You Have to Follow the Script
The rain fell, the tears fell, and the Portland Timbers got a signature win while they honored a club icon.
*Cover and all other photo credits to Rolan Johnson/Cascadia FC.*
Some nights at Providence Park transcend the playing surface. Tonight, the Portland Timbers beat Minnesota United 3-2 and extended their unbeaten streak to 7 games. However, the result is the least important thing about tonight’s game.
Minnesota started off this game in a compact 4-4-2 that morphed into a back three out of possession. This allowed the Loons to absorb pressure and counter quickly with a very fast striker tandem. And for the first 38 minutes, that plan worked. Portland had a very difficult time creating quality chances during that period, but they were so close on several occasions. Chances fell to Santiago Moreno and Felipe Mora but they couldn’t manage to get a shot off from tight spaces. Jonathan Rodriguez had a golden chance in the 23rd minute but his shot from near point-blank range couldn’t find the target. Five minutes later, the Loons had worked the ball around the edge of Portland’s box and a cutback pass from Joseph Rosales was punched directly into the path of Bongokuhle Hlongwane by James Pantemis, and the South African had an easy finish into the upper part of the goal to make it 1-0. Portland kept the pressure on, but they fell victim to a well-executed counter in the 38th minute, with Hlongwane feeding Jeong Sang Bin for an easy tap-in. However, the Timbers kept pushing as the first half was drawing to a close, and a shove from DJ Taylor on Felipe Mora sent Evander to the penalty spot. Minnesota goalkeeper Clint Irwin guessed correctly, but Evander’s finish was too good. The Loons took a 2-1 lead into halftime, and it could have been 3-1 if a Hlongwane counter goal wasn’t correctly ruled out for offside.
Then, in the second half, the Timbers came alive with a vengeance. More and more chances fell to the hosts, but Irwin became a superhuman shot-stopper and kept the Timbers on the brink of scoring. But the Timbers’ pressure never relented. The equalizer was found by Santiago Moreno, as Dairon Asprilla was preparing himself to come onto the pitch. Evander played a quick pass (more like a handoff) to Moreno, who carried the ball to the edge of the box and fired in a wonderful shot with his left foot to tie the game at 2 in the 74th minute. Asprilla subbed on (at right back) and immediately began to take over. In the 82nd minute, his perfect cross found Rodriguez at the far post, who inexplicably put his finish over the bar. That’s OK (no it’s not), he had something more important to do later. In the 87th minute, the Timbers took a quick free-kick and Moreno carried the ball to the edge of the box again. This time he found Rodriguez and the Uruguayan chipped Irwin and Antony headed the loose ball into the back of the net. However, the goal went to VAR, and referee Timothy Ford determined that Rodriguez handled the ball before getting the shot off. That’s OK (no it’s not), he had something more important to do later. In the second minute of second half stoppage time, Asprilla once again found room to cross the ball into the box, and this time Rodriguez was there to smash it home. 3-2. But the Timbers still had to kill off the remaining time, and you’ll never guess who was on hand to do it. With his last touches of the ball in a Timbers jersey, Dairon Asprilla took the ball to the corner and ran out the clock. A legendary win for the Portland Timbers, and a signature win for Phil Neville.
Unfortunately, I must talk about the bad before I can talk about the good. Fortunately, there’s only one bad thing to talk about, and it’s the refereeing. Minnesota is a ridiculously physical team, and Ford wasn’t keen to enforce the rules when the Loons began aggressively fouling. If the result didn’t turn out the way that it did, the disallowed Rodriguez goal would be a hot point of debate. At least from my point-of-view, the camera angle provided by VAR doesn’t explicitly show the ball touching Rodriguez’s arm. But you could make the case that it does. Either way, I have a bigger issue with Ford’s definition of “natural position.” Per IFAB (the soccer rule book people) a handball offense occurs if the body is in an “unnatural position.” Rodriguez’s first touch came off his chest, and his arms would be out if he was trying to control the ball with his chest. That’s where my frustration with that call comes into play. If Ford thinks the ball hits his hand, he needs to consider the positioning of Rodriguez’s body. It’s so subjective but I think that this ruling is objectively wrong. It ended up not mattering, but this league should have consistent refereeing standards. I don’t think there was enough to overturn the goal, and I’m really interested to see Instant Replay’s take on this. Very funny that MLS has a weekly series about controversial refereeing calls. Pretty sure that’s a problem!
Now we can talk about the good, because HOLY SHIT THERE IS SO MUCH GOOD TO TALK ABOUT! This is the most dominant performance from the Timbers this season. All I need is one chart to prove it.
You know what, I’m in an excellent mood. How about another chart?
Maybe a third? After all, why not?
OK, OK, OK, y’all probably get the point by now. HOW ABOUT A FOURTH?
There is no sugarcoating it: this is BY FAR the most dominant Timbers performance in a couple seasons. The 3-2 scoreline greatly flatters the visitors, and there is no doubt that the Timbers should have scored at least FIVE GOALS based on the quality of the chances they created. But the script is the script, and tonight called for Dairon Asprilla to be involved in the game-winner and to make it as dramatic as possible. The 82nd minute? Too early. Rodriguez’s disallowed goal? Dairon wasn’t involved. 90+2 and a frankly UNMISSABLE chance? That’s the good stuff. If tonight wasn’t celebrating a Timbers icon (and Clint Irwin didn’t put in the BEST GOALKEEPING PERFORMANCE I HAVE EVER SEEN FROM HIM) Portland would have run over the Loons like they did to Real Salt Lake in 2021 and SKC in 2022. I compared the first half to the first half against Philly back in March. In both games, the Timbers had multitudes of chances to score before allowing the Union to smash-and-grab the opening goal from a corner kick. Minnesota ended up going up 2-0, but Evander’s penalty opened the door for a second-half barrage.
This second half was the most dominant half of the season, and it might not be matched. It wasn’t a matter of “would they find the equalizer?” That equalizer was coming, and it took a brilliant Moreno finish to break Irwin’s stranglehold on Minnesota’s goal. There was a tangible urgency on that pitch, and their constant pressure allowed the Timbers to record their second 2-goal comeback victory of the season (only their 3rd all-time!). But the script can never be beaten or overcome. We saw it on Diego Valeri Day last season (another 3-2 win). We didn’t know it at the time, but it was Sebastian Blanco’s goodbye match. I’m sure that it might have tickled our minds, but it was way too early to tell. However, with perfect hindsight, it’s pretty easy to call that game “Blanco’s Farewell” on a day that celebrated one of his best friends. However, there was no doubt who was being honored tonight.
My full breakdown of Dairon Asprilla’s departure from Portland will be coming this week. But tonight was a celebration of his entire Timbers’ tenure. And he treated us to a true Dairon masterclass. No, there were no bicycle kick attempts, but Dairon did what he always does: play his absolute ASS off for the badge. Technically, he entered today’s game at right back. I would like to direct your attention to this tweet.
*Please ignore the quoted tweet for now, I know that I’m wrong and evidence to prove how wrong I am is coming later thank you!*
Everything in the quote tweet is correct. Today, Dairon entered as a right back and did all that he could to find the winner. Lo and behold, his cross to Rodriguez resulted in the winner! What did Dairon do after that? He took the ball to the corner and killed off the game. In a press conference filled with tears, Dairon Asprilla called everyone who has ever rooted for him “his family.” Wearing a t-shirt declaring his thanks, Asprilla joined the Timbers Army after the final whistle with celebratory chants ringing throughout the stadium. If anyone deserves a spot in the Timbers’ Ring of Honor, the Colombian stalwart who always gave everything he had for the badge should be next up on the list following a mercurial Argentine. Adios y gracias, Dairon. Somehow, you deserved more.
Only one player and one coach (former player) remain from the 2015 MLS Cup team. Sigh.
Time to go through the players in order of goals added (Dairon registered the 6th-most G+ despite only playing 24 minutes). Felipe Mora led the team in G+ despite failing to find the back of the net. But G+ doesn’t just measure the counting stats, and Mora’s biggest action tonight was winning the penalty in first-half stoppage time. But the Chilean was very active in the final third. He created a chance, completed 11/16 passes, and took 7 shots. Only two of those shots were on target, but he was often in the right place at the right time (as he is wont to do). Mora also had a very tough assignment with Michael Boxall and Miguel Tapias’ physicality but he still managed to put in an excellent shift. I would also like to draw attention to his bicycle kick attempt in the 33rd minute. Mora’s technique on this attempt was fascinating. Both of his feet left the ground (that’s normal) but both of those feet tried to kick the ball.
This specific technique is called a “chilena.” It might look familiar to some of you.
That is Yimmi Chara equalizing against the New England Revolution to open the 2022 season with a chilena. As you can probably guess from its name, the name comes from Chile, where Mora is from. Although his tribute to Dairon Asprilla didn’t find the back of the net tonight, Felipe Mora had another good game. It’s a shame that the script didn’t call for a Mora goal tonight.
The script did call for a Jonathan Rodriguez goal, but it was only allowed to happen in second-half stoppage time on a cross from Dairon Asprilla. As a result, I can excuse the other massive chances that he missed earlier on in the game. Well, I really can’t, but I would like to highlight his mentality. Despite missing chance after chance, he never let it affect him. That’s the proper mentality for a goalscorer. Even though you might screw up some golden opportunities (that 82rd minute chance is the definition of a sitter and Rodriguez could have put it LITERALLY ANYWHERE ON TARGET but it flew over the bar instead), you have to be able to bounce back and keep trying your hardest to score. His perseverance paid off tonight. But I’m still dumbfounded about that miss, and I’m not going to let it go despite his late winner.
The xG value of this chance is almost 4 times the value of the chance that he ended up scoring. It was a rough night for him, but he never let his repeated failure to score easy chances get him down.
Guess who is fully back? It’s Santiago Moreno! I feel like his solid outing against San Jose and his excellent game against Vancouver were building to tonight. His attacking game outshone his defensive contributions and he scored an unbelievable goal with his weak foot. In real time (and from my vantage point) it looked like a low drive. On replay, I discovered that he curled this ball from outside the goal frame into the near post.
Perfection. Moreno has found his form again and he’s filling his role as a secondary creator. It looks like he’s really enjoying his soccer, and he’s the team’s biggest X-Factor if they want to make a deep playoff run.
Moreno doesn’t need to be the secondary creator because Evander is the primary creator. Ho, hum, just another goal and an assist from the MVP candidate. That takes his 2024 totals to 9g/9a in 17 games. His delivery from set pieces and open play deserved a couple more assists, but the script didn’t call for them. He’ll just have to settle for another Man of the Match performance.
I’m going to take one single moment from the first half to further illustrate how effective he is. It didn’t result in a chance or shot, but I loved seeing it nonetheless. I don’t have the exact moment in my notes, so y’all will have to trust me again. Evander starts out on the left side, and the ball is passed to Dario Zuparic. The Brazilian is being marked by Robin Lod, so Evander calmly jogs over to Zuparic, picks up the ball, passes it to Zac McGraw, and drifts out to the right where no one is marking him. This little “handoff” allowed Evander to come to the forefront of the play and then disappear into the background where Minnesota would only pay attention to him if he got the ball again. He cannot be left alone like that, and they should be thanking themselves that the script didn’t call for Evander to get the ball there. He scored the penalty with an excellent finish to get his goal, and the “hand-off” for Moreno allowed him to get an assist. This is his 6th game of the season with multiple goal involvements. I don’t need to say much else.
Antony was subbed on in the 70th minute to play left back and ended up putting in one of his best shifts in a while. The Brazilian had Minnesota right back DJ Taylor in a pickle every time he touched the ball. Technically, he should have scored the winner, but the script didn’t call for it. Oh well. He looked energized playing out of position, and a lot of credit for that can go to Phil Neville. Remember that tweet from earlier about Dairon? Well, here comes the mea culpa.
One of my favorite aspects of Phil Neville’s tenure so far has been his in-game improvements every week. Against DC, he screwed up by introducing the wrong subs at the wrong times and the team choked away a 2-0 lead to settle for a draw. Tonight, Neville’s subs directly won the game for the Timbers. I already talked about Dairon’s introduction, but Antony’s entrance for Claudio Bravo (who was playing really well in the second half) was a calculated risk that ended up paying off. Allowing Antony’s fresh legs to terrorize an exhausted Minnesota backline was a genius move on Neville’s part. There will be more praise for Neville’s substitutions later in this article, but bringing on Antony to play left back against DC was one of the moves that ended up costing the team points. Tonight, Neville made the same change with a much more positive result. Full credit to the player as well. He tracked back and defended well and could be a candidate to get some more minutes at fullback depending on game state. His shift there tonight certainly made his manager proud.
Diego Chara said goodbye to his last teammate from 2015 tonight, and put in another classic Diego Chara performance. He was active around both boxes, took excellent care of the ball (93% pass accuracy), and won 4 out of 5 attempted ground duels. Another excellent shift from the captain.
I mentioned earlier that Claudio Bravo had a very good second half before exiting, but he wasn’t at his best defensively in the first half. Oh well. Sometimes he tends to “bite” and it can cost the team. His maverick style was instrumental from the start of the second half to his substitution. He routinely won possession high up the pitch and promptly sprung attacks. I think Neville had Thursday’s game in mind when subbing him off. He had another great shift and seems to be coming back into form following his lengthy injury and paternity absence.
Zac McGraw only played one half of soccer and exited due to injury in the 43rd minute. He was pretty solid before his substitution, and forced an excellent save from Irwin right before his injury. From the looks of it, he was bleeding pretty badly after winning the header off of a corner kick. The other player, Miguel Tapias, re-entered with some protective gear on his head. McGraw didn’t see the field again and got some bandages on his face. However, he did go out like a warrior, so I’m sure that he is taking solace in a good performance tonight. More details about the severity of the injury will come later this week.
His replacement at center back was Eric Miller. The change was made at halftime, and he didn’t really have to do too much given the Timbers’ dominance in the second half. But the former Minnesota player stepped up to the plate whenever he was called into action. He has deputized at center back before, and his calm presence in the backline was exactly what the doctor ordered with McGraw’s exit. He definitely gets an unsung hero badge for tonight. Sometimes, it’s a good day for a defender when you barely notice their presence.
Juan Mosquera wasn’t at his best in the attack, but he once again defended really well. I will take that seven days a week. A fullback’s first job is to defend, and I will never criticize a player for doing a great job at the primary focus of their position. It’s been great to see him improve after a rough start.
Eryk Williamson had his best shift in a while tonight. Once again, Neville nailed this sub when David Ayala (who was having an excellent game) exited in the 70th minute. Williamson looked free and creative on the ball and has shown a good understanding with Evander. The American tracked back really well and had some great moments even though he didn’t add a goal contribution.
David Ayala was the best Timbers player on the pitch in the first half. FotMob ratings aren’t always accurate, and the popular app gave Ayala a 6.6 rating tonight. I do not agree with that assessment in the slightest. First of all, the physicality of Minnesota’s midfield was a tough assignment and Ayala held his own. The Argentine made several key tackles in this game. But his work on the ball stood out the most. He completed 49/51 passes (96%) including all 8 of his attempted long balls. He also completed 2 dribbles and could have scored the equalizer on the back post in the 48th minute, but the script didn’t call for it and Irwin made an excellent save. Once again, he wasn’t playing badly when he got subbed off, but the game called for Williamson. Here’s tonight’s Ayala heatmap:
He’s so f****** good, man.
Cristhian Paredes entered in second half stoppage time to protect the lead. Cristhian Paredes protected the lead. With Dairon’s departure, Paredes is now the third most senior member of the Portland Timbers. Only Diego Chara and Larrys Mabiala have been a Timber longer than Paredes. That experience and knowledge of the club has been a great beneficiary to the locker room. Neville credited him with helping Rodriguez adjust to Portland, and the head coach noted that both families have become good friends. After training, Paredes can be seen hanging out with other Spanish-speaking teammates chatting on the grass. Neville noted this in his post-game press conference as a measure of team togetherness. The head coach says that football (soccer) is “20% tactics, 80% mentality.” The mentality comes from the togetherness of the players, and Paredes is a huge part of that.
Dario Zuparic is the best player in the league and he put in another solid shift at center back tonight. I was really impressed how he adapted to the partnership with Miller. In that second half, he was the last line of defense, and he played a huge part in holding the Loons shotless. That’s another game without a yellow card, and now he only needs two more to remove one from his season tally. Good work, Dario.
James Pantemis made the saves that he should have made, and I can really only blame him for the first goal that the Timbers conceded tonight. Either way, he had another solid performance. King Pants is becoming a fan favorite, with chants of “King Pants!” rising from the Army when he came out of the tunnel for warmups. Isn’t it great having a quality backup goalkeeper?
“These comebacks are part of our identity now. We never know when we’re beat,” Phil Neville told reporters in the post-game press conference. Although the head coach hasn’t been here for that long, he understands what Dairon Asprilla means to Timbers fans. He used him as a supersub rather than starting him, and his shrewd changes kept the Timbers fully on the front foot in the second half. “20% tactics, 80% mentality” means that good vibes are essential to the Timbers’ success. Providence Park delivered on the vibes tonight, and Neville thanked the supporters for “winning the game for us again.” That’s now 7 games in a row without a loss, and the 3rd straight victory since the bye week. Where are the Timbers now in the standings?
After the loss to the Sounders dropped the Timbers to 14th in the West, Neville aimed to climb a spot in the table after every win. So far, the Timbers have been doing just that, and they occupy 5th place in the Western Conference. Their 7-match unbeaten streak only trails LAFC in the West. And they leapfrogged Minnesota with the best farewell match since Fanendo Adi’s final game in 2018. There is no reason to believe that the Timbers are done yet. “We’re in 5th, but we haven’t accomplished anything yet.” Has someone told Phil that this season falls into the 3-year pattern? There is still a lot of season to go, but this team continues to put in better and better performances with each passing day. Tonight was the biggest stumbling block of the streak so far, and the Timbers responded to it by refusing to back down and give up. In many ways, that is the best farewell Dairon Asprilla could have asked for. Throughout his entire time in Portland, he never balked at any obstacle. When his dad died in September 2020, Dairon responded with his best season to date. When one of his closest friends died last year, Dairon responded with a brace. He bounced back from a loan spell and a tough transition in his second season to become a true Timbers icon and a mentor to younger players. You cannot tell the story of the Portland Timbers without a backflipping Colombian wearing the number 27. The script demanded that the Timbers honor Dairon Asprilla tonight, and the team followed every instruction laid out in front of them. It culminated with one last cross, a toe-poked finish, and a club icon taking the ball to the corner flag for one last time. This club will not be the same without Dairon Asprilla. But tonight, rain fell on the Providence Park turf, and the team celebrated October in late June. The climb continues.
What a magical night! In the Army, it felt like matches from the distant past. But amid the gritty play and joyful comeback, I want to point out that the Timbers had 11 corners and on nearly every one the taller Loons headed the ball away. It's baffling why the FO has allowed the team to become perhaps the shortest in the league.
Great piece, Jeremy! Way to capture the night. How often in life do things go the way you want them to? It's tough to say goodbye to Dairon after so many important goals and moments that he has added to Timbers' lore. As he showed last night, what a player to have. He just owned the right side! If we ever played three in the back, he'd be a good wingback.
Johnathan - oh my - he just had an off night. His last goal was amazing though. It was really instinctual and his run was perfect to knife in there and get a touch. He's a true goal scorer like you say.
I'd say Evander took the team on his back tonight and really got it rolling. When he toyed with Caden Clark one time I just had to laugh. He's amazing. A few times I wanted him to rip a shot as he drove toward goal, but he passed. Too bad his shot at the very end didn't go in so he could pad his stats a little.
Great job Moreno on that shot - that was a jaw dropper. He seems to pop up all over the place, and makes it difficult for the defense to predict where he will be.
Sorry to see McGraw get hurt like that. He is a warrior. I'm not sure what happened on Minnesota's second goal - a miscue between McGraw and Chara. I mean, why is Chara heading that backward? Did he think McGraw was positioned further back? We can talk lightly of this mistake because we won, but those are the kind of mistakes that will lose you games against better teams.
We won't see Crepeau this week - at least for Thursday's match, and I can't imagine if Canada lost on Friday that he would come in and play Sunday, so we have Pantemis for the next two. If he keeps playing well and the team keeps winning, Phil has a tough decision to make. If it were me, I'd keep going Pantemis until the team loses. He made a couple of really good saves in the first half - one was a kick save that was really great. This guy is good and the team is getting results.
Fifth in the standings! But, there is little margin between fifth and ninth, so they have to keep grinding. I hope they stay hot heading into Leagues Cup, and I would love to see them make a run there. This is a lot of fun to watch this team.