The Downfall of the Portland Timbers
The Portland Timbers were the defending MLS Cup champions entering the 2016 season but a disaster of a year has left them out of the playoffs.
2016 is the first Major League Soccer season in which both MLS Cup Final teams from the previous season missed the playoffs the following year. Both the Portland Timbers and the Columbus Crew failed to reach the postseason. The downfall of the defending MLS Cup Champions is a disappointing story with plenty of reasons.
The amount of parity in MLS is what makes the league so competitive compared to that of the English Premier League, the Bundesliga in Germany, or even La Liga in Spain. The success of clubs in the United States’ top flight varies each year. Even with the fluctuating triumph, no one expected the sort of downfall that Portland had this season.
The Timbers seemed like a team with plenty of returning talent, a great coach, and an easy path to the playoffs. Success was supposed to be imminent for them but it never came to fruition. Instead, they struggled all year to fight for a spot in the postseason and dropped multiple results to weaker opposition. This, in turn, led to the eventual failure and downfall of the team in 2016.
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After finishing last season in third place in the Western Conference with a 15W-11L-8D record (53 points), the team regressed. They ended the 2016 campaign with a 12W-14L-8D record and 44 total points. Even with all of their struggles, the Timbers were only two points short of making the playoffs.
Some may point to CONCACAF Champions League as a deterrent for Portland and a reason as to why they failed this year. But FC Dallas and the New York Red Bulls have had more success in Champions League play while also earning top spots in their respective conferences in MLS’ regular season.
1. Trouble Away From Home
With the struggles that Portland faced on the road, it is a wonder that they were ever even competing for a playoff spot. They were the only team in Major League Soccer to not win an away game this season. The Timbers were 0W-11L-6D outside of Providence Park. Even the Chicago Fire, who were the worst team in the league, got one road win.
The Oregon based club had the second lowest point total from away matches with only six of their points coming on the road. The Fire were the only team that had less as they five with a 1W-14L-2D record away from their home. Portland’s terrible road record and inability to get results away from home was the main reason for their downfall. Without crucial points, the team fell short of playoff contention.
2. Losing Key Players
The Timbers lost a number of important players from not only last year’s team but also from their squad that started the season. Whether it be to injury, trades, or transfers, Portland had plenty of holes that weren’t replaced properly.
They lost Jorge Villafaña who made 19 appearances in the midfield, starting goalkeeper Adam Larsen Kwarasey, Maximiliano Urriti, and Rodeny Wallace from last year’s team. They were all transferred or signed elsewhere. They lost one of the best center backs in the league in Nat Borchers when he went down for the season with a torn achilles.
While the team did find some good players to replace these guys with, the amount of talent lost was noticeable and the leadership as well. They were put in a tough position and could never quite recover from the key players lost.
3. Decision Day
Even with the struggles, lost players, and dropped points, the Portland Timbers still had a chance to make the playoffs on the final day of the MLS season. The team needed a win against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Decision Day to lock up a spot in the postseason. They were eventually defeated 4-1 at BC Place. Not only did their playoff hopes die with the result but they also missed out on a chance to hoist the Cascadia Cup.
They finished two points below the red line behind Real Salt Lake. If Portland could have gotten a win over Vancouver, they would’ve been in the postseason. It didn’t help that the Timbers were without two of their best and most important players in Liam Ridgewell and Diego Charra who were both suspended due to yellow card accumulation from the previous match.
The downfall of the Portland Timbers in 2016 wasn’t expected but with the way they played, it was inevitable. They should come back even stronger next season as they look to bounce back from a down year. Another unpredictable championship run may lie ahead for them.