Hello and welcome to a 2021 edition of Off the Ball! Only got a couple of these out last year, and with trying to balance life, work, and fun, I’ve decided to make this a monthly post, discussing some key points, match of the month, and looking forward to the next month ahead.
Results
Key Takeaways
Glass half full – Post-Preseason Dairon Asprilla
Of all the players to have a breakout start to the season – I doubt Dairon Asprilla was at the top of anyone’s list. In the five games so far this season – he has one goal and two assists (if you count secondary assists) and could have had a few more of each. In the 2nd leg against Marathon, he really dominated their right fullback, creating both the first two goals. He also had what should have been an easy goal in the second half, only to blast the ball into the lone defender on the line. Against Vancouver, he led the team in shots, and some of the best looks all night, including a bomb from 30+ yards out forcing a save, a ridiculous (and somewhat wasteful) bicycle kick from 6 yards out, and a back-post header that could he couldn’t get on the end of due to a deflection. He scored the first goal of the season against Houston with a tidy finish about 15 yards out and almost pulled an amazing, improbable goal that was reminiscent of that Lampard goal against Barcelona.
Here is the crazier part – if Jebo doesn’t pull a hamstring just before leg one against Marathon and Blanco stays on course for his recovery and is fit for the start of the season, does any of this happen? Just like the TV show Dallas, it all could have been a dream and never had happened. What the Timbers have talked about over the last two seasons is depth – and Asprilla having performances like this gives evidence that the Timbers have got this right.
Glass half empty – New fullback additions show new flair for 2021 but don’t solve the defensive problems of 2020
A lot was made of the signings of Claudio Bravo and Josecarlos Van Rankin in the offseason, in particular as it meant departures or Jorge Villafana, Marco Farfan, and Chris Duvall, leaving only Pablo Bonilla the remaining fullback at the club. Checking out highlight reels of Van Rankin and Bravo, you get a sense of guys that are comfortable with the ball at their feet, get far up the field, and hit good passes and crosses. On the other side of that – you get a glimpse of some spectacular last-ditch tackles and some decent one-on-one defending. Obviously, you can’t say everything about a player from some YouTube video – but it’s the former that concerns me more than anything. For every spectacular successful slide tackle, you have one or two that aren’t; and if you get them wrong, you are getting a red card and early shower. Former Timbers Center back Norberto Paparato came to Portland with a similar highlight reel and ended up being a polarizing player with his cons outweigh his pros. Would you want a good aerial defender, that good with the ball at his feet if he’s a liability to concede a goal or get sent off in each match?
The first leg in Honduras showed us both sides of this coin. The Timbers first goal, Van Rankin does well on the left channel (on the opposite side of the pitch as he normally is), beats a man to drive to the edge of the box to chip in a cross to find Mora 15 yards out to put it away for PTFC. Only moments later, Van Rankin gets isolated out wide right, gets beat one-on-one with an attacker who gets a cross into an unmarked striker, who Bravo is too late to pick up – and scores an easy tap in. The second goal also doesn’t cover the Timbers fullbacks in glory. In a moment of transition, the ball goes to the upper right corner of the box, in which Bravo covers ground (as he’s out of position), lunges in, and gets faked out by the attacker, who then goes left. Van Rankin jumps in and somehow does not land the tackle on the shot, which goes in off the inside of the post. You could say the Timbers’ fullbacks created a goal but then gave two up. A little harsh, as they are not exclusively the guilty party here, and we aren’t talking about the other “good” things they may have done in the match. Although in a sport in which a moment or two can decide a game’s outcome, it’s these moments that, in the end, matter.
As the team is gelling a little more, we still saw another great example of this Jekyll and Hyde behavior against Club America at Providence Park. Claudio Bravo, who had arguably been the best Timbers defender of the first half, had a moment of madness with a reckless challenge that lead to a penalty right before halftime. All that good work, undone. But then – Bravo arguably wins the penalty for the Timbers at the death for forcing a handball by smashing a low shot goalbound.
Considering the fullbacks are new and quite frankly aren’t the only problem on the defense – I give them a half pass as they need to get acquainted with the league and their new team. However, that previous statement overshadows the main point – the defensive issues were not solely with the fullbacks going forward but were about the backline conceding late goals, and more blame I’d put on our two Centerbacks for man-marking and organizing the backline.
Match of the Month – Club America at Providence Park
Although it’s not quite the same as “Those magical European Nights at Anfield” or “That one night in Instanbul,” it defiantly had its own energy that I think one can proudly say “Those magical North American nights at Providence Park” or “That one night in Portland.” For a limited capacity, the atmosphere was buzzing, and it was cool to see the back and forth between the America Supporters on the MAC Club end and the Timbers Army, albeit the lack of social distancing from the America fans was absolutely disgusting. Flares, ten yellow cards, strobes, smoke, and a pair of PKs this game was one that will live long in the memory of Timbers fans. I took a rare moment and watched the match from Tanner Ridge instead of my usual spot in 107 (largely because I couldn’t get lower Bowl tickets) and really took in this spectacle on and off the pitch. The game wasn’t the prettiest – especially from the Timber attack – but will arguably be one of the most celebrated draws in PTFC’s history. The day went Las Águilas came to Goose Hollow – and we all left drinking their salty, salty tears.
The Month Ahead
What to look out for – The Return of Blanco and Jebo
As was mentioned previously, Blanco was hopeful of making the start of the season with Jebo pulling a hammy right before traveling for the first leg against Marathon. Although the club has been very tight-lipped since the beginning of the season, we should be expecting both of these guys back on the pitch this month.
It’s not as much about Mora, Asprilla, or Yimmi Chara’s time on the pitch I’m as focused on – it’s how much this impacts Diego Valeri. Recently turned 35 and has already put in some serious minutes already; I expect we are going to see Valeri get some rest over the next month. He’s showed last year that he was able to change his style of game and provide goals and assists while losing a little bit of pace and field coverage, but it’s not just Father Time starting to catch up to Valeri – it’s more teams figuring how to isolate him depending on the supporting crew around him. It’s what I distinctly noticed against Club America watching from Tanner Ridge in the 1st half, how well both Mora and Valeri were isolated, defended, and taken out of the game. I’d be surprised if Valeri wasn’t rested for at least one game this month and makes it the full 90 in-game. Blanco has shown he can play at the 10, and I think he can play it well, adding a bit more bite than Valeri does in that position.
As for Blanco and Ebobisse – they both have something to prove. The “big” offseason question from Matt Doyle (other than are the Diegos going to keep going) is what will see Blanco post knee injury and surgery. At later stages of one’s career, the likelihood of such an injury having a significant effect on one’s performance increases quite a bit. Blanco is had injury setbacks throughout his career, so I expect him to prove the doubters wrong. Ebobisse (like Williamson) may have a chip on his shoulder after being snubbed by Jason Kreis for missing out on the USMNT U-23 Olympic qualifying campaign. Like Williamson, I expect we will see some big performances out of Jebo this month. Hard to say if he will play out on the wing or up top, but either way, I expect goals and assists.
Match of the Month – Club America at Estadio Azteca
If it wasn’t obvious – The Timbers are taking the Champions League very, very seriously. In fact, they appear to be prioritizing it over MLS at the moment, rolling out a largely reserve side against Houston and expect them to do the same against Dallas away.
Before we talk about the match itself – let’s just take a minute to talk about the venue, Estadio Azteca. It is not just any old stadium; it’s hosted some of the most iconic moments in the sport. It played host to the 1970 World Cup Final in which arguably the greatest national team ever in the ’70 Brazil squad, and saw Pele score as Brazil rolled over a very good Italy side 4-1. In 1986, the “Hand of God” was scored by Diego Maradona against England in the quarter-finals, then went on score the second, which is considered to be the greatest world cup goal in history, en route to Argentina winning their second World Cup. In 2026, it will be the only stadium in the world to have hosted matches at three world cups. Aside from World Cups, it has hosted 53 El Super Classico matches between Club America and Chivas and has been the national stadium for the Mexican national team since 1966. In some ways, it’s poetic that Timbers would face Club America. If Providence Park is the heart, soul, and history of passionate support in American Soccer, the Estadio Azteca is the heart and soul of Mexican soccer. Tread carefully, this is sacred ground. A cathedral of the beautiful game.
Back to the match at hand – the Timbers go down Mexico City on the heels of a last-second penalty kick from Felipe Mora. The first leg was chippy, with 10 yellow cards and a lot of cheap tactics from America, starting with time-wasting as early as the 50th minute from Ochoa after getting a critical away goal at the end of the first half. I expect more of the same for the second leg – and look for Club America to pounce and capitalize on Timber mistakes. It will be very cat and mouse.
My prediction – we fight hard and proud, but America’s talent and dominance in the midfield pay off with a 2-0 win at home for Las Águilas. Although CONCACAF might just CONCACAF……watch this space.