By Matt Hoffman
One of the most under appreciated artists in the last several years is the Manic Street Preachers, or “The Manics” as they are commonly referred to. Granted the metric used to define “under appreciated” is typically flawed choosing to skew toward the subjective and away from anything truly measurable. Still, it’s difficult to dispute that despite international success and much fanfare from the Manics British peers, the Manics never got much of a foothold in United States.
The Manics are probably quite alright with this. After all, American hegemony and mass consumerism were frequent staples of The Manics leftist politics and beliefs. The Manics once played a concert in Havana and later met with Fidel Castro though that hardly seems controversial now; Certainly no one objected when the New York Cosmos played in Cuba this summer.
Despite the critical and commercial success (in every place but the States seemingly), The Manics history is a tortured one with it’s guitarist, lyricist, and flamboyant soul of the band went missing twenty years ago. The Manics soldiered on with their efforts eventually culminating in This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours with the accidental single “If You Tolerate This, Then Your Children Will Be Next” leading the way.
The song is peculiar. Not only is it in the Guinness Book of World Records (longest song title without brackets), it’s notably stands alone as the greatest (and only) song about the Spanish Civil War to hit #1 on the UK Pop Charts.
“This is my truth, tell me yours,” is a phrase borrowed from influential Welsh politician Aneurin Bevan whose work established the National Health Service in Britain. Truth is something of a paradox. We each feel a strong conviction for what we know to be true. Yet, for all that conviction. truth can be a very malleable thing.
What is the Timbers truth? Is this the club that is so often seen flirting with disaster and 0-0 scorelines? Or is it the club whose late season charge could see the team surge up to second in the West?
In this they are not alone. Nearly every team in the West seems at one point to have been up top only to fall. FC Dallas is atop the mound now but they weren’t a month ago.
On Sunday (#DecisionDay), the Timbers need only a point to guarantee a postseason berth but a win would go much further towards helping the Timbers achieve postseason success.
For one thing, the Timbers haven’t scored a goal in Providence Park in over two months.
Sunday’s match (#DecisionDay) has all the makings of a trap game. Colorado is by most objective measures is terrible. They are last in the West and are the only team in Major League Soccer to score less than a goal a game.
Colorado is so abundantly a selling club, that the Rapids had to go so far as Cypress to sell off one their players.
Also, I am obligated each time I wrote about Colorado to point out the Rapids have four mascots though rumors are rife that Jorge el Mapache is on trial at Guernsey.
But beware Colorado at your own peril, like Sporting did Wednesday, and the Timbers could be in trouble. Sporting could have clinched a postseason spot, instead SKC lost 2-0–at home–to a short-handed Colorado team 2-0 surrendering two goals in the final 15 minutes.
Sam Cronin, the rough-and-tumble Colorado midfielder, will miss Sunday’s (#DecisionDay) bout due to his suspension which will help open up the middle a bit. Hopefully the Timbers will be able to exploit that even though the Timbers will be missing two crucial central midfielders of their own in Diego Valeri (suspension) and possibly Will Johnson (injury). Johnson has returned to training, but Caleb Porter said he is still building fitness.
As my colleague Niall McCusker put so well in his grades from Sunday’s thumping (and it was thumping) of the LA Galaxy, the Timbers have found a lineup that balances the team’s defensive tenacity with the offensive chops fans are have been more accustomed to under Porter’s stewardship of the club.
That’s a bonus because Colorado is a tough nut to crack with a stout defense that keeps them in a lot of contests. The team has stolen wins that should have been draws, and draws from what should have been losses. Yes, they are a last place team but one that, as Wednesday showed, can frequently punch above their weight.
Colorado always seems mired in a goalkeeping crisis which is something it’s current tenant, Zac MacMath (the Math-lete!) knows only two well from his time in Philadelphia*. Clint Irwin will likely be in the 18 but it appears MacMath is the ‘keeper who Pablo Mastroeni trusts for this instance.
*Note: Philadelphia still owns the Math-lete. He is on-loan to Colorado.
Mastroeni was the heart and soul of the Rapids team in it’s finest days when it won the MLS Cup. Tough as nails and defensive-minded, Colorado is like their coach.
While both teams will go with 4-2-3-1, the similarities end there. It’s like comparing the “Blitzkrieg Bop” to the Star Wars theme composed by John Williams. Both are songs of the 70’s .. and that’s about all they have in common.
Colorado version is a much more defensive-minded 4-2-3-1 and that’s punctuated by the fact that it’s player in the hole, Dillon Powers, plays much more as a box-to-box midfielder than his Portland equivalent (i.e. Diego Valeri) does.
The Rapids clearly can’t come from behind (0-8-2 when trailing at the half) but they can’t keep a lead either going 2-2-2 when leading at the half.
The limited runs forward is ultimately why Deshorn Brown, a tactically sound but slight player, was sold. The cash helped bring in Irish international Kevin Doyle who’s five goals in fifteen starts leads the club.
ESPN pegged the challenge of defeating Colorado that they deigned the Timbers as having a 99% chance of making the postseason. The Timbers have been saying all season long that they are a playoff team. Sunday, fans everywhere can see if that is the truth.
