright intercepted a lazy pass along the backline but didn't have the technical skills to beat the two defenders for a clear look after he didn't shoot with his first touch. The referee decided a few minutes later that inside the passing triangles during the run of play would be a good place to position himself, getting repeatedly caught up in play, eventually springing Nagbe for a great shot which Hamid parried fantastically. The ball spun up and toward the goal, but Hamid was able to snag it off the line.
So into the locker rooms the team went, tied up still at zeros. United could be happy that they had held the Timbers scoreless, but knowing they need to make some kind of adjustment to the tactical switch made by the Portland bench. The Timbers would enter the half hungry for the goal they seemed close to a few times. But neither team would make any wholesale changes at the half.
The second half played out much like the first until Horst's ill conceived spread eagle jump gave the visitors the lead at the hour. The match would proceed with the home side pissed off and energized to make a statement. It found one after another quarter hour when Steven Smith intercepted a poor header by Najar out of the back. He worked a give-and-go with Nagbe, first timing a ball into the box towards Dike. They both would have been awarded the assist if Najar hadn't gotten there first, cradling the ball under his armpit for a while (where's the whistle for the handball mister blind and incompetant referee) before Dike could poke it away. His pivot and rocket finish to the roof of the net were picture perfect.
It wasn't long after the goal when Pajoy came off for Salihi, and then Lewis Neal was removed for Boskovic. Portland decided to throw numbers forward, removing Kimura for Mwanga, moving Zizzo to right back. Mwanga did nothing with his cameo, making one successful pass and losing possession once, but Zizzo continued to ravage the right flank. He was replaced late by Brent Richards, who can throw the ball over half way across the pitch and has an amazing vertical leap. Richards never really got to showcase his skills as his time was so limited. It felt like he was coming on for mayble one or two maybe chances. Olsen took off DeLeon at the end to lock down the defense with Robbie Russell.
All the changes came to nothing, with neither team really looking any more dangerous nor generating any really good chances. The team was hard done by the referee this match, and I'm not talking about the penalty - though I screamed bullshit as loud and as long as anyone - nor about Songo'o trying to pick the ball off Hamid's foot. Whether what Franck did specifically is allowed completely depends on the local federation's interpretation of FIFA's rules. The run of play was fairly even, from my vantage point in section 202 row G, but the stats say DC won more duels while Portland held onto the ball a little more. I think the former stat is a more meaningful metric than the later, as a duel won anywhere on the field is always a good thing, while possession across the back line extensively only indicates offensive frustration or futility. Some duels are more meaningful than others but none are meaningless; sometimes possession becomes fairly meaningless.
I can't wait for the match in Seattle this weekend. Stay tuned for a Cascadia Cup analysis as well as a preview for the Seattle match.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Hosting District of Columbia United
Today marks the occasion of the final game against Eastern Conference opposition and the second to last home match of the season. DC needs a win to keep pace in the playoff race, currently sitting tied on points with New York for third place. They have a four point lead over the Dynamo and five points over the Crew, but will want to steal that third place spot to avoid the play-in round of the playoffs. United have won their last three in a row, all since the injury to talisman Dwayne DeRosario, but will be sure to face a stiff challenge over Tanner Creek tonight.
Portland come into the match after a two-game road trip against playoff-bound San Jose and Real Salt Lake, where the team showed well for themselves despite dropping five of six available points. The first road win remained elusive but there are signs of improvement all over the pitch, though Gavin's tactical decisions remain highly questionable. One of the big questions heading into this match will be which formation the team will start in. At San Jose we saw the team start with a flat four in midfield and then add a central defender late to try and hold onto the lead, while in Utah the team started with the 4-3-3, then moved into the midfield diamond after halftime with the Dike substitution before switching to a flat four with the Alexander switch. The second big question on everyone's mind is whether the controversial Rodney Wallace continues to start in Chara's absence and if so, does he play in the center of the midfield again. I think I can speak for everyone when I say, "Please, not again."
Given our success at home with the 4-3-3 formation, I think that the team is going to go with that formation again. I expect Dike to start over Mwanga as Danny failed to impress in his role alone up top Wednesday night. Bright is much more able to handle the lone striker role despite his deficiencies, as the first half showed. It's possible the team might start with two up top again, and if so, it will certainly be those two young guys. Songo'o will continue his excellent form on the left and Zizzo will soldier on at the right wing.
The midfield is a trickier prospect to predict as I don't think the team will risk bringing Diego back from in injury for what is essentially a meaningless match. He just returned to full training on Thursday, and with the next two matches on the road deciding the fate of the Cascadia Cup, there is little advantage to risk further injury or suspension to our most reliable defensive player. After Rodney's poor performance at center mid against the Royal Utah, he seems unlikely to feature there again, and I can't think of a reason why Alexander shouldn't be starting here. Of course, I'd prefer to see Alexander most every match so I may be a bit biased. Nagbe will, of course, remain the trequartista at the tip of the midfield triangle and Jewsbury will maintain his defensive midfield position. Hopefully the captain doesn't make as many foolish fouls in dangerous spots this time out.
I think that we will see Wallace start at left back because Gavin is enamored with him lately. It's also useful to note that he is among the top five earners in at the club, and if the team wants to offload the burden of overpaying a marginal player then they must showcase his skills for potential suitors. I would prefer the discipline of Smith at a left back position facing DeLeon and the overlapping Najar, but Wallace's speed is the logical counter to their threat. The centerback pairing will be Mosquera and Horst again, and Kimura will continue at right back. Joe Bendik will retain his role between the pipes.
DC's formation is less easy to predict these days with DeRo out for the year. I am uncertain as to whether Ben Olson will play a flat four midfield with two strikers, or if he plays a 4-5-1 as United did away to Philadelphia where they stole an away win. Portland is notoriously leaky at the back and two strikers would be more apt to exploit our weakness, but he is going to expect the Timbers to come out aggressively and will want to mitigate our chances of an early strike. As a result, I think he will trot out a conservative 4-2-3-1 and switch later on to a 4-4-2 after Portland goes up and he needs to try and get a goal back.
Leonard Pajoy will start up front by himself. Branko Boskovic will man the center of the midfield three and act as the playmaker in the middle, with Chris Pontius on the left wing and rookie Nick DeLeon on the right. Perry Kitchen and Marcelo Saragosa will form the defensive midfield pairing. Brandon McDonald and Dejan Jakovic have been the steady central defensive team this year for United, while Andy Najar has switched to right back successfully this year and Chris Korb has been the steady left back for the team. Mike Chabala was traded to DC to provide competition and depth behind Korb, but he doesn't seem to be making the gameday roster. Bill Hamid is United's starting keeper, formitable and
The key matchups in this game are going to be former teammmates at Akron, Darlington Nagbe v Perry Kitchen in the central midfield, and Portland's left side v DC's right side, ie Frank Songo'o and Rodney Wallace v Nick DeLeon v Andy Najar. Nagbe's ability to best his buddy will be key to the Timbers controlling the tempo of the match, but the flank battle will determine the goals. Songo'o has the potential to destroy the young right side of United, and if he does so then it will allow Wallace to get forward, only increasing the attacking verve feedback loop. This is dangerous if he's caught out of position on the counter because Wallace may be fast but DeLeon and Najar are both fast and very dangerous on the ball.
I'm also worried about Pontius taking on Kimura. Chris is their most dangerous player with DeRosario out, and he definitely has the potential to cause damage when he gets on the ball. Alexander and Mosquera will be key to controlling his effectiveness after he inevitably beats Kimura a dozen times.
Substitutions are going to be very interesting and will most defintely depend greatly on the scoreline at the half and thereafter. I'm going to predict Songo'o assists Nagbe early in the first half, and United won't score before the half, but they will score after Olson adjusts to a two striker formation at halftime and catches Portland on the counter with Pontius feeding Santos after he comes on for Saragosa and United go 4-4-2.
Mwanga will come on for Alexander after United scores and Portland shifts to a 4-4-2 themselves. (I wouldn't do this because United's switch gives Portland the midfield advantage - and hence Nagbe more time and space on the ball. I would put Alhassan in for Alexander instead and invert the midfield triangle to overload Kitchen and Boskovic, who already have taken on more defensive responsibilities after Olson's switch. I don't think Gavin will be this smart though.) Despite my disagreement with the coach's tactics, Zizzo will find Dike once again after Mwanga makes a run that isolates Bright on a single defender, and he will ripple the net a fourth time this season.
Olson will attempt to stop the bleeding and bring in Lewis Neal for Boskovic, while Gavin pushes his luck and goes more aggressive, this time adding Alhassan for Kimura and pushing Zizzo back to the defensive line again. With a lead at home, I would just let the lineup playout and expect another goal out of Nagbe, Mwanga, or Songo'o to appear thanks to our superior control of possession. But Zizzo at right back is a very interesting proposition, and given the meaningless nature of the match for Portland, it's very likely that this switch will be made for better or for worse.
Olsen's final gambit will be to take off the tiring Pajoy for useless DP Hamdi Salihi late on, with Gavin responding by removing Dike in favor of putting Brunner in the defense. Despite how poor that worked out last time, Portland will hold on the for the win. 2-1
Portland come into the match after a two-game road trip against playoff-bound San Jose and Real Salt Lake, where the team showed well for themselves despite dropping five of six available points. The first road win remained elusive but there are signs of improvement all over the pitch, though Gavin's tactical decisions remain highly questionable. One of the big questions heading into this match will be which formation the team will start in. At San Jose we saw the team start with a flat four in midfield and then add a central defender late to try and hold onto the lead, while in Utah the team started with the 4-3-3, then moved into the midfield diamond after halftime with the Dike substitution before switching to a flat four with the Alexander switch. The second big question on everyone's mind is whether the controversial Rodney Wallace continues to start in Chara's absence and if so, does he play in the center of the midfield again. I think I can speak for everyone when I say, "Please, not again."
Given our success at home with the 4-3-3 formation, I think that the team is going to go with that formation again. I expect Dike to start over Mwanga as Danny failed to impress in his role alone up top Wednesday night. Bright is much more able to handle the lone striker role despite his deficiencies, as the first half showed. It's possible the team might start with two up top again, and if so, it will certainly be those two young guys. Songo'o will continue his excellent form on the left and Zizzo will soldier on at the right wing.
The midfield is a trickier prospect to predict as I don't think the team will risk bringing Diego back from in injury for what is essentially a meaningless match. He just returned to full training on Thursday, and with the next two matches on the road deciding the fate of the Cascadia Cup, there is little advantage to risk further injury or suspension to our most reliable defensive player. After Rodney's poor performance at center mid against the Royal Utah, he seems unlikely to feature there again, and I can't think of a reason why Alexander shouldn't be starting here. Of course, I'd prefer to see Alexander most every match so I may be a bit biased. Nagbe will, of course, remain the trequartista at the tip of the midfield triangle and Jewsbury will maintain his defensive midfield position. Hopefully the captain doesn't make as many foolish fouls in dangerous spots this time out.
I think that we will see Wallace start at left back because Gavin is enamored with him lately. It's also useful to note that he is among the top five earners in at the club, and if the team wants to offload the burden of overpaying a marginal player then they must showcase his skills for potential suitors. I would prefer the discipline of Smith at a left back position facing DeLeon and the overlapping Najar, but Wallace's speed is the logical counter to their threat. The centerback pairing will be Mosquera and Horst again, and Kimura will continue at right back. Joe Bendik will retain his role between the pipes.
DC's formation is less easy to predict these days with DeRo out for the year. I am uncertain as to whether Ben Olson will play a flat four midfield with two strikers, or if he plays a 4-5-1 as United did away to Philadelphia where they stole an away win. Portland is notoriously leaky at the back and two strikers would be more apt to exploit our weakness, but he is going to expect the Timbers to come out aggressively and will want to mitigate our chances of an early strike. As a result, I think he will trot out a conservative 4-2-3-1 and switch later on to a 4-4-2 after Portland goes up and he needs to try and get a goal back.
Leonard Pajoy will start up front by himself. Branko Boskovic will man the center of the midfield three and act as the playmaker in the middle, with Chris Pontius on the left wing and rookie Nick DeLeon on the right. Perry Kitchen and Marcelo Saragosa will form the defensive midfield pairing. Brandon McDonald and Dejan Jakovic have been the steady central defensive team this year for United, while Andy Najar has switched to right back successfully this year and Chris Korb has been the steady left back for the team. Mike Chabala was traded to DC to provide competition and depth behind Korb, but he doesn't seem to be making the gameday roster. Bill Hamid is United's starting keeper, formitable and
The key matchups in this game are going to be former teammmates at Akron, Darlington Nagbe v Perry Kitchen in the central midfield, and Portland's left side v DC's right side, ie Frank Songo'o and Rodney Wallace v Nick DeLeon v Andy Najar. Nagbe's ability to best his buddy will be key to the Timbers controlling the tempo of the match, but the flank battle will determine the goals. Songo'o has the potential to destroy the young right side of United, and if he does so then it will allow Wallace to get forward, only increasing the attacking verve feedback loop. This is dangerous if he's caught out of position on the counter because Wallace may be fast but DeLeon and Najar are both fast and very dangerous on the ball.
I'm also worried about Pontius taking on Kimura. Chris is their most dangerous player with DeRosario out, and he definitely has the potential to cause damage when he gets on the ball. Alexander and Mosquera will be key to controlling his effectiveness after he inevitably beats Kimura a dozen times.
Substitutions are going to be very interesting and will most defintely depend greatly on the scoreline at the half and thereafter. I'm going to predict Songo'o assists Nagbe early in the first half, and United won't score before the half, but they will score after Olson adjusts to a two striker formation at halftime and catches Portland on the counter with Pontius feeding Santos after he comes on for Saragosa and United go 4-4-2.
Mwanga will come on for Alexander after United scores and Portland shifts to a 4-4-2 themselves. (I wouldn't do this because United's switch gives Portland the midfield advantage - and hence Nagbe more time and space on the ball. I would put Alhassan in for Alexander instead and invert the midfield triangle to overload Kitchen and Boskovic, who already have taken on more defensive responsibilities after Olson's switch. I don't think Gavin will be this smart though.) Despite my disagreement with the coach's tactics, Zizzo will find Dike once again after Mwanga makes a run that isolates Bright on a single defender, and he will ripple the net a fourth time this season.
Olson will attempt to stop the bleeding and bring in Lewis Neal for Boskovic, while Gavin pushes his luck and goes more aggressive, this time adding Alhassan for Kimura and pushing Zizzo back to the defensive line again. With a lead at home, I would just let the lineup playout and expect another goal out of Nagbe, Mwanga, or Songo'o to appear thanks to our superior control of possession. But Zizzo at right back is a very interesting proposition, and given the meaningless nature of the match for Portland, it's very likely that this switch will be made for better or for worse.
Olsen's final gambit will be to take off the tiring Pajoy for useless DP Hamdi Salihi late on, with Gavin responding by removing Dike in favor of putting Brunner in the defense. Despite how poor that worked out last time, Portland will hold on the for the win. 2-1
Monday, September 24, 2012
48 hour blackout is torture
I still haven't been able to watch Saturday's match in Salt Lake City, Utah, but I should be able to get my watch on tonight. I've watched the highlights a few times and a few things stuck in my mind.
First of all, why did Danny Mwanga move out of the way when the ball came his way? Isn't the point of the wall to stop balls like that from getting through? Bendik wasn't able to see that the ball was headed through the gap until it was too late.
Second, seriously Jack! Why would you foul him a second time just outside the box? Did you forget that they have one of the best set piece takers in the league, that you had your third-string keeper on, or that the previous time you did this they scored? The first goal may have been Mwanga's fault but this one is squarely on your shoulders.
Third, I'm happy to see that Gavin returned to the 4-3-3, and that Zizzo did a great job on the wing again after not finding the pitch on Wednesday. The team clearly enjoyed better possession as a result and were able to create more out of the run of play, as opposed to being effective only on the counter-attack as the team was in San Jose.
But I'm unhappy to see the chaos elemental Rodney Wallace continue to deputize for Chara in central midfield. His switch to left back at the half was a more logical placement for him, but I still think the only place he should play is on the wings as a counter to a speedy creative wing or back. He is a better defender than most wide midfielders on the team, and is definitely faster than most people in the league, but he is not disciplined enough on the pitch to merit a role in the actual back line or shielding the central defenders. Putting him out wide in the midfield or as a winger allows for him to make mistakes that don't immediately result in a goal, but he can also be used to frustrate another team's attacking wide players. Putting him the middle requires him to be in position and alert all the time as any mistake can lead to an easy chance in the box. I'll try to find specific examples in the RSL game after I get to watch it tonight.
Gavin is starting Wallace instead of playing Eric Alexander in the middle with Jewsbury and Nagbe. Eric is exactly all of the things Rodney is not: composed on the ball, disciplined, alert and positionally intelligent. I just cannot understand why Alexander is not playing over Wallace, except that Rodney scored the equalizer against Seattle. That reward has to have worn off at this point after two mediocre performances this week. Alexander combines better with Nagbe as well, and is able to play more of the fluid style the formation requires.
First of all, why did Danny Mwanga move out of the way when the ball came his way? Isn't the point of the wall to stop balls like that from getting through? Bendik wasn't able to see that the ball was headed through the gap until it was too late.
Second, seriously Jack! Why would you foul him a second time just outside the box? Did you forget that they have one of the best set piece takers in the league, that you had your third-string keeper on, or that the previous time you did this they scored? The first goal may have been Mwanga's fault but this one is squarely on your shoulders.
Third, I'm happy to see that Gavin returned to the 4-3-3, and that Zizzo did a great job on the wing again after not finding the pitch on Wednesday. The team clearly enjoyed better possession as a result and were able to create more out of the run of play, as opposed to being effective only on the counter-attack as the team was in San Jose.
But I'm unhappy to see the chaos elemental Rodney Wallace continue to deputize for Chara in central midfield. His switch to left back at the half was a more logical placement for him, but I still think the only place he should play is on the wings as a counter to a speedy creative wing or back. He is a better defender than most wide midfielders on the team, and is definitely faster than most people in the league, but he is not disciplined enough on the pitch to merit a role in the actual back line or shielding the central defenders. Putting him out wide in the midfield or as a winger allows for him to make mistakes that don't immediately result in a goal, but he can also be used to frustrate another team's attacking wide players. Putting him the middle requires him to be in position and alert all the time as any mistake can lead to an easy chance in the box. I'll try to find specific examples in the RSL game after I get to watch it tonight.
Gavin is starting Wallace instead of playing Eric Alexander in the middle with Jewsbury and Nagbe. Eric is exactly all of the things Rodney is not: composed on the ball, disciplined, alert and positionally intelligent. I just cannot understand why Alexander is not playing over Wallace, except that Rodney scored the equalizer against Seattle. That reward has to have worn off at this point after two mediocre performances this week. Alexander combines better with Nagbe as well, and is able to play more of the fluid style the formation requires.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Timbers in a Royal way at Salt Lake
The good green and white should return tonight against the worst named team in MLS. Real Salt Lake come into this match in a dogfight for second place in the west with Sounders FC and LA Galaxy. RSL does not want to finish fourth and face the in-form Dallas in the first round (who will overtake Vancouver for the final spot), and so will come into the match motivated to get the win at home. Portland, however, come into the match reeling after giving up a two goal lead in stoppage time and then failing to get the winner on a perfect chance. (Or a call, that's two missed penalties in two consecutive matches.)
Portland ran out a misguided 4-4-2 against San Jose on Wednesday, and I'm going to hope that Gavin decides to revert to the 4-3-3, especially given the success against Seattle's midfield diamond. Dike's miss should cause him to be benched in favor of Mwanga starting up top alone. Nagbe reverts to the tip of the midfield triangle, pushed even higher than normal to compensate for Mwanga's need for a partner. Songo'o will continue his excellent work on the left, and Zizzo will return to the lineup on the right. Alhassan deserves a chance to start again, and it should come here after Wallace's mediocre showing against the 'Quakes. He should start in the center of the midfield and act as a deeper lying playmaker after showing his defensive chops in the reserve match. With Nagbe and Mwanga ahead of him, this should occupy defenders and free up space for him to operate.
Jewbury will anchor the base of the midfield triangle and shield the defense. Brunner needs to get a start after coming back from his injury, and will likely come in for either Horst or Mosquera. I'm going to guess Horst will sit the bench because he has been the better defender lately and that seems about par for the course with regards to Gavin's decision making. Palmer hurt himself, and also sucked, so Kimura will start at the right with Smith keepin' on at the left. Bendik will get his second career MLS start.
Alvaro Saborio is most likely out with a shoulder injury, so Paulo, Jr. will likely start in his place alongside Fabian Espindola. Javier Morales starts at the tip of the midfield diamond behind them, finding his form after a long injury layoff. Kyle Beckerman anchors the base of the diamond with Grabavoy on the left and Johnson on the right. Olave and Borchers are both healthy again, and should start in the center of the defense. Wingert plays on the left and Beltran on the right, with Rimando rounding out the defense in goal.
Substitutions are going to be fairly easy if Gavin somehow goes with this lineup. Alexander should come in for the least effective midfielder or wide forward, with Alhassan sliding out wide if he comes on for one of the wide players. Dike will come in for Mwanga at some point, and I think we might see Fucito get a chance for a run out at wide forward as Songo'o is likely to be exhausted by the end of this match. Wallace may get the chance instead, but I cannot see the downside to giving Mike his chance.
RSL like to bring in Luis Gil and Johnny Steele, usually for the wide players. Emilio Bonfigli will likely come in for Paulo Jr. early in the second half, but won't have much more of an influence than his teammate. Luis Gil, however, will be a difference maker in the game for Salt Lake.
I haven't really had too much time to think about the match, but it seems that the key here should be Nagbe's ability to get behind Beckerman and Alhassan's ability to play two-way ball the entire game. If Songo'o continues his good work against Johnson and Beltran, this will draw the captain out of position, giving Nagbe and Alhassan room to work. Conversely, Zizzo could return to top form and torch Grabavoy and Wingert, which would also draw the defensive pivot out of position. And if both players are on their game, expect the chances to come on the counter with a respectable consistency. Salt Lake is going to control the game, so the Timbers need to maintain their defensive shape, track runners and maintain proper marking on set pieces. If the finishing doesn't fail us, as it did at the end of the last match, this trip to Utah should be much brighter than the 3-0 loss that immediately proceeded Spencer's firing. I don't think I can go as far as to predict a win, but scraping a goal late to equalize could be a reasonable result. 2-2 final score.
Another Draw on the Road
Chris Wondolowski cancelled out Danny Mwanga's brace with a stoppage time goal to thwart what looked to be Portland's first win on the road. The game was dominated by San Jose for the entire match. Gavin trotted out a flat 4-4-2, matching Frank Yallop's preferred formation. This switch in formation wasn't remotely effective tactically nor did players do well played somewhat out of position. The switch to the 4-4-2 clearly confused the team out of the gate, so San Jose completely controlled most of the first half.
After a bit of back and forth to start the match, with Boyd seeing a header go wide, Horst was forced to clear a shot off the line early, with questions about whether it had crossed the line strengthening the case for goal-line technology in soccer. When Dike came on for the injured Scotsman, Portland seemed to figure out their counterattack. In this formation, and against San Jose, Portland was never going to control possession, but Songo'o started to exert his influence on the left while Nagbe and Wallace started working well together on the right side, and Dike's pace and brutality keeping the defenders in check better than Boyd's better skill on the ball. He immediately put a head into a Bernardez, giving warning that a much larger and more aggressive player had now come onto the field. Minutes later Bendik gave his partner Opara an elbow to the back of the head as he came out to to meet a cross, showing our toughness at the front and the back and serving as a warning to Lenhart to watch himself.
After a San Jose give-away in midfield, Wallace and Mwanga worked a give and go to open the scoring right before the break. It was a good piece of footwork, first making a nice run between the defenders as they over committed, then rounding the keeper with composure. It was Danny's second goal of the year, his first coming against San Jose at home in July. The teams went into the locker rooms with Portland holding a rare lead on the road.
The second half saw much of the same, the Earthquakes dominating the game but not able to break through the defense. Horst was looking particularly effective against Lenhart in the middle, winning most of the headers that were sent in his direction. Wondo came in just before the hour mark, and immediately sparked the San Jose attack, which had become somewhat stagnant despite the control they exerted across the pitch. But it would be Portland who would score next, against all odds, and it was again on the break when Portland struck, as Songo'o dribbled down the field on the counter, holding off defenders before feeding Danny on the left. He took a few touches to his right and blasted a shot into the upper right, putting Portland up two goals just after the hour mark.
Gordon immediately came on after the goal. Shortly after he won a header, which Lenhart poked over to Wondo, who took a touch and beat Bendik at the far post. The lead was cut to one, with the 'Quakes fired up and ready to score again. The remainder of regulation time saw a handful of crazy scrums in the box, with Bendik coming up big a few times and San Jose coming close a few more. But all our hearts would break when Mosquera expertly flicked on to Wondo at the back post two minutes into stoppage time, who headed back across and into the goal - catching Bendik in an impossible position. It was one of the single worst instances of clearance and marking this year. We had three centerbacks, and they had three strikers, so there is no reason anyone should ever be unmarked.
Portland had one golden chance at the end, as Songo'o made another brilliant run with the ball downfield, literally holding off Victor Bernardez, then squaring the ball to the three red jerseys in the box. Jack was just behind Bright, with Nagbe a few yards to his right. Dike took the shot just as Lenhart tackled him from behind, putting it just wide right. It looked like a penalty to me, Lenhart took out his feet in the box, and never touched the ball. Not sure at all what the referee was looking at there, but it really shouldn't have mattered. Dike should have felt the pressure from behind and let the ball roll through for Nagbe or Jewsbury. How awesome would it have been if he just stopped dead in his tracks and took out Lenhart just as Nagbe slots in the winner. Instead he flubbed the shot and ruined a perfect attempt. Franck was livid at the wastefulness of his game-winning assist-to-be.
I predicted that the squad would maintain it's shape while giving some different faces a chance to prove themselves. This made sense given the success of the new formation, especially against teams playing a 4-4-2, which everyone could have told you San Jose would trot out. I'll have to guess that it was to give Mwanga a proper strike partner since he does not like being alone up top. Kris Boyd came back into the starting lineup next to Danny, but left after 13 minutes with a groin strain, injuring himself in the only decent moment he had on the pitch. Dike came in for him, and looked more dangerous, if less competant on the ball.
Portland matched San Jose's flat four midfield as Songo'o retained his role on the left and Jack stuck it out in the middle. Gavin moved Darlington out wide right and put Rodney in the middle of the pitch. It was a pretty strange move since Nagbe has become so successful after moving to the middle of the midfield where he can see more of the ball and control the offense instead of waiting for it to come to him. Rodney did okay for himself, but I think he would have been the more effective player on the right side, even with his left foot. If this were FIFA13, and Nagbe is a 82 and Wallace is a 75 in their first choice positions, switching them reduces their scores by 5-10 points. It is about optimizing your personnel, something this team has struggled with since forever.
Steven Smith returned to the lineup for Portland after his suspension, and Lovel Palmer started at right back for Kimura. Horst and Mosquera remained in the middle. Lovel did a poor job, as usual, but no worse than Kosuke does every time out. He did seem to do a better job of blocking crosses into the box than Kimura did against Seattle and Colorado, but that may just be a feature of Corrales or Morrow being less dangerous than Zakuani or Gonzalez. Palmer came out injured at the end of the match however, and a mask-less Kimura reprised his role on the backline.
On the other end of the field, Yallop gave Wondo and Gordon a breather, starting super-sub Lenhart for a change. Simon Dawkins played just off him as the second in their 4-4-2. Lenhart was neutralized well by Horst's man-marking, again showing that when he is turned on David can be an excellent defender. Simon Dawkins wasn't particularly effective as a striker and looked much more comfortable after Wondolowski came in and he moved to the wing.
San Jose started captain Ramiro Corrales on the left side of midfield, and he made successful runs against Palmer all night. The center of the midfield featured the workhorse Sam Cronin and playmaker Rafael Baca, who together regularly tore apart Jewsbury and Wallace. Mehdi Ballouchy started on the right with Dawkins up top, and didn't bring a whole lot to the game. He had his hands full with Songo'o on that side of the field, not able to stop Franck's runs and also not able to make successful forays himself.
Ike Opara returned to the back line, partnering with Victor Bernardez in the middle. Justin Morrow started on the left and Beitashour put in another excellent shift on the right. Busch retained his role between the posts. The defense didn't have a ton to do against a Portland team in possession, but they did not do well to react to the Timbers counterattacks. The Timbers scored twice on the counter and should have won the match on the counter as well, but for Dike's terrible miss.
The substitutions in this match really showed why Gavin should not be a head coach. Looking past the poor decision to start with a 4-4-2, his ineptitude was shown by the subsequent failure to make any changes at halftime. Despite having the lead, Portland had conceded 64% of possession to San Jose - something should have changed. Yallop reacted to Mwanga's second strike to bring in Wondo for Ballouchy and move Dawkins to the right. This didn't change the team's shape but improved their threat from the wing and in the box. Six minutes later when Alan Gordon entered the match for Baca, the 'Quakes shifted from the 4-4-2 into a 4-3-1-2, with Wondo playing just behind the two big targets and Cronin alone in the middle. The switch gave Portland more of the ball, but every time San Jose touched the ball it was a mad scramble to contain their attack. And Nagbe was still stuck on the wing instead of where he should have been, isolated against Cronin in the middle.
Gavin didn't react to the switch, which was immediately obvious, for another 20 minutes. Finally the team changed shape to deal with the three striker threat, with Brunner coming in for Mwanga at 85', moving Portland into a 5-4-1. Theoretically this switch would have worked, and it mostly did until Mosquera fed an otherwise offsides and totally unmarked Wondo. It was really too late though, and the team had already exhausted itself emotionally with all of the frantic clearances of the preceding twenty minutes.
When Gordon came on, the move should have been to remove Mwanga for Alexander right then, or at the latest after the first goal. Move Nagbe to the middle and give Wallace the job of marking Simon Dawkins, who was much more effective than Ballouchy. This frees up Jack to man-mark Wondolowski, so the centerbacks can focus on the big target forwards ahead of him, and puts a possession player in the middle to counter Cronin. Instead, Wondo dropped in and out of the midfield, causing confusion among the defense. Jack and Rodney inexpertly picked him up but lost him again as he drifted towards the front and overloading the defense. Nagbe was forced to defend Dawkins on the wing, putting him in poor position to create on the counter, which was obviously the only way the team was going to do anything positive. When Brunner came on, the backline was in shambles and the transition from two to three center defenders was not a smooth one.
A few final thoughts. I thought it was very encouraging to see Danny Mwanga really exert an influence over a match. Dike's entrance seriously changed the ability of San Jose to deal with the pairing, but his late miss should see him relegated to the bench in favor of anyone else. Wallace played well but should not be in the central midfield as he is not technically skilled enough, far too reckless, and his speed can be better utilized on the wing. Horst is a beast prone to one serious mistake a match. This time he let Wondo sneak back post for the win. I thought Mosquera was supposed to be our marquee defender. And now onto Utah.
After a bit of back and forth to start the match, with Boyd seeing a header go wide, Horst was forced to clear a shot off the line early, with questions about whether it had crossed the line strengthening the case for goal-line technology in soccer. When Dike came on for the injured Scotsman, Portland seemed to figure out their counterattack. In this formation, and against San Jose, Portland was never going to control possession, but Songo'o started to exert his influence on the left while Nagbe and Wallace started working well together on the right side, and Dike's pace and brutality keeping the defenders in check better than Boyd's better skill on the ball. He immediately put a head into a Bernardez, giving warning that a much larger and more aggressive player had now come onto the field. Minutes later Bendik gave his partner Opara an elbow to the back of the head as he came out to to meet a cross, showing our toughness at the front and the back and serving as a warning to Lenhart to watch himself.
After a San Jose give-away in midfield, Wallace and Mwanga worked a give and go to open the scoring right before the break. It was a good piece of footwork, first making a nice run between the defenders as they over committed, then rounding the keeper with composure. It was Danny's second goal of the year, his first coming against San Jose at home in July. The teams went into the locker rooms with Portland holding a rare lead on the road.
The second half saw much of the same, the Earthquakes dominating the game but not able to break through the defense. Horst was looking particularly effective against Lenhart in the middle, winning most of the headers that were sent in his direction. Wondo came in just before the hour mark, and immediately sparked the San Jose attack, which had become somewhat stagnant despite the control they exerted across the pitch. But it would be Portland who would score next, against all odds, and it was again on the break when Portland struck, as Songo'o dribbled down the field on the counter, holding off defenders before feeding Danny on the left. He took a few touches to his right and blasted a shot into the upper right, putting Portland up two goals just after the hour mark.
Gordon immediately came on after the goal. Shortly after he won a header, which Lenhart poked over to Wondo, who took a touch and beat Bendik at the far post. The lead was cut to one, with the 'Quakes fired up and ready to score again. The remainder of regulation time saw a handful of crazy scrums in the box, with Bendik coming up big a few times and San Jose coming close a few more. But all our hearts would break when Mosquera expertly flicked on to Wondo at the back post two minutes into stoppage time, who headed back across and into the goal - catching Bendik in an impossible position. It was one of the single worst instances of clearance and marking this year. We had three centerbacks, and they had three strikers, so there is no reason anyone should ever be unmarked.
Portland had one golden chance at the end, as Songo'o made another brilliant run with the ball downfield, literally holding off Victor Bernardez, then squaring the ball to the three red jerseys in the box. Jack was just behind Bright, with Nagbe a few yards to his right. Dike took the shot just as Lenhart tackled him from behind, putting it just wide right. It looked like a penalty to me, Lenhart took out his feet in the box, and never touched the ball. Not sure at all what the referee was looking at there, but it really shouldn't have mattered. Dike should have felt the pressure from behind and let the ball roll through for Nagbe or Jewsbury. How awesome would it have been if he just stopped dead in his tracks and took out Lenhart just as Nagbe slots in the winner. Instead he flubbed the shot and ruined a perfect attempt. Franck was livid at the wastefulness of his game-winning assist-to-be.
I predicted that the squad would maintain it's shape while giving some different faces a chance to prove themselves. This made sense given the success of the new formation, especially against teams playing a 4-4-2, which everyone could have told you San Jose would trot out. I'll have to guess that it was to give Mwanga a proper strike partner since he does not like being alone up top. Kris Boyd came back into the starting lineup next to Danny, but left after 13 minutes with a groin strain, injuring himself in the only decent moment he had on the pitch. Dike came in for him, and looked more dangerous, if less competant on the ball.
Portland matched San Jose's flat four midfield as Songo'o retained his role on the left and Jack stuck it out in the middle. Gavin moved Darlington out wide right and put Rodney in the middle of the pitch. It was a pretty strange move since Nagbe has become so successful after moving to the middle of the midfield where he can see more of the ball and control the offense instead of waiting for it to come to him. Rodney did okay for himself, but I think he would have been the more effective player on the right side, even with his left foot. If this were FIFA13, and Nagbe is a 82 and Wallace is a 75 in their first choice positions, switching them reduces their scores by 5-10 points. It is about optimizing your personnel, something this team has struggled with since forever.
Steven Smith returned to the lineup for Portland after his suspension, and Lovel Palmer started at right back for Kimura. Horst and Mosquera remained in the middle. Lovel did a poor job, as usual, but no worse than Kosuke does every time out. He did seem to do a better job of blocking crosses into the box than Kimura did against Seattle and Colorado, but that may just be a feature of Corrales or Morrow being less dangerous than Zakuani or Gonzalez. Palmer came out injured at the end of the match however, and a mask-less Kimura reprised his role on the backline.
On the other end of the field, Yallop gave Wondo and Gordon a breather, starting super-sub Lenhart for a change. Simon Dawkins played just off him as the second in their 4-4-2. Lenhart was neutralized well by Horst's man-marking, again showing that when he is turned on David can be an excellent defender. Simon Dawkins wasn't particularly effective as a striker and looked much more comfortable after Wondolowski came in and he moved to the wing.
San Jose started captain Ramiro Corrales on the left side of midfield, and he made successful runs against Palmer all night. The center of the midfield featured the workhorse Sam Cronin and playmaker Rafael Baca, who together regularly tore apart Jewsbury and Wallace. Mehdi Ballouchy started on the right with Dawkins up top, and didn't bring a whole lot to the game. He had his hands full with Songo'o on that side of the field, not able to stop Franck's runs and also not able to make successful forays himself.
Ike Opara returned to the back line, partnering with Victor Bernardez in the middle. Justin Morrow started on the left and Beitashour put in another excellent shift on the right. Busch retained his role between the posts. The defense didn't have a ton to do against a Portland team in possession, but they did not do well to react to the Timbers counterattacks. The Timbers scored twice on the counter and should have won the match on the counter as well, but for Dike's terrible miss.
The substitutions in this match really showed why Gavin should not be a head coach. Looking past the poor decision to start with a 4-4-2, his ineptitude was shown by the subsequent failure to make any changes at halftime. Despite having the lead, Portland had conceded 64% of possession to San Jose - something should have changed. Yallop reacted to Mwanga's second strike to bring in Wondo for Ballouchy and move Dawkins to the right. This didn't change the team's shape but improved their threat from the wing and in the box. Six minutes later when Alan Gordon entered the match for Baca, the 'Quakes shifted from the 4-4-2 into a 4-3-1-2, with Wondo playing just behind the two big targets and Cronin alone in the middle. The switch gave Portland more of the ball, but every time San Jose touched the ball it was a mad scramble to contain their attack. And Nagbe was still stuck on the wing instead of where he should have been, isolated against Cronin in the middle.
Gavin didn't react to the switch, which was immediately obvious, for another 20 minutes. Finally the team changed shape to deal with the three striker threat, with Brunner coming in for Mwanga at 85', moving Portland into a 5-4-1. Theoretically this switch would have worked, and it mostly did until Mosquera fed an otherwise offsides and totally unmarked Wondo. It was really too late though, and the team had already exhausted itself emotionally with all of the frantic clearances of the preceding twenty minutes.
When Gordon came on, the move should have been to remove Mwanga for Alexander right then, or at the latest after the first goal. Move Nagbe to the middle and give Wallace the job of marking Simon Dawkins, who was much more effective than Ballouchy. This frees up Jack to man-mark Wondolowski, so the centerbacks can focus on the big target forwards ahead of him, and puts a possession player in the middle to counter Cronin. Instead, Wondo dropped in and out of the midfield, causing confusion among the defense. Jack and Rodney inexpertly picked him up but lost him again as he drifted towards the front and overloading the defense. Nagbe was forced to defend Dawkins on the wing, putting him in poor position to create on the counter, which was obviously the only way the team was going to do anything positive. When Brunner came on, the backline was in shambles and the transition from two to three center defenders was not a smooth one.
A few final thoughts. I thought it was very encouraging to see Danny Mwanga really exert an influence over a match. Dike's entrance seriously changed the ability of San Jose to deal with the pairing, but his late miss should see him relegated to the bench in favor of anyone else. Wallace played well but should not be in the central midfield as he is not technically skilled enough, far too reckless, and his speed can be better utilized on the wing. Horst is a beast prone to one serious mistake a match. This time he let Wondo sneak back post for the win. I thought Mosquera was supposed to be our marquee defender. And now onto Utah.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Timbers in San Jose Preview
The boys travel to the Bay Area to face off tonight against the top team in the league, San Jose Earthquakes. Coming off a tough game this weekend, with another game at Salt Lake on Saturday, we can expect a roster shakeup over the course of this road trip. Portland still has yet to win a match on the road, and I don't think it's very likely that we'll see that streak ended this week. I think we could sneak a draw out of one of the two matches, most likely Salt Lake as they had a rough Champions League match in Panama last night. I'm expecting a heavy loss in California of the -2 differential variety. Wondolowski scores early, and Simon Dawkins adds a second before halftime. Nagbe pulls one back after the break only for Lenhart to pile two on after he comes in late. 4-1
Donovan Ricketts is out for a few weeks with a shoulder separation, so Joe Bendik will step into the starting lineup. Jake Gleeson was taken out by a Seattle thug in the Reserve match, so Scott Angevine was called up from the MLS goalkeeper pool to act as his deputy. Steven Smith will come back into the starting lineup, even though Wallace had a great performance on Saturday. We can expect to see Eric Brunner make his first team debut this week, but I think it will come on Saturday as he went 90 minutes on Sunday, so Horst and Mosquera will continue their partnership in the middle. Lovel Palmer will start at right back (his role on the Jamaican National Team) as Kimura has been terrible lately. As bad as Palmer is, Kimura is every bit his equal. If I had more inside information on the team's travel roster, I would have an advantage in predicting this stuff, like some other writers.
Jack remains the anchor in the midfield, and Eric Alexander will come in as Chara is out injured. Nagbe maintains his spot at the point of the midfield triangle. Songo'o starts again on the left, but I think anything I say after that is just guessing. Kalif showed he deserves to start again after his performance in the reserve match, and Sal is so easily shut down by players who are as fast as him, it has to happen. He also did not play the whole match on Sunday. Gavin really likes both players, so I cannot decide who will start. Mwanga showed a little of what he can provide up front when he came on against Seattle, and Dike showed exactly what he cannot do - consistently win challenges and hold up the ball when it comes his way. I think we will see Danny start since he didn't play in the reserve match.
Rodney Wallace will come off the bench first, for Songo'o, as his reward for his performance over the weekend. This will reduce the team's technical quality but increase the speed just as the game is slowing down. We cannot forget the increase of chaos that adding Wallace into the mix will provide, much as adding Lenhart late in the game does for San Jose. Depending on how Danny is doing, he might come out for Dike, but if he's having a great game, we might see an ineffective Kalif or Darlington come out instead. Either of those changes would result in a change of team shape to more of 4-4-2 diamond, which is also a good tactic if things are working later on in a match. The final sub will be Zizzo, probably very late, for Nagbe or Kalif, whomever is still left. I see no reason for Boyd to play another minute for this team.
I haven't paid enough attention to the Earthquakes lineup to successfully predict anything. I know they almost always play a flat 4-4-2 with Wondolowski and Gordon up top, then bring Lenhart in later in the game, sometimes for one of the forwards and sometimes for another position to pile it on up top. Steven Beitashour has been having a career season at right back and was called up to the All-Star game as well as a national team call up in August. Marvin Chavez is out injured, and Mehdi Ballouchy started for him. We may see Ramiro Corrales start though, as he has been a consistent midfield contributor. Sam Cronin has been solid in central midfield next to Rafael Baca, and Tottenham loanee Simon Dawkins is always dangerous.
It's a tough matchup tonight, one that is unlikely to go well. Portland should have an extra man down the center of the park, much like against Seattle. Cronin and Baca pale compared to facing Alonso, but they are both solid players. This game will come down to San Jose dominating our outside backs and getting Wondo and Gordon excellent service. Dawkins will destroy Palmer all night long.
I won't be able to watch the match live, as I have to work. Without a television or digital cable, I have to wait until the MLS Live blackout is over to watch the full match. Can't I just pay more to eliminate the blackouts on a game-by-game basis? I really don't want to pay for the rest of the nonsense on regular or cable television just so I can watch a recorded version of the game in a timely fashion.
Donovan Ricketts is out for a few weeks with a shoulder separation, so Joe Bendik will step into the starting lineup. Jake Gleeson was taken out by a Seattle thug in the Reserve match, so Scott Angevine was called up from the MLS goalkeeper pool to act as his deputy. Steven Smith will come back into the starting lineup, even though Wallace had a great performance on Saturday. We can expect to see Eric Brunner make his first team debut this week, but I think it will come on Saturday as he went 90 minutes on Sunday, so Horst and Mosquera will continue their partnership in the middle. Lovel Palmer will start at right back (his role on the Jamaican National Team) as Kimura has been terrible lately. As bad as Palmer is, Kimura is every bit his equal. If I had more inside information on the team's travel roster, I would have an advantage in predicting this stuff, like some other writers.
Jack remains the anchor in the midfield, and Eric Alexander will come in as Chara is out injured. Nagbe maintains his spot at the point of the midfield triangle. Songo'o starts again on the left, but I think anything I say after that is just guessing. Kalif showed he deserves to start again after his performance in the reserve match, and Sal is so easily shut down by players who are as fast as him, it has to happen. He also did not play the whole match on Sunday. Gavin really likes both players, so I cannot decide who will start. Mwanga showed a little of what he can provide up front when he came on against Seattle, and Dike showed exactly what he cannot do - consistently win challenges and hold up the ball when it comes his way. I think we will see Danny start since he didn't play in the reserve match.
Rodney Wallace will come off the bench first, for Songo'o, as his reward for his performance over the weekend. This will reduce the team's technical quality but increase the speed just as the game is slowing down. We cannot forget the increase of chaos that adding Wallace into the mix will provide, much as adding Lenhart late in the game does for San Jose. Depending on how Danny is doing, he might come out for Dike, but if he's having a great game, we might see an ineffective Kalif or Darlington come out instead. Either of those changes would result in a change of team shape to more of 4-4-2 diamond, which is also a good tactic if things are working later on in a match. The final sub will be Zizzo, probably very late, for Nagbe or Kalif, whomever is still left. I see no reason for Boyd to play another minute for this team.
I haven't paid enough attention to the Earthquakes lineup to successfully predict anything. I know they almost always play a flat 4-4-2 with Wondolowski and Gordon up top, then bring Lenhart in later in the game, sometimes for one of the forwards and sometimes for another position to pile it on up top. Steven Beitashour has been having a career season at right back and was called up to the All-Star game as well as a national team call up in August. Marvin Chavez is out injured, and Mehdi Ballouchy started for him. We may see Ramiro Corrales start though, as he has been a consistent midfield contributor. Sam Cronin has been solid in central midfield next to Rafael Baca, and Tottenham loanee Simon Dawkins is always dangerous.
It's a tough matchup tonight, one that is unlikely to go well. Portland should have an extra man down the center of the park, much like against Seattle. Cronin and Baca pale compared to facing Alonso, but they are both solid players. This game will come down to San Jose dominating our outside backs and getting Wondo and Gordon excellent service. Dawkins will destroy Palmer all night long.
I won't be able to watch the match live, as I have to work. Without a television or digital cable, I have to wait until the MLS Live blackout is over to watch the full match. Can't I just pay more to eliminate the blackouts on a game-by-game basis? I really don't want to pay for the rest of the nonsense on regular or cable television just so I can watch a recorded version of the game in a timely fashion.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Reserve League Home Finale
Today was the final home game of the season for the Timbers Reserves, played in the full sun of the afternoon against the Sounders Reserves. Fucito, Boyd, and then Richards scored within the 15 minute mark, putting the game out of reach before they really even got started. Apparently over 8000 people showed up, putting the reserve total attendence over 41000 over the five home matches in 2012.
Alhassan and Alexander bossed the central midfield while Futty and Brunner held things together at the back. With Boyd and Fucito up top, the Timbers in a 4-4-2 this time out, things down the center were starting caliber players. Rincon and Richards manned the wings, and Gleeson showed up for a match and looked to go the full 90 before injuring his hand. He scampered far out of his box to make a clearance, then had to chase down the ball again as he was too far out of his goal to stop a long chip. He got to the ball first but was the victim of a studs up slash across his hand and all the way up his arm. He was removed shortly after for U18 Academy product Mittch North. What a debut for the kid, and he did fairly well with the exception of a goal he basically gifted them. Reserve matches are specifically for that kind of training moment, and there isn't a better way to break the ice for him than to jump straight onto the Reserve Team while still in high school.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the debut of Jose Adolfo Valencia in the Rose City reds. He looked fairly sharp and easily as large as the monster Dike, but was something of a ball hog, once pushing Cam Vickers off the ball. He had 20 minutes of action, there was no need for him to push a teammate off the ball just to get a touch. Vickers was not afraid to give him an earful about it afterwards, and hopefully Caleb Porter saw the incident and reminds the young man that he is on a team.
I'm not even going to talk about the Sounders lineup because, frankly, I don't think anyone cares. David Estrada did play the entire second half, seemingly mended from his injury. Pity for him, as his season started off with a bang, scoring a number of goals and in the form of his life, until suffering a foot fracture in June.
The win postpones the horror that would be finishing last place in the reserves and first team simultaneously. Sounders are now three points back with one game left, hosting the Earthquakes reserves next weekend. If Sounders pull off the win, they still need to overcome a two goal deficit for both goals scored and goal differential. Disciplinary points is the third tiebreaker, that information isn't listed anywhere for the Reserve League, and I am not going to look at 17 match reports to calculate that myself. San Jose is on top of the table, of course, and a win would clinch them the Western Conference title, but Montreal and Columbus are fighting for the league wide bragging rights.
Good ending to the season for my kids. They have been to a few first team games this year, but those were quite a while ago. This was a nice way to let them have some closure with the season. Tanis was leading his brother in Timbers chants at home leading up to the match, while Cohyn was cheering for the team louder than most adults throughout the match.
Alhassan and Alexander bossed the central midfield while Futty and Brunner held things together at the back. With Boyd and Fucito up top, the Timbers in a 4-4-2 this time out, things down the center were starting caliber players. Rincon and Richards manned the wings, and Gleeson showed up for a match and looked to go the full 90 before injuring his hand. He scampered far out of his box to make a clearance, then had to chase down the ball again as he was too far out of his goal to stop a long chip. He got to the ball first but was the victim of a studs up slash across his hand and all the way up his arm. He was removed shortly after for U18 Academy product Mittch North. What a debut for the kid, and he did fairly well with the exception of a goal he basically gifted them. Reserve matches are specifically for that kind of training moment, and there isn't a better way to break the ice for him than to jump straight onto the Reserve Team while still in high school.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the debut of Jose Adolfo Valencia in the Rose City reds. He looked fairly sharp and easily as large as the monster Dike, but was something of a ball hog, once pushing Cam Vickers off the ball. He had 20 minutes of action, there was no need for him to push a teammate off the ball just to get a touch. Vickers was not afraid to give him an earful about it afterwards, and hopefully Caleb Porter saw the incident and reminds the young man that he is on a team.
I'm not even going to talk about the Sounders lineup because, frankly, I don't think anyone cares. David Estrada did play the entire second half, seemingly mended from his injury. Pity for him, as his season started off with a bang, scoring a number of goals and in the form of his life, until suffering a foot fracture in June.
The win postpones the horror that would be finishing last place in the reserves and first team simultaneously. Sounders are now three points back with one game left, hosting the Earthquakes reserves next weekend. If Sounders pull off the win, they still need to overcome a two goal deficit for both goals scored and goal differential. Disciplinary points is the third tiebreaker, that information isn't listed anywhere for the Reserve League, and I am not going to look at 17 match reports to calculate that myself. San Jose is on top of the table, of course, and a win would clinch them the Western Conference title, but Montreal and Columbus are fighting for the league wide bragging rights.
Good ending to the season for my kids. They have been to a few first team games this year, but those were quite a while ago. This was a nice way to let them have some closure with the season. Tanis was leading his brother in Timbers chants at home leading up to the match, while Cohyn was cheering for the team louder than most adults throughout the match.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Cascadia Cup Round Four
Timbers and Sounders drew 1-1 in a fast paced, entertaining game. Sounders looked the better side in the first half, though the score sheet remained empty. The second half remained about the same until Eddie Johnson and Donovan Ricketts collided. He took quite a blow to the shoulder and the neck, the same shoulder he injured throwing the ball against Colorado, which he was holding after a previous collision earlier in this game.
Ricketts eventually was up and able, but came out shortly after because of the shoulder issue. Bendik has been the primary #2 for whatever reason this year, so it fell to him. But unluckily for him, Montero hit an amazing strike on the volley from the edge of the box off a Gspurning long kick. Mosquera mistimed his jump in his attempt to head it away after the first bounce, giving Fredy the little bit of space he needed.
From that point on, Portland picked up the intensity and started to exert a greater influence on the match. Wallace and Zizzo started winning corners, and Jewsbury started taking them again. It's never been explained why after so much success last year he wasn't taking them this year. Some of the change I understand, having a left footed player kicking from the right corner so the ball swings in towards the goal instead of away from it. I also assumed that Songo'o or Alhassan had shown themselves to be superior in practice. Jack is a bigger body to have in the box so the switched seemed logical. But even the announcer on television noticed the improved degree of danger when Jack started taking the set pieces again. Oh yea, I'm talking about this because Jack pinged Wallace in the forehead on a corner, which slipped between Gspurning and Leo Gonzalez and into the net. Gonzalez almost cleared it off the line but actually drilled it into the inside-netting. He was in the way of Gpurning, who may have been able to slap it out of the goal, but he hit Leo instead.
The game really opened up at that point, with chances flying on both ends. Chara was hacked down in the 6 yard box brutally, but the idiot Salazar gave the Sounders a goal kick instead of awarding a PK. Dike rattled the post with a rocket that rolled all the way back across the goal before getting cleared. And Horst stopped Montero-Wonder-Strike-Pt.2, toe-poking the ball away a half-second before it was blasted into the net. The game ended after six minutes of stoppage time after Nagbe picked Alonso's pocket.
As for my lineup and substitution predictions, Timbers went with exactly the same lineup as I predicted but injuries marred the result. Ricketts gave way for Bendik as I mentioned, and Mwanga was indeed the first choice substitution but he came in for Songo'o after he came up lame. This moved Nagbe to the left for Songo'o and Danny slotted in behind Dike, transforming the shape into more of a 4-4-1-1 diamond, similar to Seattle. Gavin used his final sub to take out the hard-running Zizzo for Alhassan, a move which should have been made first and 20 minutes sooner, as Kalif immediately brightened up the field with his fresh legs, tight ball control, and passing vision. He set up a Mwanga strike which should at least have been put on frame, Danny had more than enough time and space to hit with composure.
Sigi decided to rest Tiffert and Rosales, with Rose starting at the tip of the diamond and Brad Evans on the right. Adam Johansson started at right back over Zach Scott, which was a shrewd move by Schmid. Gonzalez burned Kimura all night long from the left as he overlapped with Zakuani, who made his fair share of Kosuke kabob. With not much threat of offense coming down the Portland left flank, as Songo'o likes to tuck inside (as we witnessed during the first half when he forced Gspurning into a layout save) and with Wallace in as Steven Smith was out on accumulation, it was a great switch to put the weaker defender/stronger attacker at the right back spot. Seattle only used two subs, both after Montero put them ahead but before Portland scored. Sigi started by bringing in Mario Martinez for Zakuani - a like for like switch to get fresh legs on the field. Then he brought on Marc Burch for Brad Evans, a defensive switch, which would have given them two holding midfielders, with Andy Rose moving out wide right. But Wallace scored and killed his perfectly crafted tactical adjustment.
This leaves the Cascadia Cup still up for grabs with three total fixtures remaining. Portland leads the pack with 8 points, Seattle has 5 points, and Vancouver is stuck with just two points but a game in hand. The Whitecaps can give Portland a hand by beating the Sounders in Vancouver at the end of the month, which would leave Portland needing only a single point from the remaining two games to secure the cup. However, if Sounders beat the Caps away, Portland need only draw at Seattle to secure the cup. A loss to Seattle but a win in Vancouver would push things to the second tiebreaker: head-to-head goal differential, with head-to-head goals scored as the third and then total differential and total goals after that. That scenario would depend on how badly the hypothetical loss was to Seattle; if it was a one-goal decision then the tiebreaker would fall to how badly each team beats up the Whitecaps in BC Place.
All in all, a great game. But it would have been much greater if Ricardo Salazar didn't ignore a penalty. I quote the Army, "Referee, get off your knees, you're blowing the game!"
Ricketts eventually was up and able, but came out shortly after because of the shoulder issue. Bendik has been the primary #2 for whatever reason this year, so it fell to him. But unluckily for him, Montero hit an amazing strike on the volley from the edge of the box off a Gspurning long kick. Mosquera mistimed his jump in his attempt to head it away after the first bounce, giving Fredy the little bit of space he needed.
From that point on, Portland picked up the intensity and started to exert a greater influence on the match. Wallace and Zizzo started winning corners, and Jewsbury started taking them again. It's never been explained why after so much success last year he wasn't taking them this year. Some of the change I understand, having a left footed player kicking from the right corner so the ball swings in towards the goal instead of away from it. I also assumed that Songo'o or Alhassan had shown themselves to be superior in practice. Jack is a bigger body to have in the box so the switched seemed logical. But even the announcer on television noticed the improved degree of danger when Jack started taking the set pieces again. Oh yea, I'm talking about this because Jack pinged Wallace in the forehead on a corner, which slipped between Gspurning and Leo Gonzalez and into the net. Gonzalez almost cleared it off the line but actually drilled it into the inside-netting. He was in the way of Gpurning, who may have been able to slap it out of the goal, but he hit Leo instead.
The game really opened up at that point, with chances flying on both ends. Chara was hacked down in the 6 yard box brutally, but the idiot Salazar gave the Sounders a goal kick instead of awarding a PK. Dike rattled the post with a rocket that rolled all the way back across the goal before getting cleared. And Horst stopped Montero-Wonder-Strike-Pt.2, toe-poking the ball away a half-second before it was blasted into the net. The game ended after six minutes of stoppage time after Nagbe picked Alonso's pocket.
As for my lineup and substitution predictions, Timbers went with exactly the same lineup as I predicted but injuries marred the result. Ricketts gave way for Bendik as I mentioned, and Mwanga was indeed the first choice substitution but he came in for Songo'o after he came up lame. This moved Nagbe to the left for Songo'o and Danny slotted in behind Dike, transforming the shape into more of a 4-4-1-1 diamond, similar to Seattle. Gavin used his final sub to take out the hard-running Zizzo for Alhassan, a move which should have been made first and 20 minutes sooner, as Kalif immediately brightened up the field with his fresh legs, tight ball control, and passing vision. He set up a Mwanga strike which should at least have been put on frame, Danny had more than enough time and space to hit with composure.
Sigi decided to rest Tiffert and Rosales, with Rose starting at the tip of the diamond and Brad Evans on the right. Adam Johansson started at right back over Zach Scott, which was a shrewd move by Schmid. Gonzalez burned Kimura all night long from the left as he overlapped with Zakuani, who made his fair share of Kosuke kabob. With not much threat of offense coming down the Portland left flank, as Songo'o likes to tuck inside (as we witnessed during the first half when he forced Gspurning into a layout save) and with Wallace in as Steven Smith was out on accumulation, it was a great switch to put the weaker defender/stronger attacker at the right back spot. Seattle only used two subs, both after Montero put them ahead but before Portland scored. Sigi started by bringing in Mario Martinez for Zakuani - a like for like switch to get fresh legs on the field. Then he brought on Marc Burch for Brad Evans, a defensive switch, which would have given them two holding midfielders, with Andy Rose moving out wide right. But Wallace scored and killed his perfectly crafted tactical adjustment.
This leaves the Cascadia Cup still up for grabs with three total fixtures remaining. Portland leads the pack with 8 points, Seattle has 5 points, and Vancouver is stuck with just two points but a game in hand. The Whitecaps can give Portland a hand by beating the Sounders in Vancouver at the end of the month, which would leave Portland needing only a single point from the remaining two games to secure the cup. However, if Sounders beat the Caps away, Portland need only draw at Seattle to secure the cup. A loss to Seattle but a win in Vancouver would push things to the second tiebreaker: head-to-head goal differential, with head-to-head goals scored as the third and then total differential and total goals after that. That scenario would depend on how badly the hypothetical loss was to Seattle; if it was a one-goal decision then the tiebreaker would fall to how badly each team beats up the Whitecaps in BC Place.
All in all, a great game. But it would have been much greater if Ricardo Salazar didn't ignore a penalty. I quote the Army, "Referee, get off your knees, you're blowing the game!"
Portland v Seattle Preview
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Timbers are effectively last in the West
After a fairly dominant first half that saw Kris Boyd score after a defensive blunder, Chivas USA destroyed the Portland Timbers FC in the second half, scoring two goals and utterly embarrassing the home side. It was a painful second half to watch, one in which I was just in shock at how this usually terrible team was taking it to the boys in green.
I was happy to see Frank Songo'o start, but I'm not sure he did much that was noteworthy, other than try and take on two defenders too frequently. Nagbe started great but disappeared as the game wore on. Palmer is consistently one of our worst players on the field, while Rodney Wallace was pulled at half time in favor of Mike Chabala. Perlaza's entry into the match was highlighted by another pathetic miss.
Next week is at Los Angeles Galaxy, the only team in the Western Conference with fewer points than Portland but with a game in hand.
I was happy to see Frank Songo'o start, but I'm not sure he did much that was noteworthy, other than try and take on two defenders too frequently. Nagbe started great but disappeared as the game wore on. Palmer is consistently one of our worst players on the field, while Rodney Wallace was pulled at half time in favor of Mike Chabala. Perlaza's entry into the match was highlighted by another pathetic miss.
Next week is at Los Angeles Galaxy, the only team in the Western Conference with fewer points than Portland but with a game in hand.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Aston Villa visits Jeld-Wen this Summer
West Midlands club Aston Villa will face the Timbers this year, the Premier League side visiting Portland on July 28. It is currently unclear if this will count as Exhibition C for season ticket holders.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Reserves start season out with a loss
Travelling to San Jose, the reserve squad fell to their western conference opponents thanks to a Jean-Marc Alexandre goal just eight minutes into the second half. The match saw some players in interesting positions and some new faces as well. Kasali Casal, 25 year old former Fulham academy player, started the match at left back and went the entire 90 minutes. This bumped Mike Chabala, who also wore the captain's armband, into the center of the midfield, with Charles Renken on the left wing. Sal Zizzo made his return from injury in the 67', coming on for Sebastian Rincon, who is still not officially on the roster (my tactical mind is working here and I cannot imagine Zizzo playing striker behind Dike, so I figure Zizzo moves to the right wing and Richards moved up front). Two other unsigned players were on the bench, keeper Doug Herrick and midfielder Dylan Leslie. The team picked Herrick in the Supplemental Draft this year but chose to sign Bendik instead, while Leslie was his teammate at Saint Mary's College. Looks like Leslie spent time last with FC Tuscon in 2011, in the PDL.
The next match for the reserves is at Starfire against Seattle on April 10.
The next match for the reserves is at Starfire against Seattle on April 10.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Portland falls to New England
Returning to the site of the first point the MLS franchise ever earned, the Timbers gave away a goal inside of a minute. Poor defending by Kalif Alhassan and Jack Jewsbury allowed an excellent cross from Chris Tierney to find the head of Saer Sene, glancing off in the inside of the crossbar and into the goal. Alhassan failed to close down Tierney with a sense of urgency, while Jewsbury allowed Sene to stroll into the box unmarked as he followed behind him lackadaisically.
That's essentially the story of the match, with a few minor sidebars. Kris Boyd should have put two headers into the goal and Diego Chara failed to finish a chance that was ripe for plucking. Franck Songo'o came in for Eric Alexander after an hour and looked dynamic, ripping a shot from outside the box and bicycling Alston in the face, earning himself a yellow card five minutes into his MLS debut. Darlington Nagbe started up top in favor of Jorge Perlaza, while AJB saw minutes again as Mosquera suffered a broken face and went to the hospital after some sort of foul via elbow.
I listened to the game through a streamed radio broadcast, as I have no television, MLS LIVE blackout applies to local broadcasts for 24 hours and national for 48 hours (somehow Dallas was still available live), and I couldn't find an illicit stream either. So I haven't seen the replay of the foul on Mosquera (not part of the highlights), but the John Strong's description of the foul sounded like it should have at least been a yellow card, if not straight red. Jumping up and brandishing elbows in an aerial challenge is a red card.
Next week is Real Salt Lake at home. See you there.
That's essentially the story of the match, with a few minor sidebars. Kris Boyd should have put two headers into the goal and Diego Chara failed to finish a chance that was ripe for plucking. Franck Songo'o came in for Eric Alexander after an hour and looked dynamic, ripping a shot from outside the box and bicycling Alston in the face, earning himself a yellow card five minutes into his MLS debut. Darlington Nagbe started up top in favor of Jorge Perlaza, while AJB saw minutes again as Mosquera suffered a broken face and went to the hospital after some sort of foul via elbow.
I listened to the game through a streamed radio broadcast, as I have no television, MLS LIVE blackout applies to local broadcasts for 24 hours and national for 48 hours (somehow Dallas was still available live), and I couldn't find an illicit stream either. So I haven't seen the replay of the foul on Mosquera (not part of the highlights), but the John Strong's description of the foul sounded like it should have at least been a yellow card, if not straight red. Jumping up and brandishing elbows in an aerial challenge is a red card.
Next week is Real Salt Lake at home. See you there.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Valencia at Jeld-Wen Field May 23
The game is included in the season ticket package as Exhibition B. Valencia is sitting pretty in third place in La Liga.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Portland Timbers Football Club Season Preview: Central Midfield
In part four of my season preview, I'm going to take a look at our center midfielders. The guys who play in the middle of the park need to have excellent endurance and pace, as they need to be able to cover all the space between the boxes. Communication and leadership are of great importance, as they are the nucleus of the team in attack and in defense. Positioning and ball winning skills are the defensive attributes a good center mid needs, while calm distribution, vision, and creativity are the attacking skills they need to bring to the attack.
Diego Chara is the diamond of the Timbers midfield. He was the team's first Designated Player, and after a short adjustment period, was dominating midfields by the end of 2011. Diego is fast as hell and runs the entire game, covering the entire pitch with both his attacking forays and his tackles at full speed at the last second in the penalty box to save a goal. He sees the game well and runs the offense on this team. He has excellent positioning on defense and recovers quickly from his deep runs.
Jack Jewsbury was the captain of the team last year every time he stepped onto the pitch, with Perkins and Brunner deputizing in his absence. He will remain Captain Jack again, and is likely to start every match barring injury. I rate him below Chara because of technical skills and pace. I think his leadership on the field causes the team to become better organized as a defensive unit, and thus the team is able to create much more effectively when they have the ball, which is why he is the captain. Jack doesn't win every ball in the air, nor is he the greatest defender on the team, and he does get pushed around by the more physical players.
James Marcelin has been with the team since the final USL year and plays with the Haiti national team. He was a regular off the bench in 2011 and has been somewhat vocal about getting increased playing time. He is the guy I want to see come in for one of the strikers every match when we have a lead after 70'. James picks up all the defensive shortcomings of the captain, winning balls in the air and beating up opposing attackers with his physical defending, but maintains the good distribution and calmness about him on the ball. And he showed in preseason he has the long range accuracy as well. Solid place in the 18 and likely sub in most games.
Eric Alexander is a guy the team picked up in the trade with FC Dallas last summer. He prefers to play in the middle, but Spencer has put him out wide just to get him onto the pitch on occasion. Eric is a good distributor and uses his excellent vision and positioning to make up for not being the most physically imposing player. That's not to say he isn't a good defender, which he is, but he's not going to use his body like Marcelin does. Alexander has a place in the 18, if I'm counting correctly, but his role as a sub is very situational. His ability to play wide lets him onto the field as a substitute for a winger when we have a lead, but also when we need a goal as his attacking skills are just as valuable out wide even if he is not as fast as Kalif, Sal, or Darlington.
Freddie Braun is the fifth man on the depth chart in the center of midfield. I've seen less of him play, but he seems very good in possession and great at communicating with the team. He looked like a leader on the pitch in the reserve games and in the second preseason tournament game, but he lacks the defensive consistency or the creativity to make his way into the 18 with any regularity this year. He clearly has the skills to become a good player but needs to continue developing.
Diego Chara is the diamond of the Timbers midfield. He was the team's first Designated Player, and after a short adjustment period, was dominating midfields by the end of 2011. Diego is fast as hell and runs the entire game, covering the entire pitch with both his attacking forays and his tackles at full speed at the last second in the penalty box to save a goal. He sees the game well and runs the offense on this team. He has excellent positioning on defense and recovers quickly from his deep runs.
Jack Jewsbury was the captain of the team last year every time he stepped onto the pitch, with Perkins and Brunner deputizing in his absence. He will remain Captain Jack again, and is likely to start every match barring injury. I rate him below Chara because of technical skills and pace. I think his leadership on the field causes the team to become better organized as a defensive unit, and thus the team is able to create much more effectively when they have the ball, which is why he is the captain. Jack doesn't win every ball in the air, nor is he the greatest defender on the team, and he does get pushed around by the more physical players.
James Marcelin has been with the team since the final USL year and plays with the Haiti national team. He was a regular off the bench in 2011 and has been somewhat vocal about getting increased playing time. He is the guy I want to see come in for one of the strikers every match when we have a lead after 70'. James picks up all the defensive shortcomings of the captain, winning balls in the air and beating up opposing attackers with his physical defending, but maintains the good distribution and calmness about him on the ball. And he showed in preseason he has the long range accuracy as well. Solid place in the 18 and likely sub in most games.
Eric Alexander is a guy the team picked up in the trade with FC Dallas last summer. He prefers to play in the middle, but Spencer has put him out wide just to get him onto the pitch on occasion. Eric is a good distributor and uses his excellent vision and positioning to make up for not being the most physically imposing player. That's not to say he isn't a good defender, which he is, but he's not going to use his body like Marcelin does. Alexander has a place in the 18, if I'm counting correctly, but his role as a sub is very situational. His ability to play wide lets him onto the field as a substitute for a winger when we have a lead, but also when we need a goal as his attacking skills are just as valuable out wide even if he is not as fast as Kalif, Sal, or Darlington.
Freddie Braun is the fifth man on the depth chart in the center of midfield. I've seen less of him play, but he seems very good in possession and great at communicating with the team. He looked like a leader on the pitch in the reserve games and in the second preseason tournament game, but he lacks the defensive consistency or the creativity to make his way into the 18 with any regularity this year. He clearly has the skills to become a good player but needs to continue developing.
Portland Timbers Football Club Season Preview: Outside Backs
In part three of my Portland Timbers Football Club Season Preview, I am going to take a look at the outside backs. Speed and one on one defending skills are extremely important for an outside defender, having to handle tricky wingers up and down the flanks all match. They are the only defenders asked to join in the attack, and thus need to be able to have excellent ball control and connect well with the midfield. Leftbacks are generally more effective if they prefer the left foot, and are a highly prized soccer commodity. Spencer likes to play with overlapping runs, the outside backs making deep runs into the corners to send in crosses. I think outside back is the weakest area on the team by far, and could definitely use further reinforcements over the summer.
Right side:
Lovel Palmer is the most experienced and skilled outside defender on the team. He provides a lot of quickness and a thunderous boot; he is good at crossing it into the box but not great. He has shown some defensive weaknesses, sometimes ball watching and getting nutmegged. His stability, leadership, and experience make him a solid starter, but I'd like to see better defending out of him this year.
Steve Purdy is the second choice option at right back, and shared time in the starting eleven here with Jeremy Hall last season before the summer transfer window moves that sent Hall to Dallas and Palmer was acquired from Houston. Steve's one on one defending skills are his primary asset here, with good speed and positioning, but lacking the attacking bite of Palmer. I think he is a lock to start here if Palmer goes down, but won't make the 18 otherwise.
Ryan Kawulok, drafted first in the 2012 Supplemental Draft and two year Timbers U-23 member, was signed during the preseason. He showed that he is solid defender and is good going forward so far. His positional sense cannot be questioned yet since it lead to him being in exactly the right place to score the tying goal against Chivas USA in the tournament this preseason. I haven't seen enough of him to comment further on his skills, but it would appear he is quite promising, and will most likely push Purdy on to greener pastures after this season (he was courted by teams in El Salvador where he would start and likely see CONCACAF Champions League time).
Left side:
Rodney Wallace is my number one at leftback, though this is maybe the toughest position to pick a number one with Chabala breathing down his neck. I think Wallace gets the start because of his speed and his final ball. He is a good defender, but not great, and has decent positioning, when he's paying attention. Ultimately Rodney's immaturity on the field caused him to lose his starting spot, as his constant errors lead to lost points: the first goal against Colorado and the handball PK that tied the game against New York are the first examples that jump to my mind. If he can lock down those errors, turn his focus up a few notches on the dial, and maintain his positioning the entire game, he will be lock to start on the left side of the field every game.
Mike Chabala, former USL Timber now MLS Timber, was acquired last year from Houston because of the trouble with Wallace's consistency. Chabala's distribution, defensive skills, and ability to communicate with the defense and the midfield are all on par with Rodney, but he is much slower. A lot slower: Wallace is blazing. But Mike is the more consistent player, more reliable as a defender because of his superior positioning and his better focus. He's also a fiery player and an emotional leader on the field. I think he should make the 18, as an option to push Wallace into midfield and take out a defensively liable attacking player.
Chris Taylor is the third option at left back. He showed in the preseason tournament that he has vastly improved form from the beginning of last season, but is still pretty raw and is not ready to start for the first team. Chris is quick, good one on one, a good distributor from the back, and gets into the attack well. But these skills are good for a reserve player, poor for a starter. The gulf between Taylor and the two above him on the depth chart is vast, and it is unlikely we will see Taylor in an 18 again this year, barring catastrophic injuries.
Right side:
Lovel Palmer is the most experienced and skilled outside defender on the team. He provides a lot of quickness and a thunderous boot; he is good at crossing it into the box but not great. He has shown some defensive weaknesses, sometimes ball watching and getting nutmegged. His stability, leadership, and experience make him a solid starter, but I'd like to see better defending out of him this year.
Steve Purdy is the second choice option at right back, and shared time in the starting eleven here with Jeremy Hall last season before the summer transfer window moves that sent Hall to Dallas and Palmer was acquired from Houston. Steve's one on one defending skills are his primary asset here, with good speed and positioning, but lacking the attacking bite of Palmer. I think he is a lock to start here if Palmer goes down, but won't make the 18 otherwise.
Ryan Kawulok, drafted first in the 2012 Supplemental Draft and two year Timbers U-23 member, was signed during the preseason. He showed that he is solid defender and is good going forward so far. His positional sense cannot be questioned yet since it lead to him being in exactly the right place to score the tying goal against Chivas USA in the tournament this preseason. I haven't seen enough of him to comment further on his skills, but it would appear he is quite promising, and will most likely push Purdy on to greener pastures after this season (he was courted by teams in El Salvador where he would start and likely see CONCACAF Champions League time).
Left side:
Rodney Wallace is my number one at leftback, though this is maybe the toughest position to pick a number one with Chabala breathing down his neck. I think Wallace gets the start because of his speed and his final ball. He is a good defender, but not great, and has decent positioning, when he's paying attention. Ultimately Rodney's immaturity on the field caused him to lose his starting spot, as his constant errors lead to lost points: the first goal against Colorado and the handball PK that tied the game against New York are the first examples that jump to my mind. If he can lock down those errors, turn his focus up a few notches on the dial, and maintain his positioning the entire game, he will be lock to start on the left side of the field every game.
Mike Chabala, former USL Timber now MLS Timber, was acquired last year from Houston because of the trouble with Wallace's consistency. Chabala's distribution, defensive skills, and ability to communicate with the defense and the midfield are all on par with Rodney, but he is much slower. A lot slower: Wallace is blazing. But Mike is the more consistent player, more reliable as a defender because of his superior positioning and his better focus. He's also a fiery player and an emotional leader on the field. I think he should make the 18, as an option to push Wallace into midfield and take out a defensively liable attacking player.
Chris Taylor is the third option at left back. He showed in the preseason tournament that he has vastly improved form from the beginning of last season, but is still pretty raw and is not ready to start for the first team. Chris is quick, good one on one, a good distributor from the back, and gets into the attack well. But these skills are good for a reserve player, poor for a starter. The gulf between Taylor and the two above him on the depth chart is vast, and it is unlikely we will see Taylor in an 18 again this year, barring catastrophic injuries.
Portland Timbers Football Club Season Preview: Central Defense
In part two of my preview of the 2012 Portland Timbers, I am going to talk about the centerbacks on the team. Centerbacks need to be good in the air, to defend against set pieces and to repel the route one attacks of direct teams. Central defenders need to be physical specimens able to hold their ground against aggressive attackers; fleetness of foot is paramount to counter the swift attackers as well. The central defenders also need to be able to build the attack out of the back, developing possession and providing an outlet for attackers under pressure higher on the field. A calmness on the ball and ability to get the ball back to his central midfield or outside backs instead of blasting it downfield is a great asset, and a reason Geoff Cameron is the second coming of centerbacks on the national team. But positional awareness and communication with your partner and the outside backs are the most important skills that a centerback can bring to his team, and excellence at these traits can hugely make up for average qualities in the others.
Eric Brunner is the perceived number one going into the season. He was the anchor of the defense last season, while his partner rotated endlessly due to injury. Brunner is tall and good in the air, but he is sometimes forced out of position by beefier players. He's pretty quick but isn't a speed demon, and we saw him have to resort to some last ditch efforts to save the side, sometimes unsuccessfully like his red card against Seattle. But his communication and leadership skills are excellent and his positional awareness is good and continues to improve. Brunner is a lock to start if healthy, but may slip to number two over the course of the season if someone else steps up big.
Hanyer Mosquera, acquired from Colombian club La Equidad over the offseason. I haven't seen much of him, obviously, but it was pretty clearly stated that they brought him in to start in defense, so I'm putting him in here at number two, and is obviously one of the guys who could overtake Brunner as the number one centerback. He's a big guy and seems pretty fast from what I saw in the preseason tournament. There are currently some issues acquiring his International Transfer Certificate, but Merritt Paulson claimed on twitter he was "75% positive" they would have the ITC by game time Monday night.
Mamadou "Futty" Danso is the most veteran Timber on the team (unless you count Homegrown Brent Richards, who has been affiliated with the club since he was a child), having been with the USL side since 2009. The Gambian is big and strong, good in the air, and has a good positional awareness. He has developed good communication with Brunner and Horst when they played together, so I feel safe assuming he will develop a good on-field relationship with Mosquera as well. Futty has average pace and has decent distribution but is prone to make small errors like a lazy clearance or a positional mistake. When he is healthy, Futty should be the option off the bench on game days as the clear number three on the team. He is currently injured: Dike stepped on his foot and broke the pinky toe bone. He will be out at least another month.
David Horst, of the famous Horstache, showed himself to be starting quality last year. David underwent hip surgery in the off-season and will be out for a couple months longer at least. He is very physical and seemed to show some great positional sense at the end of the season. He is on the slower side of the speed wheel though, but doesn't seem to make the gaffes that Futty has in the past, and is every bit as good in the air as Futty or Brunner. I think when he is healthy he will make an excellent case for that spot on the bench, and could see time rotating in and out of the 18. Clearly will be a starter for reserve league games.
Steve Purdy, member of the 2010 USL PTFC and the El Salvador national team, is a versatile defender. He's both good in distribution and positional awareness, and is a good one on one defender. He is one of the faster defenders but is on the smaller side physically. Last year we saw him start at rightback for the first team and centerback for the reserve team; it seems he may be more suited to the wide role, and is certainly higher on that depth chart than fifth. He gets the advantage here over the rookie because of experience. Purdy is also injured right now with a hamstring issue.
And last but certainly not the least, as he is a huge kid, the 19 year old drafted out of University of Connecticut as a Generation adidas player in the first round of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, Andrew Jean-Baptiste. Big and fast, Andrew is vastly inexperienced in all aspects of the professional game. He's physically ready to play with the big boys, but needs to develop his positioning, distribution, and focus. His poor passing out of the back ended up as an own goal by Mosquera against San Jose. That type of error is what I'm afraid we will see out of AJB should he have to start tonight against an aggressive Philadelphia attack. Jean-Baptiste is effectively sixth on the depth chart at central defense, but will certainly overtake at least Purdy by season's end if he works hard and learns the thinking side of the game.
Eric Brunner is the perceived number one going into the season. He was the anchor of the defense last season, while his partner rotated endlessly due to injury. Brunner is tall and good in the air, but he is sometimes forced out of position by beefier players. He's pretty quick but isn't a speed demon, and we saw him have to resort to some last ditch efforts to save the side, sometimes unsuccessfully like his red card against Seattle. But his communication and leadership skills are excellent and his positional awareness is good and continues to improve. Brunner is a lock to start if healthy, but may slip to number two over the course of the season if someone else steps up big.
Hanyer Mosquera, acquired from Colombian club La Equidad over the offseason. I haven't seen much of him, obviously, but it was pretty clearly stated that they brought him in to start in defense, so I'm putting him in here at number two, and is obviously one of the guys who could overtake Brunner as the number one centerback. He's a big guy and seems pretty fast from what I saw in the preseason tournament. There are currently some issues acquiring his International Transfer Certificate, but Merritt Paulson claimed on twitter he was "75% positive" they would have the ITC by game time Monday night.
Mamadou "Futty" Danso is the most veteran Timber on the team (unless you count Homegrown Brent Richards, who has been affiliated with the club since he was a child), having been with the USL side since 2009. The Gambian is big and strong, good in the air, and has a good positional awareness. He has developed good communication with Brunner and Horst when they played together, so I feel safe assuming he will develop a good on-field relationship with Mosquera as well. Futty has average pace and has decent distribution but is prone to make small errors like a lazy clearance or a positional mistake. When he is healthy, Futty should be the option off the bench on game days as the clear number three on the team. He is currently injured: Dike stepped on his foot and broke the pinky toe bone. He will be out at least another month.
David Horst, of the famous Horstache, showed himself to be starting quality last year. David underwent hip surgery in the off-season and will be out for a couple months longer at least. He is very physical and seemed to show some great positional sense at the end of the season. He is on the slower side of the speed wheel though, but doesn't seem to make the gaffes that Futty has in the past, and is every bit as good in the air as Futty or Brunner. I think when he is healthy he will make an excellent case for that spot on the bench, and could see time rotating in and out of the 18. Clearly will be a starter for reserve league games.
Steve Purdy, member of the 2010 USL PTFC and the El Salvador national team, is a versatile defender. He's both good in distribution and positional awareness, and is a good one on one defender. He is one of the faster defenders but is on the smaller side physically. Last year we saw him start at rightback for the first team and centerback for the reserve team; it seems he may be more suited to the wide role, and is certainly higher on that depth chart than fifth. He gets the advantage here over the rookie because of experience. Purdy is also injured right now with a hamstring issue.
And last but certainly not the least, as he is a huge kid, the 19 year old drafted out of University of Connecticut as a Generation adidas player in the first round of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, Andrew Jean-Baptiste. Big and fast, Andrew is vastly inexperienced in all aspects of the professional game. He's physically ready to play with the big boys, but needs to develop his positioning, distribution, and focus. His poor passing out of the back ended up as an own goal by Mosquera against San Jose. That type of error is what I'm afraid we will see out of AJB should he have to start tonight against an aggressive Philadelphia attack. Jean-Baptiste is effectively sixth on the depth chart at central defense, but will certainly overtake at least Purdy by season's end if he works hard and learns the thinking side of the game.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Portland Timbers Football Club Season Preview: Goalkeepers
In part one of my preview of the 2012 Portland Timbers, I am going to take a look at the goalkeepers on the team. I plan to talk about each position, some strengths and weaknesses for each player, and create a depth chart for each position.
The team signed Joe Bendik in the preseason to replace the retired Adin Brown. Bendik graduated from Clemson University and went to Norwegian club Sogndal, where he was in and out of the starting lineup two two years. Joe joined the team in the preseason, and was signed on February 24. Joe is a big, strong keeper, standing 6'3" and weighing 205 lbs, and he is only 22. I have admittedly only seen one half of action from Bendik so I can't really access him that well.
Jake Gleeson is in his third year with the Timbers organization, having won a national championship with the U-23 side in 2010. Jake started the 2011 season as the number three, but ended up seeing action in the second game of the season after Adin Brown was injured (following Troy Perkins' preseason injury of course). The young Kiwi proved he is the real deal, and ended the season as the clear number two. Jake is every bit as tall as Joe, with a little less bulk. He has shown that he has some amazing reflexes, great leaping ability, and is quick off his line. His distribution out of the back is average. While unfazed by the magnitude of the games under his belt, his decision making skills need the refinement that experience will bring, something the 21 year old will get by the bucketful as he leads the New Zealand Olympic team in London this summer.
Troy Perkins is the clear number one, bringing both the skill and the experience necessary to lead a defense and make huge saves. He showed his reflexes and quickness over and over as the season progressed, not only just with his kick save against Chicago that was runner-up for Save of the Year. Troy came to Portland via trade with DC United, sending Steve Cronin to the other coast. The team worked out a new deal and our netminder in the offseason, keeping him here for awhile. Troy is just a few months younger than Jack Jewsbury, who both will turn 31 this season, so he should have another of decade of clean sheets for the club. Hopefully we get to see Troy start at least 40 games this year.
Depth Chart: 1. Perkins 2. Gleeson 3. Bendik
The team signed Joe Bendik in the preseason to replace the retired Adin Brown. Bendik graduated from Clemson University and went to Norwegian club Sogndal, where he was in and out of the starting lineup two two years. Joe joined the team in the preseason, and was signed on February 24. Joe is a big, strong keeper, standing 6'3" and weighing 205 lbs, and he is only 22. I have admittedly only seen one half of action from Bendik so I can't really access him that well.
Jake Gleeson is in his third year with the Timbers organization, having won a national championship with the U-23 side in 2010. Jake started the 2011 season as the number three, but ended up seeing action in the second game of the season after Adin Brown was injured (following Troy Perkins' preseason injury of course). The young Kiwi proved he is the real deal, and ended the season as the clear number two. Jake is every bit as tall as Joe, with a little less bulk. He has shown that he has some amazing reflexes, great leaping ability, and is quick off his line. His distribution out of the back is average. While unfazed by the magnitude of the games under his belt, his decision making skills need the refinement that experience will bring, something the 21 year old will get by the bucketful as he leads the New Zealand Olympic team in London this summer.
Troy Perkins is the clear number one, bringing both the skill and the experience necessary to lead a defense and make huge saves. He showed his reflexes and quickness over and over as the season progressed, not only just with his kick save against Chicago that was runner-up for Save of the Year. Troy came to Portland via trade with DC United, sending Steve Cronin to the other coast. The team worked out a new deal and our netminder in the offseason, keeping him here for awhile. Troy is just a few months younger than Jack Jewsbury, who both will turn 31 this season, so he should have another of decade of clean sheets for the club. Hopefully we get to see Troy start at least 40 games this year.
Depth Chart: 1. Perkins 2. Gleeson 3. Bendik
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Union of European Football Associations Europa League Round of Sixteen
Both Manchester clubs lost the first legs of their Europa League ties. City traveled to Portugal to face Sporting CP Lisbon, Oguchi Onyewu's club, but lost after Joe Hart saved twice only for Xandao to backheel past him for the lone goal at 51'. Onyewu did not feature in the match as he is nursing an injury. City will host Sporting at the Etihad Stadium on March 15, with a good chance to reverse the result.
United fell 2-3 to Athletic Bilbao at home, setting up a very difficult return leg next Thursday. Wayne Rooney started things right for United at 22' when he put back a rebound from a Chicharito shoat, but Fernando Llorente equalized just before halftime. Oscar de Marcos volleyed on into the far corner 72' into the match to give Athletic the lead, and Iker Muniain capitalized on a rebound and some poor defending to make it three. Just after the restart de Marcos would handle the ball, and Rooney buried his spot kick to close the gap back to one. Bilbao will host Manchester United in Catalonia for the return leg.
There are three Erediviisie clubs left in the competition. Jozy Altidore put in a full shift for AZ Alkmaar as they beat Udinese 2-0. Maarten Martens scored just after the hour mark, while his substitute Erik Falkenburg scored 7 minutes after his entrance. Twente Enschede defeated Bundesliga side Schalke 04 thanks to a Luuk de Jong penalty. PSV Eindoven did not fare as well, falling 4-2 away at Valencia. The Spanish side went up by four thanks to Victor Ruiz, a Roberto Soldado brace, and Pablo Piatti. They concded a penalty in the 83' though, which was converted by Ola Toivonen, and gave up a very late second away goal to Georgino Wijnaldum.
Greek side Olympiakos traveled to FC Metalist Kharkiv in the Ukraine, where David Fuster pulled out a winner at 50'. Atletico Madrid went up three nil in the first half over Besiktas after Eduardo Salvio netted a brace and Adrian added to the talley. Simao was able to get a crucial away goal when he scored in the second half. Standard Liege and Hannover 96 played to a 2-2 draw in Belgium.
United fell 2-3 to Athletic Bilbao at home, setting up a very difficult return leg next Thursday. Wayne Rooney started things right for United at 22' when he put back a rebound from a Chicharito shoat, but Fernando Llorente equalized just before halftime. Oscar de Marcos volleyed on into the far corner 72' into the match to give Athletic the lead, and Iker Muniain capitalized on a rebound and some poor defending to make it three. Just after the restart de Marcos would handle the ball, and Rooney buried his spot kick to close the gap back to one. Bilbao will host Manchester United in Catalonia for the return leg.
There are three Erediviisie clubs left in the competition. Jozy Altidore put in a full shift for AZ Alkmaar as they beat Udinese 2-0. Maarten Martens scored just after the hour mark, while his substitute Erik Falkenburg scored 7 minutes after his entrance. Twente Enschede defeated Bundesliga side Schalke 04 thanks to a Luuk de Jong penalty. PSV Eindoven did not fare as well, falling 4-2 away at Valencia. The Spanish side went up by four thanks to Victor Ruiz, a Roberto Soldado brace, and Pablo Piatti. They concded a penalty in the 83' though, which was converted by Ola Toivonen, and gave up a very late second away goal to Georgino Wijnaldum.
Greek side Olympiakos traveled to FC Metalist Kharkiv in the Ukraine, where David Fuster pulled out a winner at 50'. Atletico Madrid went up three nil in the first half over Besiktas after Eduardo Salvio netted a brace and Adrian added to the talley. Simao was able to get a crucial away goal when he scored in the second half. Standard Liege and Hannover 96 played to a 2-2 draw in Belgium.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football Champions League Quarterfinals Matchday One
The time is finally upon us: Champions League in the Western Hemisphere. The knockout stage of the CONCACAF competition resumed this week with four matchups.
Monarcas Morelia hosted the holders Monterrey, slipping to a 1-3 loss. Morelia, who sit at the top of their domestic table, controlled most of this match and were more threatening throughout. But they gave up an early penalty when Mauricio Romero took down Reyna Martinez in the box. Humberto Suazo hit his PK straight at the keeper Federico Vilar, who jumped out of the way. Just before the half Cesar Delgado took the ball down the right side of the box to the end line, then centered for Suazo who volleyed it across the goal past Vilar. Juel Huiqui Andrade was able to pull one back for Morelia when he won a long cross from Edgar Lugo in the box and cleared Jonathan Orozco's reaching hands. But Morelia let in a crucial third away goal in stoppage time when Abraham Dario Carreno cleaned up a scrum, tapping in a rebound off the post. Here are the official highlights. The return leg is in Monterrey on Tuesday.
In this year's equivalent of 2011 RSL v Columbus, the Los Angeles Galaxy traveled to the Rogers Centre in Toronto on Wednesday to play in front of over 47k people. Ryan Johnson started things early for the Canadians, hitting the roof of the net at 11' after Mike Magee's pathetic clearance of Torsten Frings' corner fell right to him unmarked. Rookie Luis Silva doubled the lead only five minutes later when he drifted unmarked behind the central defense, found by Frings again. Mike Magee put LA on the score sheet just before the half hour when he met Sean Franklin's cross at the far post. It was fully an hour later when a Beckham corner was bouncing around in the goal and Donovan poked it in to give the Galaxy a draw. Here are the official highlights. The return leg is on Wednesday at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles.
The third MLS team in the knockout round is Seattle Sounders FC, who hosted Santos Laguna at Century Link Field. 23k fans showed up to see their horribly ugly uniformed players defeat the Mexican side, with former USL Sounder, former Sigi Schmid LA Galaxy player, and seemingly former US national team striker Herculez Gomez playing against his former side and coach as a talking point prior to the match. And the drama didn't let us down, as Herc scored an equalizer for Santos on the hour mark after he was fed into the box by Marc Crosas. David Estrada had opened the scoring for Seattle just 11' in when Fredy Montero found him at the back post with a lofted cross into the box. Flounders' were broken for only a few minutes after the equalizer, when Brad Evans connected with Mauro Rosales' free kick to give Seattle the win. Official highlights; Seattle travels to Mexico for a Wednesday showdown.
Isidro Metapan provided the upset of the round as they defeated UNAM Pumas 2-1 at home in El Salvador. Lestor Blanco netted a brace for the upstarts, putting the first past Alejandro Palacios. After receiving the ball in the box with one defender marking him, he held the ball around the six, gathering defenders until eventually putting it past six white shirts. His second came off an Alfredo Alberto Pacheco corner kick, flicking the ball into the back corner. But the Salvadorans were unable to keep a Pumas off the board, when Jose Nieto Martinez slipped Eduardo Herrera Aguirre in on goal. Here are the official highlights. The teams face off in Mexico next Thursday.
Monarcas Morelia hosted the holders Monterrey, slipping to a 1-3 loss. Morelia, who sit at the top of their domestic table, controlled most of this match and were more threatening throughout. But they gave up an early penalty when Mauricio Romero took down Reyna Martinez in the box. Humberto Suazo hit his PK straight at the keeper Federico Vilar, who jumped out of the way. Just before the half Cesar Delgado took the ball down the right side of the box to the end line, then centered for Suazo who volleyed it across the goal past Vilar. Juel Huiqui Andrade was able to pull one back for Morelia when he won a long cross from Edgar Lugo in the box and cleared Jonathan Orozco's reaching hands. But Morelia let in a crucial third away goal in stoppage time when Abraham Dario Carreno cleaned up a scrum, tapping in a rebound off the post. Here are the official highlights. The return leg is in Monterrey on Tuesday.
In this year's equivalent of 2011 RSL v Columbus, the Los Angeles Galaxy traveled to the Rogers Centre in Toronto on Wednesday to play in front of over 47k people. Ryan Johnson started things early for the Canadians, hitting the roof of the net at 11' after Mike Magee's pathetic clearance of Torsten Frings' corner fell right to him unmarked. Rookie Luis Silva doubled the lead only five minutes later when he drifted unmarked behind the central defense, found by Frings again. Mike Magee put LA on the score sheet just before the half hour when he met Sean Franklin's cross at the far post. It was fully an hour later when a Beckham corner was bouncing around in the goal and Donovan poked it in to give the Galaxy a draw. Here are the official highlights. The return leg is on Wednesday at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles.
The third MLS team in the knockout round is Seattle Sounders FC, who hosted Santos Laguna at Century Link Field. 23k fans showed up to see their horribly ugly uniformed players defeat the Mexican side, with former USL Sounder, former Sigi Schmid LA Galaxy player, and seemingly former US national team striker Herculez Gomez playing against his former side and coach as a talking point prior to the match. And the drama didn't let us down, as Herc scored an equalizer for Santos on the hour mark after he was fed into the box by Marc Crosas. David Estrada had opened the scoring for Seattle just 11' in when Fredy Montero found him at the back post with a lofted cross into the box. Flounders' were broken for only a few minutes after the equalizer, when Brad Evans connected with Mauro Rosales' free kick to give Seattle the win. Official highlights; Seattle travels to Mexico for a Wednesday showdown.
Isidro Metapan provided the upset of the round as they defeated UNAM Pumas 2-1 at home in El Salvador. Lestor Blanco netted a brace for the upstarts, putting the first past Alejandro Palacios. After receiving the ball in the box with one defender marking him, he held the ball around the six, gathering defenders until eventually putting it past six white shirts. His second came off an Alfredo Alberto Pacheco corner kick, flicking the ball into the back corner. But the Salvadorans were unable to keep a Pumas off the board, when Jose Nieto Martinez slipped Eduardo Herrera Aguirre in on goal. Here are the official highlights. The teams face off in Mexico next Thursday.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Portland Timbers Preseason Tournament Matchday Three
The conclusion of the Timbers Preseason Tournament on Sunday was an exciting and inspiring affair. I wasn't able to make the first leg of the double header, as my request for the day off at work was ignored, but San Jose totally embarrassed Chivas five nil. With a massively improved Vancouver side, Chivas looks to be a lock for the cellar this season. I managed to work out a double switch in order to make it to Jdub in time for warm ups; I was hoping to be joined by Will from work, but scalper prices were too high for his taste. As a result I sat in a slightly different place than normal, and was happy to receive that alternate perspective. I was disappointed by the group directly in front of me, as several young girls were totally disinterested and pointedly moved away from me (forcing their dad to stand in front of me and listen to my excellent singing voice).
John Spencer trotted out what looks to be a first choice line-up, one we could see on opening day against Philadelphia. Perkins started in goal, with Brunner and Mosquera ahead of him in the center of defense. Jewsbury and Chara started in the central midfield, and Kris Boyd got his first start alongside Jorge Perlaza at the top of the 442. It is extremely likely we will see this same backbone on Monday. On the left side of the shape, Chabala was at left back with Wallace ahead of him in the midfield. Palmer completed the backline on the right side, with Alhassan as the right wing.
The first half started out with a great combination that resulted in the new DP's first goal for his new club. Rodney Wallace played a brilliant cross field pass, leading Jorge Perlaza down the right side of the field. The Colombian one timed his cross perfectly, finding his Scottish counterpart's forehead as he cut in front of the marker to put the ball past Turina for his debut just seven minutes into his first match.
AIK responded well, maintaining control of the midfield and forcing Portland to play wide. Chara and Jewsbury had some difficulty dealing with the physical play that they Swedish side brought. This only played to our strengths, though, as Kalif and Rodney both had excellent games out wide. The left side of the shape was closer to me in the first half; I liked how Wallace and Chabala combined down that side of the pitch, with Wallace's speed and defensive capabilities letting Mike wander high up the pitch in attack.
The second half saw the home side come out aggressively, and they were rewarded by the creation of some nice chances. Kalif and Palmer were on display for me in this half, and I loved watching Alhassan take on defenders and consistently win one on one situations. He was clearly fouled in the box once later in the game, as his heel was clipped from behind, but the half was littered with chances he created for himself and others as he burned the left back over and over. Boyd nearly put in his second after Kalif danced around three defenders, but his left footed chanced was saved well.
Kris came out after 75 minutes with a goal and several good shots on target, a solid first outing for our new star striker. Bright Dike came in , and James Marcelin brought some defensive bite to the midfield when he replaced Diego Chara at 79'. Dike had a decent header saved, and Wallace put the rebound over the bar. Those types of chances have to be finished in the regular season. The game ended with a high tempo as Portland pushed to find a winner.
Both teams congratulated each other at the end of the game, with almost all the players switching jerseys with their opposite. It was nice to see the starting centerbacks and keeper maintain a clean sheet after one slipping past the defense in each of the first two fixtures. I think Kalif showed that he deserves his starting spot over anyone else at either outside midfield spot; Franck Songo'o might be the exception here but I haven't seen him play and he isn't in Portland right now, regardless. Rodney's play on the left side of midfield was great, and Mosquera showed much better paired with Brunner over AJB (surprise!).
John Spencer trotted out what looks to be a first choice line-up, one we could see on opening day against Philadelphia. Perkins started in goal, with Brunner and Mosquera ahead of him in the center of defense. Jewsbury and Chara started in the central midfield, and Kris Boyd got his first start alongside Jorge Perlaza at the top of the 442. It is extremely likely we will see this same backbone on Monday. On the left side of the shape, Chabala was at left back with Wallace ahead of him in the midfield. Palmer completed the backline on the right side, with Alhassan as the right wing.
The first half started out with a great combination that resulted in the new DP's first goal for his new club. Rodney Wallace played a brilliant cross field pass, leading Jorge Perlaza down the right side of the field. The Colombian one timed his cross perfectly, finding his Scottish counterpart's forehead as he cut in front of the marker to put the ball past Turina for his debut just seven minutes into his first match.
AIK responded well, maintaining control of the midfield and forcing Portland to play wide. Chara and Jewsbury had some difficulty dealing with the physical play that they Swedish side brought. This only played to our strengths, though, as Kalif and Rodney both had excellent games out wide. The left side of the shape was closer to me in the first half; I liked how Wallace and Chabala combined down that side of the pitch, with Wallace's speed and defensive capabilities letting Mike wander high up the pitch in attack.
The second half saw the home side come out aggressively, and they were rewarded by the creation of some nice chances. Kalif and Palmer were on display for me in this half, and I loved watching Alhassan take on defenders and consistently win one on one situations. He was clearly fouled in the box once later in the game, as his heel was clipped from behind, but the half was littered with chances he created for himself and others as he burned the left back over and over. Boyd nearly put in his second after Kalif danced around three defenders, but his left footed chanced was saved well.
Kris came out after 75 minutes with a goal and several good shots on target, a solid first outing for our new star striker. Bright Dike came in , and James Marcelin brought some defensive bite to the midfield when he replaced Diego Chara at 79'. Dike had a decent header saved, and Wallace put the rebound over the bar. Those types of chances have to be finished in the regular season. The game ended with a high tempo as Portland pushed to find a winner.
Both teams congratulated each other at the end of the game, with almost all the players switching jerseys with their opposite. It was nice to see the starting centerbacks and keeper maintain a clean sheet after one slipping past the defense in each of the first two fixtures. I think Kalif showed that he deserves his starting spot over anyone else at either outside midfield spot; Franck Songo'o might be the exception here but I haven't seen him play and he isn't in Portland right now, regardless. Rodney's play on the left side of midfield was great, and Mosquera showed much better paired with Brunner over AJB (surprise!).
Friday, March 2, 2012
Portland Timbers Preseason Tournament Matchday Two
The second round of the Portland Timbers Preseason Tournament closed with two tightly contested draws. The city saw a rare snow the night before, and temperatures during the game were in the thirties with intermittent light rain. Luckily most of the stadium is covered, so we were dry the entire time. Over fifteen thousand people showed up for the match tonight, and I was joined in the Army tonight by Jeff and Scout, who sang, waved scarves and flags, criticized the referee, and stayed to salute the team like seasoned veterans. San Jose and AIK played the first match to a nil draw in a mostly empty stadium (though the army was probably 75% capacity by the end of the game).
Spencer trotted out a 442 that mostly resembled a reserve squad. Lovel Palmer started at right back with Chris Taylor on the left; Eric Brunner and Andrew Jean-Baptiste started in center defense. Jack Jewsbury and James Marcelin played in center midfield. Freddie Braun and Brent Richards played the right and left wings, Bright Dike and Sebastian Rincon played as the center forwards. Chivas USA also played in a 442. I'm not going to try and analyze their lineup as I'm not certain what the regular starters might be, and based on Robin Fraser's substitutions, his team isn't up to fitness and he is still trying to figure out what his starting eleven will be.
Portland started out the first half with a good amount of possession, moving the ball well and probing the Chivas defense. they created some dangerous chances but were missing precision in the final third. Against the run of play 21' minutes into the match, Chris Taylor lost a foot race with a Chivas player I cannot identify (number two is not listed on their roster), but dispossessed him in the corner. His attempt to clear the ball was a fail though, as it deflected straight to Alan Souza, who sent in a dangerous cross. Andrew Jean-Baptiste was somewhat out of position and was forced to attempt to clear the ball with an overhead kick. He missed and Cesar Romero volleyed past Gleeson before the Kiwi could react.
Not long after the restart Jake made a pretty amazing save when Alan Souza hit a crazy shot that deflected off rookie Casey Townsend's face, making the save with his fingers at the pinnacle of his leap. The team bounced back after this near-two-goal-deficit experience, and controlled much of possession for the rest of the half.
Diego Chara came in for Jack Jewsbury and Joe Bendik replaced Jake Gleeson at the start of the second half, while the Chivas lineup underwent four changes, including thirty-six year old Juan Pablo Angel coming on for twenty-two year old Casey Townsend. The second half continued in much the same manner as the first, with Portland controlling a strong portion of possession and creating a lot of chances, but failing with the last pass or were a step behind. AJB and Chris Taylor showed they were still quite green as they starting making random clearances under pressure. It is one thing to clear the ball in the direction of the striker for him to battle after, it is another to clear it halfway up the field directly to the other team.
Ryan Kawulok, who's official signing was announced this afternoon, came on for Lovel Palmer on the hour mark, but not before the Jamaican would get into a fight in the far corner over a harsh challenge. Kalif Alhassan made his appearance off the bench in the 66' for Homegrown Player Brent Richards. He immediately provided more stability down the right side of the pitch, with improved distribution and a greater ability to hold off and take on defenders. Play began to become smoother and the team started to exert more dominance as Chara and Alhassan started to control things. Perlaza came on with fifteen minutes left for an excellent Rincon who had chased after everything and came close to scoring a number of times.
The equalizer came three minutes later when Kalif sent in an awesome corner. Dike was unable to put a head to it, but it fell directly to Kawulok. The ball had such spin on it still that it bounced directly off backup keeper Tim Melia's hands and over the line. The tried to knock it back out but Perlaza was there to emphasize the goal by slamming back in. Kawulok celebrated by backpedaling towards the bench while pointing to the back of his kit. The team would continue to threaten to the final whistle but couldn't put another through the posts.
I thought the team as a whole did a pretty good job tonight, particularly the fight back to get the equalizer. The developmental players made some bad mistakes and poor choices, but that is what these types of games are about. Hopefully we won't need to see Chris Taylor, AJB, Freddie Braun, or Brent Richards start any league games or play serious minutes in a deep run in the US Open Cup. None of them played badly, but all seemed to suffer from lack of concentration. I was impressed with Bright Dike's ability to hold up the ball, Sebastian Rincon's pace, workrate, and general dangerous quality, and the fluidity the side had with Chara and Alhassan on the pitch.
Spencer trotted out a 442 that mostly resembled a reserve squad. Lovel Palmer started at right back with Chris Taylor on the left; Eric Brunner and Andrew Jean-Baptiste started in center defense. Jack Jewsbury and James Marcelin played in center midfield. Freddie Braun and Brent Richards played the right and left wings, Bright Dike and Sebastian Rincon played as the center forwards. Chivas USA also played in a 442. I'm not going to try and analyze their lineup as I'm not certain what the regular starters might be, and based on Robin Fraser's substitutions, his team isn't up to fitness and he is still trying to figure out what his starting eleven will be.
Portland started out the first half with a good amount of possession, moving the ball well and probing the Chivas defense. they created some dangerous chances but were missing precision in the final third. Against the run of play 21' minutes into the match, Chris Taylor lost a foot race with a Chivas player I cannot identify (number two is not listed on their roster), but dispossessed him in the corner. His attempt to clear the ball was a fail though, as it deflected straight to Alan Souza, who sent in a dangerous cross. Andrew Jean-Baptiste was somewhat out of position and was forced to attempt to clear the ball with an overhead kick. He missed and Cesar Romero volleyed past Gleeson before the Kiwi could react.
Not long after the restart Jake made a pretty amazing save when Alan Souza hit a crazy shot that deflected off rookie Casey Townsend's face, making the save with his fingers at the pinnacle of his leap. The team bounced back after this near-two-goal-deficit experience, and controlled much of possession for the rest of the half.
Diego Chara came in for Jack Jewsbury and Joe Bendik replaced Jake Gleeson at the start of the second half, while the Chivas lineup underwent four changes, including thirty-six year old Juan Pablo Angel coming on for twenty-two year old Casey Townsend. The second half continued in much the same manner as the first, with Portland controlling a strong portion of possession and creating a lot of chances, but failing with the last pass or were a step behind. AJB and Chris Taylor showed they were still quite green as they starting making random clearances under pressure. It is one thing to clear the ball in the direction of the striker for him to battle after, it is another to clear it halfway up the field directly to the other team.
Ryan Kawulok, who's official signing was announced this afternoon, came on for Lovel Palmer on the hour mark, but not before the Jamaican would get into a fight in the far corner over a harsh challenge. Kalif Alhassan made his appearance off the bench in the 66' for Homegrown Player Brent Richards. He immediately provided more stability down the right side of the pitch, with improved distribution and a greater ability to hold off and take on defenders. Play began to become smoother and the team started to exert more dominance as Chara and Alhassan started to control things. Perlaza came on with fifteen minutes left for an excellent Rincon who had chased after everything and came close to scoring a number of times.
The equalizer came three minutes later when Kalif sent in an awesome corner. Dike was unable to put a head to it, but it fell directly to Kawulok. The ball had such spin on it still that it bounced directly off backup keeper Tim Melia's hands and over the line. The tried to knock it back out but Perlaza was there to emphasize the goal by slamming back in. Kawulok celebrated by backpedaling towards the bench while pointing to the back of his kit. The team would continue to threaten to the final whistle but couldn't put another through the posts.
I thought the team as a whole did a pretty good job tonight, particularly the fight back to get the equalizer. The developmental players made some bad mistakes and poor choices, but that is what these types of games are about. Hopefully we won't need to see Chris Taylor, AJB, Freddie Braun, or Brent Richards start any league games or play serious minutes in a deep run in the US Open Cup. None of them played badly, but all seemed to suffer from lack of concentration. I was impressed with Bright Dike's ability to hold up the ball, Sebastian Rincon's pace, workrate, and general dangerous quality, and the fluidity the side had with Chara and Alhassan on the pitch.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
USA beats Italy, USA beats Denmark, USA beats Mexico
What a leap day.
Clint Dempsey scored the winner for the senior men's side at 55' for the first win in Europe against a European team since forever. The last time the team faced Italy it was a card-fest, and ended in a draw that saw the team fail to qualify for the knockout stage of the 2006 World Cup.
The women trashed Denmark five nil as Alex Morgan netted a brace. The team is participating in the Algarve Cup, an annual tournament in Portugal held in high esteem in the women's soccer world, though obviously overshadowed this year by the looming Olympics. The senior women's national team has won the Cup seven of the last nine years, falling on penalties those other two times.
the Olympic squad took on the Mexican U-23 team in Texas as well Wednesday and completed the trifecta of victories. Juan Agudelo found the net off a Mix Diskerud corner, then Diskerud found net, redirecting Freddy Adu's bomb.
More to come tomorrow.
Clint Dempsey scored the winner for the senior men's side at 55' for the first win in Europe against a European team since forever. The last time the team faced Italy it was a card-fest, and ended in a draw that saw the team fail to qualify for the knockout stage of the 2006 World Cup.
The women trashed Denmark five nil as Alex Morgan netted a brace. The team is participating in the Algarve Cup, an annual tournament in Portugal held in high esteem in the women's soccer world, though obviously overshadowed this year by the looming Olympics. The senior women's national team has won the Cup seven of the last nine years, falling on penalties those other two times.
the Olympic squad took on the Mexican U-23 team in Texas as well Wednesday and completed the trifecta of victories. Juan Agudelo found the net off a Mix Diskerud corner, then Diskerud found net, redirecting Freddy Adu's bomb.
More to come tomorrow.
Carling Cup Final
Liverpool take their first silverware since before I started following football, with a PK win over Cardiff City. Cardiff might only be a championship side, but Liverpool overcame Manchester City and Chelsea on the way to the final; no one can say Liverpool had an easy route to the Cup.
Liverpool started out in a 442, with Luis Suarez paired with Andy Carroll up top, Steven Gerrard and Charlie Adam in the middle. Cardiff City played a 433, and I'm not going to lie, I don't know a single player on their team.
The game started out quickly when right back Glen Johnson hit the post just two minutes in. Liverpool would continue to dominate possession, but it would be Cardiff scoring off the break only ninteen minutes in. Joe Mason nutmegged Pepe Reina after he was fed a by Kenny Miller, a great ball to cut through the defense. Liverpool would respond with a flurry of attacks, but Andy Carroll kinda sucks, while the Cardiff defense had Suarez's number, and that pretty much sums up the first half.
The lineups were left intact at halftime, but as the first thirteen minutes of the second half revealed only more of the first, Kenny Dalglish tinkered with his lineup. Craig Bellamy came in for midfielder Jordan Henderson, not long after he was booked for a harsh challenge. Liverpool immediately scored, though it wasn't because of the switch, as the goal came off a set piece. Carroll flicked a Stewart Downing corner towards goal, which Suarez redirected into the right post, but the rebound fell to Martin Skrtl who buried it. The Premier League side continued to threaten, but didn't convert any of their chances. While they put seventeen shots on goal, many were right at Tom Heaton. The other thing to look at is their 37 total shots, squandering 20 chances with shots off frame.
Liverpool switched defenders just before full time, with Jamie Carragher coming in for Daniel Agger. Malky Mackay took out his goalscorer as the game went into full time, putting Filip Kiss in for Joe Mason. Just after Kiss got a yellow for a foul on Bellamy, Mark Hudson came out for Anthony Gerrard. After Carroll blew two chances in a row just after the hour, he came off in favor of Dirk Kuyt just after the century. Bellamy and Johnson continue the trend of wastefulness as the first half of extra time drew to a close.
Kyle McNaugton came off for Cardiff as the second extra period started, as Darcy Blake replaced him on the right side of defense. Kuyt found himself on a breakaway, but his centering pass was deflected back to him, so he first-timed it past Heaton to give the Merseysiders the lead at 118'. Cardiff really poured on pressure, creating a series of corners, leading ultimately to a scrum at the far post which Ben Turner won as Kuyt fell over in front of gaol, simply poked in two minutes from time. Liverpool responded with their own series of corners, which amounted to nothing but a failed highlight reel attempt when Kuyt attempted a bicycle. But then we saw double full time.
Steven Gerrard missed the first penalty, saved by Heaton.
Kenny Miller then hit the post. What a failed chance that was.
Charlie Adam skied his shot next, two straight misses for Liverpool, a horrible shot.
Four PKs before a goal from Don Cowie to the top left corner.
Dirk Kuyt put them level.
Another post for Cardiff, Rudy Gestede hit the other side.
Stewart Downing put Liverpool ahead.
Level again thanks to Peter Whittingham.
Glen Johnson hit the ceiling.
Anthony Gerrard followed in his cousin's footsteps and missed his shot, giving Liverpool the win.
Liverpool started out in a 442, with Luis Suarez paired with Andy Carroll up top, Steven Gerrard and Charlie Adam in the middle. Cardiff City played a 433, and I'm not going to lie, I don't know a single player on their team.
The game started out quickly when right back Glen Johnson hit the post just two minutes in. Liverpool would continue to dominate possession, but it would be Cardiff scoring off the break only ninteen minutes in. Joe Mason nutmegged Pepe Reina after he was fed a by Kenny Miller, a great ball to cut through the defense. Liverpool would respond with a flurry of attacks, but Andy Carroll kinda sucks, while the Cardiff defense had Suarez's number, and that pretty much sums up the first half.
The lineups were left intact at halftime, but as the first thirteen minutes of the second half revealed only more of the first, Kenny Dalglish tinkered with his lineup. Craig Bellamy came in for midfielder Jordan Henderson, not long after he was booked for a harsh challenge. Liverpool immediately scored, though it wasn't because of the switch, as the goal came off a set piece. Carroll flicked a Stewart Downing corner towards goal, which Suarez redirected into the right post, but the rebound fell to Martin Skrtl who buried it. The Premier League side continued to threaten, but didn't convert any of their chances. While they put seventeen shots on goal, many were right at Tom Heaton. The other thing to look at is their 37 total shots, squandering 20 chances with shots off frame.
Liverpool switched defenders just before full time, with Jamie Carragher coming in for Daniel Agger. Malky Mackay took out his goalscorer as the game went into full time, putting Filip Kiss in for Joe Mason. Just after Kiss got a yellow for a foul on Bellamy, Mark Hudson came out for Anthony Gerrard. After Carroll blew two chances in a row just after the hour, he came off in favor of Dirk Kuyt just after the century. Bellamy and Johnson continue the trend of wastefulness as the first half of extra time drew to a close.
Kyle McNaugton came off for Cardiff as the second extra period started, as Darcy Blake replaced him on the right side of defense. Kuyt found himself on a breakaway, but his centering pass was deflected back to him, so he first-timed it past Heaton to give the Merseysiders the lead at 118'. Cardiff really poured on pressure, creating a series of corners, leading ultimately to a scrum at the far post which Ben Turner won as Kuyt fell over in front of gaol, simply poked in two minutes from time. Liverpool responded with their own series of corners, which amounted to nothing but a failed highlight reel attempt when Kuyt attempted a bicycle. But then we saw double full time.
Steven Gerrard missed the first penalty, saved by Heaton.
Kenny Miller then hit the post. What a failed chance that was.
Charlie Adam skied his shot next, two straight misses for Liverpool, a horrible shot.
Four PKs before a goal from Don Cowie to the top left corner.
Dirk Kuyt put them level.
Another post for Cardiff, Rudy Gestede hit the other side.
Stewart Downing put Liverpool ahead.
Level again thanks to Peter Whittingham.
Glen Johnson hit the ceiling.
Anthony Gerrard followed in his cousin's footsteps and missed his shot, giving Liverpool the win.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Portland Timbers Preseason Tournament Matchday One
Oh the glorious return of matchdays in Portland. The weather was cold but sunny and dry, so the wife and kids joined me for the games. We arrived just shortly after the start of the first game and found a seat in my usual section, albeit a bit farther back than I usually shoot for. The kids were relatively entertained for most of the time, but there were moments of temporary insanity, as two and four year olds are wont to do. They can't really see what's going on, being too short to see over anyone, so it's pretty reasonable for them to get bored eventually. They were actually crazier during the first match before over sixteen thousand Timbers fans turned out. AIK and Chivas USA provided ample entertainment for me and the rest of the early birds, with the Swedish club winning two nil.
Portland and San Jose played to a 1-1 draw, though no Earthquake scored a goal.
Spencer elected to go with his single striker/possession formation, with Jorge Perlaza starting in up front as the lone striker. Kalif Alhassan played high on the right wing with the team on the ball, but tracked back defensively like a midfielder. With only one striker, James Marcelin gets to start as the holding midfielder, and (unsigned, U-23 alum, and Supplemental Draft pick) Ryan Kawulok got the nod at right back with Lovel Palmer working back from an injury and Steve Purdy away on international duty with El Salvador. Hanyer Mosquera and Andrew Jean-Baptiste started in the center, and Troy Perkins manned the pipes. San Jose played a 442, with what seems to be pretty close to a first choice lineup.
Chara was denied a pretty clear penalty when he was taken down in the box, working a give and a go with Perlaza, but the ref waved the appeal away. Alhassan scored a beautiful curling shot that hit the side netting, playing his corner short to Chara, who then returned it to Kalif for his wonder strike. Number Eleven ran straight to Spencer for his goal celebration, giving his coach an extended hug. Captain Jewsbury got into a shoving match in the center circle after a hard tackle and gamesmanship, ending the half with a high intensity.
The second half saw a terrible passing error by rookie centerback Jean-Baptiste lead shortly to an Hanyer Mosquera own goal. It's really too bad; if Mosquera had simply left the ball to roll across the box, Kawulok was right there to pick it up. Darlington Nagbe came in as a substitute for Alexander after an hour, Dike swapped with Perlaza at 73', and Palmer came on for Kawulok at 78'. Nagbe didn't really do anything special, but he did hold onto the ball under pressure fairly well, and pulled the trigger on a shot right away instead of hesitating. Dike hit the post with header from an Alhassan cross that he should have been able to bury. It connected with the top of his head, bounced off the top of the post and back into play, but a defender was there to clear it over the line right away.
Great first night out of the year. I love that this preseason tournament is planning on becoming an annual event, as a soft landing for players and fans can only be another edge for the team. It is also a cheap way to bring the family to a game. Finally, I decided on the name for my website: For You, I Have Sang.
Portland and San Jose played to a 1-1 draw, though no Earthquake scored a goal.
Spencer elected to go with his single striker/possession formation, with Jorge Perlaza starting in up front as the lone striker. Kalif Alhassan played high on the right wing with the team on the ball, but tracked back defensively like a midfielder. With only one striker, James Marcelin gets to start as the holding midfielder, and (unsigned, U-23 alum, and Supplemental Draft pick) Ryan Kawulok got the nod at right back with Lovel Palmer working back from an injury and Steve Purdy away on international duty with El Salvador. Hanyer Mosquera and Andrew Jean-Baptiste started in the center, and Troy Perkins manned the pipes. San Jose played a 442, with what seems to be pretty close to a first choice lineup.
Chara was denied a pretty clear penalty when he was taken down in the box, working a give and a go with Perlaza, but the ref waved the appeal away. Alhassan scored a beautiful curling shot that hit the side netting, playing his corner short to Chara, who then returned it to Kalif for his wonder strike. Number Eleven ran straight to Spencer for his goal celebration, giving his coach an extended hug. Captain Jewsbury got into a shoving match in the center circle after a hard tackle and gamesmanship, ending the half with a high intensity.
The second half saw a terrible passing error by rookie centerback Jean-Baptiste lead shortly to an Hanyer Mosquera own goal. It's really too bad; if Mosquera had simply left the ball to roll across the box, Kawulok was right there to pick it up. Darlington Nagbe came in as a substitute for Alexander after an hour, Dike swapped with Perlaza at 73', and Palmer came on for Kawulok at 78'. Nagbe didn't really do anything special, but he did hold onto the ball under pressure fairly well, and pulled the trigger on a shot right away instead of hesitating. Dike hit the post with header from an Alhassan cross that he should have been able to bury. It connected with the top of his head, bounced off the top of the post and back into play, but a defender was there to clear it over the line right away.
Great first night out of the year. I love that this preseason tournament is planning on becoming an annual event, as a soft landing for players and fans can only be another edge for the team. It is also a cheap way to bring the family to a game. Finally, I decided on the name for my website: For You, I Have Sang.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Union of European Football Associations Europa League Round of Thirty-two
The Round of Thirty-two had few major upsets, with some of the bigger names facing off against each other.
Both Manchester clubs move into the Round of 16, with United just holding on at home to AFC Ajax while City destroyed holders FC Porto at Etihad Stadium. The Dutch club brought their game, trying to make up for a 0-2 loss in Amsterdam in the first leg, but were only able to score twice and fell 3-2. Defending Europa League Champions Porto lost the first leg at home 1-2, so needed to score at least twice to progress. City had other plans though, putting four past Helton. The other English side left in the competition, Stoke City FC, fell to Valencia CF in a pair of tightly contested 1-0 matches.
Athletic Bilbao ended the European competition for Russian side FK Lokomotiv Moscow at home, posting a 1-0 victory at home. The result tied them on aggregate, with Athletic's away goal giving them the tie-breaker. Over in Madrid, Atletico defeated SS Lazio with one goal to take the tie, after beating the Italians 1-3 at the Stadio Olimpico.
Hannover 96 walked away with a one goal victory at Club Brugge KV, holding the hosts scoreless while taking the tie on aggregate after their 2-1 victory at home in the first leg. FC Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 went into extra time with Viktoria Plzen, with the both 90 minute periods ending in 1-1 draws. Klaas Jan Huntelaar netted twice in the second extra period at Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, to finish a hat trick for the day, taking the Bundesliga side into the third round.
Udinese Calcio continued their excellent season, posting a three nil victory away to PAOK Salonika in Greece. The Pan-Thessalonican Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans had previously traveled to Italy for a scoreless draw, putting themselves in a great position to move on, but Udinese put two past the Thessalonians in under fifteen minutes.
Turkish side Besiktas JK defeated Portuguese giants Sporting Clube Braga on the back of a two goal victory away, as they lost the second leg at home by one. SP Lisbon move on as the only Portuguese team left in the competition, defeating Legia Warszawa with one goal at home after the first leg in Poland ended with two goals for each side.
FK Rubin Kazan lost to Olympiakos in a pair of one nil victories for the Greek side. In another rising UEFA country, Ukranian side FC Metalist Kharkiv completed their dismantling of the Austrians SV Salzburg, with 0-4 and 4-1 scorelines sending Kharkiv into the third round.
Jozy Altidore and Alkmaar Zaanstreek defeated Sacha Kljestan and Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht in a clash that was watched with great interest by many Americans. AZ move on after defeating Anderlecht at home in the first leg as well. Philips Sport Vereniging Eindoven topped Trabzonspor Kulubu 6-2 on aggregate on the back of a 4-1 win at home. FC Twente Enschede make it three out of four for Eredivisie teams in the Europa League as they defeated FC Steaua Bucuresti with a one goal victory at home, taking the aggregate after a single goal win away.
Royal Standard de Liege get into the third round, barely, as they win due to the away goal tiebreaker, with both legs against Wisla Krakow ending in draws.
Both Manchester clubs move into the Round of 16, with United just holding on at home to AFC Ajax while City destroyed holders FC Porto at Etihad Stadium. The Dutch club brought their game, trying to make up for a 0-2 loss in Amsterdam in the first leg, but were only able to score twice and fell 3-2. Defending Europa League Champions Porto lost the first leg at home 1-2, so needed to score at least twice to progress. City had other plans though, putting four past Helton. The other English side left in the competition, Stoke City FC, fell to Valencia CF in a pair of tightly contested 1-0 matches.
Athletic Bilbao ended the European competition for Russian side FK Lokomotiv Moscow at home, posting a 1-0 victory at home. The result tied them on aggregate, with Athletic's away goal giving them the tie-breaker. Over in Madrid, Atletico defeated SS Lazio with one goal to take the tie, after beating the Italians 1-3 at the Stadio Olimpico.
Hannover 96 walked away with a one goal victory at Club Brugge KV, holding the hosts scoreless while taking the tie on aggregate after their 2-1 victory at home in the first leg. FC Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 went into extra time with Viktoria Plzen, with the both 90 minute periods ending in 1-1 draws. Klaas Jan Huntelaar netted twice in the second extra period at Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, to finish a hat trick for the day, taking the Bundesliga side into the third round.
Udinese Calcio continued their excellent season, posting a three nil victory away to PAOK Salonika in Greece. The Pan-Thessalonican Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans had previously traveled to Italy for a scoreless draw, putting themselves in a great position to move on, but Udinese put two past the Thessalonians in under fifteen minutes.
Turkish side Besiktas JK defeated Portuguese giants Sporting Clube Braga on the back of a two goal victory away, as they lost the second leg at home by one. SP Lisbon move on as the only Portuguese team left in the competition, defeating Legia Warszawa with one goal at home after the first leg in Poland ended with two goals for each side.
FK Rubin Kazan lost to Olympiakos in a pair of one nil victories for the Greek side. In another rising UEFA country, Ukranian side FC Metalist Kharkiv completed their dismantling of the Austrians SV Salzburg, with 0-4 and 4-1 scorelines sending Kharkiv into the third round.
Jozy Altidore and Alkmaar Zaanstreek defeated Sacha Kljestan and Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht in a clash that was watched with great interest by many Americans. AZ move on after defeating Anderlecht at home in the first leg as well. Philips Sport Vereniging Eindoven topped Trabzonspor Kulubu 6-2 on aggregate on the back of a 4-1 win at home. FC Twente Enschede make it three out of four for Eredivisie teams in the Europa League as they defeated FC Steaua Bucuresti with a one goal victory at home, taking the aggregate after a single goal win away.
Royal Standard de Liege get into the third round, barely, as they win due to the away goal tiebreaker, with both legs against Wisla Krakow ending in draws.
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