Orlando City Control the Tempo in Portland
by John Pelini
The Timbers were looking to string together consecutive home wins after an impressive 3-1 defeat of FC Dallas last weekend. Caleb Porter opted to name the same starting XI and once again line his side up in a 4-4-2. Adrian Heath aligned the visitors in a 4-3-3.
Center of the Pitch Dictates the First Half
While the early season buzz around Portland is that they have moved slightly away from a controlled possession game to a more direct style, they struggled in the first half to get any attacking moves going. Orlando had a man advantage in the center of the pitch, which was further pronounced by Kaka drifting in from his left side starting position to create a 4 vs 2. Orlando was able to control the tempo which was summed up well by Caleb Porter in his post match interview:
“They were playing very narrow, pulling in their wingers. So we had a numerical disadvantage [in midfield]in that first half, which was partly why they had so much possession, kept the ball so well.”
OCSC In Behind
Able to control the game, Orlando targeted Portland’s left side in trying to find space in behind. Pictured above, Kevin Molino drifts inside to collect the ball and he released Darwin Ceren in the right channel to set up a chance. The Timbers marking was mixed up with Jorge Villafana chasing Molino inside and nobody tracking the midfield runner.
The opening goal came from the right side in a similar manner. Orlando City pressed the Portland back line forcing a poor giveaway which gave Molino space to cross. He found the chest of Cyle Larin and the rookie unorthodoxly guided it into the near post. After the giveaway Portland had numbers in the box but Larin found the gap between the two center backs and Molino’s pass was perfect.
Adi gives up and asks referee to fix things for him
As Orlando City controlled the pace of the game, Portland looked lost in trying to find anything going forward. Max Urruti had a bright start to the match dropping off as a second forward and running the channels, but as the game went on he elected to stay higher up the field. His strike partner Fanendo Adi was completely taken out of the match mentally by Aurelien Collin. After clashing a few times early, Adi was visibly frustrated and more interested in pleading to the referee than getting on with the game.
Additionally, the central duo of Diego Chara and George Fochive failed to generate any build up play. They occupied similar roles as deep lying midfielders who look to break up play. They were too cautious in joining the attack and their passing was poor, which was why Fochive was replaced by Jack Jewsbury at halftime. The absence of Will Johnson was evident; his energy getting forward and passing prowess would have livened up the Timbers attack.
Nagbe in Center
With Kaka dropping inside and Brek Shea providing width in attack, Orlando City looked vulnerable to counter attacks down the right side. However, the Timbers only exploited the space on one occasion (pictured above). Nagbe broke into space and finished the move with a shot saved by Donovan Ricketts. Orlando dealt with this threat by using Christian Higuita to cover the space from his central midfield position. As the match went on Nagbe vacated the right and drifted around the pitch while Alves Powell was ineffective against Shea in one vs one situations.
Continued Struggle in the Second Half
Porter responded at halftime by bringing on Jack Jewsbury which gave Portland more of a foothold in possession. The addition of Dairon Asprilla for Rodney Wallace ten minutes in provided somewhat of a spark. Adi had a header go over and two shots that were blocked by Collin and Okugo.
Nagbe slipped in Asprilla on the right which forced a nice Ricketts save. Yet, Orlando defended well and the equalizer did not seem imminent. As Portland poured numbers forward looking for a goal, Heath brought on Carlos Rivas in the 82nd minute to try and grab a second. He quickly beat the offside trap from a Kaka pass forcing Adam Kwarasey off his line. Kwarasey missed the ball, clipped Rivas and conceded a penalty. Kaka stepped up and Kwarasey saved only for a couple of Portland players, most notably Diego Chara, to infringe on the spot kick leading to a retake and a second goal.
Conclusions
The Timbers should be very disappointed with their performance. Perhaps Caleb Porter will move away from the Adi/Urruti and Chara/Fochive partnerships. Adi and Urruti played similar roles occupying the center backs. They were failed to drop off and linkup with Nagbe to start attacks or find space in the channels.
In the center, Chara and Fochive cover a lot of space defensively but they do not provide thrust into attack. This, along with the injury of Diego Valeri, has left Nagbe as the lone creative force. Previously this season (against Dallas and Los Angeles) he has provided answers but when he cannot (as seen in the Vancouver match), Portland look lost.
