By Niall McCusker
After playing a more direct style in their first two games against RSL and LA Galaxy, two teams that they had historically struggled to impose their possession game on, for the trip to Sporting Kansas City Porter seemed to want to try a less direct approach. The problem was Kansas City did not let them do it. Peter Vermes had his team coached to apply very early, very high pressure, especially on Nagbe who did not get a chance to turn, almost any time he got the ball two players quickly converged on him.
With that avenue closed, Portland did try to go long at times, but it seemed forced by KC pressure rather than planned and as result the delivery was often poor and Adi did not have the close support from Nagbe and his wingers that he enjoyed in the LA game. So with their attack shut down the Timbers relied on their defense to earn them a point and they did a nice job of that.
This was a battle, with defenses on top. What wins those type of games? Set-pieces I hear you cry! Well not quite, but Opara and Anibaba should have buried their chances from corners and Borchers had a decent header saved from a Jewsbury free-kick.
Here are the individual ratings:
Adam Larsen Kwarasey 7: I want to have a chance to rate this keeper higher for clean sheets, but his defense just doesn’t leave him with a lot of work to do. Came out of his box early to clear a ball and made a decent stop from an angled shot in the 39th minute, which he failed to hold and had to clear from danger with his feet. It looked a little ugly, but it worked. He really needs to buy his defenders a round of beers, if they are even allowed to do such things these days, he will find Portland pint prices a lot less scary than those in Norway. In fact let’s make it two rounds.
Alvas Powell 7: No pint for you Alvas, you’re only twenty. No you can’t have one next week in Vancouver either, you’re going on national duty with Jamaica remember? Maybe in Montreal in May if you keep up the good work. Anyway, Powell made no big mistakes, even when Zusi came out onto his wing he kept him fairly quiet. One could ask for a little better distribution, but really as long he keeps not making mistakes he’ll keep starting. A much better showing than against LA last week.
Nat Borchers 7.5: Got the wrong side of Opara on an early corner giving him a nice look at goal, but after that a solid showing from the pogophilic defender. He often stepped across to help out Powell, got a header on target from a free kick and showed some very nice speed in closing down Dwyer when Ridgewell had been caught up field after taking a free kick. An excellent late tackle on Zusi at the edge of the box closed off a good days work.
Liam Ridgewell 8: The London boy kept Essex boy Dom Dwyer very quiet indeed in this game. Dwyer had 22 goals in 31 starts last year, so that is no mean feat. The one shot Dwyer did get off was because Ridgewell had been drawn across to cover Mendranda who had cut in from the right and even then he recovered to block the effort. Coolly cleared a very dangerous ball from a yard off the line in the first half when an own goal looked a scary possibility. Judging by Ridgewell’s start to the season the Timbers should perhaps consider sending more players on 6 week loans to the English Championship next preseason!
Villafana: not that awesome in the air. (photo Graham Green)
Jorge Villafana 7.5: Villafana allowed Medranda to get between him and Wallace on the quarter hour to set-up Dwyer, but apart from that pretty solid defensively. He had a good battle with Medranda who played well and a slightly easier time against his replacement Anor. Got forward when he could but he and Wallace were in a pretty close battle all game with an industrious Kansas midfield. The one downside to his game is that he is a little weak in the air, he didn’t get off the ground to challenge on Opara’s late header.
Villafana: good on the ground. (photo Graham Green)
Jack Jewsbury 7: He and Chara took a while to get going, Kansas simply out-hustled them for the first 25 minutes of the game. Stayed in front of his back four all day and was one reason why they looked so solid. Set-piece delivery was good, a corner caused chaos and was bundled into the net by Adi but the referee had spotted his handball. A stronger performance in the second half, got into some strong tackles and was lucky not get hurt by a very naughty challenge from Espinoza.
Diego Chara 7: As a frequent dabbler in the dark arts himself Diego Chara knows a naughty challenge when he see one, so it was refreshing old-school to see him leave a boot on Espinoza right after his over the top tackle on Jewsbury. Yellow card well taken sir. He looks to still be not quite 100% from his preseason injury, took a while to get going and let Nagamura and Mendranda slip past him early on. After that he began to assert himself in the tackle and got forward when he could to support the attack and apply pressure to defenders. If Portland want to turn draws into wins though they are going to have to let Chara even more off leash and keep pushing him up.
Not the biggest in the world Chara still did well to get off the ground and compete with Anibaba on a late corner, preventing him having a completely free header after Powell slipped.
Doesn’t look too bad from this angle, but this was a bad challenge, foot over the ball. (photo Graham Green)
Dairon Asprilla (off in 76′) 5.5: The third minute of the game summed up were he is at right now, dallied on the ball – got caught and dispossessed from behind. He controlled a long ball well on the quarter hour, combining with Nagbe who tried to release him in the box, but he was just offside. His clash with deJong in the second half showed that he is a tough kid and he is also useful on defending set-pieces. But based on the first three games it seems he still has a lot to learn, it might be time to see how he goes as an impact sub rather than a starter.
Darlington Nagbe 6: The deployment of Nagbe was were this game was won and lost. Well OK it was tied, but you get the idea. Nominally a central attacking midfielder Nagbe dropped deep time and again to receive the ball from defenders and get Portland’s attack moving. Kansas were wise to this from the start of the game and gave him no chance to turn and get going, even Besler from center back stepped right up into Portland’s half on occasion. Normally Nagbe is excellent at turning in tight quarters and getting going, but a combination of an off day for him, close (and mostly legal) attention from KC and tricky field conditions* lead to a lot of turn-overs in Portland’s half. The alternative was the ball having to be dropped back and booted long to Adi, but since Nagbe was already deep at that point he had little support.
Nagbe’s two best moments playing in an actual attacking role were both ruled offside. Once correctly, his nice ball over the top for Asprilla, and the other incorrectly, were he set up Jewsbury’s mishit shot that fell to Wallace.
A frustrating game for Nagbe after being so good against LA last week, changing up the tactics for moving the ball out and more wing penetration would have helped him a lot.
* My dad has a nice vintage pair of original 6-stud system, 1950’s Adidas boots (widely credited for Germany’s 1954 World Cup win) in the attic, complete with fearsome options for metal studs of various lengths. On a slippery field like this game, sometimes I feel like they would still work better than these lightweight, high-tech, modern excuses for a football boot the kids wear these days. I am willing to polish them up and lend them out, they would also prove very useful for exacting retribution on opponents, if Nagbe ever felt so inclined.
Rodney Wallace 5.5: more industrious and on the ball than Asprilla, but really not much more effective. Portland didn’t get anything much going on either wing and a lot of credit has to go to the Kansas midfielders. I don’t recall a game were Wallace lost so many balls in the tackle, though he did tuck in with Villafana and prevent Kansas from doing much damage down the wing either. He should have buried the chance he had from Jewsbury’s mishit shot and was probably relived to see the errant offside flag from the assistant become the major talking point.
Fanendo Adi: 6: with minimal to non-existent service he was never going to repeat his two goal haul from last week. His best chance he created himself on the hour, beating a defender on the wing and showing a little fancy footwork before testing the keeper with a decent shot. Some might have wanted him to look at options inside, but he gave the keeper his only serious save of the game, so it was the right decision.
His hold-up play was decent but not one of his best days in that department, but he was left too isolated for the most part.
Besler starting taking some long throws in the second half and Adi followed him up the field, taking up his regular corner defending position on the six yard line. He cleared one nicely in the 52nd minute, kudos to the coaching staff and Adi for being wise to Besler’s throws. Why doesn’t Porter sub Adi out earlier – check the last corner in the 82nd minute were Anibaba almost scored, that’s the zone Adi normally protects.
Fernandez seems to be adjusting to MLS. (photo Graham Green)
Gaston Fernandez (on in 75′) 6: had he been on for longer he might have got a higher mark, because he actually started making Portland’s attack work. He finally filled the central attacking role that had been empty all game and laid off some nice passes.
When Valeri plays and Nagbe is on the wing he does exactly the same kind of dropping deep to receive balls, but the defense can’t converge exclusively on him because of the danger Valeri presents as a secondary option for distribution. When Nagbe drops similarly deep from the central attacking role leaving it empty he is easier to bottle up and there is no plan B as Adi is now isolated.
Vancouver might not be the right game to try it, but I think switching to last year’s system with Nagbe on the right and Fernandez in the middle may be the correct option for the home games against Dallas and Orlando.
Maxi Urruti 5 (on in 75′): didn’t really have a chance to get into the game.
