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Goal.com MLS Guidebook: The 2011 Portland Timbers
Will the Rose City produce a winning team in its MLS debut?
Mar 9, 2011 8:52:00 PM
By Giovanni Albanese
What went right?
Making a smooth jump from lower-tiered soccer leagues – USL-1 and USSF D-2 – to the upper echelon of United States soccer, Major League Soccer. Portland, along with maintaining its ownership in the transition to MLS, also brought 10 (of the 23) players with them to aid chemistry in their inaugural season. Veteran additions Kenny Cooper, Jack Jewsbury, Eric Brunner and David Horst should set the stage for a competitive inaugural season.
What went wrong?
Looking ahead for the potential of perennial success, the Timbers picked up the likes of Jonathan Bornstein and Robbie Findley in the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft. However, the services of those men won’t be available for another couple seasons – if at all. In addition to Bornstein and Findley, the Timbers picked up a few others in the expansion draft, including top pick Dax McCarty and promptly shipped them out via trade.
Additionally, the defense looks sluggish and thin in numbers, which was the undoing of last year's expansion side, the Philadelphia Union.
Biggest surprises?
At the time of this preview being published, the Timbers have gone through their preseason schedule unscathed, notching two wins (against Montreal Impact of NASL and Seattle Sounders FC) and five draws (including a 1-1 road draw vs. the LA Galaxy and a home 0-0 stalemate against the Houston Dynamo). Portland finishes up its preseason schedule on March 12 on the road against Heritage Cup rival San Jose Earthquakes in a closed scrimmage.
Biggest disappointments?
The book isn't out on this one yet. Portland, with no MLS history to speak of, goes into the 2011 campaign with nothing but high hopes.
Biggest need?
An identity. Ten of the Timbers players either came from its USSF D-2 or U-23 clubs. With the additions of the remaining 13 rostered players coming from outside the organization, it is yet to be determined what the identity of this team will be. Coach Jon Spencer is surely charismatic enough, but he'll have to prove he can translate that personality onto his players on the pitch.
Portland will do better in 2011 if …
The players come together and gel from day one of the regular season (March 19 at the Colorado Rapids). Jewsbury – acquired in a trade in which Portland sent allocation money to Sporting KC for the 29-year-old’s services – will have the task of leading this generally young unit to a strong season. Jewsbury was awarded the captain’s armband and will need to unite the squad if this club plans to go anywhere in 2011.
Also, if the combination of Cooper (who the Timbers acquired via transfer with TSV 1860 Munich of Germany’s 2. Bundesliga in January) and rookie Darlington Nagbe plays creatively in the attacking third, it should make for a potent frontline.
Portland will do worse in 2011 if …
They play their age. With a roster cluttered with players younger than 25, there could be a steep learning curve if the veteran leadership – Jewsbury, Cooper, goalkeeper Troy Perkins and, to a lesser extent, Brunner and Horst – doesn’t take the youngsters under their wings to teach them the nuances of success in MLS.
Player to watch in 2011?
Nagbe. Selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 MLS Super Draft out of Akron, Nagbe, on an expansion team, could be a key contributor to the team’s success or failure. Should Nagbe live up to his 2010 College Player of the Year status, in which he led the Zips to a national championship, the Timbers could shock some teams.
Read more of Giovanni Albanese Jr.’s MLS and WPS 140-character musings on Twitter @GAlbaneseJr.
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