Match Preview:
Portland Timbers v Miami FC
Saturday, July 10th, 7 pm
PGE Park
Live radio on Sportsradio 955 The Game starting at 6:30
It doesn't really make sense, this optimism that surrounds the Portland Timbers; when a team with this kind of quality depth on their roster stumbles to the halfway point of the season at 5-5-5, middle of the pack in their division, and with just 13 goals scored in 15 games, shouldn't there be more frustration? Anger? Desperation?
And yet, the overriding sense you get from the team, even after another scoreless draw where they badly outshot their opponents, is that things are just fine. It's not satisfaction with what's gone on the past few months, but more a sense that they've played better than their record would indicate, and things will get better. Saturday the process of "getting better" will have to begin as the Timbers open the second half of the season against one of the teams that provided a low point to the first, Miami FC.
Goalscoring will once again be the focus for the Timbers, as they were shutout last Saturday night for the fourth time in the last six league games. Bright Dike remains the focus of the attack, as Ryan Pore, Mandjou Keita, and just about everyone else continues their struggles in front of goal (though let's not forget the Timbers were two Jay Nolly saves from celebrating long-awaited goals from Keita and George Josten last weekend). Portland can also start to welcome back some injured players this weekend, as Johan Claesson (8 games out), Quavas Kirk (6), and Keith Savage (all 15 so far) have returned to practice, though Claesson is the only one likely to play against Miami. Brian Farber remains the only Timbers player still on the shelf (along with Adin Brown and Cameron Knowles, but those are different situations). Combine that with the increasingly good play of Josh Cameron, Derek Gaudet, and Steve Purdy as a new option at right back, and Gavin Wilkinson can finally enjoy the type of team selection headaches he was hoping for earlier this year.
Miami FC are currently sitting towards the bottom of the league standings, largely because of their propensity to end games in a tie (eight of those in 14 games this season). Their win last month against Portland is the only one in their last eight games, and starting on Saturday night they'll play seven of eight games on the road over the next month or so. The Blues have a strong South American flavor, both in their personnel and in their tactics. Leading scorer Paulo (Araujo) Jr. is a 21-year-old from Brazil, who curiously didn't play against Portland the first time around (the only game he's missed this year). On the other end of the spectrum is Miami's leading assist man, Christian Gomez: the 35-year-old from Argentina is a former MLS MVP with DC United, and had a 13-year career in his native country before coming to the USA. Speedy right back Mike Randolph is a former Timber (the glorious 2006 season), while forward Abe Thompson has played the last five years in MLS and is capable of causing real danger. This is a very young team, with 15 players in their regular rotation at 25 or younger, and features a large number of Brazilian players (some from their sister club in the lower divisions there).
The Timbers are 5-4-2 all-time against Miami, with a 3-2 record at home, but the only game from their past that matters is the one on June 12th, when Kyle Veris' header off a Euzebio Neto corner kick midway through the first half gave the Blues a 1-0 win, in one of Portland's poorer performances this year. The Timbers, of course, have a game Sunday evening against Mexico's Deportivo Atlas, but that will be a game for reserves and guys coming back from injury; all of the attention and focus is on Miami.
The recent history of champions in the US second division is of teams who struggled early in the year, before picking up speed in the summer and tearing through everyone else come the fall (see Montreal last year). The Timbers are hoping to follow that pattern this year, which is part of why there hasn't been much panic so far. Saturday night, we start to find out if that will actually happen.
If you go back on the SAN page you can find Amos Magee and Keith Savage's comments from Tuesday's Talk Timbers, as well as an interview with Quavas Kirk from Thursday night's show.
Here's forward Bright Dike at Friday's practice, as well
Fletcher Johnson will lead our pregame coverage Saturday night on The Game starting at 6:30, including interviews with defender Steve Purdy and coach Gavin Wilkinson. Then, Andy McNamara joins me for all of the action at 7, and we'll be taking your calls and texts on the Oregon Weight Loss Surgery postgame show until 10 pm.
