So early in a season, you can afford to look at process instead of results. And while that perspective doesn’t change Friday’s bottom line, one that saw the Portland Timbers’ three-game winning streak come to an end with a 1-0 loss to Vancouver Whitecaps FC, it’s important context when considering the team’s path forward.
On the surface, a loss is always going to be unacceptable. Beneath the surface, the Timbers are right to focus on a number of positives.
“These are the type of games that, if we play the way we played today, there are not many times we are going to lose,” head coach Giovanni Savarese said, afterward.
Consider the 27 shots the team had. A lot of that number is about game state, with Vancouver able to play more conservatively after collecting an early goal. But that total was still a team record for shots on the road, and whether you look at their first half corners or their second half close calls, the Timbers had a number of moments where they were inches from breaking through.
“We had chances. We attacked. We possessed the ball,” Savarese said. “I thought that we dominated the match, but credit to them. They defended very well.”
Then there’s the nature of the night’s goal. While there were other points where Portland’s defense broke down, leaving Vancouver with chances they could have converted, the host’s early score was more unfortunate bounce than backline miscue. Sometimes, those goals happen, and if they happen early, you hope your team has enough time to adjust. Tonight, Vancouver’s defense rebuked those adjustments.
At some point, the hosts’ performance has to be acknowledged. The Whitecaps have now taken seven points at home this season against Los Angeles FC, Seattle Sounders FC and Portland. They’ve allowed no goals over that 270 minutes. Like the Sounders, the Timbers seemed intent on collecting close calls, yet like Seattle, they left BC Place with a “0” on the scoreboard.
Over the course of a 34-game season and 17 matches on the road, games like this happen. An early goal. Facing a strong defense. Seeing a series of close calls. It’s why you can’t judge teams entirely by a one-game sample. There is always more losing teams could do to prevent results, but beneath Friday’s final score, there’s a perspective where the Timbers played reasonably well.
Here’s What We’ll Remember from Friday’s 1-0 loss in Vancouver.
The bounce that went against them
Look back at this goal and ask yourself what you would want the players to do differently.
