New Year, Same Results

What is wrong with the Portland Timbers? Four games into the season and they are rock bottom of the western conference with a disappointing 4 points. Only Fenando Adi has been able to get on the scoresheet and in the final minutes of games they have blown chance after chance to come away with points. It is beginning to feel an awful lot like last season when the Timbers had to wait until May 3rd to claim their first victory of the season.

The injuries have been a huge factor for the team. Diego Valeri is still out with a torn ACL, Will Johnson is out with a broken leg, Ben Zemanski out for the season with a torn ACL and Jack Jewsbury was sidelined this weekend with a concussion. These three injures leave a big hole in the center of the Timbers midfield. George Fochive has looked promising but he is not at the level of the injured veterans he is filling in for. Fochive's central partner Diego Chara has been at his usual level, running all over the pitch, getting stuck in as well as gathering his customary yellow card.

In Valeri's absence Darlington Nagbe has taken a more central role. It has been a delight to see Nagbe torment defenders, linking up with Rodney Wallace, Adi and new boy Dairon Asprilla. On Saturday Nagbe was deployed out on the right wing with a forward partnership of Adi and Maxi Urruti tested. However, it was Urruti's exit in the second half that was the game changer. Nagbe was able to play more central and the speed and trickery of Asprilla was just what the Timbers needed. Nagbe was a main contributor to the 82nd minute equalizer. His drive down the center of the field then playing Wallace into the the box, Wallace then centered the ball just out of Vancouver's David Ousted's reach for Adi to slot home the rebound. Plays such as these are occuring more and more, Nagbe and Wallace linking up and Adi finishing inside the box. Unfortunately that was not the final goal of the match. Vancouver took the lead in the 90th minute because of sloppy play from the Timbers defense. A miscommunication between center backs Nat Borchers and Liam Ridgewell gifted the Whitecaps with all three points.

Late goals have been ever-present for the Timbers this season. A late goal against the L.A. Galaxy cost the Timbers three points at Providence Park on March 15 when Alan Gordon was able to out jump his man to head home an equalized deep in stoppage-time. Against Vancouver the Timbers had two opportunities to kill off the game claim all 3 points late. Asprilla had a header bounce just inches over the cross bar and a fine save from Ousted denied Adi a second goal.

The Timbers have lacked that killer instinct late in games. Blame it on the injuries or new players failing to jell together quickly enough, something needs to change quickly. Missing out on the play-offs by a single point to none other than the Vancouver Whitecaps has left a bad taste in the organization's as well as all the fans mouths and one cannot help but feel like this past weekend was a big opportunity wasted for the boys in green.