Nat Borchers and the defense need to bounce back from the setback in Houston.
By Matt Hoffman
The Timbers have three games in eight days and begin it all by traveling 2,500 miles away to BMO Field to play Toronto FC.
It’s been a rough start to a Toronto FC team that is much more talented than they were a year ago. Jermain Defoe may have been a high profile signing, but Jozy Altidore has proven to be every bit as capable of pouring in five goals in eight games for the Canadian side.
Altidore will miss Saturday’s game with a hamstring injury, but even without Altidore, Toronto is still a formidable side.
“They have some world class players on their side,” Jack Jewsbury said following training this week.
Johnson got his minutes in with T2 because his role is to run the field for 90 minutes, something that’s much easier to accomplish in the USL than on the first team.
Michael Bradley has been lively playing in the deep-lying, playmaker role. While his passing and defense have been exceptional, last week we say some offensive flair, creating a goal out of nothing at all.
Midfielder Sebastian Giovinco, meanwhile, is on the shortlist for newcomer of the year. Giovinco has provided a livewire that has kept Toronto afloat for a team that has only played one home game (a loss against Houston) as BMO Field has gone under renovations.
Regardless of who Toronto fields, or how they line-up (maybe shifting both Bradley and Gionvinco up?) the points are there to be had for the Timbers.
Caleb Porter, in his remarks to the media this week, noted Toronto will be “very motivated to win”, but added, “We need points as well.”
“I know it’s a cliche, but we need to perform well,” Porter said.
Porter is right on both counts. The Timbers have started slow as the team began the season with it’s entire midfield on the injury report.
Diego Chara returned after missing the opener against Real Salt Lake. Diego Valeri has now made consecutive starts, recording a goal and an assist. Now Will Johnson may be ready for his 2015 first team debut.
Johnson has started the last three matches for T2.
On Sunday, Johnson played the full match and provided an assist. Johnson later said on Twitter that Sunday’s T2 match would be his last game with the Timbers USL side. Porter didn’t say Johnson was in his plans on Saturday, but certainly didn’t deny it either.
The Timbers were among the league’s most competitive teams in the second half of last year but they are clearly missing a beat without their captain. Johnson’s return would bolster a team that continues to lose ground in the competitive Western Conference.
It was mistakes that did the Timbers in against Houston. That was the common refrain from practice this week. Reducing those errors and adding the fiery, passionate Johnson could well be the elixir to get the Timbers back into the top half of the division on Saturday.
