Portland Timbers
MLS Week 3 Recap and Power Rankings through Week 3
With three more points in a home win, against the early season nomads of Toronto (first eight games on the road), Sporting KC is solidifying an early season position as the team to beat. Not only in the Western Conference league table but in the MLS Composite PWP Index (through Week 3) at the end […]
Portland Timbers v Real Salt Lake – Match Preview
Like many other Timbers supporters I’m hoping the defensive mistakes made against San Jose last week don’t show themselves again this week. Caleb Porter is a team builder – not team destroyer – and I’m sure he’s had positive words with the lads to keep them looking forward while also reinforcing some finer issues about […]
MLS Week 2 Recap – Dynamo Decisively Dump Dallas
Five -nil and eight goals in two games – the Dynamo are Coyled to strike from anywhere with anyone, to include using the opponent to score for them! All told, Houston have two goals from Andrew Wenger, and one each from Will Bruin, Ricardo Clark, David Horst, Cristian Maidana, Giles Barnes, and Matt Hedges (FC […]
MLS Week 1 – Possession with Purpose Recap
Major League Soccer opened it’s 2016 season last weekend and the goals were flying; reports indicate it was the most productive goal scoring kickoff in history. So how did the teams fair? Who started with a bang and who didn’t? Using my Possession with Purpose analytical approach I’ll give you my view. First off – […]
Forward into the Past – Portland Timbers 2016
Portland Timbers open the season defending their MLS Cup this weekend and I can’t even begin to imagine the atmosphere we’ll witness. For those local to Portland – what a day this will be! For those watching on national TV – I hope the play-by-play is worthy as the atmosphere is sure to be unlike any […]
Old Hat? or… New Tricks?
The Portland Timbers embark on a grand journey this year – a chance to repeat as the MLS Champions. If you’re like me you never figured that scenario when we began the long journey at the start of 2015. And if not for a major switch in tactics, with three games to go in the […]
Timbers on the edge…
Like me, you may have read the latest from my Rose City Soccer Show counterpart, Will Conwell, and his latest on Stumptownfooty about the midfield – I think it’s a worthy read either before or after taking a few minutes here to consider my thoughts. I have my own view on who starts, which I’ll […]
PreMatch Thoughts – Timbers v Crew
Is this a tale of two teams traveling in different directions? Not so long ago the Timbers battling Columbus would have led to a game of possession – where short passes – from both teams – might have been the norm; maybe not so much now though. Over the course of the last three seasons the […]
Portland Timbers v Sporting KC – Scouting Report
If you’re preparing for tonight’s game at Providence Park here’s a quick Scouting Report on Sporting KC: When viewing Sporting KC this year there isn’t much, statistically (w/r/t to team performance statistics), between winning and losing. If there is anything that shows Capt. Obvious it’s their passing accuracy percentages as they enter the attacking final […]
Scouting Report – Portland Timbers v Real Salt Lake
The Timbers haven’t entered the ‘must win’ part of the campaign yet but it’s getting pretty close. So what my we expect from Real Salt Lake this weekend and how might things take shape as the Timbers look to take three points – or at a minimum – one point? For starters – while RSL […]