Portland Timbers: Still adjusting to Giovanni Savarese
Don’t give up on the Portland Timbers. With a lot of season left. They still can find their footing under new Coach Giovanni Savarese.
Can we really judge what the Portland Timbers are capable of achieving after just five games? These results are less than stellar, two draws and three losses.
But the Plus side? All of the games have been on the road. Is this the team we saw make it to consecutive playoffs or the cup? No. This is a team that seems to be struggling to find it’s new identity under head coach Giovanni Savarese.
Savarese is looking to make this his team. He has benched perennial standout and captain Liam Ridgewell since the crushing defeat they suffered in New Jersey against the Red Bulls. And by the looks of Ridgewell’s twitter, he doesn’t seem concerned with the team at all.
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Ridgewell never mentions anything about the Portland Timbers except on March 24th, a wish of luck, which was just the first game he sat out. This could mean that he will no longer be coming back or it could be that Savarese is just making a point, but the lack of engagement seems to point towards Ridgewell’s future coming to an end in Portland.
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Do not temper your expectations. This team still has Diego Valeri, the 2017 MVP who is still able to create his own opportunities on goal. Add to that one of the most underrated players in all of the MLS in Diago Chara who is great as an attacking midfielder.
Sprinkle in Fanendo Adi at 6′ 4″ and you can see why the Timbers are still contenders. Which just leaves Savarese as the conductor and what he can do or add to make the edges fit that is the question.
One thing is for sure, the season is young and the Portland Timbers haven’t played at Providence Park, their home field. It is consistently regarded as a formidable soccer mecca. It has been ranked top ten by the Guardian, and top five by our own Cameron Albert.
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For Portland Timber Fans lets hope the field is enough to give them the advantage this weekend against Minnesota United. The Loons are still struggling to find their own identity after recently signing their very first DP in Darwin Quintero.