All glory to the MLS disciplinary committee. Their unanimous decision to rescind Michael Harrington’s first ever red card injects some much needed life into the Timbers’ dwindling starting eleven. Caleb Porter’s group will need all they can get when they host the Seattle Sounders in the first Cascadia Cup match of 2014 at noon pacific time this Saturday in Providence Park.
Portland needs a win. While their start is similar to last year’s, nobody wants to start things off with two points in four games when coming off a record season. A win on Saturday earn the Timbers more than just three points, it would bring them some much needed confidence. Besides the lack of points, only one Timber (Gaston Fernandez) has scored in 2014. The third goal of the year came from a Colorado own-goal. A goal for Maxi Urruti, Will Johnson, or Diego Valeri could do wonders. Should Portland best Seattle this weekend, then who knows, maybe another 13 game unbeaten streak is in order.
On the personnel side of things, Caleb Porter has some decisions to make. If Darlington Nagbe can’t go, it’s likely that Steve Zakuani will take his place; only Zak didn’t make the 18 last week in Dallas. That means it’s either Zak coming back off an injury to face his old club, or Kalif Alhassan making his first start of the year. While I’d love to see Zakuani score on Seattle, Kalif looked good in his minutes last week. Then bring in the former flounder to score sometime in the second half when the defense gets tired.
Nagbe’s possible absence also means that Maxi Urruti might get another shot. He has gotten a lot of flak for his tendency to go-to-ground (which Kelly McLain wrote a fantastic article on) and his inability to finish this year, but I still think the pressure puts on defenders is worth it. Gaston Fernandez doesn’t do that. La Gata’s work rate isn’t nearly as high as Maxi’s and he finds himself offside far too often. Marco Di Vaio is a good comparison as far as offside calls. Playing shoulder-to-shoulder can pay off big if you’re able to capitalize when the linesman doesn’t signal, but so far Fernandez hasn’t shown that ability. Then again, Di Vaio failed to score until his eighth appearance and La Gata already has a pair. And I like the two playing together most of all anyway.
Good news this week is that Pa Modou Kah hasn’t been suspended by the league disciplinary committee. His hard tackle on Kellyn Acosta earned him a yellow card in stoppage time last week and the way he went in studs-up could have led to a single-game suspension. Luckily, the Portland backline should be intact, save for the continued absence of Donovan Ricketts.
The Seattle Sounders are currently sitting at fourth in the Western Conference. While this doesn’t mean much so early in the year, two wins and two losses is far more favorable than a pair of losses and draws. The Sounders are also doing better in the goal count with five total coming from five different players. Most importantly, Obafemi Martins, Kenny Cooper, and Clint Dempsey have all scored in the first four weeks of the season. If these three can keep doing what they’ve already done, things don’t look too good for Portland.
However, Seattle does have a hole to fill in their backline with Djimi Traore out this week. His probable replacement is former Chicago Fire defender Jalil Anibaba. He has speed, but isn’t the same wall that Traore is.
This one is going to be even tougher than usual. Diego Valeri and Will Johnson are my key players for week five. Last week in Dallas was Valeri’s best game since hernia surgery and his creativity is vital to the Portland attack. Captain Will still doesn’t look quite himself. His free kick late in Dallas was better than any previous game, he just needs to bring it down a touch. If those two can channel their 2013 selves, Portland can earn their first win of the year.
Starting Lineups:
Portland Timbers: Andrew Webber; Michael Harrington, Pa Modou Kah, Norberto Paparatto, Jack Jewsbury; Will Johnson, Diego Valeri, Diego Chara; Gaston Fernandez, Maximiliano Urruti, Kalif Alhassan
Seattle Sounders: Stefan Frei; Dylan Remick, Jalil Anibaba, Chad Marshall, DeAndre Yedlin; Gonzalo Pineda, Clint Dempsey, Osvaldo Alonso; Lamar Neagle, Obafemi Martins, Kenny Cooper
