Timbers’ David Guzman fought and won plenty of battles in the midfield on Saturday. However, he eventually was subbed off at half after suffering an apparent concussion in the first half.
By Ed Pham
Photos by Mark Hoffman
The Portland Timbers found themselves leaving CenturyLink Field empty-handed despite a plethora of chances Saturday with a 1-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders. The Timbers had a nightmare start with Sounders’ Cristian Roldan scoring off a set piece in the fourth minute. It proved costly, as they couldn’t find a way to break down Seattle’s defense. Liam Ridgewell and Diego Valeri were arguably the closest to scoring in the first half for the Timbers. Darlington Nagbe’s shot deflected off Sounders’ Chad Marshall may have been the closest thing to a Timbers’ goal in the second half. However, the referee waved to play on despite the Timbers’ protests.
In the loss, there were plenty of points to look at for the Timbers.
Timbers central defender Roy Miller did well alongside Liam Ridgewell in limiting the Sounders’ chances throughout the game. The Timbers held the Sounders to just two shots on goal and eight shots total.
Timbers’ backline plays well
Despite conceding the only goal of the game, the defense looked comfortable in dealing with the Sounders’ threats. Dempsey looked missing from the game, Jordan Morris’s best chances were stifled, and Joevin Jones’s crosses didn’t find any real threats. Lawrence Olum, David Guzman, and Amobi Okugo did well to force the Sounders to play out wide and helped with clearing dangerous balls in the box. The Timbers defense held the Sounders to eight shots total in the game, who usually average 14.8 shots per game at home. It’s also hard to be frustrated with this defense when the Sounders can only manage two shots on goal over 90 minutes.
Set pieces remain a problem
Portland’s ability to defend on set pieces during the Caleb Porter era remains a struggle. This time, Roldan managed to find the end of Marshall’s header and nodded it past Gleeson in the 4th minute despite being one of the shortest players on the pitch. They have conceded five goals from set pieces this season now. What was particularly interesting was how they were defending the set pieces. The three best attempts for the Sounders off set pieces (including the goal) involved Chad Marshall unmarked or virtually unchallenged. The Timbers will need to find some way to deal with tall center back in their next two meetings in the upcoming month.
Tempers flared as Sounders’ Cristian Roldan confronted Sebastian Blanco after his tackle in the first half on Saturday. Timbers played aggressively during the first half, fighting for every 50-50 ball, winning plenty of tackles, and fighting to keep the ball in the Sounders’ half of the pitch.
Timbers showing aggression throughout the game
It’s not uncommon to see Porter come in with a conservative approach at CenturyLink Field. This time around, he went with an aggressive attack in this game and looked to shoot whenever possible. It showed as the Timbers found themselves with 56% of the possession and took fifteen shots in the first half alone. Porter said he was “pleased with the team’s performance” and that “it’s the best we’ve played against them.” While the Sounders made the adjustments in the second half to limit them to four shots, he focused on “looking at the whole game”. He believed in not changing too much from a coaching standpoint. Hard to say no when they were as aggressive on the attack as they were on Saturday.
It turned out to be a rough day for striker Fanendo Adi and the Timbers’ attack. Adi was unable to get the Timbers on the scoresheet, despite having his share of chances. The Timbers recorded 19 shots, but didn’t have a goal to show for it at the end of the game.
Timbers can’t find the final touch in the box
For as many chances they had, the Timbers couldn’t find a way to get it to result in a goal. Nagbe found himself leading the counterattack on several occasions, ultimately leading to a Vytas cross. However, Fanendo Adi and Valeri couldn’t find the end of those deliveries. In times where the Timbers found themselves in dangerous positions, the Sounders found a way to block their shots. It ultimately left the Timbers frustrated in the end to not come out with a point leaving Seattle. Porter stated how it was the first time the front four played together in a while. There was a lack of continuity as a result. They hope to have that cohesiveness up top again when they’re back at home against San Jose Friday.
Timbers’ central midfielder Lawrence Olum found himself surrounded by Sounders players on Saturday. He did well filling in for Diego Chara, who was out with a suspension.
Substitutes step up
Since Diego Chara was out due to suspension, Lawrence Olum took his place Saturday. He did well, distributing the ball around the pitch, closing down Sounders attacks, and diffusing any danger. Portland also put in Zarek Valentin ahead of Alvas Powell and performed well. He did well to limit the Sounders’ crosses along the left wing and provided some much needed defensive relief. Valentin talked about needing to do better when he conceded that goal, however. Both him and Olum lead the team with four tackles each. Amobi Okugo came in for David Guzman, who left due to a head injury, at the start of the second half. He helped enable the Timbers to get the ball out of dangerous situations alongside Olum. Late in the game, Dairon Asprilla providing some extra energy on the right wing, but it still wasn’t enough unfortunately.
Midfielder Darlington Nagbe takes a shot from inside the penalty area in the second half, but it appeared to have had his shot deflected by Sounders defender Chad Marshall’s arm. Was it deserving of a penalty for the Timbers?
Results will come…
Valentin said, “If we keep playing the same way, we’ll get the result.” It’s hard to disagree. The team’s assertiveness coming into a hostile environment like CenturyLink Field and to play as they did said a lot. Despite the rough streak, Valentin mentioned “[he]didn’t think the play dictates the way the things are going.” They can’t really be down on themselves about it. With four of their last five games away, it’s hard to get points every single week. But if they play the way they did Saturday and convert their chances, they’ll be on another win streak in no time.
Plenty of members of the Timbers Army came up for Saturday’s game to support their club. The Timbers have a two-game homestand, starting on Friday against San Jose.
