After an uplifting 3-1 win over FC Dallas finally sparked a somewhat indifferent season, the Portland Timbers came crashing back to earth with a thud in a 2-0 loss to Orlando City last Sunday. Portland was handily beaten by an MLS expansion side—outplayed in every phase of the game. This weekend, the Timbers travel to the league's other expansion team, New York City FC, for another nationally televised Sunday match (4:00 PM, TV on Fox Sports 1, Radio on 750 AM the Game.)
NYCFC aren't Orlando. They're less talented, less cohesive, and have struggled with the injuries and absences of their best players. But the Timbers aren't the Timbers either. And on the road, there are no guarantees.
The History
This is the first meeting between the Timbers and New York City at any level of the game. NYCFC played midweek draw with the Philadelphia Union, after losing to the same Union team last weekend. Of NYCFC's marquee players, David Villa may have been injured midweek, Mix Diskerud played at the Alamodome for the US against Mexico, and Frank Lampard is on a different team.
NYCFC's rollout hasn't been smooth at any phase. Right now, the soccer isn't smooth either. Jason Kreis (more on him in a moment) will figure it out eventually, but NYCFC doesn't have a ton of potency or familiarity in their play.
There are two interesting aspects in this game: The narrow, unfamiliar dimensions and feel of Yankee Stadium, NYCFC's temporary (possibly interminable) home, and the matchup between Kreis and Caleb Porter.
In 2013, when Kreis coached Real Salt Lake, he went 4-0-2 against Porter between MLS regular season play, the US Open Cup, and the MLS playoffs. Kreis' RSL defeated Portland in the Western Conference Finals, winning 5-2 on aggregate and giving Porter a lesson in coaching in the process. The rivalry resumes on Sunday.
The Tactics
Portland obviously struggled against Orlando last weekend, and there will be changes. One of those should be the return of Jack Jewsbury to the Timbers' starting lineup. Porter didn't want to pull George Fochive last weekend after two solid performances in Jewsbury's place, but he was exposed and only lasted 45 minutes.
There are a couple of other questions. Dairon Asprilla has outperformed Rodney Wallace over the last two games — the question is, will Porter yank a regular starter in Wallace? The other is whether the Timbers will continue with the 4-4-2, which has opened up space behind the forwards, but also creates a painfully awkward partnership of Maxi Urruti and Fanendo Adi.
Porter shouldn't shy away from being creative. The 4-4-2—at least with the personnel it has had for the last two games—is not going to get the job done all the way until Diego Valeri returns from injury.
The Lineup
12 - Kwarasey
19 - Villafaña
24 - Ridgewell (C)
7 - Borchers
2 - Powell
13 - Jewsbury
21 - Chara
11 - Asprilla
6 - Nagbe
37 - Urruti
9 - Adi
The Pick
In his two years and a month, Caleb Porter's Timbers have been poor after wins, but fantastic after losses. With NYCFC banged up and fatigued, the Timbers will have the chance to do what they do better than almost any team in MLS: respond to adversity. They'll get a 1-0 win.
