Timbers training commenced Wednesday morning in anticipation of the forthcoming rivalry matchup with arch enemy Seattle Sounders.
Meeting at the adidas Timbers Training Center in Beaverton, the proceedings were largely focused on possession and passing drills. After warming up with jogging, stretching, and leg workouts with resistance bands, training got truly underway with a spirited version of keep away. This is a familiar routine, with players in the center of the circle trying to win possession from the ring of their teammates trying to pass through or around them.
Diego Valeri has returned to full training
The goalkeepers, including Justin Luthy from T2, worked with goalkeeping coach Mike Toshak at the opposite end of the pitch. Danny O’Rourke continued his presence with the first team despite appearing unofficially on the T2 roster. Rodney Wallace, confirmed post practice by Coach Caleb Porter with an MCL strain and 2-4 week projected recovery time, and Michael Nanchoff worked out with trainers on the sidelines. Diego Valeri and Will Johnson participated fully in training, showing no hesitation or tentativeness, though not being involved on either end of tackles.
Rodney Wallace recovers from an MCL sprain by working out on the sidelines
The rest of the team next arranged themselves in a diamond formation in front of goal with players on each point and in the center. Players ran the outside lines of the diamond and cycled through the center, practicing turning, playing the ball to a point, then passing final balls to set up attacks. They kept two balls in play, emphasizing quick passing into space using one or two touches. Porter encouraged speed and precision, urging players to try to catch the other ball in play while admonishing that doing so meant mistakes were being made ahead of them. It was also noted that the Timbers would be playing on turf this weekend against Seattle, which further underscored the importance of playing the ball precisely on the ground to manage the bounce. After performing this drill in reverse order the team moved to the grass pitch on the other side of the training grounds, leaving the goalkeepers and Nanchoff behind on the turf pitch.
Once on the grass, the team resumed another variation on the keep away, this time with the orange, yellow, and blue pinnies differentiating players inside the circle, those they were attempting to link up with, and those that were trying to intercept passes and gain possession. During this drill there was some kind of argument with Assistant Coach Sean McAuley yelling at Fanendo Adi, followed by Porter sending Adi to the locker room. No members of the press had the temerity to ask Porter about this after practice so it would be conjecture to speculate on the significance or implications of this event. Assistant Coach Cameron Knowles donned a pinney to keep the numbers even and the drill transitioned into one involving pressing defense and transitions, using passes to set up shots on one of four small goals arranged in the corners on either side of a shrunken pitch.
After training, goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey was made available to the media, followed by Caleb Porter. Kwarasey expressed his awareness of the importance of the rivalry with Seattle. While expecting everyone to be a bit amped up, he doesn’t expect the turf or any other factors to impact the way he approaches the match, and described his communication and chemistry with defenders Nat Borchers and Liam Ridgewell as a work in progress that will simply take time to fully develop.
“It’s just something that takes time. Even though we’ve been together a couple of months now, we still don’t know each other that well. I think it’s going fine. Every game is an improvement even though we sometimes lose points or games we have to learn from our mistakes and that’s the only way we will learn and get to know each other is to make mistakes and correct them.”
Kwarasey was coy about the possibility of returning to the Ghanaian National Team after a meeting with the Black Stars coach while in New York for the NYCFC match.
Coach Caleb Porter made himself available to the press for questions
When asked about the status of Diego Valeri and Will Johnson, Caleb Porter reiterated the timeline that has been presented before, but suggested that Johnson’s situation, in terms of the position and role he plays on the team, will involve him getting 50-60 minutes with T2 when they take on Arizona United in USL play this weekend, whereas Valeri is more likely to return to first team play as a second half substitution, though not likely against Seattle. Porter also confirmed after practice that Dairon Asprilla had suffered a wrist fracture in a fall against NYCFC but the injury and his small cast are not expected to interfere with his play. When asked about Alvas Powell’s penchant for accumulating yellow cards, Porter spoke of the importance of balancing his confidence and assertiveness with potential recklessness. With regard to the team’s approach to the Seattle game, Porter spoke of how teams that are under pressure have to be able to absorb pressure and score on the break, citing in particular Chelsea’s recent victory over Manchester United despite only having something like 30% possession. Concerning the Cascadia Cup, Porter said, “Winning is important. If there happens to be a Cup connected to it, we want to win it.”
