Portland Timbers: Three Hopes and One Fear

by Brennan Burns

2015 MLS Cup Champions.

There really is no better start to an article for a Portland Timbers supporter, but with it comes the weight of more trophy expectations in 2016. What appeared to be another lackluster season as late as October turned into a dream ending for Portland, ultimately cup bound and then crowned at the expense of hosts Columbus Crew SC.

The offseason quickly saw key elements and stalwarts of the club’s recent success depart, Jorge Villafana, now former captain Will Johnson, Maxi Urruti, Norberto Paparrato, Rodney Wallace, Michael Nanchoff, and George Fochive all on the move in the transfer window.

While Villafana, Urruti, and Wallace were the most instrumental in the successful playoff run and will be most difficult to replace, the others also represent a loss of consistency and chemistry sure to be lost in the squad, at the very least in the short term.

It is before this backdrop that the team enters this campaign with a challenge not yet undertaken by the Timbers of any era, defending a league title.

THREE HOPES

Hope #1: Health & Fitness

Much of Portland’s slow start in 2016 can be attributed to the absence of essential players like Johnson and Diego Valeri to injury for the first few months of the season, but no such void exists in the middle of the park as the club embarks on their quest to retain the cup.

Backup midfielder Ben Zemanksi was injured in preseason last year and missed the entire regular season and playoffs, and thus far has escaped unscathed after rehabilitating from knee surgery, providing much needed veteran depth and versatility.

Recently acquired Ned Grabavoy provides similar qualities, and so far is one of manager Caleb Porter’s first options off the bench. At 32 some might question his durability, but he’s averaged over 27 matches played over the past 9 seasons, including playoff appearances, one of which was an MLS Cup win with Real Salt Lake in 2009.

Dairon Asprilla took a knock in the final Simple Invitational match, a 2-nil loss to the Chicago Fire, but should be available for this Sunday’s season opener after walking off of his own accord. Newcomer Chris Klute is not quite match fit to play against his former employers Columbus this weekend, but when healthy he’ll compete for a starting role at left back, fellow newcomer Zarek Valentin holding down that spot most regularly in the season buildup.

Portland’s first hope is that whatever injuries that are sure to occur over the course of the season don’t leave them shorthanded at crunch time.

Hope #2: Defensive depth

In spite of the spate of offseason comings and goings, the Timbers are still a relatively deep team, particularly in defense.

While the loss of Villafana is no small thing, the central defensive partnership of Liam Ridgewell and Nat Borchers fared so well in their first season together that a second year is sure to bring an even more symbiotic understanding and awareness on the backline.

Adam Kwarasey may provide the occasional hearts in mouths moments as he did when Kei Kamara drew a goal back for Columbus in the final, but all in all he’s proven a shrewd acquisition and looks a long term solution between the pipes. It doesn’t hurt that his incredible showing in the epic penalty shootout victory over Sporting Kansas City in the first round of the playoffs means he might also be counted upon as a regular spot kick taker in the future.

Jamaican Jermaine Taylor replaces Paparatto as the third option in the middle, and familiarity with his fellow national team player Alvas Powell will only help with his integration into the side.

Jack Jewsbury is listed as a defender, but his skill set means he can be deployed anywhere across the back four or in central midfield. Taylor Peay made several appearances with the first team last season, and with the extra slate of CONCACAF Champions League matches and US Open Cup matches his playing time will surely increase as he’s another who can play centrally or out wide.

The hope here is that the defensive additions will outweigh the losses, and with 3/4 of the starting lineup that held Columbus to a single shot on goal in the final can start this season as well as the last was ended.

Hope #3: Oh My Darling

Quite the year for Darlington Nagbe.

Five years on from earning collegiate MVP honors and winning a national championship under Porter at the University of Akron, just two-thirds of the way into the 2015 season many were questioning if the Liberian born midfielder would ever produce the same type of dominance in the pro ranks.

That question was answered in spades as a formation shift late on offered Nagbe the opportunity to pull the strings from midfield, and the result was the most consistent and shining play of his career, culminating in his first cap for the US National team and an MLS Cup trophy before year’s end.

While the 25 year old will tell you that being a father is his greatest achievement, he now has the professional accolades to cement himself amongst the league’s elite players. Five goals and five assists in the regular season may not seem like All Star caliber numbers, but four of those goals and two of those assists came in the final 9 matches to help propel Portland into the playoffs.

Adding another two assists in the postseason certainly didn’t hurt, but his lack of goals in the run to the cup final is a telling statistic about how integral his impact was on the game, all without personally putting a ball in the back of the net.

The hope for Darlington is that he begins to believe the hype, he really is that good. If Nagbe can put together an entire season as consistent as the end of 2015, Damian Lillard won’t be the only Portland sports hero to be heralded as a league MVP candidate.

ONE FEAR

One Fear: Adi All Alone?

18 goals.

That is no small contribution from Fanendo Adi in his first full season with the club, a mark that puts him level with the all time club record for goals in all competitions, and his 16 regular season tallies is also tops in Portland’s MLS era.

Accounting for 39% of the squad’s regular season offensive production is extremely impressive, but also a worrying omen entering this season that the Timbers will be even more reliant on the Nigerian to put the ball in the back of the net. The concern is compounded when you consider that the delivery enjoyed by Adi is sure to suffer with nearly half of the team’s assists in 2015 coming from players who now ply their trade for other clubs.

Porter brought in journeyman Jack McInerney to offer an alternative goalscoring option, but while the 23 year old forward notched two goals in scrimmages in Tucson, he looked out of sorts in the system when playing preseason matches in Portland last week. It’s odd to refer to McInerney in such veteran terms, but seeing that this marks his 9th year in MLS and playing for his fourth club, there’s no better definition for a striker who has scored goals reliably if not regularly at every stop.

His most recent stint at Columbus was short lived and ended with a 2-1 loss to Portland in the MLS Cup final, his last appearance for the Crew, but that late substitution effort proved fruitless. Now wearing the green and gold of the Portland, the Timbers Army will be expecting better returns.

The player with the most to prove his sizable transfer fee is Lucas Melano, who will be playing his first full season after joining the club in July 2015. One goal in 13 regular season appearances is not exemplary, but he showed flashes of his talent when he scored a goal for the ages late on to seal Portland’s advance to the MLS Cup as they vanquished FC Dallas hopes in the Western Conference finals, then added to that with the game winning assist to win the cup when his cross found the head of Rodney Wallace.

Asprilla is another second year Timber who must build on the hopes created when he hit a screamer in the first leg of that playoff series against Dallas at home. One goal in 26 regular season appearances is even less to write home about, so he and Melano will need to do more to create and finish scoring chances of their own rather than looking first to provide assists from the flanks.

After all the changes the spine of Portland’s championship team is intact, but the preseason performances were less than convincing that the offseason changes will make an immediate impact to maintain the caliber of play necessary to repeat. The real questions will come from players that now must step up in the absence of former teammates, not just for a late season playoff run but an entire season.

See also:

Timbers Army Log Blessing

Timbers blanked in season dress rehearsal