The Participants

Consecutive losses to non-playoff teams and a migrane-inducing performance on an important night.

*Cover photo credit to Rolan Johnson/Cascadia FC.*

On a hot night in the Rose City, Portland's 10-game unbeaten streak at Providence Park came to an end. One goal was all it took for Real Salt Lake to defeat the Portland Timbers.

Recap

David Da Costa was slated to start tonight, and was named in the starting lineup that was released 45 minutes prior to kickoff. However, it quickly became apparent that something was wrong when Kevin Kelsy was spotted warming up with the starters despite being listed on the bench. Da Costa had a groin injury, and got scratched from the starting lineup with Kelsy as his replacement.

From the first minute, it was clear that tonight would be a PRO special. Santiago Moreno got called for a foul when RSL left-back Sam Junqua slipped and fell down. No worries. Both teams traded missed half-chances (with William Agada's missed sitter in the 23rd minute looming large) as the clock ticked closer to halftime. However, two Kelsy moments defined the first half.

In the 21st minute, Felipe Mora headed the ball into Kelsy's path. The large Venezuelan cleanly pushed Justen Glad away, but the RSL center back went to ground and earned himself a whistle, wiping out a promising Timbers counterattack (arguably their most promising of the entire game). Then, in the 40th minute, Kelsy fired a shot from inside the box that got saved by Rafael Cabral. It would be Portland's only shot on target during the entire game.

The second half continued most of the doldrums of the first, except for two key plays. In the 59th minute, Ariel Lassiter was charging into the box and a tailing Noel Caliskan blatantly pushed him over. No penalty was called, and no VAR review followed. More on that later. Meanwhile, the Timbers continued to make the same mistakes that are on full display for any viewing audience during every matchday. Sloppy passes, no defensive pressure, and the constant feeling that a single mistake will derail the entire game. In the 83rd minute, that mistake came. David Ayala played an elevated switch to a marked Jimer Fory, which promptly led to a turnover. Ariath Piol found Diogo Goncalves in the box, and the Portuguese DP beat Maxime Crepeau at the near post. With that, the game was over.

The Asterisk, Part Two?

I have to address the elephant in the room before I go any further. But I'm going to do it by answering a question first: Noel Caliskan's challenge on Ariel Lassiter was not another Asterisk.

In order for something to meet Asterisk criteria, the play has to occur at a crucial juncture of the game and directly affect the result. This isn’t just limited to second-half stoppage time either. An example of an Asterisk play could be a delayed offside flag in the 24th minute that results in a player getting injured. Aside from the no-call against the Galaxy earlier this year (which, oddly enough, also involved Ariel Lassiter) there’s only one more blatant Asterisk I can think of in Timbers history (feel free to suggest more in the comments): the September 25, 2019 home game against New England.

This play doesn’t qualify because it occurred in the 59th minute. Yes, I’m upset about it. I think it’s an obvious penalty and it should have been awarded as such. But it isn’t worth as much energy as the Galaxy Asterisk because of the half hour of remaining game time. The Timbers did not lose this game because of this penalty no-call. They lost it because of reasons I will get into below. However, before I do, I’d like to go back in time to April 19th and the 3-3 draw against LAFC. After that game, I wrote the following:

Part of me was begging for my past self to be wrong here. But as I waited for the corresponding call to Bouanga’s penalty to go Portland’s way in this game, I thought about this passage again. I still haven’t seen any evidence to the contrary to believe what I wrote back in April. And, after such a blatant penalty kick offense committed by Noel Caliskan didn’t even get a VAR review, I don’t think I ever will.

This was a bad game from center referee Alexis Da Silva. Prior to tonight’s match, the last Timbers game he officiated was last season’s 1-0 home loss against Austin. During that game, the Verde-and-Black engaged in the same shithousery as RSL did today. However, there was one major difference between that game and tonight’s dreadful showing.

The Fatal Flaw

Only one thing is keeping the Timbers from being an actual playoff team: their woefully disorganized out-of-possession shape. In fact, I can expand on this: the Portland Timbers are the worst off-ball team in MLS.

There are stats that I could probably pull to explain this, but those numbers are hidden away behind websites that are above my pay grade. This is a simple eye test observation, and it doesn’t need data to back it up. Let’s begin with the defensive side, because I believe that it’s the team’s fatal flaw.

After the St. Louis game, I talked about how easy it is to play through or over the Portland Timbers. I declined to expand on the topic because it could be covered in the preview of tonight’s game. Despite some bare-bones analysis (it’s a very busy week), the point was made clear in the tactical preview. Above all else, the Timbers needed to assert themselves on Real Salt Lake. Simply put, they did not.

The Timbers employ a suicidal combo of defensive flaws. It seems like most of the players have no concept of space on a pitch. Now, this could be a coaching problem, but I’ve seen multiple Timbers teams throughout the years struggle with these exact problems. The coaches and players change, but the problems remain the same. The first part of the Fatal Flaw is their inability to track runners from deep. If you are a box-crashing midfielder on an opposition team, it’s guaranteed that you will not be marked if you decide to make a direct central run.

Fatal Flaw number two involves that recognition of space I mentioned earlier. Their defensive shape functions as 10 players with individual instructions that none of the other players know about. Sometimes one of the pivots steps into the forward line to press. All of a sudden a giant gap has opened in the center of Portland’s defensive shape. It isn’t a coincidence; it’s an intended consequence. Well, maybe not intended, but I’m pretty sure that any player stepping out of line would know that they’re leaving a ton of space in behind. No other team is as easy to bait and switch as the Portland Timbers. Opposing players always get open with basic runs, and it’s left to the defenders to make spectacular individual plays over and over again to prevent the dangerous half-chances from repeatedly hitting the back of the net. In a game like tonight’s, where the attack is DP-less for the first time since the first half of the season opener, defensive solidity is paramount in order to secure a result. This could’ve been a 0-0 draw (maybe a 1-0 win if the Lassiterisk ((ah shoot, that’s too good of a name)) is correctly called) if the Timbers showed any signs of defensive solidity and ability to defend as a unit. The stats do not matter in this game. The eye test knows all.

I feel like I’ve made my feelings clear on this team’s utter lack of creativity going forward. In many ways, Portland’s inability to create ANYTHING dangerous besides working the ball out wide to whip in crosses (and even those are incredibly easy to defend if you’re a decently set up defense with rather average center backs) is what will keep them from making the top 4. See, the attacking struggles aren’t the biggest issue even though they’re the highest-profile problems. Those defensive issues are so bad that it could cause this team to drop out of the playoff places entirely. I don’t think that’s hyperbolic in any sense of the term.

I’ve tried my hardest to figure out why these Portland Timbers are the way that they are. The most simple answer is coaching, because a well-communicated tactical identity and gameplan can really help a team find a baseline for what they are. Especially a young team like these Timbers. Becoming a team that’s harder to beat is (for the second game in a row) the MAIN TAKEAWAY from today’s game. I can’t stress it enough. Their upcoming schedule is built to punish teams who play like the Timbers. So how do the Timbers stop playing like, you know, themselves?

Take more risks on the ball. Always look to move the ball forward. Communicate effectively with each other out of possession. Always try to be aware of space, both when attacking and defending. Use that spatial awareness to make runs off the ball in the attack to open space for your teammates. Be unselfish and put the team above all else. I’ve witnessed multiple rest defense drills during open training sessions. Phil Neville is very good at communicating with his players and telling them exactly what needs to be done in any given game. Usually, it’s a solid setup that confirms to me that the coaching and backroom staff have done their homework on the upcoming opponent. But when the game actually starts, the players begin to revert to what they’re used to doing: impulsively reacting to everything in front of them against the ball and failing to do what is necessary in the attack to create space for themselves. And when these two combine, it looks like a team that doesn’t want to be on the pitch and could lose to anybody in MLS.

Player Ratings

Maxime Crepeau: 6.6

You remember that Kelsy chance I talked about earlier that got erased because Alexis Da Silva called a foul on him for simply being a big boy? Well, that opportunity was created by a perfect Crepeau long ball to the head of Felipe Mora. Here’s the thing: I’m putting a moratorium on starting goalkeeper debates until this team figures out how to play as a defensive unit again. It doesn’t matter which goalkeeper starts each game if they have a giant mess in front of them. But I do think that Crepeau’s distribution was a little off, and he probably should’ve saved Goncalves’ effort that turned into the lone goal of the game. However, there are far bigger issues at play here, and Crepeau’s performance was certainly not one of them in a game like this one.

Juan Mosquera: 6.4

Do I think Mosquera was bad? Not really, but I do think he was rather ineffective. I appreciate the effort he has been putting into his defensive work. But the Timbers needed some attacking magic today, and defenses will always be able to recover when every single cross is preceded by an extra touch and a windup.

Finn Surman: 8

Finn Surman was 3/3 on attempted long balls today, and that’s excellent to see! However, I have a familiar refrain to reprise: why not try more of them? Either way, he played his heart out and was obviously gassed as the second half wore on. Maybe if he wasn’t constantly scrambling to put out fires caused by the disorganization in front of him, he wouldn’t have to play as a super-sweeper.

Dario Zuparic: 7.7

Most of what I previously said about Surman can be said about Zuparic, who joined his younger teammate by registering at least 10 clearances (12 for Surman, 10 for Zuparic). However, his common trait of stepping out of the backline can backfire in a big way and take away from the team’s solidity.

Jimer Fory: 7.9

I think it’s time for a Jimer Fory Stathead segment. Today’s criteria: 4/4 dribbles, 8/9 accurate long balls, and 5/5 aerials won.

He is the only player to have this statline in a MLS game. It’s safe to call him Portland’s resident unicorn, and I don’t think his talents have been used to full effect. If you want to get nit-picky, his failure to close down Goncalves bore the brunt of responsiblity for RSL’s goal. But it’s beyond time to focus on the actual issues: a midfield that loves to give the ball away and leave their defenders on the back foot.

Diego Chara: 6.9

The captain had a couple giveaways, but he usually responded by winning the ball back. Pretty solid performance from Chara. I feel like I write that a lot, but there’s a reason it seems so repetitive. He just always does it. On a boiling-hot day, Chara only stopped running once the final whistle blew.

David Ayala: 7.4

This could be higher, but I’m putting a lot of weight on the giveaway that led to RSL’s goal. Instead of a wide pass sideways, I’d love to see Ayala launch it forward instead. Aside from the giveaway, Ayala was superb. Apple still isn’t letting me clip cool things (because they hate fun) so I’d encourage everyone to go to the 74th minute in the match replay and watch the absolute DAWG run the Argentine embarked on through the heart of RSL’s defense. Did it amount to anything? No it didn’t, but it was one of the more exciting parts of the second half.

Santiago Moreno: 6.7

The Colombian may have created the most chances on the team, but I’m adding this game to the case for a new DP right winger. Moreno, despite being a Timber for four years, is still not at the level where he can be consistently relied upon to be a difference-maker. Yes, a peak Santiago Moreno can be a Best XI-caliber player. But how often does Peak Santi show up? Irregularly. However, I thought that Moreno was more effective when he was coming off the left wing compared to the right side. I don’t understand why he hasn’t gotten more playing time on the left wing given the injuries to Antony and Jonathan Rodriguez.

Omir Fernandez: 6.7

After getting his first home start in MLS play, I’ve finally figured out what Omir Fernandez is. Now, you might be saying “Jeremy, he’s a versatile attacker that can play every position in the line behind the striker.” That is correct, but positions don’t mean everything. Antony plays on the left in a different way than Jonathan Rodriguez does. So what exactly is Omir Fernandez? Here’s the answer: he’s the pass-before-the-pass guy. In the 9th minute, he played a perfect slip pass to Fory that resulted in a dangerous cross (yeah, it got cleared, but that’s repeatable). But he doesn’t offer a lot in 1v1 situations (Bode Hidalgo had him in hell during the first half) and needs to work on delivering the final ball.

Kevin Kelsy: 6.7

I don’t feel the need to write a full Kelsy manifesto, but I will add another chapter. I don’t like it when a player is penalized for simply being a large human. This is also known as Fanendo Adi Syndrome. Kelsy is the latest player to be afflicted by it. He did register Portland’s only shot on target, and I didn’t think it was a particularly bad attempt either. Kelsy still profiles as a volume scorer, but in order to put balls in the net he needs consistent service.

Look at this shotmap for a 20-year old striker. When consistent service comes, he will score a lot of goals. His current problem is only receiving a couple (that’s being generous) good chances a game. By the end of the game, he was delaying attacks by being slow to get back onsides. I’m chalking that up to fatigue. He’s played a lot of soccer recently (4 straight starts) including a quick turnaround for tonight’s game. Keep in mind that he was scheduled to be on the bench until Da Costa’s late scratch.

Felipe Mora: 8.2

However, Da Costa’s late scratch necessitated a role change for Felipe Mora. Playing as a second striker (number 10?), Mora became the link between the midfield and the front line. This was not something that Neville worked on in practice, but he trusted the veteran Chilean and his outstanding soccer brain. Portland always had a semblance of attacking threat with Mora on the pitch, and (according to Neville) it was at his own suggestion that he got subbed out in the 71st minute. Although the goal drought was extended to 11 games, Mora can be proud with his contributions today. A performance like that is the mark of a true leader.

ARIEL LASSITER: 7.5

Besides being responsible for the Lassiterisk, this was the Costa Rican’s best outing in a Timbers shirt. Lassiter, like myself, is a recent hand injury survivor (I’m currently typing this with a splint on my right middle finger) so I have to respect it. He played with a giant brace on his left hand, and entered this game despite not participating in any training during the week. After he entered the pitch, he was Portland’s most dangerous attacker. As one of the only players willing to run in behind, he immediately gets a higher rating. I was also impressed with the quality of his corner kick deliveries. A good return from injury for the veteran Costa Rican.

Eric Miller: 6.6

Rather than critiquing Miller’s performance (which was relatively solid aside from two big misses, which he isn’t expected to score), I’d like to talk about his role once he entered the pitch. Immediately after subbing on, he occupied the same places as Juan Mosquera. I’m really confused by that decision because Miller is not the same player as Mosquera and would’ve been better suited to staying back and forming the makeshift back three in possession. This could’ve been a double fullback sub with Ian Smith replacing Fory on the left side and being tasked with getting forward and providing service. I think it was a major missed opportunity from the coaching staff. Especially considering yesterday was Smith’s birthday. Get the birthday boy on the pitch and give him a chance to cause chaos.

Gage Guerra: 6

I’d like to see Guerra play up top in a league game at least once during this stretch without Antony. I have no idea why he hasn’t. Instead, he’s been deployed on the wing. I get that the team is scraping the barrel for wide options, but I’m going to remind you again that Ian Smith didn’t see the field.

Cristhian Paredes: 6.3

I thought that Paredes would start this game. He didn’t, and entered as Portland’s final substitute in the 86th minute. With very little time to adjust to the pace of the game, he was involved in several miscommunications with his teammates but still brought adequate energy.

Coach Rating: 5

Based on the past few player ratings, it’s clear that I wasn’t a big fan of Neville’s subs aside from the Lassiter change. This game was still winnable by the 70th minute, and usually Neville’s prowess with substitutions shines in those moments. But it was a poor game from a coaching perspective, especially as the team continues to struggle with basic defending shape. The only saving grace for this grade is Da Costa’s late scratch, which did have a huge effect on Portland’s ceiling for this game. However, it’s worth noting that Neville’s first game as head coach involved a similar situation with Evander. The Timbers won that game 4-1 without a single DP on the pitch.

Table Time

This was a gigantic missed opportunity for the Timbers. San Diego lost at home to Toronto, the Sounders blew a 3-0 lead at home against the Rapids to draw 3-3, and Minnesota lost at home to LAFC. And the Timbers couldn’t beat RSL at home. Now they are closer to 10th place than they are to 1st. Dreadful.

Final Whistle

The first part of today’s conclusion is about Noel Caliskan. Portland let him go at the end of the 2023 season, and it looks like that decision is terrible in hindsight. At the time, it looked pretty bad too.

I’d recommend taking a brief detour to read the article that this excerpt comes from. Two of the “suggested free agents” are currently on the team. That doesn’t apply to Eric Miller, who was already a Timber in 2023.

Since getting picked up by RSL, Caliskan has become a solid MLS player. Part of the decision to release him involved the fact that he took up an international roster slot despite being a draft pick. Moving forward, any college soccer player shouldn’t require an international slot to be registered on a MLS roster. But I have a feeling that Caliskan is going to end up being the one that got away for the 2020s Timbers. Do you want more evidence? He consistently plays at his best whenever the Timbers are on the field. And it’s even worse that he went to RSL; a legitimate rival.

Speaking of tonight’s opponents, tonight’s display of anti-soccer was rewarded to an astounding degree by the referee. The imbalance of whistles tilted against the Timbers, but that happens sometimes. However, that Kelsy “foul” and the Lassiterisk will probably live in infamy for a couple weeks. Having said that, it’s no excuse for another putrid Portland performance.

Tonight was a celebration of the 2015 MLS Cup winners, with several members of the 2015 team returning to Providence Park for a halftime ceremony. I love all of them unconditionally. Nat Borchers was the missing piece at center back, and I think it’s really funny that he was honored at halftime of an RSL game. George Fochive is the coolest person in the world. That is not up for debate. I’m a little sad that he didn’t reprise his chant from the victory celebration, but you can’t always get what you want. Captain Jack Jewsbury still looks like he could play a full 90. Adam Kwarasey became a superhero during the playoff run, from between the sticks to the penalty spot. Taylor Peay is a Starfire legend. Diego Valeri. Nope, nothing else, just Diego Valeri. Jorge Villafana, fresh off his first year as the head coach of the Portland Bangers, is still Portland’s record international sale. Rodney Wallace scored the game-winning goal in that final, and was pelted with beer cans as a reward. Andrew Weber is most known for being a Sounder and a Timber, and that 4-4 draw with Seattle in 2014 is still one of the best rivalry games in MLS history (we do not talk about how that game ended). And, finally, everyone loves Ben Zemanski. All of these players directly contributed to the crowning achievement of the Portland Timbers. No matter how big their role was during that glorious season, that MLS Cup wouldn’t have been possible without all of them.

*Photo credit to Rolan Johnson/Cascadia FC.*

Many people might find it weird that RSL was chosen as the opponent for the MLS Cup anniversary game, but it was the perfect opponent for me. While many people likely reminisced about their memories of that game, the hate boiled inside of me during the hot Portland evening. As many Timbers fans celebrated on December 6th, 2015 and went to bed (or didn’t even go to sleep, it was a party in Portland after all) with a smile on their faces, I spent the day in purgatory.

It was two months into my nine-month residency in Salt Lake City, and I had no access to any form of internet or television. I knew that the game was on December 6th, and all I could do was wait for the newspaper to arrive the following morning. I spent December 6th in a daze. “Distracted” would be an understatement. But the pure joy I experienced when I opened the sports page of the Salt Lake Tribune on December 7th is a feeling that probably can’t be replicated. That elation combined with the worst case of FOMO I have ever experienced. In response, I saved the newspaper clipping before passing it on to another Portland kid that I knew. I hope that small rectangle of paper is still alive somewhere. It’s a piece of a far-flung era where newspapers were delivered to your doorstep every day instead of being digitally-exclusive paywalled nonsense rags. Maybe I should have kept it. But in treating it like an heirloom, I kept the memory of December 6th alive. Well, I hope so.

After the parade roamed through downtown Portland, and the stadium celebration was a recent memory, I got my chance to honor the champions six months later when they visited my temporary prison in Salt Lake City. Lucas Melano pulled off the greatest dive I’ve ever seen and scored a goal to boot. And, as you can probably guess, I snuck into the Timbers Army section. A sold-out away allocation made it impossible to find a physical seat, but I was permitted to stand in the aisle. The photos I personally took from that night are no longer accessible, but a YouTube highlight compilation put together by the team captured a pivotal moment in my Timbers fandom.

9 years later, this moment is still frozen in time. As the country reeled from the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, a healthy amount of pride flags filled the northeast corner of Rio Tinto Stadium. Going forward to the present, this away day does not get the same amount of traveling support. There are a lot of reasons why, but it’s a sad reminder of what RSL used to be in the eyes of Timbers fans: a true rival. Not on the same level as Seattle or Vancouver, but this rivalry (at least to me) is personal. I want to beat Real Salt Lake at every opportunity. So tonight’s defeat is infuriating. It’s beyond the realm of acceptability. It’s personally offensive.

As those MLS Cup winners walked across the field towards the North End, a thought formed in my mind. This is a group of players that pulled themselves out of a metaphorical abyss and won the top prize in American soccer. Today’s edition of the Timbers have the skill and the ability to win trophies, but they’re missing the top-tier bit of quality that can push a team over the edge. Three days after Kelsy failed to lunge at a loose ball in front of an open goal, the Timbers Army unveiled a banner celebrating the most opportunistic play in Timbers history.

Winning a second cup is the end goal of every season. As the Timbers’ “blip” (Neville’s words) continues, that trophy continues to get farther and farther away. But the season isn’t over. In order to turn around their nosediving fortunes, the Timbers need to become the main characters again. Since the international break (and even before then, at moments) the Portland Timbers have become participants in their own games. They are no longer controlling their own destiny; they are merely passengers on the journey of the MLS season. If they continue to passively participate in their own tumble down the table, December 6th will fade further and further away into the past. The expectations of the fanbase and the organization revolve around winning that trophy again. It’s time the squad remembered that. The climb continues.