Taking stock of the Portland Timbers recent acquisitions

Coach Caleb Porter, General Manager Gavin Wilkinson, and owner Merritt Paulson endeavored to do all they could to maintain the composition of the 2015 Major League Soccer Cup winning Portland Timbers heading into the 2016 season. Salary cap rules, the reasonable ambitions of players, and other factors have conspired to make that impossible.

It is also fair to say that some players from the previous year’s squad did not contribute enough or represent a high enough return on investment to remain on the team. Others, like Will Johnson, found themselves not just the victims of a salary-capped league but of the evolving style of a team that shifted from a predominantly 4-2-3-1 formation to a 4-3-3, leaving one less defensive-oriented midfield role to be contested amongst the remaining players.

The Timbers have also progressed from an early Porter era focus on possession and pressing, AKA Porterball, to a more versatile emphasis on pragmatism; on being able to also cede possession and ruthlessly counterattack or play long balls to a target forward. The schedule congestion and consequent physical demands resulting from US Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League competitions also necessitates having versatile depth. The ongoing evolution of T2 on the development side enables the first team to use more secondary rosters spots for relative veteran depth rather than presumed potential.

With several players having departed throughout the 2015 season and ahead of the 2016 season, it was essential for the Timbers to manage the roster with an eye on performing well across all competitions. What follows is an examination of some of the pieces acquired by the team and what roles they may be expected to fill in order to give the Timbers the best chance at bringing more silverware home to the Rose City.

The two most recent acquisitions are Jack Barmby and Darren Mattocks. Barmby appears to be something like Michael Nanchoff with prospects. Essentially an attacking midfielder, Barmby has played centrally as a #10 under the striker, as a left-winger and, more recently, as a left full back. Porter has suggested that Barmby can play on either wing but, as a naturally left-footed player, Barmby would likely be inverted on the right and most useful on the left, where the Timbers lack any other left-footed options to provide width along the touchline.

While MLS Soccer asserted that Barmby was brought in to replace the departed Rodney Wallace, with Lucas Melano and Dairon Asprilla arguably locks for the starting winger positions, Chris Klute still recovering from injury, Andy Thoma newly injured, and Zarek Valentin not necessarily impressing, the third Jack may actually find his first chance on the pitch with the first team in the left-back position.

If he comes in at left wing, look for Barmby to provide service to goal scorers rather than driving into the box himself, giving the Timbers the width they are often missing in the absence of Wallace. Like Nanchoff, Barmby has demonstrated an ability to send left-footed rockets into the net from distance. How well he can cross, combine with teammates, and defend will be seen in time.

Mattocks is reuniting with Porter, Valentin, and Darlington Nagbe, his former coach and teammates from the University of Akron squad that won the 2010 NCAA College Cup. He is also joining his fellow Jamaican countrymen Jermaine Taylor, Michael Seaton, Alvas Powell, and Neko Brett, three of whom are teammates on the Reggae Boyz national team. Timbers fans and Mattocks himself have reason to hope that this familiarity and potential for camaraderie will help Mattocks return to or improve upon his 2012 rookie year form with the Vancouver Whitecaps, where he had since fallen out of favor before being traded to Portland. Mattocks already seemed like he was on the upswing after his return from national team duty last summer, with Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson speaking of his future with the club as recently as January. How much of that is gamesmanship is debatable but it is evident from recent press that Mattocks is presenting a more positive attitude and perspective about his career.

Much of the criticism about Mattocks has focused on his finishing and attitude. Being a forward takes a certain kind of me-first attitude and the position is notoriously streaky and psychological. Perhaps a change of environment and a different set of expectations will take the edge off and help Mattocks to reach his highest potential.

Mattocks has played as a center forward and as a winger. While he has provided some excellent service from the flanks, I would expect him to mostly be a substitute for Fanendo Adi up top, often with Jack McInerney underneath as a second forward. Mattocks’ leaping abilities make him an asset at winning headers and on set pieces, which is crucial in situations where the team may be coming from behind or trying to end a draw or preserve a lead. With Asprilla and Melano presumably starting, he will often be a late-game burst of speed that can harry weary defenders.

In speculating about his then seemingly inevitable and now confirmed ideal role with the United States Men’s National Team, MLS Soccer analyst Matt Doyle once referred to Nagbe as Ned Grabavoy with super powers. The inverse is accurate as well. While essentially a left midfielder, Grabavoy is likely to fill in for Nagbe while the newly minted USMNT player is called up and during early US Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League matches. In this capacity, Grabavoy will be facilitating transitions by shuttling and distributing the ball, and maintaining composure and possession. Grabavoy has played in a kind of system that Porter appreciates and has former Real Salt Lake teammate Nat Borchers to help him settle in.

Taylor is primarily a center-back, but if injured center back Liam Ridgewell recovers sooner rather than later, he could compete with Valentin or Barmby to spell for Chris Klute at left full back. Taylor’s aggressiveness can lead to free kicks in bad spots, or even penalty kicks, especially with PRO’s emphasis on discouraging aggressive play so far this season. That physicality can be an asset at other times, keeping opponents a bit more honest and less inclined to bully a Timbers team that has consistently been arguably too polite or timid. With Johnson having parted ways with the Timbers, the team has found leadership elsewhere but no substitute for the erstwhile captain’s grit. Taylor has that in spades. Taylor’s international experience with the Reggae Boyz will also be a valuable asset in CONCACAF Champions League play, whether at center-back or left-back.

Predominantly a right-back, Valentin may be expected to fill in for Powell due to national team call-ups or squad rotation, assuming Taylor Peay will get more time with T2 than on the first team bench this season. Valentin has shown decent distribution but does not seem to have the speed to play box-to-box and get involved in the attack. Perhaps he could work better with a partner less inclined to defend, when his role would be more purely defensive, to help maintain a lead and control possession.

I do not believe Valentin has been seen at right-back with the Timbers yet and the season is young, so it is possible that his abilities have not been fully on display. The jury is still out on him, as he has not yet been played in his primary position or had enough time in the league and with his new teammates. Timbers fans will repeat, “In Caleb We Trust” until Valentin has overcome any initial uncertainty about his place on the team.

McInerney was presumably brought in to fill Maximiliano Urruti’s role as a late-game substitute. McInerney is unlikely to be played as a lone striker like Adi. He is not a target forward and will probably not be able to provide the same kind of hold-up play as the much larger Nigerian striker. Fans should not expect McInerney to combine with others or create his own chances very often in the way that Urruti did.

Perhaps McInerney will press the backline like Urruti to force turnovers and create chances. However, he still seems more in the mold of a pure poacher, so Timbers fans may hope that he can be like Chris Wondolowski and find himself continually in the right place at the right time to single-tap into the back of the net. Expect him to play underneath Mattocks late in matches when chasing the game or trying to break a draw. Mattocks will drag defenders with him through sheer pace and McInerney can slip in to clean up in their wake. Finally, like Taylor, Jack Mac promises to bring a bit of attitude to the Timbers that could provide a much-needed spark, especially in the kind of late-game situations when he can be expected to appear most often.

The Timbers are three games into the regular season and, while experiencing mixed results in preseason and otherwise, they are off to a stronger start than any previous year under Porter. While some unexpected injuries and absences have necessitated some less than ideal line-up changes, the Timbers newest acquisitions have the potential to keep the team in the running for several prizes this season and beyond.