Portland Timbers Fell The Union

The Portland Timbers racked up another win Friday night in a 1-0 victory against the Philadelphia Union at Jeld-Wen Field (JWF) in Portland before a sold-out and rain-besodden crowd. Defender Mamadou "Futty" Danso (Futty) scored the winning goal in the 72nd minute with a well-placed header off of a clinical corner kick from Timbers captain Jack Jewsbury. The win was the Timbers' second straight in MLS play and their fourth straight at home.

On its face, the game was a classic match-up of contrasting styles, pitting the Timbers, who are developing a reputation as a fast-paced attacking team that favors a good offense, against the Union, who have already distinguished themselves as one of the league's stingiest defensive sides and who favor a plodding pace that wears opponents down. Knowledgeable prognosticators predicted a low-scoring game in which the team that scored first was likely to bring home the win, and in fact, this is largely what happened.

What remained intangible were a variety of unknowns such as how well the so far indomitable-looking Union defense would hold up in the pouring rain and before the roaring crowds at JWF; how well the Timbers would deal with the frustration of trying to crack the Union's wall-like defense; how well the Union would be able to cope with the Timbers' offensive fire-power and obvious superiority in terms of speed.

In the starting minutes, a few things became clear. For one, an early fourth minute offside call against Portland forward Jorge Perlaza showed two things: one, that the Union defenders were struggling with the speed of Timbers' overlapping wing attacks, and two, that the young Timbers side lacked the discipline to easily deal with the Union's stacked defense.

Matters carried on through much of the first half with the Timbers wings making a hash of the Union defense up the sides, but finding themselves unable to execute in the final third of the pitch as the Union's vaunted back-line closed down all efforts on the box.

The Timbers made a variety of shots and created vague opportunities while dominating possession, but were unable to execute. In the 26th minute, Futty had a chance on a header off of a Jewsbury corner kick, but like all the others, it was wide of the net.

In the latter part of the first half, Philly began to poke holes in what looked to be a flagging Timbers defense and were able to create several chances of their own, including a 39th minute shot on goal that Timbers goalkeeper Troy Perkins saved with great aplomb.

The second half of the match began with vigorous play on both sides, but soon degenerated to the original theme of the Timbers pushing with superior speed and attacking down either wing, and the Union relying on solid defense and counters. In the 62nd and 63rd minutes the Union rallied offensively and applied real pressure on the Timbers defense which in the past, has been known to collapse. However, the Timbers managed to clear it and in the 72nd minute a do-over of Jewsbury's corner to a Futty header found the back of the net to put the Timbers up one.

The Union fought hard, but scoring goals is not in their DNA, and despite a 79th minute pair of subs that included Jack McInerney coming in as a forward for midfielder Amobi Okugo --a move clearly intended to up their offensive power-- they were unable to thwart a Timbers side that wasn't content to sit back on their lead, and that, to the contrary, continued to threaten until the whistle was blown. To their credit, the Union made a final desperate attempt in the 86th and 87th minutes on a throw in to a six yard shot by Sebastien Le Toux that ended in a tangle, but not before Timbers keeper Perkins was able to lock it away. A series of yellow cards were distributed, but by then, the party was over.

The Timbers remain 4-0-0 at home in regular MLS league play and with this win move into third place in the MLS Western Conference behind the LA Galaxy and Colorado Rapids. The Union remain in second place in the MLS Eastern Conference, but have officially been put on notice that pure defense probably won't cut it at the upper levels.

Other Notes and Questions:

Two weeks ago the Timbers got their asses handed to them by the LA Galaxy in a 3-0 blowout that must have been, quite frankly, embarrassing. To their credit, far from laying down and playing the poor little expansion team that bit off more than it could chew, they turned around and gave Real Salt Lake --widely considered MLS's finest team-- their first loss in a brutal match that could have easily gone either way, but that in the end was won by the Timbers' speedy offense that kept blazing down the wings and making things happen.

Not good enough? OK. This time it was against the Philadelphia Union, a team that, while for my money is nowhere near as complete as Real Salt Lake, is also known for its defense and is also ranked high among current MLS sides.

What happened? Again, a torrent of speed and blistering pace on the part of the Timbers eventually found a hole for the win.

All of which raises the question: are the Portland Timbers for real? Are they a side that has to be taken seriously even though they do bear the "expansion team" label?

From here, it looks like it would be a mistake for any team to take the Portland Timbers for granted. We'll see how the "boys in green" progress through the season, but I think it's safe to say that they are no longer a sure win for anyone.

Everybody likes to say that Portland supporters have a big notion of themselves in the same way that all expansion team supporters do, but the word around the league is that the Timbers Army has upped the ante significantly and that when you play at JWF, you know you're in a fight. Name me another stadium in the league that can do a call and response on the level of "We are the Rose City! You can't stop us!" and then we'll talk. My guess is that the crowd intensity at JWF just might have something to do with the fact that the Timbers have yet to lose there in regular season play.  

Timbers and Sounders FC Fight to a Draw at Qwest Field

The Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders FC ended it in a draw Saturday night at Qwest Field in Seattle before a sold out crowd of 36,593 rabid supporters in the first match of this season's Cascadia Cup. Timbers defender Mamadou "Futty" Danso scored the equalizer in the 65th minute off of a Jack Jewsbury free kick. The set piece was virtually identical to last week's home game winner against the Philadelphia Union, and further cements the Timbers' growing reputation as set piece specialists.

"Their game...is predicated around free kicks and set pieces," said Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid after the match. "That's what the danger is, that's what they live for."

The match was the first of the Cascadia Cup, a supporters-created three-way derby between the Timbers, Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps. This year is the first time since its 2004 inception that all three Cascadia Cup participants are in MLS and is accordingly widely expected to attract the largest crowds and most fervent fan-base yet. Saturday night's match at Qwest did not disappoint in that regard.

Both teams stated during the week that they wanted to come out strong and take an early lead, but it was Seattle that got the best of the first ten minutes of play. Despite a soaking wet field and pouring rain, they used crisp passing and decent ball-control that initially had the Timbers on their back foot. The Timbers, who debuted their "Rose City Red" kits for the match, soon regained composure however, and pushed back to create some early opportunities of their own.

The momentum continued to shift back and forth in the first half with the Sounders showing better passing and ball-control on the sloppy field turf, while the Timbers created more dangerous opportunities with their always-deadly forwards and on several set pieces. The sides looked evenly matched however, and it came as no surprise when the half ended scoreless.

In the second half, the Sounders once again came out guns blazing, and this time Uruguayan midfielder Alvaro Fernandez shot one in at the 52nd minute off of Roger Levesque's cross to a Fredy Montero header. The Home crowd nearly brought down the stadium in celebration, but if anything, it seemed to invigorate the Timbers who came roaring back, seemingly all the more determined for the deficit.

Following Danso's 65th minute goal, there was a noticeable change in momentum, and while the Sounders were able to create a few more chances on goal, especially near the end when an exhausted Timbers back-line began to flag, most of the final third of the match belonged to the Timbers. "They were terrified of us, every set piece we got," said Timbers head coach John Spencer in post-game comments that are sure to win him no friends among Seattle supporters. "They were scared they were going to give up a goal."

Other notes and questions:

While it will go down as a draw on paper, everyone knows that the match was basically a win for the Timbers who remain winless on the road and undefeated at home. With Jeld-Wen Field looking increasingly like a fortress, Seattle's failure to get a win at Qwest does not bode well for their chances at Portland. Since this is so, and since the Vancouver Whitecaps are continuing to struggle and currently hold the bottom spot in MLS's Western Conference Standings, the Timbers have to be slight favorites to win the Cascadia Cup. It will be no small accomplishment for a first year expansion side.

The Timbers Army (TA) and Emerald City Supporters (ECS) appear to have largely behaved themselves for their first MLS meeting. One might hope that this will silence many of the fear-mongers on either side who've been preaching for months about the supposed specter of crowd-violence, but it probably won't since you cannot reason someone out of a position that they did not reason themselves into. In any case, both TA and ECS leadership deserve credit for having taken a hard-line against those who would make trouble.

Despite its reputation, Seattle appears to have struggled more with the rain and the soggy field than did Portland. As Schmid himself said, "I think the weather suited them a little more in the sense that they just try and go direct anyway to a certain extent, and knock it up to their big men. They were a bit better at that game than we were." There's irony for you, or not, depending on how familiar you are with Portland weather.   

San Jose Ekes Out Win Against Portland

A last minute extra time goal eliminated the Portland Timbers from the US Open Cup (USOC) Tuesday night at Jeld-Wen Field in Portland.

The match was of mixed significance for the two sides. On the one hand, a struggling San Jose currently sits at the bottom of the MLS Western Conference standings with just five points from seven games and on the business end of a five-game winless streak with three consecutive losses. A win was clearly needed and coach Frank Yallop started with most of his regular XI on the field.

The Timbers, coming off an upset win over Real Salt Lake, started with their reserve squad, with five players making their first starts of the season. The only regular starter was goalkeeper Troy Perkins. Timbers' head coach John Spencer could not easily have sent a clearer message that the USOC is of limited importance to the Timbers this year and that resting up his starting squad for Friday's tussle with the currently rampaging Philadelphia Union is a much larger priority.

In the event, it was a long, slow and often lackadaisical match in which both sides distinguished themselves more through mediocrity and a general failure to execute, than through anything else. The exceptions were the goalkeepers, both of whom played well and made several good saves. San Jose began to show signs of life in the final minutes that led to their single goal, but if the rest of their play is any indication, it will come as a surprise to no one that they are at the bottom of the standings.

For their part, the Timbers came out looking good and playing hard, but although they were able to create several excellent opportunities in the first 20 minutes or so of play, they were unable to get it past Earthquakes goalkeeper Andrew Weber and soon began to slow down. In the latter minutes of the first half, San Jose began to gain a bit of momentum and in the 35th minute nearly scored after Perkins batted away an on-goal penalty kick, only to have San Jose midfielder Brad Ring send it well over the top on a shot that should have gone home.

Much of the second half play was a bit chippy and while neither side looked especially competent or dangerous, several yellow cards were handed out. They added what little of interest there was to this snoozer of a game. In the 83rd minute Yallop subbed forward Steven Lenhart for midfielder Khari Stephenson in an apparent bid to increase offensive pressure, but though Lenhart was briefly able to energize the 'Quakes, for the most part, the mediocrity droned on and if their respective hoarding of subs was any indication, neither Spencer nor Yallop expected the match to end in the first 90.

The final half hour of play was largely uneventful as well. Both coaches used their remaining subs, but it looked sure to go to penalty kicks when, in the 119th minute, off a corner kick by midfielder Sam Cronin, defender Ike Opara bumped in a header for the winning goal.

On the whole, the match was astonishingly boring and typified by amateurish play. While much of it was understandable and to be expected on the part of the young reserve Timbers players, San Jose basically disgraced itself and underlined its paucity of real ability and talent.

Other Notes and Questions:

While the USOC dates back to 1914 and is, for American soccer enthusiasts, important on that account alone, it is also significant because as of 2008 its winner is automatically awarded a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. It seems pretty safe to say that after doing a little math, Timbers' General Manager Gavin Wilkinson and Coach John Spencer, no doubt in consultation with owner Merritt Paulson, decided that ensuring a successful first season in MLS is more important than winning an obscure cup that guarantees the Timbers entrance to a tournament they are almost certain to do poorly in. (Never mind the fact that they just beat one of this year's finalists in said tournament; on any given day, Real Salt Lake is far more likely to destroy the Timbers than otherwise. That it didn't happen this time probably has at least as much to do with RSL's recent heartbreaking loss to CF Monterrey as it does with playing at Jeld-Wen Field.) All of which brings me to a rash statement of opinion: the Timbers were very right to not take the USOC seriously, to play it with their reserves, and to focus instead on winning this Friday's match against an indomitable-looking Philadelphia Union.

San Jose has some serious issues. Team Captain Chris Wondolowski won last year's MLS Golden Boot as the league's leading goal scorer with 18 goals, but no team can expect success on the strength of a single player. The Earthquakes are currently struggling on a variety of fronts. If their performance against the Timbers' second-line players is any indication, they are in for a long and tough year.

With an official attendance of 11,412 at this match, the Timbers, who claim to have sold out their entire season, have a bit of explaining to do. The short explanation, courtesy of Brian Costello, the Timbers' Director of Digital Communications, is that non-MLS matches aren't included in the season ticket package and have to be purchased separately with the result that only hardcore fans buy them. This makes sense, and while only a fool would expect that next Friday's crowd won't be as raucous and loud as ever, it does bear mentioning that Tuesday's crowd was very thin by normal Timbers standards.

Final point: as anemic as they looked, I do not believe that the 'Quakes would have stood a chance against the starting Timbers XI that took down RSL, FCD and the Chicago Fire at Jeld-Wen Field. It is one thing to play the Timbers' second-line before a half-sized crowd, but quite another to play their regular starters in the roaring maw that is a sold-out Jeld-Wen Field.

Timbers Upset RSL in Raucous 1-0 Victory at Home

The Portland Timbers (3-3-1) beat heavily favored Real Salt Lake (4-1-0) 1-0 before a sold-out crowd Saturday night at Jeld-Wen Field in Portland. The Timbers' newly acquired designated player, Diego Chará, performed as advertised and, along with Darlington Nagbe, who started for the first time this season, as well as Kalif Alhassan and team captain Jack Jewsbury, gave new life to the Timbers' defensive efforts in the midfield.

Real Salt lake (RSL), fresh off of Wednesday's heartbreaking loss to CF Monterrey in the CONCACAF Champions League Final at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, looked moribund and a mere shadow of the team that's widely considered MLS's finest. The loss to the Timbers is RSL's first in this year's MLS play and breaks their league-leading 18 game unbeaten streak in regular season play.

The match was the Timbers' third at home and in keeping with what seems to be becoming a habit, they played well before the roaring home crowd, threatening several times in the first few minutes.

In the 22nd minute, forward Kenny Cooper scored off of a beautiful pass across the box by Alhassan, tapping it past RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando. It was Cooper's team-leading third goal of the season and Alhassan's fourth assist, which ties him for fourth in the league with Los Angeles' David Beckham.

It was only the second goal that the vaunted RSL defense has allowed this season, and the first in over 213 minutes of play.

RSL quickly answered with an attack of its own and in the 27th minute made a dangerous shot on goal, but Portland starting keeper, Troy Perkins, was there for the save. Two minutes later RSL threatened again off of a corner kick, and the always-dangerous defender Nat Borcher was there to knock a header in off of an Arturo Alvarez cross, only to see it called back on an offside call.

In the second quarter of the match, the Timbers continued to slow down, though Colombians and long-time teammates Chará and Jorge Perlaza continued to maintain a blistering work rate. RSL continued to show excellent passing and ball control, dominating in overall possession, but they could not seem to find inspiration in the final third of the pitch and were unable to execute.

At the half, RSL coach Jason Kreis evidently thought better of his midfield strategy, and replaced reserve players Collen Warner and Jean Alexander with regular starters Andy Williams and Will Johnson respectively. It did not initially have the desired effect, and though RSL continued to push, they created few real chances. For their part, the Timbers seemed content to drop back and defend, and to their credit, in contrast to their performance in recent matches, they seemed capable of doing so.

In the 74th minute Timbers coach John Spencer switched from his traditional 4-4-2 formation, to a 4-1-4-1 as midfielder James Marcelin came in for forward Jorge Perlaza. In the 82nd midfielder Sal Zizzo came in for Nagbe and with the fresh sets of legs, the Timbers defense looked good to hold against a ferocious RSL attack in the final minutes.

With RSL, known for being very dangerous in the closing minutes, and the Timbers, known for collapsing defensively, the last ten, plus two and a half of stoppage time, were very tense, with RSL creating multiple opportunities and continually threatening. However, the Timbers defense held this time. Perkins distinguished himself and continued to have a good night with a pair of brilliant saves in the 89th and 90th minutes respectively.

In the first minute of stoppage, forward Ryan Pore came in for an exhausted Kenny Cooper, but it was by then largely a moot point and the Timbers took away their third consecutive victory at home.

Other Notes and Questions:

The Timbers have consistently looked a completely different team at home. If they can find a way to translate that into success on the road, they'll have real potential.

It remains to be seen as to how much wind last Wednesday's CCL Final loss against Monterrey took out of RSL's sails. Widely seen as the team to beat in MLS this year, they did not perform well in Portland. Can they bounce back and get back to winning?

It's safe to say that Diego Chará did not disappoint. Neither did Darlington Nagbe. Chará was everywhere and maintained an astonishing work rate, delivering on the promised box to box coverage. Both he and Nagbe worked well with Jewsbury and Alhassan. Could this be the beginning of the end for the Timbers' defensive struggles?

Another sold-out crowd at Jeld-Wen Field and yet another home victory --this time over one of the league's finest sides-- again raises the issue of the Timbers' home field advantage. It seems pretty clear that the psychological boost they gain from playing before the most raucous supporters in MLS is huge.   

Portland 0-1 Colorado

The Portland Timbers were forced to swallow a bitter pill Saturday night at Jeld-Wen Field as, despite having largely dominated much of the game, they were finally defeated by a combination of missed opportunities, a dogged opponent and suspect officiating.

The match was the home leg of the Timbers' two game regular season engagement with the Colorado Rapids and it was clear from the first minute that the Timbers were a very different team from the one that took a humiliating 4-1 drubbing in its season opener against Colorado. Both sides entered the match badly needing a win, the Timbers due to a two-game (now three) losing streak, and the Rapids, last year's MLS Cup winners, on a six-game tie streak. The sense of urgency on either side was immediately apparent as both teams came out playing hard and aggressive soccer.

Within the first eight minutes both goalkeepers were forced to make diving saves and by the 12th minute, Timbers forward Kenny Cooper had sustained a bleeding forehead injury that obliged him to play the rest of the match with a bandage wrapped around his skull. The physical play continued with both sides creating opportunities, but with the Timbers gaining an edge in passing and possession.

In the 29th minute Timbers defender Mamadou "Futty" Danso went down with a shoulder injury sustained in what looked like an attempted header that ran afoul of Rapids forward Caleb Folan. Futty was taken off the pitch on a stretcher and was replaced by David Horst, he of mustache fame.

For the remainder of the first half, the Timbers continued to look slightly sharper and more determined, beating the Rapids to the mark both in the air and on the ground and continuing to create opportunities and general havoc among an otherwise staid Colorado backline.

However, all the chances in the world won't do any good without accuracy, and for whatever reason, the Timbers seemed unable to control their shots and sent several seemingly sure things wildly astray. Defender Rodney Wallace, for example, capped the half by ending stoppage time with an otherwise excellent shot sent near a yard over the bar.

The second half started more sedately with the Timbers using crisp passing to again gain a slight edge in possession and seeming to take control of the game. The Rapids, to their credit, and as one would expect of a seasoned and accomplished side, did not panic or seem flustered and continued to exert continuous pressure of their own.

However, as the half progressed, an increasing number of fouls were called and referee Abiodun Okulaja gave out two yellow cards, to the Timbers and Rapids respectively, within the first ten minutes. The rest of the half saw fouls called on both sides with increasing frequency.

For their part, the Timbers continued to play a convincing attacking game against a solid Rapids defense. Midfielders Jack Jewsbury and Diego Chará worked together better than ever in creating a strong center, while Darlington Nagbe and Kalif Alhassan worked the wings with good service to forwards Kenny Cooper and Jorge Perlazza. Unfortunately, much of this beautiful play was squandered as the Timbers struggled with accuracy, repeatedly botching good opportunities with inaccurate strikes.

The match looked to be winding down to a disappointing but nonetheless exciting and well-played draw, when, in the second minute of stoppage time, Okulaja called yet another foul, this time on the Timbers, giving the Rapids a free-kick from about 30 yards out.

The kick itself did not find home, but the Timbers backline was not able to clear it entirely and it set up a sequence that resulted in a mad scramble with Troy Perkins making two saves before Moor finally knocked it into the back of the net for the game-winning goal.

The loss is the Timbers' third consecutive and does not bode well for next Sunday's match against the New York Red Bulls who are easily one of the best in MLS. For the Rapids, the win ends a six-game tie streak and, in theory at least, marks the beginning of their return to the upper echelons of MLS.

Other Notes, Questions, Gripes, Observations and General Bellyaching:

This one hurt. It broke my heart to see my Timbers go out there, seemingly play a better game, and then walk away with zero points in the end.

That said, there are a few things to say about this loss:

On the one hand, it's worth admitting, without reservation, that in some ways the Timbers played like the expansion team that they are. While they are a very talented side with a great attacking midfield that's excellent at setting up service down the sides to the lightning-fast Perlazza and the always composed and well-positioned Cooper, they repeatedly drop beautiful opportunities by shooting with zero accuracy. Additionally, while it's improved by leaps and bounds since its porous early days, the Timbers backline still needs a lot of work. Troy Perkins is good enough to shoulder many an error, but no goalkeeper can do it alone, and in the end, this loss can be, at least partially, laid at the feet of the Portland backline's inability to clear it when it finally mattered.

On the other hand, as good as they are, it's still not too late for the Timbers. Most of their issues have more to do with lack of execution and good communication than they do with ability. If the Timbers can plug the holes in their game and continue to work out the bugs, they have the raw talent to be successful this year.

Which brings me to my third point: the real story here is that once again, suspect officiating seems to have played an important role in determining the winner of what was an otherwise exciting and well-played game between two well-matched sides.

Allow me to elaborate: astute observers cannot have failed to notice that Timbers head coach John Spencer was ejected from the pitch following the Rapids' goal in the second minute of stoppage. The reason for this is that, "he called a foul against us that I didn't think was a foul, and I told him that," said Spencer.

Fair enough, you're not supposed to yell at the referee and if you do, you should expect to get ejected.

But here's the real question: why was Spencer so pissed at the referee to begin with?

The answer is simple. Spencer felt that Okulaja simply was not physically fit enough to keep up with the run of play, that towards the end of the match, he was "blowing calls from 50 or 60 yards away," and that he called more and more fouls as the game progressed because, quite simply, he was tired.

As Spencer said after the match, "I think the referee was starting to call innocuous fouls. He was calling foul after foul, and started calling more fouls as the game went on because he was getting tired... He couldn't cover the ground."

Spencer went on to say, "I think this is a problem in the game. The referees make decisions that cost people their jobs and yet they go back to their homes on Monday morning and everything is fine and dandy. They go back to their families with a smile on their face. But, you know, my job's on the line... It's four guys who don't have to stand up and be held accountable. I think that [they] should be standing up in front of the cameras at press conferences and giving reasons why they're making their decisions. Then maybe they might think twice about making a decision in the future."

Personally, I agree. Poor officiating is a particular and unique blight that affects soccer more so than any other major sport. The solution, if there is one, lies in applying accountability to the FIFA goon squads that currently dominate the sport.

As for Futty Danso, the most recent news is that he was taken to Providence St. Vincent hospital in Portland with a "shoulder separation." I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds like a dislocation. Hopefully he will recover soon.

Chopped Down to Size: Upstart Timbers Take Drubbing at Hands of LA Galaxy

It's one thing to know about the holes in your game, and quite another to have them hammered home repeatedly by one of MLS's best sides in what basically amounts to a blowout. The Portland Timbers knew they had a problem on defense and probably knew that it would eventually come back to bite them in the ass, but coming off of two dominant wins at home as they were, they may not have fully grasped the severity of the issue.

If so, the LA Galaxy cured them of any misapprehensions Saturday night in a savage beating that ended 3-0 at Home Depot Center (HDC)in Carson, California. At no time in the match did Portland look the better team, and a dominant LA repeatedly bested the Timbers on nearly all accounts.

The beating of the proverbial red-headed step child that was Portland, commenced early in the match when LA forward Chad Barrett, on an assist from forward Landon Donovan, sent a bullet into the net from the top of the box.

Matters immediately worsened for an inept-looking Timbers side, and in the eighth, Timbers mid, Rodney Wallace, earned a yellow card on a foul against Donovan who then found the back of the net on the subsequent penalty kick, earning his first goal of the season.

LA continued to dominate on possession and passing for the rest of the half and the Timbers back-line, spread out by the wider field at HDC, looked even more porous than usual. The Timbers had a near miss just before the break on a Mamadou "Futty" Danso header off of a Jack Jewsbury corner, but LA goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, who had an excellent night, was able to knock it away

At the half, the Timbers newly acquired Designated Player (DP), Colombian Diego Chará, came in for midfielder James Marcelin, as did LA mid Juan Pablo Angel for Miguel López. With a fresh pair of legs and making his MLS debut, Chará added some energy to a seemingly demoralized Timbers side and the boys in green began to show some life on offense and threatened several times with shots on goal. However, Ricketts continued to excel, making saves on potentially dangerous shots.

In the 67th minute Donovan scored a brace on a header off of a well-timed Juan Pablo Angel shot across the box to the far post. The Galaxy took a 3-0 lead and the Timbers continued to struggle.

Timbers forwards Kenny Cooper and Jorge Perlaza put together a pair of scoring opportunities in the final 20 minutes, but again, Ricketts denied them.

With the loss, the Timbers drop to 2-3-1. LA improves to 4-1-3 to tie Real Salt Lake for the lead in both the Western Conference, and MLS overall.

Questions and Points of Interest:

The Timbers take on Real Salt Lake (RSL) next weekend at Jeld Wen Field. So far they have played well at home and looked dominant on offense. It will be interesting to see how this translates against RSL who have a demonstrated ability to play before hostile crowds, and who are, in any case, arguably the best team in MLS. If the Timbers cannot manage to shore up their leaky defense between now and then, it seems likely that RSL will hand them their first defeat at home.

Diego Chará looked good in his debut, but by no means is he a known quantity and it remains to be seen whether or not he'll be a success.

With Donovan's return, the Galaxy looked convincing against the Timbers and may be one of the few teams in MLS that's legitimately capable of challenging RSL.

The Timbers have given up goals in every single MLS game this year and continue to struggle on defense. As has been said elsewhere, they cannot expect to be successful in MLS with a sieve-like back-line. So what happens next? Something has to change, and it will be interesting to see what management comes up with.

"The House of Pane" Remains: Timbers still Unbeaten at Jeld-Wen Field with 1-0 Victory over Columbus Crew

If there is something to be said for consistency, then the Portland Timbers have to be pleased, if not necessarily thrilled, with the outcome of Saturday evening's match against the Columbus Crew. Sold-out home crowd? Check. Win on a set-piece? Check. Rain? There was even some of that. But while the game wasn't a total sleeper, neither was it a white-knuckler and if you wanted to see offensive fireworks, for the most part you would have had to look elsewhere.

Perhaps fittingly, Ohio native and former Crew defender Eric Brunner paid his old team back for not protecting him in last year's MLS Superdraft by heading in a neat pass from midfielder Kalif Alhassan off of a speedy free kick by forward Jorge Perlaza in the 46th minute for the win.

The match thus far had been more or less evenly contested and while the Timbers looked to have a slight advantage on speed and attacking in the first half, they were unable to create any real scoring opportunities.

Primarily, the first half was marked by physical play, a referee, Edvin Jurisivic, who may have tried to overcompensate a bit too much for the Timbers' by now very well-known home-field advantage, and the widely-respected Columbus back-line's efforts to bludgeon Timbers forwards Kenny Cooper and Jorge Perlaza into submission.



The strong-arm tactics did not work as Perlaza repeatedly out-hustled an often frustrated-looking Chad Marshall while the always imposing Cooper, as is his habit, simply lumbered through the Crew's back-line on the strength of size and conviction.



The two yellow cards handed out in the first half were directly related to this showdown with team captain and long-time MLS standout defender Chad Marshall earning his in the 23rd minute on a hard tackle against Perlaza, and in an odd turn of officiating, Cooper earning one in the 37th for overreacting to a Julius James tackle, while nonetheless being awarded a free kick on what was evidently the same event.



Towards the end of the first half the Timbers began to slow down a bit and Timbers keeper Troy Perkins barely knuckled away a 42nd minute diving header by Crew forward Tom Heinemann, bringing to naught one of the Ohioans' few real chances on goal for the night.



In any case, the Timbers apparent slowdown was evidently a trick; they came roaring back on target early in the second with Brunner's goal putting them up one, and with a variety of fast-paced attacks down the sides that repeatedly tested the accomplished Crew defense. They were aided by the substitution, at the half, of midfielder Darlington Nagbe --who's been struggling with a groin injury-- with forward Sal Zizzo, yet another indication, if one was needed, that Timbers head coach John Spencer is all about offensive aggression as the best answer to a solid defense.



The match carried on through much of the second half with the Timbers continually pressing, but finding themselves unable to execute. For their part, the Crew pushed back, but was never really able to consistently threaten until the final minutes when they rallied for a pair of dangerous opportunities, one of which barely bounced off the outside post in a stroke of luck for the Timbers.



In keeping with the physical nature of the match, another pair of yellow cards were given out in the second half, one in the 82nd minute to Columbus defender Julius James for a savage tackle against Perlaza that very much looked like retribution for the Colombian's exasperating speed, and another in the 85th minute to Perlaza's childhood friend and fellow Colombian, midfielder Diego Chará for an unusually brutal hip-check that one can't help but suspect was motivated, at least in part, by the hard tackle against Perlaza.



The win bumps the Timbers up to 5-3-2 and with 17 points puts them in a three-way tie with the Seattle Sounders FC and FC Dallas for second place in the MLS Western Conference Standings. With the loss, The Crew (3-3-4) drops to fourth place in the MLS Eastern Conference Standings.



Other Random Notes and Questions:

The Timbers continue to look pretty bullet-proof at home. With five wins and no losses or draws in regular season play at Jeld-Wen Field, they have the best home record in the league. After what's been widely acknowledged as an embarrassing blowout at LA, last week's draw at Seattle proved that they have what it takes, if not to win, then at least to draw on the road against high-end teams. At the risk of sounding like a broken record player, the question remains; is there any chance of them translating that home-field dominance into road victories? It's a question that's worth resolving because if they can make the transition to being dominant on the road as well, they will easily become one of the most formidable sides in all of MLS.

As for the Crew, it looks like they may be in the throws of a rebuilding year. While they continue to be one of the finest defensive sides in MLS, and while they are fairly storied in their own right for whatever that's worth in such a young league, the fact is that they are only fourth in the Eastern Conference which brings us to a larger issue: for whatever reason, in recent years MLS has become a bit lopsided and wanting for parity between the Eastern and Western Conferences, both in terms of performance and attendance. So what's next Mr. Commissioner Garner? What do you do when all but two of your high-attendance sides are on the west coast or the Rocky Mountains and people back east don't seem to give a hoot about MLS? I don't personally have any answers and I guess if it was up to me I'd just wait another year and see if what's happening out west and in Canada might catch on, but that said, I'm not sad that it's an issue I don't have to tackle.

Are the Timbers getting a bit tired of their increasingly solid reputation as the league's set-piece specialists, or do they not care at all since a goal earned on a set piece is as good as any other? If I were John Spencer or General Manager Gavin Wilkinson, while I wouldn't be overly concerned about the team's apparent reliance on set pieces --Saturday's was a league-leading sixth of the season-- I would want to think about diversifying a bit since a side that only scores one way becomes increasingly easy to defend against, even if they do have a brutal home-field advantage.

Finally, I don't think it's too early to deliver a verdict on Diego Chará, Portland's first DP, so here's mine: he's worth it, is everything we were promised, and while he's yet to score any goals, I think it's just a matter of time before he does. Here's why: Chará sets a blistering pace, maintains it throughout the match, and is there in the mix in nearly all circumstances. His terrier-like persistence, speed and aggression --from box to box-- frees up the rest of the midfield to make things happen with overlapping wing attacks that rely on Perlaza's speed and on crosses playing to Cooper's size and positioning. I like it. With Chará, Portland's offense is, arguably, one of the finest in the league.   

A New Stadium for new Team

Work continues apace on the renovation and expansion of PGE Park in Portland, according to Mike Golub, chief operating officer for the Portland Timbers. “Everything is on track and on schedule,” he said in a recent statement.

The park, which opened in 1926, has hosted a variety of tenants over the years, including the Timbers in both their NASL and USL incarnations. It was in need of a face-lift and a seating expansion in order to meet MLS requirements, but with an expected capacity of around 20,000, it will retain its small-stadium feel. According to www.portlandtimbers.com, the $31 million renovation will make it “[the] most intimate, exciting and authentic soccer facility in the United States.”

While this may be an overly optimistic assessment, by any sane criteria, the park promises to be an excellent venue.

The Nuts and Bolts:

1. The Pitch: The playing surface will be shifted to the north and west, adding 96,000 square feet of playing surface and freeing up space for new seating on the south and east sides of the stadium. New turf will be installed as well.
2. Amenities and Public Areas: A variety of amenities are planned for the east side as well as a public plaza that will be accessible when events are not in progress and will double as a group/family terrace. There will also be a private club entrance and restaurant as well as a sports therapy clinic and the usual team store.
3. Large Format Video/Broadcast: Upgrades to PGE Park's virtually non-existent video and broadcast capabilities include new camera positions, LED video “ribbon” boards along the pitch, giant video scoreboards and additional TV monitors.
4. Team facilities such as locker rooms and practice areas will also be updated to meet MLS standards.

Additional amenities and seating are nice, but for the hardcore Timbers supporter, the bigger pitch, the institution of legitimate broadcast and video facilities and the retained intimacy at the stadium, look to figure as the best improvements.

The stadium will likely go through another name-change before the home opener against the Chicago Fire on April 14^th, and while it will never rival Seattle's Qwest Field for capacity, Portland's already well-established supporters base promises sold-out crowds and an exciting atmosphere.

Others will be pleased to learn that Vuvuzelas will be prohibited.

Does RSL Have What it Takes?

With Real Salt Lake's hard-scrabble victory over Deportivo Saprissa at the always-intimidating Estadio Saprissa in San Jose, Costa Rica, MLS has broken new ground. For the first time in the CONCACAF Champion's League's modern incarnation, an MLS side has made it to the final.

While this is obviously huge for MLS and North American soccer in general, it raises a potentially loaded question: is RSL, and by extension, MLS, ready to take on a vaunted Mexican side like CF Monterrey?

The short answer is "yes." RSL has dotted all it's I's and crossed all it's T's and by all accounts is a smoothly functioning world-class team that is certainly capable of running with the finest.

However, it is one thing to have reached such a rarefied level of play, and quite another to imagine that it's sustainable or even repeatable, and while RSL may have weathered the dragon's maw that is Estadio Saprissa, let us not get carried away and imagine that it is therefore necessarily capable of managing the same against CF Monterrey.

That said, let's do some numbers, engage in a bit of informed speculation, and generate some hopefully sound conclusions courtesy of Jimmy's Department of Rash Predictions.

Nuts and bolts:

In RSL, between owner Dave Checketts, General Manager Garth Lagerwey and Head Coach Jason Kreis, we have an excellently managed side. The players know they are backed by a strong and calculating management with the result that the team has great morale.

Jamison Olave and Nat Borcher form the bedrock of a punishing back-line that allows few goals, and most of those at a cost.

In midfielder Javier Morales, RSL poses an additional threat in that at any time, he's capable of picking up lay-offs or poor clearances for a shot on goal, often with devastating results. So too, Will Johnson who is known for covering large swathes of the pitch with a whithering presence and work rate.

Striker Alvaro Saborio, RSL's first ever DP, is also a constant threat at forward. Drop your guard for an instant, and Saborio will, like as not, make you pay.

So far this season, RSL has displayed an excellent offense, great defense, and most importantly, the ability to stay cool under pressure, even when playing in blatantly hostile environs. RSL has been effective at controlling matches even where they've not controlled possession. This is a team that seems unflappable and that has an unequivocal belief in itself. Again, the take away point is that RSL's organizational strength starts at the very top and trickles down.

That said, let's talk about CF Monterrey.

Ladies and gentlemen, here's trouble. One of the most storied sides in El Primera División de México, CF Monterrey ain't no joke and would be a tough nut for any respectable side to crack. Add to that the fact that US sides have notoriously struggled in hostile Latin American venues and have played in the face of often blatantly biased officiating, and it's easy to see that while RSL has a real shot at winning the CONCACAF Champions League Final, victory is by no means a foregone conclusion.

This is not, however, to say that CF Monterrey needs a nasty home crowd or biased Latin American officiating in order to beat RSL. The "Rayados" are a high-end side that is perfectly capable of defeating RSL on its own merits.

The most obvious thing to say about Monterrey is Chilean national team player, Humberto "El Chupete" Suazo, a striker who is arguably as good as any in the world, and a man who repeatedly finds the back of the net through a combination of speed and skill. Watch for him to test the RSL back-line in coordination with fellow striker Aldo de Nigris.

Ecuadorian Walter Ayovi and Argentine national Neri Cardozo are known threats at midfield; fast, skillful and aggressive, they are both able to score shots at long range.

CF Monterrey does not play a counter-attacking game, but their defense is strong as well, and if RSL is to have a chance, they need to go to Mexico looking for a win and not a draw.

The rash prediction:

The winner will be decided by how well RSL is able to defend at Monterrey in the first match, to be played on April 20. If RSL can maintain a draw, or lose by only one point, they will have a real chance at trouncing CF Monterrey at Sandy, Utah, in the second match, where the altitude and home crowd will play into their hands. If RSL loses the first match by two, it's anyone's guess who will win. If they lose it by three, forget about it, the party's over. If RSL wins the first match, CF Monterrey is through, since it has almost zero chance of winning at Sandy, and we'll see the dawning of a new era of international respectability for MLS as one of our own gets sent to the Club World Cup next December in Japan.  

Last Minute Heroics Salvage RSL Draw Against CF Monterrey

Real Salt Lake (RSL) continued to advance its quest to bring international relevance to MLS, Wednesday in a hard-fought draw eked out with a last minute goal against CF Monterrey (CFM).

RSL silenced many doubters before a sold-out crowd of nearly 32,000 Wednesday night at Estadio Tecnologico. The match was the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) Final and puts RSL in an excellent position to take the CCL cup as the second leg will be played at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy Utah where RSL is enjoying a 37-game unbeaten streak and where CFM will struggle against cold weather, the altitude and a hostile crowd.

Wednesday evening's match started fast with both sides making several shots on goal in the first 15 minutes of play. However, CFM seemed to have the legs of RSL and they scored first on a lucky bounce that forward Aldo De Nigris kicked in from the six. CFM Manager Victor Manuel Vucetitch then surprised with an early sub of Team Captain Ernesto Perez with Jesus Eduardo Zavala. A minute later Osvaldo Martinez came in for De Nigris.

RSL quickly regrouped, began to look the better team and scored in the 35th minute on a Nat Borcher header off an uncleared corner kick. RSL continued to dominate on possession for the rest of the half and repeatedly threatened to score.

The second half saw a reversal of fortunes as the sides swapped roles and an entirely different and even lackadaisical looking RSL took the field and was dominated for the bulk of remaining play by a seemingly rejuvenated CFM. "The second half I think we just ran out of gas," said RSL team captain Kyle Beckerman.

In the 63rd minute, following a questionable handball called on RSL defender Jamison Olave, accomplished striker Humberto Suazo shot it into the right corner on a penalty kick. Matters were looking pretty grim for RSL as CFM continued to dominate on possession and chances, when RSL midfielder Javier Morales saved the day with an 89th minute bullet inside the far post.

The second leg is set for April 27th.

Other Notes and questions:

• Aldo De Nigris and Jesus Zavala for CFM, and team captain Kyle Beckerman for RSL, will all miss the second leg on accumulated yellow cards. Beckerman's loss could be potentially huge for RSL. “He’s a guy that makes us tick, both on the field and off,” said goalkeeper nick Rimando, according to MLS' official website. “And he’s bummed right now in the locker room. To see his head down is something that you never see, ever. But again, we keep saying that we pride ourselves on depth, and now we have a couple of players that can fill that position.” How well RSL is able to function without Beckerman will be key to their performance next Wednesday.
• If RSL wins the CCL Final, it will be the first time an MLS side has done so. There has been some confusion on this point because both DC United and the LA Galaxy have won the CONCACAF Champions Cup, but without getting into the details, that was a different, smaller and far easier tournament.
• Can CFM overcome RSL' Rio Tinto mojo? RSL is unbeaten at home in 37 matches and it seems unlikely that CFM will end the streak, though certainly they are capable. CFM has been struggling in recent weeks in Mexican Premiere Division play, while RSL has been positively dominating it's MLS opposition. If we are to go by momentum and home field advantage, a win at Rio Tinto for CFM does not seem likely. On the other hand, RSL's performance in the second half of the match was worrisome and has to be at the top of Head Coach Jason Kreis's list of problems.
• The winning side will earn a berth at next December's Club World Cup in Japan which again, provided RSL wins, will be another MLS first. (There's been recent talk that the CWC may be moved from Japan due to its recent series of disasters and staggering economy, but these hare yet to be confirmed.)  

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly; A Primer on MLS Rivalries

On Wednesday the 13th, Real Salt Lake (RSL) and The Colorado Rapids will take to the field at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy Utah for the first match in the Rocky Mountain Cup. The Rocky Mountain Cup, one of nine MLS rivalry cups, normally would not garner much attention from a hardened Timbers supporter like myself, but in this case, special circumstances apply.

Because why? Because in the Colorado Rapids and RSL we have two of what are arguably MLS's finest sides and accordingly, we have every right to expect that Wednesday evening's match will put on display some of the finest soccer to be found anywhere this side of the Atlantic and north of the Equator.

In RSL and the Rapids we are talking about the last two MLS champs.

In RSL, we are looking at a side that looks to be this year's most dominant MLS team and that has also, in a history-making set of dogged victories, made itself the first US club to make it to the CONCACAF Champions League Final.

In the Rapids, we've got last year's MLS champs who play a bruising and physical game and who thus far have racked up three convincing wins in four MLS regular season appearances, with their only loss coming to FC Dallas, the same team they defeated to become last year's MLS champs.

In other words, this year's Rocky Mountain Cup is much more than a contest for bragging rights on the part of each team's supporters and is instead, a showdown between two of MLS's finest sides.

Which brings us to rivalry cups in general; what they are and why they matter, or do not, as the case may be.

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In MLS there are nine rivalry cups, that is, cups that are awarded to specific teams on the basis of an agreement between said team's supporters.

Typically, rivalry cups involve two sides with a regional, historical or even name-based claim to a rivalry. Each team in MLS plays every other team twice during the regular season and in most rivalry cups it's a matter of which side gets the better of the two matches they play against their cup rival. Points are awarded in accordance with regular soccer standings: three points for a win, one for a draw, and zero for a loss, and at the end of the second match, the cup is awarded.

When teams have the same amount of points, for example, if they both have wins against one another, the winner of the cup is then decided on aggregate. If it is still a draw, as sometimes happens, the team that won the cup most recently continues to hold it for another year.

Specifics:

The Atlantic Cup: This one is between the New York Red Bulls (formerly NY MetroStars) and DC United. In spite of a poor showing last year, DC United has always been an MLS powerhouse and will always be a threat to anyone. The Red Bulls, with several star DP signings, are a force to be reckoned with as well. The fans on both sides are large in number and this has long been one of MLS's premier rivalries. For my money, this is a real cup that isn't about to fade into obscurity.

The Brimstone Cup: This involves the Chicago Fire and FC Dallas and makes absolutely no sense unless you know that FC Dallas was originally known as The Dallas Burn. These days, well, sure, they've got their cup, and both teams are upper echelon MLS sides, but the whole point of the rivalry doesn't exist anymore and we're talking about cities that are separated by most of the length of the Mississippi here, so I can't take it very seriously.

The California Clasíco: This one is between the LA Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes. Those from other parts of the country tend to think of California as a single monolithic entity, but those of us who are actually from the Golden State, know very well that there's a huge difference between north and south and that no love is lost betwixt the twain. I believe that this one is a real rivalry.

The Heritage Cup: This is a recent invention meant to include the old west coast NASL sides that still use the old NASL team names. In theory, that includes the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps as well as the current participants, Seattle Sounders FC and San Jose Earthquakes, but in practice, both the Timbers and Whitecaps have provisionally ignored it, and it's easy to see why. Basically, San Jose is the odd-man out here. It's a Northern California side that won't be able to easily ship up supporters to matches in the Pacific Northwest where the other three teams reside, so why bother?

The Honda Super Clasíco: This one is between Chivas USA and the LA Galaxy and is widely considered the only "true" derby in MLS, since it's the only one that pits true next-door neighbors against each other. I like it. I like it a lot. What I don't like are the ethnic overtones that it sometimes seems to have, with Latino Angelenos supporting Chivas USA, and the rest supporting The Galaxy, but whatever.

Rocky Mountain Cup: Basically this is Salt Lake City vs. Denver. Both play at home stadiums at altitude, which gives them an advantage over visitors, but in recent years a real dislike for one another has arisen. The result is that when these two play each other, the atmosphere in the stands is legitimately electric. This is not to mention that, as stated above, we're talking about two of the best sides in all of MLS. I like this rivalry and believe that it will last.

Texas Derby: This is Dallas FC vs. The Houston Dynamo and is pretty self-explanatory. Texas has a huge Latino population that is very soccer-friendly and while Dallas FC has mostly made a point of beating the shit out of Houston, I see this as a potentially legitimate rivalry cup.

The Trillium Cup: The Columbus Crew and Toronto FC vie for this one on the basis that both Ontario and Ohio have the trillium as their official state and provincial flowers. They are also both on the Great Lakes, which I guess is something too, but you can call me a skeptic. Toronto has a much bigger bone to pick with its Canadian rival, Vancouver, and very soon, Montreal, than it does with a bunch of yahoos in Ohio. Long story short, I don't see the Trillium Cup as having much lasting power.

The Cascadia Cup: This is the big one. It's three teams, all located in the same region, all of whom have a longstanding dislike for one another. While Portland and Vancouver don't necessarily hate each other the way they hate Seattle, the love is not returned. The supporters of these three sides exist in a cheerfully disrespectful yet symbiotic relationship that promises the finest rivalry and rain-besodden crowds in MLS history. Perhaps it is the Pacific Northwest's climate, so similar to that of soccer's British Isles birthplace, that engenders the finest supporters' scene on the North American continent.

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All of which brings us back to the first match of the Rocky Mountain Cup and why it matters. It matters not just because both RSL and the Rapids are two of the best sides in all of MLS; not just because what we'll see Wednesday evening is bound to be top-level play; not just because both sides have well-established supporters groups that are guaranteed to make a show of force; it matters because this is MLS, this is soccer in North America, and if we're ever going to make an impact as a nation and as a continent when it comes to the international scene, we need to have a domestic soccer league that's capable of inspiring real feeling here at home.  

Timbers and Revolution end it with a draw

In their first ever meeting, the Portland Timbers (0-2-1), and the New England Revolution (1-0-2) played to a draw before a meager crowd of 7,114 Saturday night at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The Timbers earned their first point in MLS after playing three games in eight days.

For the third time in as many MLS matches, the Timbers gave up the opening goal in the first 25 minutes as New England rookie Stephen McCarthy bounced it in at the 22nd minute. It was his first career goal and the third straight game in which The Revolution scored first.

However, the Timbers quickly responded with good pressure and in the 38th minute, forward Kenny Cooper made a strong foray through midfield toward the right side of the penalty area. He passed diagonally back to midfielder Jeremy Hall who in turn laid it out to his left where team captain Jack Jewsbury shot it into the right corner with a left-footed kick.

While the Timbers made steady improvement and showed better organization and cohesion, the Revs, unbeaten this season, struggled with passing and couldn't seem to find much inspiration in the final third of the pitch. "In all honesty, we were pretty disappointing tonight and we were pretty flat most of the time," said New England head coach Steve Nicols. "We just never got rolling."

In the second half the Revs shifted gears and switched from a 4-5-1 formation to a 4-4-2, replacing McCarthy in the 58th minute with recently returned Gambian National Team player, Kenny Mansally. But although they pushed the pace a bit, they failed to make anything happen and the closest either side came to a winning goal was a 70th minute free-kick by Timbers midfielder Kalif Alhassan that bounced of the near post. Timbers head coach John Spencer said of the shot, "I thought in the second half we were very unlucky not to have got a second [goal] with Kalif's (Alhassan) free kick off the post... I think that with a little bit of Lady Luck there, we could have gone away with the three points."

Other Notes:

Third-string Timbers goalkeeper Jake Gleeson had another good showing with several notable saves; Spencer will have to think hard about who will start for the home opener. Gleeson won last week's MLS Save of the Week for his 49th minute save against a shot by Toronto FC forward, Javier Martina.

First string goalkeeper Troy Perkins, out with a partially torn right knee ligament, is set to resume practice on Monday the fourth and expects to be fit by the home opener against Chicago on the 14th.

Spencer changed his starting line-up with Jack Jewsbury and Jeremy Hall replacing midfielders Pete Lowry and Ryan Pore. Gleeson, David Horst, Alhassan and James Marcelin all made their first league starts as well.

Eddie Johnson and Darlington Nagbe, out with right achilles tendonitis and a sports hernia respectively, were both deemed fit. Nagbe saw his first MLS action in the second half with a 66th minute sub for Hall.

MLS Season off to a Great Start at Jeld-Wen

To be at the Portland Timbers home opener Thursday evening against the Chicago Fire was to bear witness to something that is arguably new in its kind; a purely North American soccer match played before a crowd that stands comparison to soccer supporters in any country on the planet. With a well-eastablished and large supporters' group in the Timbers army, it was known that the opener at the recently enlarged and renovated Jeld-Wen Field would be a loud and gaudy affair, but even Timbers head coach John Spencer was taken aback.

A former Glasgow Ranger and veteran of many giant EPL matches, in a post-game interview, Spencer said of the Portland crowd, "I never thought I'd see an atmosphere like that in American soccer. I think it was tremendous. During warm-up we left the locker room doors open to get used to the level of sound; I thought it was electrifying."

And while Portland may have a unique venue in its small downtown stadium, it is not alone in having a rabid and rapidly expanding fan-base, which raises the question; is this year the turning point for MLS? Are Portland, its sister Pacific Northwest cities, Seattle and Vancouver, along with LA, New York and the handful of others who have made big strides and returned a profit in recent years, ready to drag the entire league into relevance?

The answer is a qualified yes; qualified because if by relevance we mean more than just profitability, MLS still has a long way to go. It is, for example, scarcely relevant to the larger soccer universe where it has largely seen its finest young talent siphoned off by higher-paying, more competitive leagues in Europe and elsewhere, and where it has something of a reputation as a retirement home for aging stars.

Nor will it soon become competitively relevant to the other major North American sports. Pending labor difficulties in the National Footbal League could potentially work to MLS's advantage in a big way in the short term, as could Major League Baseball's aging fan-base in the longer view, but neither the NFL, MLB or the National Basketball Association are in any immediate danger of having their fan numbers eclipsed by MLS, at least not outside the Pacific Northwest.

Timbers Show Improvement in Second Week

Despite racking up their second MLS defeat with a 2-0 loss to Toronto FC on Saturday, the Portland Timbers looked an improved side over the one that took a solid drubbing at Colorado last week. While acknowledging that the Timbers are still very much a work-in-progress, coach John Spencer said of the match, "I don't think the best team won the game, but at the end of the day, they[TFC] scored two goals and that's what matters."

The Timbers showed definite improvement in possession and were able to create numerous scoring opportunities out of set pieces. They outshot TFC 16-11, but tellingly, had only 4 shots on goal to Toronto's 6. "They were good," said TFC head coach Aron Winter. "They made it, especially in the first half, difficult because those two strikers gave a good impression up front."

The Timbers also showed improved resilience and determination and pressed TFC hard following the first goal of Javier Martina's brace. It was the second time in as many games that Portland went down a goal in the opening 15 and might well have been demoralizing, but to the contrary, was answered with increased energy and pressure.

In the end, however, a lack of consistency and inability to execute in the final third of the field felled the Timbers. They showed a want of clinical technique inside Toronto's box. "Just a little lack of quality in the final front," said Spencer.

Other Notes:

Third-string goalkeeper Jake Gleeson came in at the half for Adin Brown who left on a hamstring injury. Gleeson gave up a goal on a beautifully played shot by Martino, but otherwise performed admirably. "I think he did fantastic," said Spencer.

First-string goalkeeper Troy Perkins remains out of commission with a strained ligament in his right knee. There is no word on when he is expected to return.

Midfielder Sal Zizzo and forward Brian Umony both made their initial appearance for the Timbers, coming in as subs in the second half.

Defender Futty Danso was away The Gambia National Team and will also miss Tuesday's U.S. Open Cup play-in match against Chivas USA at Merlo Field in Portland.  

Timbers Beat FC Dallas 3-2

In yet another reaffirmation of his evident belief that a good offense is the best defense, Timbers Head Coach John Spencer delivered a high-powered and fast-paced attacking game against FC Dallas (FCD), only to see a solid lead deteriorate in the final minutes as his back-line imploded. Still, it was enough for the win.

The Portland Timbers (2-2-1) earned their second consecutive victory Sunday at Jeld-Wen Field against a recently resurgent FC Dallas (1-3-1). The boys in green continued to show formidable offensive talent and found the back of the net twice in the first half.

Team captain Jack Jewsbury inaugurated the scoring with a 13th minute bullet driven home from 15 yards out. In what promises to be at least a somewhat controversial call, the goal was officially ruled an own goal as it appeared to bounce off FCD goalkeeper Kevin Hartman's back before hitting the net.

Jewsbury continued a strong day with a well-placed 35th minute corner kick that Timbers forward Kenny Cooper headed past Hartman.

The Timbers went in up two at the half and came out strong against an FCD side that was beginning to look demoralized. In the 48th minute, midfielder Jeremy Hall played a beautiful diagonal pass off to forward Jorge Perlaza who shot it into the far left corner, only to have it revoked on an offside call.

Portland continued to dominate on offense and appeared to have largely neutralized feared striker David Ferreira --last years MLS league MVP-- with a relentless attacking pace. In the 55th minute, midfielder Kalif Alhassan, a holdover from the Timber's pre-MLS days, used brilliant footwork to earn an assist on defender Rodney Wallace's goal.

Up 3-0 the Timbers continued to play an attacking style and in the 77th minute subbed forward Eddie Johnson for Jorge Perlaza, a move clearly intended to put another point on the board.

In the final ten minutes, Portland's relentless attacking appeared to backfire, leaving holes in the back-line that a suddenly energized FCD was able to exploit for two goals of their own. The first came in the 83rd minute when, with an assist from defender Brek Shea, Ferreira drove one past goalkeeper Jake Gleeson.

A minute later Gleeson redeemed himself with an excellent save, but the Timbers back-line continued to struggle and in the 86th minute, Shea found the back of the net on an assist from Ferreira, illustrating why it's a mistake to let up for an instant against last years' MLS cup finalists.

There were three minutes of tense stoppage play wherein the Timbers, apparently caught on their back foot, continued to struggle, but the defense held and Portland took home the three points.

Other Notes and Questions:

• The match was Timbers team captain Jack Jewsbury's 200th MLS game. In reaching the mark, he joins other MLS luminaries such as Landon Donovan and FCD goalkeeper, Kevin Hartman.
• The afternoon's attendance was 18,627 for another sold-out crowd at JWF. The stadium had more than 3,000 empty seats high up in the back rows, but, since it wasn't originally designed to hold such numbers, for crowd safety reasons they have not yet been made available to the public.
• Precocious Timbers goalkeeper Jake Gleeson made his third starting appearance. He has played convincingly in the last three matches and it remains unclear as to what his status is with regard to Adin Brown and Troy Perkins, the ostensible second and first string goalkeepers, both of whom allegedly remain out with injuries. Coach Spencer will have some tough decisions to make on the issue.
• Although he did not score, Kalif Alhassan had an excellent game and continues to impress with his development.
• As well as the Timbers midfield has played in the last two matches, Spencer will also have his hands full in deciding who of the starting 11 to replace with the Timbers' new acquisition and DP, Diego Chara.

• Is it still too early to declare Jeld-Wen Field (JWF) the Timbers' twelfth man? Other teams have good claims to decent homefield advantages, but so far, JWF and the Timbers Army supporters group really does seem to be something new in it's kind in MLS and indeed, North America in general.

• Is it too early to say that Alexi Lalas may want to change his prediction that the Timbers won't make the play-offs? The league is now officially on notice that John Spencer's high-powered offensive style is for real, what happens next remains to be seen, but it does seem safe to say that Portland is probably not looking at the terrible season that Lalas predicted as recently as Thursday. As Spencer said at Thursday's post-game conference, "...maybe that why he's a commentator and not a coach."
• When will the Timbers defense finally get it together? This has to be Spencer's biggest worry; you can't go dominating a game on offense and possession only to lay down and die in the last ten. As impressive as the Timbers looked in the last two matches (and they just keep getting better), the fact that their defense has completely collapsed at the end of both games has got to be at the top of Spencer's list of headaches.        

Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders FC: A Primer

The how and why of the Pacific Northwest becoming the hotbed of Anglo-American soccer enthusiasm are questions best left to future sports historians. Was it the culmination of a series of random events? Was it simply a matter of good marketing? Was the field already ripe and needed only the injection of a good excuse? Does it have, improbable though it seems, to do with the climate, so similar as it is to that of the British Isles where soccer was born?

These are questions to be answered by later generations. For the time being, what we know is that soccer matters more in the Pacific Northwest than in any other part of the English-speaking Americas. Nowhere is this fact more evident than in the intense rivalry between the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders FC.

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If it is true that the supporters, not the teams themselves, account for the majority of what makes for a truly dynamic and heated rivalry, the Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders FC is easily the most exciting in all of MLS. While neither side has had an especially stellar season thus far, between them they represent arguably the two most well-supported teams in all of MLS. That alone would make for an intense encounter, but add to it the fact that Portland and Seattle are only a few hours drive from one another and you have a recipe for a crowd atmosphere that is almost certain to compare favorably with any European or Latin American derby you may choose to name.

For the edification of skeptics, what follows is a brief primer on the I-5 rivalry/derby, named after the stretch of freeway that links Seattle and Portland, and not to be confused with the Cascadia Cup, which also includes the Vancouver Whitecaps.

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The Basics:

The first thing to say about the Portland Timbers vs Seattle Sounders FC rivalry is that, despite what you may have been told, in its numbers and the intensity of its respective supporters, it is unlike any other that currently exists in MLS.

This is not to downplay the very real rivalries that exist between MLS sides such as The Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake, the NY Red Bulls and DC United and the former's rapidly developing feud with the LA Galaxy, but if we are to be honest, it is a self-evident truth that if MLS has a world-class rivalry, for whatever reason, it's between the Sounders FC and the Timbers.

True rivalries are not born over night and as such is the case, it should come as no surprise that the Portland/Seattle rivalry dates back 36 years through a series of organizational incarnations and through a long history of mutual municipal dislike. What's remained constant are the team names and the animosity. The first meeting between sides called the Timbers and Sounders went down on May 2nd, 1975 in the old glory days of the NASL. Since then, they have played 73 more matches against one another. Saturday's meeting will be the 75th.

On the Timbers end of the equation at least some of the animosity arises from Portland's perennial role as the second city in the American Pacific Northwest. Seattle, with its larger population, has long dominated the region's reputation and economy, especially in professional sports, and to Portlanders, this has long been grounds for complaint, or at least a bit of a grudge.

In addition to Portland's inferiority complex and the resentment that comes with it, there is the fact that over the last decade, Portland has had a much larger and more well-organized supporters culture than Seattle which, it must be said, had anemic attendance numbers prior to making the move to MLS in 2009. There is a sense in Portland that Seattle supporters are largely neophytes who only showed up for the party once it was bought and paid for by big money from Hollywood and by Microsoft billionaire, Paul Allen. The feeling is that Portland supporters culture is accordingly far more authentic than Seattle's, and whatever the ultimate justice of such a claim, it has to be admitted that it's born from at least a kernel of truth.

For its part, Seattle's response has largely been a figurative, "who cares? Look at our numbers?" and with their giant stadium, brilliant marketing and consistently sold-out games, it is very true that Sounders FC has done something unprecedented in US soccer. While the beautiful game remains a dimly apprehended cipher on the sporting horizon for most Americans and is not about to overtake professional football, basketball or baseball, professional hockey, in the US at least, if not in Canada, has officially been put on notice that its days as the fourth most popular professional sport are almost certainly numbered. This is thanks in no small part to the Seattle Sounders FC and their ability to consistently fill stadiums with rabid supporters. The upshot here is that whatever Portlanders may say about Seattle, the fact is that they are clearly doing something right.

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The Supporters Groups:

The two main supporters groups that need to be addressed are the Timbers Army (TA) and the Emerald City Supporters (ECS). Of the two of them, it is a matter of objective fact that the TA is older, larger, and probably more well organized. While the TA continues to grow and absolutely dominates the north end of Jeld-Wen Field in Portland, it is not at all clear that it will not eventually be eclipsed in size by the also rapidly growing ECS which, after all, has a larger population base from which to recruit members, as well as a much larger stadium. On the flipside, a major weakness of the ECS is illustrated by its continued fragmentation into smaller sub-groups, a development that if taken to its logical extreme, does not speak well of its lasting power vs. a much more monolithic TA in Portland. The explanation for this apparent disparity in centralization lies in the two groups' very different histories.

The Timbers Army was founded in 2001 as the Cascade Rangers. A relatively small group of probably less than 100 members, by 2002 the group had changed its name to the Timbers Army so as not to risk association with the Glasgow Rangers. It was felt that the Timbers, with their white and green kits, and with their superficially similar crest, had more in common with Glasgow Celtic FC, the Ranger's perennial enemy. (It does bear mentioning here that the irony of the Timbers' current head coach, John Spencer, having played for the Rangers as a Glasgow-bred starter is not lost on TA stalwarts, though no one begrudges him his antecedents.) The TA in its early years continued to grow, and by 2004 numbered well over 200 ardent supporters on the north end of PGE Park (now called Jeld-Wen Field). However, the group, consisting as it largely did of young white men, was met with suspicion on the part of the greater Portland public which, what with the city's disagreeable history and reputation as home to some of North America's most violent skinhead gangs, was understandably leery.

By 2005, with the participation of a far more varied demographic, the TA began to lose its sinister reputation within the greater community and began to attract members that were representative of a swath of Portlanders, including women, minorities and older citizens. (There are a handful of people who deserve credit and recognition for bringing about this transformation, but doing so falls outside the scope of this piece.)

By 2008, the TA numbered well-over 2000 members and had definitively established itself as one of the largest soccer supporters groups in the US. It further distinguished itself by becoming the driving force behind bringing an MLS expansion team to Portland.

In its current incarnation, numbering close to 4000, the TA enjoys a well-deserved reputation as one of, if not the, finest supporters groups in the US and Canada.

Meanwhile, a few hours to the north, Seattle's ECS, though slower on the uptake, made up for lost time vs. their Portland counterparts by cobbling together a supporters group of almost equal size in a few short years. Founded in 2005, the ECS consistently mustered several hundred supporters at all Seattle Sounders matches during the club's USL days. In 2009, when the Sounders were reconstituted as an MLS side, the ECS expanded accordingly and by the end of the Sounders FC opening season, the ECS numbered roughly 1400. Currently the ECS are thought to number over 3000 and if they have yet to quite equal the TA, they are biting hard on its heels.

Which brings us to security at the Timbers/Sounders matches.

Those of us who are familiar with the two opposing supporters groups are not especially concerned. While the mutual dislike is vehement, and while it's known that a certain percentage of both groups will certainly consist of young, drunk meatheads, and while it's true that a few aberrant members of both the TA and ECS have had minor dust-ups in the past, what is almost certainly not going to happen is the big scary soccer riot that's been predicted by certain parties. In a nutshell, there are simply too many people on both sides who care about seeing soccer succeed in the the US and Canada, and there are more of them on the street at any time than there are violent meatheads.

As the ECS, to it's credit, has posted on its official site, "we know that everyone is pumped up for this match – and rightly so – but we do not want to tarnish this event with any sort of confrontation or violence. ECS leadership requires that its members refrain from interacting with traveling Portland supporters in ANY manner." The site goes on to state that, "any individual caught instigating altercations with Portland fans or supporters will be banned from the group – permanently – with all membership privileges revoked."

This truth has not, however, stopped the management of the Seattle Sounders FC, Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps from making the asinine decision to limit to 500 the number of away tickets sold for each match. Never mind that this approach has never worked anywhere else in the world. Somehow, someway, it's supposed to work in the Pacific Northwest.

In theory, the way it works is this: you sell only 500 tickets in Portland, they are all for the same section at Qwest Field and the TA and ECS are thereby kept separate. Which sounds great, but here's what happens in reality: the allotted TA tickets rapidly sell out, and then, determined TA members find other ways to get tickets with the result that instead of being cloistered in a single part of the stadium, they are scattered throughout where, inevitably, trouble starts.

Well, we will see what happens come Saturday evening.

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The Teams:

It took a long time to get here, but eventually everyone must have known that we'd have to talk about the actual teams, even if they aren't the most important ingredient in a vociferous derby.

So here's the lowdown: Seattle looks much better on defense than does Portland and in general has played a more consistent game through the season thus far. A deep side, the Sounders have the maturity and skill to pose a threat to any reputable team in MLS.

On the other hand, Portland has demonstrably explosive offensive capabilities and is rapidly making a case for itself as the fastest attacking side in MLS. Drop your defense for a second, and Portland's lighting-fast wings are likely to make you pay.

That said, Portland also has a deserved reputation for leaving itself wide open to counters that its porous backline is entirely incapable of dealing with. Not only that, Portland has consistently under-performed in all of its away matches. This being the case, the smart money has the Sounders beating the Timbers at Qwest Field this Saturday, possibly by as large a margin as 2-0.

But this is not by any means a foregone conclusion. The Portland Timbers are nothing if not unpredictable and with the sizable TA contingent that is certain to be at Qwest Field, and given their demonstrated speed and explosive ability to sting when it counts, only a fool would rule them out entirely.