Liveblog: Colorado Rapids v. Portland Timbers

No Pity In The Rose City

The inaugural game of the MLS-era Portland Timbers happens at the Dick this evening as the Timbers take on the defending champion Colorado Rapids. As a Portland resident and Timbers fan, I can say that I have been awaiting this moment for just about two years because it will be two years on Sunday when Don Garber announced Portland as the 18th MLS club.

It seems there is actual excitement in the city for the Timbers that goes beyond the die-hard soccer fans such as myself. Timbers stories are all over the news. Timbers ads are everywhere and there is a buzz in the community as a whole, which is a credit to the marketing by the Timbers. The real question is whether this can be maintained.

Sure, the Timbers Army will be there through thick and thin, but to gain even more traction the club needs to produce on the field. That doesn’t mean being the best. Right away. But it does mean they need to be competitive and entertaining. Timbers GM Gavin Wilkinson and coach John Spencer have put together a squad that on paper appears to be able to provide at least a portion of that.

Spencer has said he wants a team that can score goals and will implement that mentality in his squad. The team has acquired some good attacking talent but seems to lack the creative engine in the midfield. Maybe one of the players can seize that role but it seems unlikely.

I just bought a new TV, a bigger HDTV that I set up this afternoon and the Timbers match is supposedly in HD. At least it’s on an HD channel but I don’t know if it will be an actual HD broadcast. Let’s hope so. I have my Timbers alternate away kit on and a beer in hand. This will be a good evening regardless of the outcome but a victory would make it even better.

I’ll be back with the lineups shortly.

Colorado

Pickens, Kimura, Wynne, Moor, Wallace, Mullan, Larentowicz, Mastroeni, Smith, Omar Cummings, Conor Casey

Portland

Brown, Purdy, Goldthwaite, Brunner, Wallace, Pore, Lowry, Jewsbury, Hall, Cooper, Perlaza

PREGAME

Christopher Sullivan with the touch screen tactical analysis on FSC. CNN’s political coverage this is not but we’ll give him a break as this is the first match of the season.

Dwayne Derosario scored the 8,000th goal in MLS history. What’s that about 2,000 a year? Wynaldo scored the first. Well, certainly the latter is a bit of trivia perhaps worth noting but the former?

Switching from FSC to the FSN local channel because when it says it is in HD it actually is unlike FSC. Seriously, FSC when will you get that sorted?

Yes, all those people under the tent are Timbers fans at Kell’s Irish Pub on St. Patrick’s day weekend…or maybe not.

Here come the players with the kiddies.

The Timbers Army really reflects the diversity that is Portland. Lack of diversity that is. This town is so white, it should be called Wonderbread.

0:00 – And there we go the first minute of the Timbers MLS era.

3:00 – Come to UF for the soccer, leave for the browsers crashing. Kidding. Don’t leave. We need you. Click those ads.

5:00 – Conor Casey whistled for the foul as this match really hasn’t gained much life yet. Possession in the middle of the park but no real threats for either team. Kenny Cooper is really working hard up top though–on offense and defense.

8:00 – GOALLLL!!!! Colorado 1-0 Portland. Poor defense by the Timbers in the corner as Cummings was able to escape two defenders and then strafes across the goal mouth. The keeper gets a touch but Larentowicz is there to slam home the opening goal. That really shouldn’t have happened.

10:00 - Perlazza blows a wonderful chance as he was picked out on a long pass managing to stay onside to get a one on one with the keeper. Rather than take it at the keeper Perlaza attempts a cheeky chip of the keeper but comes nowhere near scoring a goal. He should have done better.

12:00 – How many times are they going to show the same female Portland fan in the crowd? I have counted three so far.

15:00 – Conor Casey almost Jonny Evans’ed Eric Brunner’s face there.

17:00 – The Timbers look like Blackburn playing the Rapids cum Arsenal. Portland can’t maintain possession and when it does they just end up giving it away.

22:00 – The Timbers defense is about as sound as Arsenal’s right now. They can’t mark a man properly or make a good pass. They really need to shore it up in the back. Thankfully the quality of MLS play can’t capitalize on all of these mistakes. Colorado has done it once and I’d expect it to happen at least two more times.

24:00 - Penalty shout for Colorado as Brunner levels Casey in the box. Casey went down rather easily but the clumsiness of the tackle could have easily afforded a PK.

28:00 – Jewsbury sends a free kick into goal that is punched away. I have figured out what the Portland left back’s issue. He can’t play defense. He’s like Glen Johnson.

29:00 – GOAL!!! 2-0 Colorado. Omar Cummings exploits more poor defense on the part of Portland.

30:00 – GOLAZOOOO!!! 3-0 Colorado. Jamie Smith with a rocket from 18 yards that finds the upper right corner.

Well, Portland can’t maintain the possession to threaten the goal and can’t defend worth a crap. This won’t be pretty.

With all that happened in the last few minutes I missed a bit on the second goal. It was another defensive miscue that allowed Casey to head on to Cummings who was unmarked in the middle of the park. The centerback couldn’t contain him as Cummings got in on goal. Brown came out to make a great stop but the ball deflected back into Cummings who slotted it home easily. Poor Brown. It’s like his backline is doing the opposite of cockblocking.

36:00 - @OM: I’m not sure how he has looked as I haven’t seen but one match. He doesn’t have the goals in him when he can’t get any service. Portland’s midfield has not given him any service. Cooper has had the best possession of any of the players.

38:00 - Following an unsuccessful Jewsbury free kick in the attacking third, Marvell Wynn attacks up the right flank without any Portland defense molesting him until he was already in the Timbers half. He picks out a Rapids player in the middle. But, Perlaza tracks back to play the first bit of defense by Portland in ten minutes. It’s a shame when a striker is playing the best defense.

40:00 - Yellow card, Conor Casey. The forward lays out Brunner with an elbow. Deserved card.

45:00 – Ryan Pore fails to judge the ball over the top as he was on and in on the keeper. He gave up on the ball when he should have ran on.

HALFTIME

Well, that was about as poor a showing as possible by the Timbers. The defense gave up very few goals in the preseason and that shows you what the preseason is worth. Not much. There was a lack of discipline by the defenders. Too many mental mistakes that you cannot have against the defending champions. Not to take anything away from the Rapids but two of the three scores were the result of defensive mistakes and not the Rapids play. They did take advantage though, which is what good teams do.

Portland will need to shore up the defense first and then maintain some possession in the middle of the field. The route one football will not get this done.

Regardless of the laid back, casual attire of Portland, the Timbers owner should really wear a tie when he appears on television.

Second Half

Timbers make two changes. David Horst on for Goldthwait in defense, Moffat on for Lowery in the midfield.

46:00 – Back under way. Let’s see if the Timbers can have a bit of composure.

49:00 – Well, this is certainly a marked improvement from the first half for the Timbers. Actual possession, good passing and working it forward.

53:00 – Just as OM pointed out in the comments, Casey playing very deep. In that role he receives the pass and is given all the time and space in the world to turn and run on to the goal. He strikes from 25 out but Brown dives to his right to corral the strike.

54:00 – Kenny Cooper almost with a bit of magic as he is set free on the right with a pass. Cooper drives to the endline chipping to the back post where he almost has the ball fall in the back corner. Not sure if it was a shot or poor cross but it was well done.

59:00 – The “At the 65:00 pass your empty cups to the aisle so that we don’t have to clean up after you” announcement is great.

61:00 - Conor Casey off for some guy whose name I didn’t catch. A good night Casey who was dangerous and set up the attack very well.

63:00 – Yellow. Mastroeni. Bad late tackle. Not sure what he is arguing about.

66:00 – Rodney Wallace off for Kalif AlHassan. A midfielder on for a defender but it’s not like Portland will be losing any defense since Wallace was rarely playing any.

72:00 - This has been an incredibly boring second half. Even more beer hasn’t made it better.

73:00 - Well, the Timbers Army is still singing and well lubricated. Par for the course. With the Timbers not able to make a dent in the score margin in the first thirty minutes of the second half, it looks like the intensity is lessening. I would expect another Rapids goal in short order.

77:00 – Mastroeni off, Nyassi on.

79:00 – GOALLLL!!!!!! Kenny Cooper. 3-1 Colorado. Wow. I have no idea how that went in. Cooper lines up over a free kick from 35 yards out and fires a daisy cutter that somehow bounces through the wall and every other player to find the back left corner.

82:00 - Nyassi rips a shot in on Brown who parries away. Again, resulting from a defensive mistake by Moffat who swung and missed on a clearance. Back in the day we used to call that a “Frazier”…no idea why. And Nyassi pounds Brown again who blocks it. (Hmmm…I probably could have worded that better.)

84:00 – Colorado getting all sorts of opportunities now. Nyassi’s corner went all the way through the box and two Colorado Rapids were free and unmarked on the back post but couldn’t quite get there.

88:00 -Well, you can’t say the Timbers Army only sings when they are winning because they are still putting out significant noise.

Wells Thompson on for Brian Mullan for Colorado. Wells? He was bound to be a socer player wasn’t he?

90:00 – It’s difficult to tell if Portland has played better in the second half or if Colorado have just let off the gas. Since Portland’s goal, Colorado has dominated making me think it was more Colorado than it was the Timbers. Lots to work on over the next week for Portland.

92:00 – TWEET. TWEET. TWEET. 3-1 Colorado Rapids victory. This will be the first lump of many for the Timbers if it can’t refine their game. The team lacked precision in the pass and stoutness in the defense. The miscues in defense made this an easy game for Colorado.