Timbers Vs. Rhinos 5/14/09 Match Report

Last night was one of the most roller coaster sports experiences I've ever had. It was a match of great highs and crippling lows, and while the result pleased me, there's still a nagging feeling of something missing from last night. I lost a dear friend and right now, I'm just trying to deal with that reality.

As many long time Timbers Army members know, General Timber Howie was a fixture at the Timbers matches, he sat in the first seat in the first row in 108, arriving right as the gates opened. Often times, he would waive to girl and I to join him up front in line to get into the stadium, as we are notoriously early arrivals as well to stake out our space. I've talked with Howie for many years about his love of baseball and hockey, traveling with him to England in a large TA group, seeing him on the road at many locations. He gave us a great tour of San Francisco, including eating lunch at a great place in Chinatown and we saw him at a Giants - Diamondbacks game that same night from AT&T Park. The man had a enormous heart, and always had wonderful things to say to everyone, and I will miss his smile, the talks with him, and his presence in the TA.

I found out the news about Howie about 4 hours before the kickoff, and my emotions were all over the place for the rest of my day at work as I tried to concentrate as best I could. I came home, and hugged girl and we cried and talked about our feelings. Howie always asked me to hug my wife to make sure she knows how I feel about her, and after the news, I needed a hug. We felt a bit odd going to a Timbers match after the news, but I also know that I needed to be there because it's what Howie would have wanted. It was a late start, so we wandered to our usual gate and nobody was in line where Howie stood. So in his honor, I stood there and waited. And I waived other TA to come up and join me. I felt odd being there, but at the same time, it felt right.

We got into the stadium, and there was a memorial already being constructed at his usual seat. For the first time in over 3 years, I went to a Timbers match without a camera, but at the same time, I wanted to just watch and be a fan for a night without worrying about the shots or the angles. I did notice that in the back of section 107, the team had hung a sign labeling the section as Timbers Army Supporters Section, which we'd been asking about for a long time. It was a nice touch. TA members filed in, and there was a lot of hugging and crying, as we all tried to deal with the loss. For one night anyway, Howie's seat held flowers, and as I helped with the memorial, others came to pay their respects. The team even agreed to have a moment of silence before the anthem, which I really appreciated, even if some of the tourist fans didn't have a clue about or care to observe the moment. As a few of us tried to shut them up, it became apparent to me like on many Thirsty Thursdays, there are some fans that don't give a flying fuck about anything but getting drunk at the match. I appreciate new people wanting to experience this for themselves, but at the same time, you should show some respect.

The anthem singer decided to do her version of the anthem, which was way slow and done like a bad R and B song. Seriously, the pauses were crap, and so the Army sang the last verse as loud as we could to get things started. And then the match began. Keel was in for defense, as Nishimura was not on the bench (apparently, he has a VISA problem that is being resolved) and Keita started up front with McLaughlin, but I had the rest of the starters pegged.

The first half was a pure passing clinic by the Timbers, as they tried to stretch the Rhinos defense with short passes and crosses. The plan worked pretty well, as they were getting chances, but as with previous matches, some players seem content to pass rather than shoot. The Rhinos, meanwhile, countered with some solid, extremely physical defense, as they held position and really pushed our guys around a lot. Some of the tackles were good, hard challenges, while a few drew cards, which they should have. Overall, the first half was pretty even until Brian Farber knocked in a gorgeous cross from Keita to get the Timbers' first goal. We had the control of the possession, and the defense was doing a great job on Johnny Menyonger, the Rhinos key forward. Steve Cronin was solid in goal, even sporting a cool black and light blue kit in two color English fashion. The mood of the Army was still a bit all over the place, as some sang and danced like a normal match, but many people had a heavy heart, and so getting the goal helped ease some of the tensions.

The second half saw some of the same pinpoint passing from the Timbers, while the Rhinos were content to play long balls over the top to get chances, and try to create set piece opportunities. While Andrew Gregor might not be a favorite person around here, he's still dangerous in set pieces, and we got to see that later. At the 62nd minute, Nino Short from Rochester went in with a hard challenge, and drew straight red for the contact, putting Rochester down to 10 men. However, the Rhinos seemed energized by this and actually outplayed the Timbers for the next 15 minutes or so, creating chances all over the place and testing Cronin. In the 66th minute, a free kick from Gregor was headed towards Cronin and saved, but Darren Kenton pounced on the bounce and knocked one past Cronin to level the score and end the Timbers' defensive scoreless streak. And after that, they kept the pressure on, as shots came at Cronin and the defense seemed to be struggling to find itself.

Taka Suzuki came on in the 70th, and the offense continued to sputter until about the 82nd minute when the TA broke into the Sunshine song. The passes that weren't working for the Timbers suddenly found players, and the pressure on Scott Vallow, the Rhinos keeper, over the last few minutes was relentless. It appeared at minute 83 that Rochester was simply trying to play for the tie and a point, but the Timbers were trying to salvage a win. The game's physicality escalated with some altercations, a few more yellows, and some challenges that went awry but were missed. Until the game hit stoppage time and at the 94th minute, Steven Keel was in the box and went down hard on contact away from the ball. Darren Kenton had shoved Keel in the box, and the center official called it with only seconds remaining.

The Rochester players were incensed, and Vallow did his best to delay the kick by walking around and drinking water. The other Rhinos players did their best to wander around and mess with the shooter by kicking the ball around. The Rhinos were also upset at 2 minutes of announced stoppage time, yet when Menyonger was substituted for in the 90th, he took over a minute to leave the pitch after first trying to feign injury with a limp. The official extended the time, and so Ryan Pore stepped up to take the PK. Vallow, after a delay, went left, and after waiting a tiny bit, Pore punched it right and into the back of the net. Pandemonium struck the shed, as we got a second goal, and just 30 seconds later, full time was called and it was over.

For such a draining night, it was nice to get a win, and everyone felt Howie was in the house, watching down on us and his team. I've never been so relieved to get a win, because we deserved it. As much as soccer has talent determine winners, sometimes luck has more influence in determining outcomes. Needless to say, we got a win for the General, and so we could all smile after a rather trying day.

Match Reports:

Allison's recap from Soccer City USA, including pictures.

Official Match Report from the Timbers.

My Observations

• My man of the match was Steve Cronin. After some shaky communication at points, he settled in and kept us level. I would say the entire defense would probably be 1B, because everyone in the back stepped up to keep Menyonger from getting shots, and they marked Gregor well all night.
• Keita continues to get shot opportunities, and I like his work rate, although he doesn't have a goal yet. As a matter of fact, our 4 goals are all from midfielders, and we had 2 official shots from forwards last night. I like our forwards but at the same time, don't be afraid to pull the trigger from time to time.
• McManus, Pore, Farber and Claesson all put in solid work all match. Claesson may not be the fastest guy out there, but he's smart and crafty, and he works very well with faster players like Pore and Farber. McManus has some tough matchups, but he held his ground, and I was impressed with his play.
• Taka did OK in his short stint, but he still struggled with a couple of good chances. We overall shot 25 times to 9 and 11 shots on goal, but we had to pull it out late.
• Vallow is a seasoned pro, and so is Sancho. They payed a lot of respect to the TA after the match, and I loved watching them work. It's nice to see some veterans from other teams get it when they are on the road, and they showed class in defeat. I didn't like some of their tactics during the match, but if you're willing to try it.
• There will be a lot of talk about the officiating, but the center official actually did an even job of calling things. There were calls missed on both sides, and while Rochester earned 6 cards, I felt that we deserved one or two with some awkward challenges. But in my mind, Keel was contacted hard and Kenton extended his arms, and the PK call was made I think because of that, plus a few other non-calls just prior. The Rhinos played physically, and we lost our composure after the 63rd minute and it cost us because they turned up the heat. We deserved the win, but seriously guys, can you do it a bit earlier next time?
• And yes, we always win 2 to 1!

Tomorrow is the TA meet and greet, and I'm looking forward to meeting a lot of folks and seeing some familiar faces. Plus, we get to run around on the PGE Park surface, which is always fun. The TAFC also has a match Sunday afternoon, so my weekend is very much soccer filled.

Next Timbers match is next Friday night in Puerto Rico. If you need a Timbers fix this weekend, the U-23 boys will be playing at PGE tonight (actually the game tonight versus Spokane is done) and tomorrow night versus Yakima. The game tomorrow is a 7 PM kickoff.

And finally, Howie, rest in peace, and Rose City Til I Die.

Timbers Match Report and Sad Day in the TA

I'm doing a quick update today for a match preview for the Timbers versus the Rochester Rhinos tonight at PGE Park. The game is a late start of 8 pm as we are on Fox Soccer Channel so you can see the game live if you have digital cable or satellite. While the late start means a slow morning tomorrow, it does prevent the craziness of trying to get from our place to downtown by 6 pm, which happens most game days.

The Timbers struggled in Cleveland last Saturday, putting 24 shots forward, of those 11 shots on goal, and yet they couldn't get one past the City Stars, who were giving up 3 goals per game going in. The offensive effort generated some nice chances, but as often happens in soccer, luck sometimes is the most important component. The Timbers played well defensively, and held on for a point in what was described in the match reports as "completely terrible spring weather". In listening to the match, apparently it rained, sleeted, and the sun shone within a 10 minute period.

The Timbers have been working on shots on goal this week in practice all week, with our forwards trying to get more offensive. No, not worse potty mouths, but actually putting better shots on goal. And really, what I'm impressed with more than anything, it's the fact that we are getting shots on goal, which was a huge problem with last year's Timbers.

The Rhinos, who used to be called the Raging Rhinos, are no longer officially raging, but they are sitting towards the top of the table with 10 points (3 wins and a draw) in 5 games. Their leading scorer is Johnny Menyonger, who has 3 goals already this season, and is an active guy up front. Ok, he kind of looks like Gary Coleman, but he's very skilled. We will also see former Timbers Andrew Gregor, unceremoniously traded from the team last year, and Brent Sancho, who played with the Timbers back in 2001 and 2002 and has played well. Gregor will be the target of a lot of abuse from the TA, while Sancho will get some love at first until the game starts. I also look forward to seeing Scott Vallow, the Rhinos' keeper, who is a great sport in goal but does get a lot of abuse as well. He's a seasoned veteran, and is a very steady influence in back.

The Timbers are healthy, as Steve Cronin is back in goal for the team, and we have no reported injuries, so everyone should be ready to go tonight. We've got 9 days until we travel to Puerto Rico, and it's been 5 days since Cleveland, so our team should be fresh and rested. I expect a backline of SCOT, C-Knowles, Hayes and Nishimura, Claesson, Savage, McManus, and Pore in the mid, and up front, Josten and McLaughlin. We have Warren Ukah, a former Atlanta Silverbacks forward, in camp, which means that if he sticks, we'll have 4 former Silverbacks on roster (Hayes, McManus, McLaughlin and Ukah). They lead the league in goals last year, so they could score but the defense was a bit of a concern, and now they are taking this year off, so their players have been spread about the USL. The Timbers have 3 consecutive shutouts going, and would tie a record if they hold the Rhinos scoreless, and they would also break the record for longest scoreless streak on defense (380 minutes per Allison A).

Prediction ---- Timbers get 2 and the Rhinos will not score a goal and we hold our scoreless streak.

Also, a heavy heart to tonight's game as I found out that one of our beloved TA, General Timber Howie, passed away earlier today. He was a legend in the TA, and I recall fondly his guided tour of San Francisco when girl and I went there a few seasons ago. He had just retired from his job to help a co-worker out who had just had a baby when his firm needed to cut a job. I also traveled with him to Sunderland a few years ago, and he always had kind words for me and my wife. He is truly a class act, and will be seriously missed around the TA. RCTID, Howie

Stadium Update and Timbers Thoughts

Reading Links:

The City is close to a deal to put the new Triple AAA Baseball Park in Lents Park.

The original article announcing the change in venue from Memorial Coliseum to Lents Park

Anna Griffin from the Oregonian asks should we care about the Beavers at all?

William Glasgow talks about MLS again and gets schooled in the comments

The Trail Blazers' plan to refurbish the Memorial Coliseum isn't without its own set of risks.

And apparently, the cost of upgrading the Memorial Coliseum is about as much or more than actually building a baseball park there.

So it would appear that things in the MLS to PDX and the Portland Beavers world have gotten a bit clearer, but things have really changed a lot since my last posting about it. To recap the high points, the Memorial Coliseum is safe from demolition for now as the baseball park is now being considered for Lents Park. The particulars couldn’t be worked out, as the Trail Blazers decided to support their Live Area concept of restaurants and shops around the Rose Garden, although it’s now been determined that the cost of saving the MC will be significantly more than the cost of putting the ball park there.

So why are we at this point? Well, apparently, the Trail Blazers and a small chorus of architectural professionals have convinced the city that the MC should be saved, because of its structure and significance to the area. Yet, in the 15 years since the Rose Garden was built, the Trail Blazers have effectively done nothing in the area around their arena, and the MC has fallen further into disrepair. It still serves a purpose as the home to the Winter Hawks hockey team and other assorted events, but the arena is slowly dying in front of our eyes. I place a lot of the blame squarely on the city and the Trail Blazers, as it was their responsibility to keep the arena updated. The Trail Blazers owed it to the city as part of their operating agreement to help keep the MC updated, yet it hasn’t made a dent in the overall condition. The city should have been more proactive in keeping the Trail Blazers at their word, but instead, they just let things sit where they currently are.

The city council had the right idea in bring the ballpark to the MC, where it would be centrally located, easily accessible to transit, and put near the center of the city. It would revitalize the area, giving baseball the attention it deserves while giving PGE Park new life as a soccer and football facility. But instead, the NIMBYs and naysayers clouded the facts of the deal, stating that this was a bad deal for the city and the MC deserves a better fate. And so now, we are looking at putting the ballpark in SE Portland.

While it’s not the center of the city, Lents Park wants the ballpark there and I think it will do quite well in the area, giving the neighborhood an anchor that it has been lacking for a while. It should attract development, it will bring people to watch games in an area that is deserving attention, and allow baseball to flourish. I’m based this simply on the enthusiasm for bringing baseball there, along with the attention that most teams get in a new stadium. Portland is a good baseball town, and we will support this team, despite the challenges. It doesn’t help when the Mariners have a hold on the area because of their aggressive marketing and television presence, as well as the fact that Triple AAA baseball, by nature, is hard to market at points because players come and go all the time. Unlike other sports, it’s hard to build the face of the franchise when the faces change all the time. But give the Beavers credit, they are getting more attention now than they have in a while. And unlike other versions of the Beavers, it's nice to put them in an area that really wants them there.

But the fact that this park should be in the Memorial Coliseum instead is a travesty, and the blame can be pointed in many different directions. The Trail Blazers don’t want direct competition on their doorstep unless they have control of the revenue streams, and I can see why they opposed the baseball deal. It’s too bad that they couldn’t see the benefit of revitalizing the area by bringing a baseball team that wouldn’t directly compete on most scheduling nights, and attract more people to the area for events. We aren’t a Live Concept kind of town, especially since we already have neighborhoods that have the same amenities that are being offered by this. But the Trail Blazers have had such a monopoly on the attention of sports fans here, they want to protect their position at all costs, never mind that having another top-level professional team would improve the overall sports profile of our area, and draw attention away from the team at key points. When the Trail Blazers were having all sorts of off the court issues, I bet they would have likely having some other sports around to distract attention. It's about establishing a sports profile for your town, and the Trail Blazers at this point prefer to have the spotlight all to themselves, whether it's best for the city or not.

I blame the city for not realizing or supporting the deal more than they should have. I get that you want to have a public process here, and it’s important to see all sides of things, but at the same point, the facts need to be made and presented. In looking at the costs of the Live Concept, the cost of it doesn’t compare to the cost of putting baseball there, yet that distinction was hardly made. I understand that some of our political figures have issues right now, but you have to stay with your convictions unless you are proved wrong, and none of the criticisms leveled by the opponents carried enough weight to cause this kind of reversal. Every point could be refuted, yet we still have plan B coming around because the voices kept saying this won't work. I have news for those that say keeping the MC is a good idea, it's coming down whether you like it or not. It's a matter of whether you want a developer to help with the costs and put forth a good idea for the space or the alternative of having it destroyed for some cookie cutter bars and restaurants.

I blame the sports fans who are pining for MLB and NFL or just hate soccer in general. I respect the desire to have those leagues come to town, but if you are struggling to commit $88 million in funds for MLS, how can you justify spending 10 to 12 times as much to bring MLB or NFL here. Recent stadiums for both leagues are costing around $700 million, and that doesn’t include the needs for corporate support or the need for ticket sales. We watch games quite a bit, but does that translate into success when it’s live? MLS is a great jumping point to establish Portland as a real sports town, and will cause MLB, NFL or other sports that want to come to town to look at us differently when it’s a success. And soccer is growing in popularity here and abroad, where it’s already a hugely popular sport and America in on the cusp of ingraining it into regular sports. But instead of realizing that other sports help bring attention to a profile and supporting them will make a market more attractive, it’s easier to belittle or hate on it. Mind you, I have a beef with some soccer fans that couldn’t care less about baseball and it’s future, because as long as the teams share a stadium, their futures are intertwined and will be until they both get taken care of. And our future with baseball is much better than if they leave, as it will give further credence to the non-sports fans of another team that got away for whatever reason.

I blame the media for not asking the right questions until now, and providing a thorough and well written analysis of the deal in detail. Instead, the facts came out very piece meal, and it distorted the picture at points. Mind you, the sound bites are catchy and easily digestible, but they don't provide an honest investigation unless necessary. I give the Oregonian some credit for trying to keep up, but they've done as much damage by printing stories from people that don't completely understand the facts of the situation, using tired and faulty arguments to make their point.

But finally, I blame the NIMBYs who use pithy quotes and misinformation to cause undecided people to make faulty decisions. I get that you might not like soccer or sports in general, but this plan won’t hurt the city or their providing services to those in need. While it’s important to take care of potholes and kids, it’s also important to give citizens things to do when they aren’t working, and sports does that. And cities want to own stadiums, not only to share in revenues but also to have some control over teams in case they want to leave for greener pastures. What makes sense is teams and cities working together to find a deal that works for everyone. And while this plan was on the table before, it’s now dead and so Portland moves forward with plan B.

I’m not worried about the long-term fortunes of either team, because I think for a fallback plan, this will work just fine. What I worry mostly about is the attitude that keeps Portland in a perpetual state of wanting to keep the status quo. We want to keep the town weird, but at the same point for many residents, it’s important to keep things as close to the way they are as possible, using the process to help. Let’s talk to whomever will listen, and try to use whatever tactics we can to make whatever point we can to gain traction against the plan. So many good ideas have come through town and left, yet all I seem to hear about at points is what is wrong with what has been done.

For a supposedly progressive city, we seem to lack in confidence to make tough choices, especially when the “I told you so” people pop up all the time. I get the Tram was a huge cost overrun, I get that we are in tough economic times right now, but at the same time, tough times demand tough choices and conviction, and right now, our city is struggling in that area. I feel that Sam Adams is still our best choice for Mayor, because he has shown the ability to make tough choices, even if he’s made a mistake or two in his life. And I think if he survives the recall, we’ll see more leadership in that area. Otherwise, I worry about the next few years in our city with the mass asylum running the show.

The Timbers played Cleveland last Saturday and drew nil to nil. For the non-soccer group, that is zero to zero. My plan really is to only do match reports on matches that I actually see in person, either on TV or on the computer, and I had a match of my own to play Saturday night. The Timbers are in action Thursday night versus Rochester, with a late 8 PM start due to the game being on Fox Soccer Channel. Hope to see you all there.

Timbers Early Season Preview

Honestly, what fun would things be if you knew the outcome ahead of time? Well, it might save for some anxious moments here and there, but at the same time, there is a sense of discovery and anxiety that come from the unknown. It can be terrifying, nauseating, and completely intoxicating. Where I'm digressing here is that I'm doing a Timbers season preview 3 games into the regular season, which might not seem like a good idea, but I'm doing it anyway. Part of this is that I want to do a preview after seeing most of the new players, and last Saturday was the final game for me to see most everyone, and I want to base my thoughts strictly on what I've seen.

I'm no footy expert, I've just been watching the Timbers since 2001, playing for almost a year, and watching as many games as I can from leagues all over the world, and so I think I have a good idea of what works and what doesn't. That's the neat thing about blogs, you can share your opinion in cyberspace, and people can do with it what they want. It's sort of the feeling that I described in the first paragraph, you might read this and see something that inspires you, or it could just be read as blah blah blah...

I did find a couple of entries about the team, from the Oregonian's early season preview, done a few days before the match in Vancouver, and the official team roster page. And with the number of new faces, it might be good to refer to the site because it's taken me a bit to get the names and faces associated. So without furtuer ado, here we go. Players in italics are here on loan, players in green are returnees from last year.

GoalKeepers (3) - Steve Cronin, Brian Visser, Chris Seitz

Cronin and Visser have been in camp for most of the year, Cronin signed from the LA Galaxy, and Visser from Purdue University. Cronin was the on and off starter last year, but suffered with the rest of the Galaxy defense in giving up tons of goals, although it was determined that most of them weren't his fault. The Timbers were looking for a full time keeper after last year's revolving door that saw 4 men man the pipes for us, and Cronin was signed to a higher salary that usual to get him for the next two years. Visser was a trialist that showed promise, and I thought he looked good in the exhibition game at U of Portland versus the Pilots before he got hurt. Cronin was very good in the Vancouver game, the one goal that he let in was a deflection, but he's got a strong leg, is extremely vocal and seems like a good organizer of the defense. However, Cronin was injured in training before the Carolina matches, and so we acquired Seitz on loan for two games from Real Salt Lake. He's got a cannon for a leg, and seems to have great hands, and performed admirably on Thursday for essentially being thrown into the deep end.

Outlook: I think our keepers will be a strength for us, especially since barring injury, we should have the same two guys all year. During 2007, we had one keeper, Josh Wicks, play most of the games except for friendlies, and the continuity kept things sharp, unlike last year's train wreck.

Defense (7) - Mamadou Danso. Scot Thompson, Cameron Knowles, Cameron Dunn, David Hayes, Stephen Keel, Takuro Nishimura

We led the league in 2007 in goals allowed and goals allowed average, courtesy of Wicks and the work of Scot and Cameron. Needless to say, 2008 was not nearly as successful, as the defense really was exposed by teams that pressured aggressively and could make quick crosses. It didn't help with the revolving door of keeper, but the defense digressed a bit.

We did get one nice surprise with the signing of Cameron Dunn last year, formerly from the California Victory. Dunn is heady, with a good sense of positioning and speed to push players to the outside, which is something that Thompson does very well, too. Knowles is as physical of a defender as you will meet, standing guys up anywhere on the pitch, and playing the game very smartly. With the loss of Leonard Griffin and Justin Thompson, you couldn't ask for better defensive anchors to return as Scot and the Camerons. They provide a savvy veteran influence, as well as an ability to play within themselves.

The new defenders bring some good skills to the table. Hayes is an all league defender from Atlanta who loves red boots, and has a wicked left foot. His long kicks are a huge weapon, and I don't recall us having a strong left boot in the back for a while. He also has good recovery speed, and plays positioning well. Keel is very tall, and also plays good positioning which makes up for the fact that he may not be as fast as the other defenders. He plays with a huge amount of passion, which is good as long as he keeps a clear head. He needs to take a page from Scot on that. Danso may be the best overall athlete in the back, as his motor doesn't stop when he gets on the pitch. I didn't see him back down from any challenge on Saturday and he played very calmly and collectively, which is a positive against Carolina, an extremely physical and chippy team by nature. Nishimura was another trialist from Japan, who is probably the fastest defender and most able to play the wings and run a lot. He also moved up to mid in the first Carolina game, so he shows some great versatility on the pitch.

Outlook: We will have a very strong defense, and can match physical and speedy teams with various lineups. I'm curious to see Dunn get a chance this year, but based on how well he played last year, I expect him to be a contributor this year. The backbone of this unit is Scot and Knowles, and how they play will dictate how this group performs.

Midfielders (9) - Tom Poltl, Tony McManus, Keith Savage, Johan Claesson, Ryan Pore, Brian Farber, Alex Nimo, Shawn Higgins, Josh Cameron

As you can see, of the nine guys on the team, we have only two holdovers from last year, as the midfield was a true mess last year. Players couldn't stay healthy last year, but I think the team also suffered from trying to play a style that wasn't condusive to the talent they had. It didn't help when former team captain Andrew Gregor was traded mid-season, which is never a good thing to have happen to what was supposed to be a key cog of the attack.

Nobody will ever outwork Poltl, as he plays very smartly on the pitch. He also plays on the ragged edge of passion, which leads to him getting a lot of foul calls and cards because of his style of play. The issue with Poltl is his height, which other teams really used against us last year with taller mids covering Tommy. Higgins, on the other hand, can play all over the pitch as he's a utility man. But like some utility men, he's really non-descript in playing, not doing anything special out there. He won't make mistakes, but at the same time, he's not going to generate much offense either.

Of the new guys, Claesson played in Sweden, Savage with Chivas USA from the MLS, McManus was in Atlanta, Farber was in Minnesota, Pore was with Kansas City of the MLS, Cameron was with Oregon State, and Nimo was with Real Salt Lake of the MLS. So you have three guys with MLS experience, one with international experience, two from other teams in the USL and a college guy. Not a bad mix to bring veteran experience with youth.

Claesson is very smart and disciplined in the midfield, attacking when he has an advantage. He also seems to scan the field quickly and makes passes designed to push the defense. Savage is the tallest midfield, and seems to be the strongest, mixing it up when he can. He tries to push things a bit much, but so far, it seems to be working well. Pore has the best motor in the mids, by virtue of his sweet goal and assist on Saturday, and he was pushed a lot by Farber, who got the other goal. They seem to play very well together on the wings, and they are very dangerous with their crosses. McManus is very much like Poltl, playing a very physical brand of soccer as evidenced by a card in the game Thursday. But his passion is also shown with a burning desire to outwork everyone, and he feeds off the energy from others. He's also gained a cult status in the TA with his work on our SCUSA board as TonyMcManus12, as he seems to have a love for quick phrases, working out, and drinking tons of G2. Nimo might be the fastest midfielder, but he's also the shortest guy out there, and he's not afraid to shoot from anywhere as evidenced by his play in Vancouver. Cameron might not get much time this year, but at least in the friendlies, he played mistake free ball, which is all you can ask from young players.

Outlook: Creative, feisty, and able to make good crosses, this might just be the best midfield group we've had. But then again, we thought Andrew Gregor was the second coming, and he got ran out of town. The depth helps a great deal here, but one concern I have is the only mid over 6 foot is Savage, so some teams with a lot of height in the middle might use that to their advantage, unless McManus pummels them.

Forwards (5) - Taka Suzuki, Antou Jallow, George Josten, Jason McLaughlin, Mandjou Keita

Taka Suzuki has a very impressive resume from his play in Japan for their national team and with the J League, but after his wicked goal versus Seattle early last year, he suffered with inconsistent play and it seemed like his spirit was broken. I didn't see the same passion from him that I did during the friendlies in the first part of the year, and I wasn't sure if it was unrealized expectations, language barrier or missing home that led to his funk. Whatever it is, his first few games this year show an improved spirit, although his footwork is still lacking a bit. He had some great chances in Vancouver that he failed to finish on, and whether that's rust or what, he needs to improve on that.

Keita has a great work ethic, and seems to have a nose for the ball, although he hasn't notched a goal. He does lead the team in shots, so perhaps that will come with extra work, but so far, he's been a nice addition. Josten really showed good speed and pace in his first work on Saturday, carrying the ball well and making good decisions with passes. I look forward to seeing him more, as well as McLaughlin, who came in late Saturday and showed some spunk. I remember him from Atlanta, and he's got a good shot and can hold the ball very well. Jallow also came in late on Saturday, and he didn't do anything good or bad in his short time, but he did generate some good work during the friendlies early with some good decisions and work rate.

Outlook: Suzuki may be the face of the franchise, but it's the work of the others that I think will either spell victory or defeat. Suzuki needs to finish better, and at least with his four partners, he's got good passers and guys that can pass, trap, and shoot quickly. Gavin has used various lineups so far, and so I don't have a good idea what combination will work best, but I like Josten for the job at least for now.

Coaches - Gavin Wilkinson, Amos McGee

Gavin is an old school Timber from his playing days, and he's had success in 2007 and trouble in 2008. I think he's earned a shot to keep his job in 2009, but the true question is whether his normal style of long passes and crosses will work with a team this creative. He seems to have let guys add their flair a bit on the pitch, which might be a sign of things to come, or it could mean that Gavin takes more control later if the wheels fall off. This is by far the most talent he's had in his years here, so if the team can't win, I don't expect him to be able to keep his job. Amos McGee joins the team from Minnesota, where he was a Hall of Fame coach for many years, and he'll focus on assisting Gavin with the first team and coaching the U-23 team.

Outlook: Winning takes care of the issues here. If they win, Gavin will be fine, if not, he doesn't have much of a leash here.

Our next game is May 9th in Cleveland, and you can watch the game live on USL Live, or by visiting the Soccer City USA board (http://www.soccercityusa.com/) and finding a viewing site for Saturday. So far, Beulahland and Rogue Pub are confirmed for Saturday, but check there for more locations.

We Scored Some Goals!!! Timbers Vs. Carolina 5/2/09

Video From Last Night's Game

Pictures from Last Night's Game

We beat Carolina 2 to nil last night, getting our first goals of the 2009 campaign, and getting our first home win. It had been so long for girl and I to see a home win, we'd forgotten what it was like. Well, we won 3 home games last year while we were still in England, so it's been a while.

Observations:

• The weather was great, although about 4 pm, it was coming down in sheets with thunder and lightning. They announced a crowd of 6724, but I thought it was more like 8,000 myself.
• Tried the new cheesesteak sandwich at the park, it wasn't terrible but needed more cheese. At least the park is trying new menu options, and most of their stuff is pretty good.
• It was old school night in Row N, as Harrison Bannister made an appearance, which hasn't happened for a long while. He was a regular before he and his lovely wife had a baby, although now the young one will be coming to games soon I'm sure. That, and Dick Danger forgot his ticket so he showed up late, and Firestarter forgot when the game started, so they were late, too. But we had a very full row, and full of people we knew. Apparently, Hoss is back and hopefully it's more than just part time, and we get other guests like last night, like Stuarto and the missus, Nando, and Red Scout.
• I like Brian Farber a lot, he showed some energy and drive on the pitch, and he got a goal, which you can see on the video page noted above. Ryan Pore was the man of the match for me, with an assist and goal. He was all over the place, and really helped our midfield gel.
• I like Keith Savage and Johan Claesson a lot, too, although they didn't play together last night. Savage is tall, rangy, and has a good first step, while Claesson is smart and crafty.
• Tony McManus and Tom Poltl were separated at birth, I swear. They play the same way, bulldog style leaving everything on the pitch. They may not be the tallest or biggest guys out there, but you will not outwork these guys.
• Chris Seitz played really well in goal for us on loan from Real Salt Lake, and I wouldn't mind seeing him stay, although Cronin is apparently our number 1 guy for this year. Wishing him speedy recovery, and hope to see Seitz back again sometime.
• I'm still buzzing after the win, and it's the next morning!!!

Girl's family birthday dinner is later today, and so I'll check out for now. Have a good one, and remember, Rose City Til I Die!!!