The Timbers will likely be without the services of club record signing Brian Fernandez, whose International Transfer Certificate may not be released until he has served his suspension in Liga MX. They will certainly be without the services of midfielder David Guzman, whose trade to Columbus was announced on Monday morning.
Guzman's departure was abrupt but unsurprising. Brought in by the Timbers to be their lockdown number six ahead of the 2017 season, the Costa Rican had a decidedly uneven run in Portland. He enjoyed a fine start to his first season, but fell off after that, and, in truth, never fully gained Giovani Savarese's trust.
Like Liam Ridgewell, Guzman made an extremely poor start to 2018 and all but disappeared after that infamous 4-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls, with form, injuries, and international duty combining to ensure that he didn't start a single game between mid-March and August.
He locked in after regaining his place down the stretch and entered this year as a starter, but was benched after just two games. He'd get his place back for the matches at the LA Galaxy and San Jose, but lost it again after the 3-0 loss to the Earthquakes.
Cristhian Paredes' emergence over the last month, along with Eyrk Williamson's outstanding form for T2, made Guzman and his considerable cap number expendable. In Porter and the Crew, the Timbers found a coach and a club happy to have him.
Considering his international pedigree, it's fair to say that Guzman's Timbers career was underwhelming. As good as he was at times — stout defensively and truly enterprising going forward — he was never a dominant midfield presence, altogether too erratic and too inconsistent for a player of his years and stature.
You just never quite knew what you were going to get from the Costa Rican, even from one half to another. He often played best when given license to roam forward in front of Diego Chara, but, seeing as he was signed to be a midfield anchor so that Chara could roam, he didn't get that license all too often.
Paredes is a much cheaper, and, even at his young age, more reliable option. For Guzman, a change of scenery — and a reunion with Porter, who he praised as a "great coach who has been a proven winner throughout his entire career" in his farewell message to Portland — is likely for the best.
Guzman does leave with his share of happy memories. He became, for instance, the first active Timber to compete at a World Cup when he started all three of Costa Rica's games in Russia last summer — an achievement that will forever grant him a small piece of club history.
His contributions to a Western Conference regular season championship and an MLS Cup trip will be noted warmly as well. Now, with Guzman gone and Fernandez in, the Timbers' attention will turn to tonight's game against Vancouver. Here's the preview.
The Opponent
After five years spent mainly treading water under Carl Robinson, the Whitecaps finally decided to cut ties and rebuild this winter — bringing in Dos Santos, who was Bob Bradley's assistant last year at LAFC, and gutting the existing squad.
An extraordinary 20 players departed Vancouver in the offseason, including captain Kendall Waston and leading goalscorer Kei Kamara. They have been replaced by an eclectic bunch that is, outside of the re-acquired Fredy Montero, decidedly short on MLS experience.
Some of Vancouver's signings, like young South Korean DP midfielder Hwang In-beom, have shown promise. Others, like forward Ali Adnan and wingers Lass Bangoura and Lucas Venuto, have struggled.
It's a work in progress. The 'Caps were slow out of the gate this year, taking just two points from their first six games, and they're currently placed 11th in the Western Conference. Dos Santos is a talented coach, though, and he's beginning to see get a few results — including a 3-2 win at Colorado last weekend.
The Tactics
The Whitecaps were pretty tight defensively in April, conceding multiple goals in a game only once, with Dos Santos often fielding as many as eight primarily defensive players in his 4-3-3.
That changed somewhat last week in the win at Colorado — which finished 3-2 — as Bangoura and Venuto started together for the first time flanking Montero on the forward line. If they both start again, it'll be a signal that Vancouver wants to take the game to the Timbers as much as they can.
Portland, of course, has settled into a defense-first road look of their own. They'll look for attacking chances in transition in their 4-4-1-1, but they won't overextend themselves and give the 'Caps chances on the counter.
In short, there might not be a great number of sustained, attacking passages of play. Seattle's trip to Vancouver at the end of March, which produced plenty of fireworks but no goals, suggests that it might take a moment of individual brilliance to set one of these teams on their way tonight.
The Lineup
12 - Clark
16 - Valentin
33 - Mabiala
25 - Tuiloma
2 - Moreira
21 - Chara
22 - Paredes
14 - Flores
10 - Blanco
8 - Valeri (C)
17 - Ebobisse
— With Fernandez not set to debut until next week at the earliest, this is the Timbers' group. Expect Andy Polo to be the first player used off the bench.
— Expect Steve Clark to retain the goalkeeping position as well — Savarese put his faith in him last week, and he repaid the manager's trust in full.
The Memory
With Jeremy Ebobisse in the midst of establishing himself as the Timbers' starting forward and best young player, it's worth remembering his first breakout game — which came nearly two years ago at BC Place.
The Pick
The Whitecaps have gotten results in four of their last five, and they'll do enough to hold the Timbers to a 1-1 draw.
