Unbeaten streak, homestand over, the Portland Timbers hit the road for two games this week — the first of which takes place tonight at Audi Field against a surging DC United (5:00 p.m., TV on ROOT Sports).
The Opponent
It’s been a big month in the history of DC United, which finally in July, after 22 years of waiting, opened their own soccer-specific stadium in Buzzard Point.
The rollout of Audi Field wasn’t without its issues — the concourse flooded at one point and a falling beam hit a reporter in the stadium opener last month — but, overall, it’s been a marvelous and long overdue upgrade over RFK Stadium.
Even better, the team — which has been in last place in the Eastern Conference all year — has started to win.
Former England captain Wayne Rooney, signed from Everton just before the World Cup, has been a big part of the success. He’s been excellent in his first month in MLS, with the highlight to date a stirring defensive recovery, tackle that led to a game-winning, 96th minute winner against Orlando last Saturday.
But Rooney hasn’t been the only big summer signing. The club also brought back longtime goalkeeper and DC native Bill Hamid from a short and unhappy stint in Denmark and traded for former Timber Vytas to fill a need at left back. Both players could feature tonight.
The Tactics
Giovani Savarese used last week’s game against Vancouver to try to get the Timbers playing more progressive, front-foot soccer — moving away from the 5-3-2 that served that produced wins against Houston and Philadelphia in the previous two weeks to a 4-4-2 diamond that… did not produce a win against the ‘Caps.
Savarese’s motivation for the switch was clear enough: the Timbers need to be able to do more than sit deep and counter attack effectively, especially against teams, like Vancouver, who force them to possess the ball. As last week’s result showed, they’ve got some work to do.
The question is whether Savarese will revert back to the 5-3-2 for road games. The Timbers, remember, won at Seattle and drew at Atlanta and LAFC using a back five, and it’s the formation best equipped to frustrate and exploit home teams’ attacking intent.
The Timbers will likely be facing a DC team set up in a 4-1-4-1, with a committed holding midfielder shielding the backline ahead of a unit of five attackers. Rooney is the spearhead — Darren Mattocks, another former Timber, is his backup — and the players behind him are capable of using the ball well.
The Lineup
1 – Attinella
16 – Valentin
33 – Mabiala
13 – Oum
25 – Tuiloma
2 – Powell
21 – Chara (C)
22 – Paredes
11 – Polo
10 – Blanco
99 – Armenteros
— The big question when it comes to tonight’s lineup is how many Savarese will rest before the (much more important) game at Sporting Kansas City this weekend.
— One possibility for tonight might be a Tomas Conechny debut. It’s also possible, though less likely, that Lucas Melano will feature at some point on this trip. Jeremy Ebobisse is also an option.
— After conceding soft early goals in three of their last four games, Savarese talked on Monday about the Timbers’ mentality in first halves. It’s an area to watch.
The Memory
The Timbers are 1-1-1 all time in D.C., losing the last meeting, in 2016, by a score of 2-0. Just five players who started that game for the Timbers are still with the club.
The Pick
Both teams are coming off of fairly grueling games last the weekend, and both are looking forward to inter-conference games this weekend. Expect an odd game. It will finish 2-2.
