Tired of seeing the LA Galaxy, yet? Surprisingly, within the Portland Timbers fanbase, that answer appears to be “no,” even though, come Friday night’s U.S. Open Cup match at Providence Park, the Timbers will have faced their social media rivals three times over the year's first 15 competitive games.
Perhaps fans' patience is because the Timbers have yet to beat the Galaxy this season. Or, maybe it’s the progression these matches have taken, from the Galaxy winning the first to the teams standing on even footing during the second go around. If that arc continues, the Timbers should break through in Friday’s U.S. Open Cup Round of 16, right? (8pm PT, Webstream at Timbers.com, TICKETS)
Maybe. Unbeaten in nine across all competitions, the Timbers certainly should be seen as favorites, particularly with the Galaxy’s most-potent weapon visiting the land of vodka and borscht. But as LA proved last time they were at Providence Park, they’re perfectly capable of surviving without their biggest star. And with Portland yet to break through this year against the five-time champs, nothing can be taken for granted.
Here is this week’s KeyBank Scouting Report – three areas of focus for the Galaxy’s return.
1. Who gets a second call?
During his media availability on Tuesday, Portland Timbers’ head coach Giovanni Savarese said that his needs for Friday’s Open Cup game would define how the club approached Wednesday’s USL game. By implication, the players who were going to be part of the 18 to face the Galaxy in Open Cup? They were highly unlikely to feature for T2 against OKC Energy FC.
Take Jeremy Ebobisse, for example. The Timbers striker has spent much of this season collecting minutes with T2, but last Wednesday against San Jose, he created and converted a chance on his own, giving Portland what proved to be a decisive, opening goal in their 2-0 victory. Not in the 18 for Wednesday’s USL match, Ebobisse remains an option for Friday’s Open Cup squad, having potentially used last week’s game as a launching pad to some first-team minutes.
He was among a number of hopefuls who were given that platform against the Earthquakes. While it’s unclear any of them will get minutes against the Galaxy, Wednesday’s selection leaves some of their names on the table.
2. Not as easy as before
The Timbers came off the field on June 2, the last meeting between these two teams, forced to reckon with their inability to convert chances. All of Andrés Flores, Diego Chara and Bill Tuiloma had good chances over the first 30 minutes, but come intermission, Portland was still chasing Chris Pontius’ opening goal. It was only after a second-half penalty that the Timbers had a rout into their draw.
What made that 1-1 result even more disappointing was the opening Portland had early. As we highlighted, before, the Galaxy’s early tactics left a space the size of a small island nation on the right side of their defense. Flores burst through the area, early, to generate his chance, but by the time halftime came around, the chasm was closed. Portland’s best chance to take full points was foiled by their inability to exploit that weakness.
Things won’t be so easy this time. Forget Galaxy generosity. Forget being able to back a truck through a defense’s hole. The Timbers are going to have to come up with a new trick before Friday’s kickoff. They can’t rely on that kind of foible being repeated a second time around.
3. Dealing with the midfield
Another aspect that could be different is how the game is called. To their credit, LA Galaxy midfielders Perry Kitchen and Servando Carrasco got an early handle on Alan Kelly’s officiating and used their physicality to reinforce their double shield in front of LA’s defense. Whereas Chara was called for six fouls against the Galaxy, Kitchen and Carrasco combined for four, and despite losing the possession battle 47-53, the Galaxy were whistled for two fewer fouls (nine to 11).
The obvious explanation, there, was that the Galaxy were just better at not committing fouls. Based on the stats, that was obviously the case, but tighter officiating could also mean the line between foul and fair play could be moved. The aggression we saw from Carrasco and, in particular, Kitchen, could join Chara’s in the “foul” range. The Galaxy’s entire midfield approach might have to change.
That’s life in Major League Soccer, but when you talk about two teams who, over the course of 180 minutes this year, have matched up fairly evenly, those margins matter. How much Friday’s center referee moves that margin could be a major factor. And having players like Chara, Kitchen and Carrasco adjust to Joseph Dickerson’s whistles may determine how much control they’ll have in the midfield.
