Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer / Portland Timbers
Quoting former NFL coach Jim Mora from his famous postgame rant is kind of a cheap shot, but after the Portland Timbers fell 6-2 to archrival Seattle Sounders at home Sunday night, it’s apt. Despite an uneven season so far, the Timbers are still in line, somehow, for a Western Conference spot in the playoffs.
You kidding me? Facing their nemesis at Providence Park, with a rowdy sell-out crowd behind them for the first time in many months, you’d expect the Timbers to bring their A game. Indeed, with star playmaker Sebastien Blanco finally back in the lineup from injury, they had the Sounders pinned back in front of their goal for the first two thirds of the game.
However, sloppy finishing and a determined Seattle defense, which has been one of the MLS’s best in ’21, left the Timbers begging through much of the first half. Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland made a string of impressive saves.
Meanwhile, the Timbers’ defensive weaknesses, which have been laid bare before, were manifest. Original Sounders star Fredy Montero, looking lethal as ever in his return to the rave green after a nine-year absence, poked in a rebound goal and then smashed in a long-range laser against the run of play to give the Sounders a 2-0 lead.
The Timbers did answer, their pressure paying off on both sides of half-time, with strikes from Blanco and George Fochive knotting things 2-2.
Then the wheels fell off. As happened repeatedly in the game, Timbers defenders were out of position and fouled a Seattle player just outside the box. If Montero is the ghost of Christmas past, Raul Ruidiaz is the ghost of the present, haunting all Sounders opponents. He drilled the free kick into an upper corner. Then, on another free kick, he knocked in the rebound. The brace put Ruidiaz back in the lead for league top scorer and tied him with Roger Levesque for most Sounders goals against the Timbers.
The Sounders, who had a short run of bad games, appear to be finding their mojo again. With their own playmaker, Nicolas Lodeiro, returning to health, they look set to compete for another MLS Cup and other trophies.
Not so much for the Timbers. Shipping four goals in the last 15 minutes made this an historic pasting, but unfortunately for Portland, this kind of loss didn’t come out of the blue. Their defense was also exposed in three 4-1 losses and one 3-0 defeat before this game. Getting Blanco back, as well as Diego Valeri, who came on late, bodes well for Portland, but don’t ask Coach Giovanni Savarese about the playoffs.
Claude Iosso, a passionate and analytical observer of the beautiful game, offers observations about big moments in soccer around the world. Writing for the East Portland Blog, he will certainly talk about the Timbers. Speaking for the country’s entire northwest corner, he’ll talk about the Sounders too. Yes, it’s possible to root for both these teams.
Claude grew up playing soccer, and was an excellent sweeper for a time, playing with the speed of Kyle Walker and the guile (dark arts) of Sergio Ramos. He fell back in love with the sport in 2006, when he glimpsed Spain’s slick passing in the World Cup.
Claude likes to celebrate and explore the greatest players and moments in other leagues as well. For the casual fan, things in Europe and the Americas aren’t always as they seem. In the Northwest Corner, you will find the hidden storylines behind topics like the failed European Super League, Messi’s exit from Barcelona and whatever is rocking world soccer today.
