Portland’s attacking talent shows flashes, but familiar defensive issues and a second-half no-show hand Vancouver all three points.
The Portland Timbers can thank their lucky stars that Sporting Kansas City is a worse team, keeping them off the bottom of the Western Conference table. However, unlike Sporting Kansas City, which was outclassed for 90 minutes in Salt Lake City, the Portland Timbers snatched defeat from the jaws of victory away to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Just four weeks ago, the Timbers suffered a 4-1 loss to the Whitecaps at Providence Park. On Saturday, the teams lined up for the reverse fixture at BC Place. The result may have been the same—a Portland defeat—, but the route to the end was much different. Yet, the end of the journey still featured lackluster defending that bent and broke at exactly the wrong time.
The good news for Phil Neville is that MLS is built to keep as many teams in the playoff and MLS Cup race as possible. The bad news is that Portland is now four points behind ninth-place Houston Dynamo. Four points are nothing in a league in which parity rules the day. Yet, if the Timbers continue to drop points, clawing their way into the top nine may be impossible.
Neville’s security isn’t the issue
Apparently, Neville was questioned about his job security following the late-game collapse. Neville seemed defiant in his response. Neville won’t get fired. He’s safe. MLS clubs, for better or for worse, stick with coaches for far too long, throwing away a season in hopes the next campaign will be better.
Neville’s contract is up in December 2026. The only way the Timbers cut bait before then is if Portland is out of the playoff hunt—or nearly out of it—by late August. Needing a potential late-season boost to get into the postseason, Neville could get the heave-ho then. Yet, don’t expect a change. So, he has every right to be defiant and confident that the club won’t make a coaching move.
Forget Neville’s 55 wins, 34 draws, and 68 losses in 157 career MLS games as a head coach for Inter Miami and Portland. Saturday’s MLS Week 6 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps was down to every one of the 11 Timbers players on the pitch in the waning minutes of the game.
A collapse in stoppage time
Leading 2-1 in second-half stoppage time, Portland conceded a penalty in the 91st minute and a game-winner to the Whitecaps four minutes later.
Portland’s stars performed on the night. A fit David Da Costa found the back of the net. He had only 33 touches, yet three of them were in the penalty area. Da Costa’s 33 touches, one of the lowest totals for Portland, is criminal for a player the team relies on to create chances, as he created just one notable chance.
Then there was Kristoffer Velde. Another of Portland’s designated players, Velde, was an attacking threat throughout the game. Two big chances created, four touches in the opposition box, and two successful dribbles. However, none of Velde’s crosses found their mark, showing the Timbers attackers cannot get onto the end of the passes.
Early defensive chaos sets the tone
Rewind to the sixth minute when Vancouver scored one of the simplest, most ridiculous goals MLS will feature all season. A long, direct ball played from goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka sailed over the head of Alex Bonetig right to the feet of Edier Ocampo.
Fans may question what Portland goalkeeper James Pantemis was thinking, which is completely fair, because Pantemis looked like a player who’d never played a soccer match, not a professional match, simply just a match. Pantemis’s decision to come steaming out of his area to sweep away the ball quickly backfired. Ocampo still had to finish the chance, which he did to make it 1-0.
Bonetig and Pantemis have both had poor starts to the season. Fortunately for both, there are no quality backups to unseat them in the starting XI.
Vancouver could have doubled or tripled their lead. It took a while for Portland to get on level terms, and it came against the run of play. Right-back Juan Mosquera connected on the sweetest volley you will see all MLS season from the edge of the penalty area.
Minutes later, Mosquera set up Portland’s Da Costa for the second, putting the team into the lead. Once again, the goal came against the run of play. A blocked cross fell to Mosquera, who slotted the ball to Da Costa to clip over the goalkeeper.
The stats tell the real story. Portland’s goals came from low-quality chances, as the team finished the first half with an xG of 0.42 compared to Vancouver’s 1.21, despite having seven total shots. The goals were superb, but both came from low-quality chances thanks to top-notch finishing.
With the way Mosquera played in the opening half, you could be forgiven for forgetting he missed Portland’s first five games of the season due to an ankle injury. He was Portland’s best player, but the ankle injury bit back, and Mosquera was removed at halftime.
You could also be forgiven for thinking Portland would push on for more goals and dominate the second half. That didn’t happen.
Second-half surrender
Vancouver was the better team in the second 45 minutes. Head coach Jesper Sorensen must have given a rousing speech during the break—Neville should take notes—because Vancouver tallied 70% possession and 11 shots, with five hitting the target.
How many shots did Portland manage in the second period? A mere one. Yes, one shot in the second half despite leading 2-1. Portland’s xG for the second half was a whopping 0.10.
How can a team with this much attacking talent be so bad? Injuries can alter things, sure, but the tactics are questionable. What exactly is Portland trying to do in possession?
Of course, the Timbers barely saw the ball in the second half, so the team wasn’t doing much of anything in possession. Really, Portland looked like a team trying not to lose the ball rather than one trying to win the game.
The inevitable equalizer and winner
Despite Portland’s limp offensive performance in the second half, the team was minutes away from winning 2-1. That was until Antony’s handball. Neville and company have no room to complain, as the Brazilian came running out with his arm in an unnatural position to bat down the ball.
Thomas Mueller stepped up and shot over Pantemis to make it 2-2. But Vancouver wasn’t done. Unlike Portland, the Whitecaps believed they could take all three points. Vancouver sprinted back to the center circle. The Timbers walked disheartened, as if they knew what was coming next.
If you said you could see the winner coming, it would be hard to argue. The final goal showcased all of the poor defensive traits we’ve seen from Portland this season. There was no urgency. There was no pressing. There was no tracking of runners.
Ocampo’s cross was blocked, and it fell to Sebastian Berhalter, who finished the move. Pantemis picked the ball out of his net, but the damage had been done long before that moment. Even before the ball reached Ocampo, there was no pressure. Tate Johnson was allowed to make a diagonal cross to Ocampo to start the move. Yes, the players were tired, but Vancouver found another gear. Portland stalled, and the engine died.
What comes next isn’t pretty
So, where does that leave the Timbers after six MLS matches? Los Angeles FC is up next, which is certainly not the opponent Portland will want to face right now. LAFC is the best team in MLS, with 16 points from 18 on offer. The Black and Gold are coming off a 6-0 win over Orlando City.
Portland, meanwhile, is winless in five straight games. The team has scored eight goals and conceded 15. No Western Conference team has allowed more goals.
Neville will need to work a miracle to get a result against LAFC. We’ve already seen that he isn’t a magician capable of pulling a win out of a hat. Perhaps he can turn a loss into a win. After all, we’ve already seen the Timbers turn wins into losses.
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