The Timbers open their tenth season in Major League Soccer this Sunday, March 1st against Minnesota United at Providence Park. It was a preseason that saw the Timbers travel to Costa Rica with a host of new players, in addition to a familiar batch of unanswered questions surrounding the team from their 2019 campaign. A busy off-season and up and down preseason has given us a glimpse of what’s to come as MLS kicks off its 25th regular season this weekend.
What’s next for Diego Valeri? Chants of “Pay Valeri!” from the north end at the end of the 2019 season did not fall on deaf ears in an off-season where the front office and player agreed to a deal that kept both sides happy and ready to go for another season in Portland. El Maestro, who will be 34 in May, shouldn’t be expected to have an MVP-caliber season again. However, coach Gio Savarese still sees him as a capable offensive threat to opposing MLS defenses. This may be a season that positionally pushes Valeri further up the field to utilize his remaining offensive potency. His on-field leadership and creativity may be enough to stave off the twilight years just a bit longer, given that the talent surrounding him can make the most of it.
What’s the team’s identity? An unprecedented away schedule to open the 2019 season tested the Timbers, a team that struggled early, but ultimately found a way to get results by evolving into a deadly, counter attacking team. With the likes of Blanco and Brian Fernandez sprinting down the channels in open space and into the hearts of opposing defenses, the Timbers were lethal and admittedly, a lot of fun to watch. When Portland returned to newly expanded Providence Park in the summer of 2019, the Timbers were expected to make a strong push into the postseason with a further amplified army behind them, but fans were ultimately left disappointed and frustrated by the lack of production at home. In 2020, GM Gavin Wilkinson has orchestrated enough roster turnover to provide Gio with a team closer to what he envisioned when he first arrived in the Rose City. Will this group be able to carry out Gio’s plan of keeping the offense aggressive and opposing teams unbalanced? If preseason is any indicator, Gio will need some time for his new players to adjust and take a trial and error approach with his tactics.
What about the new guys? Gone is Brian Fernandez. The talented Argentine’s quick rise to Timbers infamy (including a particularly rewarding performance in July which saw Portland beat Seattle at home), was equally as disappointing as Fernandez’s descent into bizarre off-field behavior and battle with personal issues that ultimately led to his dismissal from the league. Equally disappointing was the departure of Zarek Valentin who was left unprotected in this year’s expansion draft and ultimately wound up with the Houston Dynamo. Zarek was a constant source of locker room positivity during tough stretches and is admired greatly with Portland supporters for community involvement and volunteer work. Gavin and crew certainly put forth an effort to improve the roster and rectify any ill will with fans by finally bringing a second Chara to Portland. Yimmi Chara is reunited with his brother, Diego, after arriving from Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro, in addition to a handful of appearances with the Colombian National Team. The versatile midfielder is expected to slot into a role previously held by the likes of Andy Polo and Dairon Asprilla. Portland hopes the 28 year-old can make best of his speed and athleticism to help with the attack, but won’t necessarily expect him to be a reliable goal scorer as he banged in 10 goals in 68 appearances at his last stop. Where will the goals come from? Jeremy Ebosisse was the last striker standing this offseason until the arrivals of Felipe Mora and Jaroslaw Niezgoda. All three strikers seem anything but a sure thing. Ebo is still coming back from a meniscus injury and will be working his way into full game fitness when the season begins. Felipe Mora, who was acquired on a one-year loan via Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) from Liga MX side Pumas UNAM, has looked solid in preseason with his link up play and ability to find space in tight quarters. The Chilean’s goal scoring track record is a bit of a mixed bag, but a fresh start in a new league could be just what he and the Timbers need. The biggest question mark is likely Niezgoda, who has not yet suited up for the Timbers after coming off a heart ablation procedure in January. Niezgoda was acquired as a Designated Player after a breakout year for Polish side Legia Warsaw in which he had a league leading 14 goals this season. Valeri and Blanco have shown us in past seasons they are more than capable of keeping the Timbers on the score sheet, but will need the forwards to shoulder the load if the Timbers are to sustain any kind of goal scoring consistency this season. On the defensive side, it was a quiet off-season that saw the arrival of 27-year-old center back Dario Zuparic from the Croatian league. The defender has spent time in Italy and Croatia as a pro and has looked like a steadying force on the Timbers’ back line. The Timbers will have to rely on a group of mostly familiar faces on defense from last season to keep things intact. This group, especially Villafana and Moreira, seemed solid at best on defensive, but totally exposed and out of position at times, especially when facing quicker offensive opponents. The Timbers may be asking themselves if they should have done more with these positions if the team experiences a rough defensive start to the 2020 season.
What to expect from the 2020 Timbers? To a certain extent, every MLS fan catches transfer envy in the off-season when seeing big names go to teams other than their own (see: Rodolfo Pizarro with Inter Miami and Chicharito with LA Galaxy). Did the Timbers need a splashy signing to keep up with the growth of MLS? Not necessarily, but they will need to make the most out of the current roster. They need to see measurable progress and healthy seasons from long-term projects like Marco Farfan and Jeremy Ebosisse. The backline of Mabiala and Zuparic, along with Goalkeeper Steve Clark, will need to consistently be able to put out fires caused by any defensive liabilities surrounding them. New DP’s Yimmi Chara and Niezgoda will need to be serviceable MLS starters at worst. At best, this team still looks more than capable of making another MLS Cup run with Valeri pulling the strings and the team settling into a philosophy befitting of Coach Savarese’s competitive and foot-on-the-gas mentality.
