2015 MLS Team Preview: The Portland Timbers
By Matt Hoffman
Barring a possible work stoppage, the 2015 edition of Major League Soccer is soon upon us. The ‘plex is examining all 20 teams as we prepare for kickoff. Next up: the Portland Timbers!
2014 At-a-glance
49 points (12-9-13)
Top scorer: Diego Valeri (11 goals)
Top playmaker: Diego Valeri (14 assists)
Best moment of 2014: The Timbers were one of the hottest teams in the second half of the season culminating in a big win against FC Dallas–a place they had never won at before–on the final day of the season. For about a half hour it looked as the Timbers might make the playoffs after all, until Vancouver found the go-ahead goal and beat Colorado to edge the Timbers out of the postseason.
Key players this season:
Darlington Nagbe-One of the most talented players in the league, Nagbe becomes eligible to play for the USMNT this summer. He is eager to for the season to begin because, believe us, he’s just as surprised as you are that he only got one goal in league play last year and he’s out to prove that that is a misnomer.
Liam Ridgewell has a style that’s uniquely his own.
Adam Larsen Kwarsey-Born and raised in Norway, Kwarasey was the primary goalkeeper for Ghana in last year’s World Cup. At 26, he’s young and mobile enough to make dashing forays from his net to help with the attack. Quite a departure from Donovan Ricketts whose hulking presence was a fixture in the Timber’s box.
Liam Ridgewell-The team’s defensive DP returns from an offseason loan spell at Wigan. Defense was the team’s weakness last year. They addressed it first by bringing in Ridgewell last season and acquiring Nat Borchers over the offseason from Real Salt Lake. How quickly the two gel will go a long ways to determining the team’s success.
Key-ish Player this season:
Nick Besler-We might not see much of the younger Besler (yes, he’s Matt’s brother), but the Timber’s pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft certainly has the talent and–with injuries to Will Johnson and Ben Zemanski–fills a need on the Timber’s roster. His preseason was okay, he very much looked like the inexperienced rookie that he is. It’s a big change going from the college game to the pros, however the Timbers have the resources (starting with their USL Pro team franchise) and Besler has the tools and mindset to make that happen.
Caleb Porter will face a difficult stretch at the beginning of the season. Photo courtesy of Diego Diaz.
Key departures: Donovan Ricketts (Orlando City), Michael Harrington (Colorado), and Pa Modou Kah (Vancouver)
Big question for 2015: Were the Timbers right to hold off on a big attacker?
Diego Valeri directly contributed to a third of Portland’s 61 goals last season. So yeah, losing a player of that magnatude is a pretty big deal. The Timbers made approaches to Jozy Altidore and Sacha Kljestan over the offseason but they opted to to go Toronto FC and New York Red Bulls, respectively.
The Timbers have made attempts in the past to sign a big-name striker in the past so they know first-hand how delicate balance this could be. With the memories of Kris Boyd and all that that entails, the Timbers decided to stand pat.
The Timbers certainly do have attacking talent and depth at the position. However each of the team’s forwards were plagued by inconsistency last year. None more so than Nagbe who despite his impressive play, didn’t score until the final game of the season.
It’s a bold gamble but it’s probably the right gamble particularly if the Timber’s can get through their first eight games with a decent amount of points (i.e. more than five).
Outlook: The Timbers missed the playoffs by a point last season. Much like their individual game performances (dubbed “Operation Comeback” by Porter), the team was doomed by a horrible start, but came on strong in the final half of the season.
Without Valeri and facing a daunting level of competition to open the season (six of their first eight opponents made the playoffs last season including the Galaxy, Sounders, and RSL), the Timbers may in fact be lucky to have only five points eight games into the season as they were last year.
More from MLS Multiplex
- Javier Milei Elected in Argentina: Potential Impacts on MLS and Signings of Argentine Players
- Orlando City and New York City FC in the Battle for Matías Arezo; Grêmio Enters Negotiations! Who Will Come Out on Top?
- USA, Honduras, Panama, and Canada Close in on a Spot in the 2024 Copa America
- De Gea Turns Down Al-Nassr’s Lucrative Offer: Speculation Points to Possible Reunion with Messi at Inter Miami
- Messi’s Magnetic Impact in the United States
By May, Valeri and perhaps Will Johnson (returning from a broken leg) will be back and shaking off the rust. Until then, look for the Timbers to use their width to stymie opponents. Rodney Wallace has carved a niche for himself on the leftside of the field and has developed a wonderful chemistry with the overlapping leftback Jorge Villafana.
On the right, Porter may have found gem in Colombian Dairon Asprilla. Either as an impact sub or as an outright starter, Asprilla showed great pace and was not shy at all about tracking back. Speaking about Asprilla in the offseason, Porter said, “He’s got that game-changing ability, which is why we added him.”
“He will lose the ball sometimes trying to make things happen but in the process of trying to make things happen he impacts the game. I thought he was certainly one of the guys today that showed well and made an impact.”
But again, it all comes back to the team’s defending. Amid the backline, only Alvas Powell was a starter last year. Villafana was with the team but didn’t come into his own until midway through the season. And so far, Porter is pleased with the defense: “We’ve played five games now and we’ve only given up three goals and one of those was an own goal. If you look at last year where we had problems it was on the defensive side. So I think we’ve really addressed that and corrected that and I’m pleased with how we have defended.”
He adds: “We do need to get the attack going, but I’m confident that will come.”