Throughout the past few months, the Portland Timbers have experienced a lot – both on and off their turf. A managerial change, contractual disputes between players, various nagging injuries, and a roller coaster stretch of results later, the Green and Gold are now presented with an all-or-nothing opportunity to resoundingly achieve the goal interim manager Miles Joseph and club legends in Sebastian Blanco and Diego Chara have pushed the rest of the club to work towards since Giovanni Savarese’s dismissal in August.
“We need more commitment from players; we have to make the playoffs,” Blanco elucidated loud and clear following a 5-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo that looked to serve as a strong indicator of the continuation of a then-disastrous season for the men’s side of Soccer City, USA.
Following defeat in Texas, the Timbers went on to go unbeaten in seven straight games under the new leadership of Joseph to catapult them comfortably into playoff positioning, but a disappointing draw to the LA Galaxy and a 4-1 loss to CF Montreal on the road in recent weeks has now put Portland in considerable danger to drop below the line and end up witnessing the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs as spectators at their homes for a second consecutive year ahead of the final game of the regular season against that same Houston Dynamo side who battered the Timbers not too long ago.
Despite those dark clouds looming, the team still controls their own destiny for playoff paradise. Here’s what will be in the Timbers’ favor when they try to get the job done on Saturday:
- Return of Key Players
It’s essential to understand how significantly and positively midfielders Diego Chara and Christian Parades, as well as center-back Zac McGraw, contribute to this team’s performance.
Chara has been a rock on the pitch, dispossessing opponents and winning the ball back for his team for the past twelve years, and the 37-year-old has been one of the best in league history at his job with slight regression to show as he ages year-by-year. On top of his production at the game, the standout personality and leadership Chara has brought to the locker room and to the various squads that have been rolled out in Portland since its inception in MLS in 2011 has cemented himself as one of the greats that make up the club’s history. Parades, although 12 years younger without as much of the reputation, has finally broken out in 2023 and has established himself as an influential member of the team through his impressive outings, serving as the club captain for multiple games this season when Chara was out of the lineup.
McGraw, who’s earned the opportunity as a first-team starter for the first time in his professional career this season, has made the most of it. His 246 clearances are the fourth most in all of Major League Soccer, and he’s provided a major defensive presence to a Timbers backline that’s shown plenty of vulnerability to opponents in the past few seasons.
Nagging injuries have kept all three from playing in the club’s last game at Montreal – one that ended up being a less-than-favorable result for the club. Chara underwent appendectomy surgery on September 14 – with a timeline of one to three weeks given by the medical staff before a return to play was possible. Both Paredes and McGraw suffered minor injuries following the Timbers draw to the Galaxy on Sep. 30. All three will be available for Saturday’s Decision Day match vs Houston.
After conceding seven goals combined in their previous two unsatisfactory results, the Timbers will be delighted to be getting three of their most talented defensive-minded players on the team back as reinforcements for their biggest game of the year.
- Home Sweet Home
Every team would rather play in front of their fans, right? It’s no different for the Portland Timbers, although it seems that home is the only setting where this year’s team can put together a good result in a match.
Around their passionate supporters, the Timbers have racked up 30 points with a record of 9-3-4, turning Providence Park into a fortress for the league to notice. Outside of the Rose City, however, the good fortunes and success suddenly diminish. The team has won a total of two games all season on the road, with several gruesome defeats occurring away from home. Portland has conceded four or more goals in a road loss five times this year and none at home in league play.
Portland tends to bring its full energy, skill, and motivation to produce on the field when having the comfort of playing with 25,000+ of its supporters cheering them on. When playing against a tough side in Houston, who’s already guaranteed their invitation to the playoffs, you welcome all the advantages and perks you can get. Playing at home with a loud, engaged environment on their side, one that the team’s proven to play really well around will undoubtedly serve as a positive influence on their performance.
- The Revival of The Attack
Following a rough first half of the year where the team struggled to produce goals, the attack has finally become more lively in recent weeks as the results also began to turn upside down for the better.
Midfielder Evander is living up to the $10M price tag the Timbers spent to acquire him last winter, Santiago Moreno is beginning to look like his old self on the goalscoring end again, with two goals in his last three games, and the offense has been more fluid leading to more chances being produced through the high-pressing, fast-paced tactics Miles Joseph has come in and successfully applied on this team.
Today, the Timbers produce a respectable 1.36 goals per game, and they’ll need to show all of that goalscoring prowess they’ve slowly developed over the last couple of months against a Houston Dynamo side that’s kept a top-five backline all year. Houston’s identity is on the defensive end – and a productive evening on the attack for the Timbers is easily their clearest path to all three points this weekend – and a long-anticipated return to the postseason.
If you’re a diehard Timbers fan, the important part to remember when watching the big game this Saturday at 6:00 PM PST on MLS Season Pass is to avoid panic despite what the result looks at the moment or ends up being. All other Western Conference teams will play their final game of the regular season at the same time on Saturday, and the Timbers are likely to know their playoff fate as soon as the full-time whistle is blown at Providence Park. However, Portland can book a spot in with a win no matter what happens around the rest of the league and still possesses a great chance to qualify even in the event of a draw or a loss with the potential help of other results going their way. Keep calm, and enjoy all the soccer this weekend!
