PORTLAND, Ore. – The flood gates broke just before halftime, crafting a scene that we’ve seen two other times this summer. The Portland Timbers go up, quickly build on their lead, then put their opponents in a position to be picked apart. Their 4-0 victory on Saturday over the visiting LA Galaxy was yet another example of what, for an unwitting opponent, could happen once Portland’s momentum is allowed to build.
The victory moved Portland above the playoff line in the Western Conference, rejuvenated the team’s home form, and proved the Timbers could win without their talisman, Diego Chara, who was suspended for the match. More than anything, though, the result was another message to Major League Soccer.
Whereas the season’s first months left some uncertainty of the Timbers’ potential, while a series of recent road wins cast Portland as more stalwart than explosive, Saturday’s four-goal rout reminded MLS that there is no one way to describe Giovanni Savarese’s team. Resourceful some nights; explosive others. Over the past two months, the Timbers have shown there’s more than one way the team can deliver three points.
“I thought it was a very good performance,” Savarese, the Timbers’ head coach, said. “I thought we were disciplined from the first minute … I felt that we played a very good game against a very good team, and tonight, I’m just proud of the performance.”
Saturday will be remembered for the explosion. It will be remembered for the momentum, and it will be remembered for the threat which, even before the Timbers broke through, defined both teams’ approach.
What We’ll Remember most, though, will be the stories behind most of the night’s goals, as well as Portland playing to their potential.
The Paredes breakout
Cristhian Paredes had long established himself as a Timbers starter before Saturday’s kickoff, but a year-and-a-half into his Portland tenure, he’d yet to have his breakout performance.
Notice: That entire sentence was in the past tense.
Two goals, the second of which of the semi-spectacular variety, cast the 21-year-old Paraguayan as the Man of the Match, his brace taking his career MLS goal total from three to five over the course of 90 minutes.
“To be honest, I’m very happy (with my performance),” Paredes said, in the moments after the final whistle. “I have to thank my teammates, because they’ve had so much confidence in me. That’s something I used on my goals …”
“We’re getting used to beating big teams. You have to be happy with that.”
In time, we’ll just remember this as Paredes’ breakout performance. Given the angst around Chara’s absences, the performance should also be remembered for who wasn’t on the field. Whereas a year ago there may have been justified trepidation around a young loanee from Club América trying to fill the icon’s boots, tonight, Paredes showed that Portland’s talent is ready for that challenge. Whether Renzo Zambrano, Andrés Flores or Bill Tuiloma are by his side, Paredes appears capable of leading the midfield’s charge.
Valeri, too pure
Diego Valeri’s memorable goals have become almost too numerous to count, ranging from the blocked clearance that, in the 2015 MLS Cup final, put the team up in Columbus to the long-range bomb that vaulted Portland at FC Dallas during last year’s postseason. Saturday’s goal at Providence Park, though, will be remembered for entirely different reasons.
It was a show of skill we’re both used to yet rarely see on actual goals, his setup, then nutmeg of Galaxy defender Daniel Steres flipping the context on what, at one point, looked like a heavy touch. Little did we know that the touch was not only was part of the trick but a mere prelude for what was to come: a far-post finish that transformed shock into elation.
The celebration may prove as memorable as the score, though. Surrounded by teammates as he ran back to the center line, Valeri removed his jersey and raised it to the crowd, commemorating what may prove one of his most memorable regular-season moments. It was a rarity for Valeri, whose celebrations are usually clothed, and closer to goal. It was only right, though, that such a memorable goal was punctuated with another memorable moment.
Also credited with an assist on Paredes’ opener, Valeri is now up to six goals and 12 assists for the season. He’s on pace for another 10-and-10 year: 10 goals (well, technically, 9.7) and a career-high 19 assists. He may be 33, but there’s little sign the Timbers’ captain is slowing down.
What it’s supposed to be like at home
Portland dropped points at home twice last week, drawing Colorado 2-2 on July 14 before, four days later, being held to a 1-1 result by Orlando. The games left lingering questions about how the Timbers are adjusting to switching from prey to hunter – the transition that has to happen between road and home.
To a certain extent, those lingering questions were answered tonight. The Galaxy, in their style, may not have been as passive as either Colorado or Orlando, and over the first 35-or-so minutes, the game was played on relatively even footing. But once the Timbers broke through late in the first half, the game played out more like the 4-0 victories of June – home wins over hamstrung Galaxy and Houston Dynamo squads. Perhaps questions remain about whether Portland can deal with a more conservative approach, but for those who try to keep up with the Timbers in Goose Hollow, there’s an obvious formula through which they can be played off the park.
When people use the soccer cliché and talk about making home ground into a “fortress,” this is what they mean. They talk about that small element of fear you strike in the opposition, who know there’s a chance things can go very wrong. Those opponents know, as they walk into the field amid the Timbers Army’s claps, that those fans could soon be celebrating their failures in the near future. They know, within the next 120 minutes, they could be Providence Park’s next cautionary tale.
The Galaxy have been there twice this year, now. Across seven home games, this season, the Timbers have delivered three such results. Increasingly, Portland is showing: this is what it’s supposed to be like at home.
