Tag Archives: possession with purpose
True test for Timbers…
It’s not reasonable to push statistics aside for this game – to know that the LA Galaxy are one of the toughest teams in MLS you really do need to look at some statistics… To be clear – they not only have one of the most potent team attacks in MLS they also have one […]
Montreal Impacted… Timbers Win!
If you watched the game you should know that the attack of Portland saved them again; and to be fair it’s worthy to recognize just how effective this team was in attack. It was their 7th most productive game in attack all year and comes on the heels of their 6th most productive game – in […]
Defending continues to remain a troubling issue as the Timbers US Open Cup run comes to an end…
A devastating result last night that really highlights all that has been pear-shaped for Portland this year… untimely defensive errors be them fouls in the Defending Final Third or simply poor man-marking. And although this wasn’t an MLS game there is much that can be gleaned from the consistency of team play in MLS this […]
Catching up on the Timbers after Week 14
No question this past weekend was a huge success for the Timbers as they look to claw their way back up the standings. What hurt, to begin, was the quick goal Luke Mulholland got when finding himself unmarked after a deflection in the 18 yard box; unlucky for the Timbers but fortunately that was the […]
Cascadia Clash – Timbers vs Whitecaps – Excitement builds… gonna be a huge game!
The Portland Timbers closed out May like a lion this year – much more beneficial to their standings in the Western Conference then where they were to begin the month. The pressure got higher and the Timbers responded – and indeed their response came from a full squad of players, over two games, showing that depth […]
Timbers Visit Red Bull Arena Saturday
I could offer quite a bit about this game but will defer to just a couple of diagrams and a few observations to go with. First the two diagrams… if you want to know the logic behind these doughnut diagrams read here: and then read this article on Expected Wins. If not then scroll down […]
Vancouver Whitecaps – Drowned in their own wake…
If you’ve read this previous article you know that Vancouver were a very good attacking team last year; team performance indicators throughout the season exceeded those of Playoff teams New England, Houston and fellow Cascasdian foe, Seattle. And if you’re like me; when the season started out (first ten games or so) I thought Rennie […]
Match Analysis Portland Timbers (nil) New England Revolution (nil)
Perspective… Trends, Tendencies and Tidbits… Perspective… Portland Timbers are 9 games into the season and riding a seven game unbeaten streak; at this point last year PTFC had five losses and sat on six points; different side, different coach, different team, different results. So while that one point result against New England wasn’t […]
Match Preview – Portland Timbers vs New England Revolution
Perhaps you are still buzzing after that stellar victory in Kansas City last Saturday, if so best to (fah-geta-bout-it) and prepare for another tough game. Nothing ever comes easy in this game and an opponent who travels across country is not going to just show up – fanny about – and watch Portland score goals. […]
Match Preview – Twin Spin – PTFC vs SJFC Sunday 8 PM
Ah… the rare occasion where direct results from last week’s game can be used to prepare for this week’s game. While I don’t believe that to be 100% accurate there is something to be gained… but how much? If you recall here’s what my match preview punditry offered up before the first game last Sunday. […]