After being knocked slightly off balance by the LA Galaxy over the weekend, the Portland Timbers got back to their winning ways in cup competition at Providence Park on Wednesday night — polishing off the free-falling San Jose Earthquakes by a score of two goals to nil.
Resting a number of starters and playing a team comprised of T2 youth, first team reserves, and the indomitable Diego Chara, Timbers boss Giovani Savarese watched his team turn in a focused, poised performance to advance to the U.S. Open Cup’s Round of 16.
Goals on either side of halftime from Jeremy Ebobisse and Dairon Asprilla were enough to see off the ‘Quakes, who, despite fielding a team full of MLS regulars, never posed a serious threat to advance.
For the Timbers, it was just what the doctor ordered: the team that will play against Kansas City on Saturday night rested, young players like Renzo Zambrano and Marvin Loria showed well against big league competition, the likes of Asprilla got a shot of confidence, and no one got injured.
In a larger sense, this game provided confirmation of what T2’s success has been suggesting for several months: for the first time in club history, the Timbers have legitimate depth and a legion of prospects who may very well be capable of making the jump to the first team.
That’s a sea change from even the last several years, when the first team was strong, or the top half of the first team was strong, and everything beneath it was cover-your-eyes bad. The Timbers are now legitimately four deep at nearly every position.
That’s MLS’s ever-increasing salary cap talking, but the Timbers have made the requisite investments in their youth setup, are figuring out how to get the most of their second team, and are beginning to see the rewards.
This kind of depth gives you a chance in the Open Cup, a competition in which the Timbers have had precious little success in their MLS years. But more importantly, it’s the most cost-effective, fruitful way to build a team.
It’s early days for Zambrano and Loria, for instance, but boy were they good in this game. Both players were comfortable with the pace of the game and at times helped to set it, were clean with the ball, and consistently got themselves into positions to affect the game.
T2’s captain Modou Jadama, deployed at right back, was another who impressed. Foster Langsdorf, though he only got 20 odd minutes, made his mark as well.
Compared to, say, Jack Barmby — who has not improved by a fraction and has perhaps regressed during his three years in Portland — the progress of these players is hugely encouraging. On paper, San Jose’s front six should have run circles around the Timbers’ midfield and backline. As it happened, those units ran the show.
The midfield, Chara, Zambrano, and Loria, was especially solid. From the very beginning of the game, the ‘Quakes struggled to play through them and make inroads in the final third that didn’t involve chucking the ball into the right channel for Quincy Amerikwa to scrap for up against Jadama and Lawrence Olum.
Midway through the first half, Ebobisse, who had been largely isolated, sprung to life — taking the ball off of former Timbers U23 standout Fatai Alashe in midfield, racing towards goal, cutting back on Jimmy Ockford, and firing the ball into the far corner to open the scoring.
It was a terrific goal, and it was the game’s only tally when the first half ended with no stoppage time. San Jose began to generate chances from from crosses as the second half began, with Tommy Thompson coming closest just past the hour mark, but their spirit was then broken for good with a trademark counter attack.
A ball in midfield deflected to Chara in the aftermath of a ‘Quakes corner, and the Colombian took off with San Jose scrambling to recover back. He had Loria making a central run, but instead fizzed an outside-of-the-foot pass wide right to Asprilla — who touched it into the box, and slid it past Andrew Tarbell for 2-0.
For Chara, who was the best player on the field by leaps and bounds, it was another the icing on top of a typically tireless and skillful performance.
But it was a goal that Asprilla, who has had such a difficult season to date, desperately needed, per his effort in this game, thoroughly deserved. He was an active presence all night, especially in the air and on the defensive side, where his press and repress efforts were exemplary.
From there, San Jose fell away and the Timbers started connecting passes like they’d been winning games together for years. As the clock ran out, the just under 13,000 on hand — the largest crowd an MLS host got during this round of Open Cup play — were louder than they had been all night.
But as much as the evening was a triumph for the Timbers, it was a disaster for their opponents. San Jose has been a bad soccer team for, oh, about six years now, but they are as lost right now as they ever have been.
The eleven starters went into a full huddle after the first goal of the game, and then the entire team was gathered in the center circle after the game — where they were aired out by their black-clad clipboard-waving manager Mikael Stahre.
Stahre, who was brought in from Swedish football over the winter, is out of his depth and must already be on his last legs. The ‘Quakes have won once in their last thirteen games, and are sitting on nine points from their first thirteen matches.
But it’s not just the results. It’s the manner in which they’re coming. Stahre’s lineup, full of veterans and first-team contributors, signaled he was bringing his team to Portland to get a badly needed win.
It didn’t matter. The Earthquakes simply didn’t show up on Wednesday night. They were outworked all over the field, and, save for the first period of the second half, allowed a veritable reserve team to dictate to them the terms of the game. All told, the ‘Quakes managed just 44 percent possession and one shot on goal.
It was an spiritless performance, and a truly embarrassing result. San Jose is due to return to Portland for an MLS game in a month’s time, and, unless they make significant changes before then, that game will be the Timbers’ easiest of the MLS season.
Before that, though, Portland gets another Open Cup game — another chance, perhaps, to showcase its young talent, and take another step towards silverware in what is now very much a season full of possibility.
