Consistency And Depth Key To Successful 2016 Season
With the Portland Timbers having transferred several players soon after lifting the Philip F. Anschutz trophy back in December, some questions quickly arose as to how the MLS Cup Champions would fill their new holes. After it became evident that the Timbers weren’t looking to do a complete roster over-haul but instead would have most of their starters returning for 2016, GM Gavin Wilkinson and head coach Caleb Porter have put together what they feel is another MLS Cup contender.
Solid Spine In Team
Along with returning key starters Diego Valeri, Darlington Nagbe, Diego Chara, the Timbers midfield is arguably the strongest component of the team heading into 2016 (and perhaps the strongest midfield in all of MLS), especially considering the depth the club has in this part of the field. Though they said goodbye to captain Will Johnson as he became surplus to requirements in the revamped midfield, Portland signed experienced midfielder Ned Grabavoy from NYCFC as an able substitute to directly fill Johnson’s role.
Portland will also have a (hopefully) healthy Ben Zemanski and a couple of talented midfielders the club took in the SuperDraft, most notably Neco Brett (the Robert Morris man was the seventh leading scorer in Division 1 men’s soccer). Finally, the ever dangerous Dairon Asprilla also returns to the Timbers midfield. His lighting speed, flashy moves, and penchant for putting the ball in the exact place his forwards need it has made him a near perfect super-sub for the Timbers midfield. That said, Asprilla may be in line for a position change with the departure of Rodney Wallace, as will be discussed below. Considering Portland will have the additional responsibility of CONCACAF Champions League this season, having such depth will become imperative as the CCL kicks off in July.
Drama Up Top
Up top, the Timbers find themselves in somewhat of an experimentation mode, which may affect the midfield positions as well. With Lucas Melano and Wallace having played as forward-wingers and feeding the ball to club leading goalscorer Fanendo Adi, the Timbers front trio looked to be a well-oiled machine by season's end. However, Wallace and the Timbers could not come to agreeable terms in the off-season and entering 2016, Wallace is still out of contract. Because of this, Porter has been seeking the right formation with the right players, having employed a 4-5-1 in two preseason games and a 4-3-3 in two others.
Asprilla and Melano have been used as both forwards and midfielders during the Timbers preseason, lining up opposite each other in all cases. Asprilla netted one goal in a 1-1 draw against Houston as a midfielder in a 4-5-1 formation. Porter had used this formation in his first three preseason games, seemingly having found a way to give more time to his talented midfield staff. However, just as it seemed Porter was committing his roster to this formation, he switched back to the 4-3-3 in the club’s fourth game, using Melano and Asprilla up top on the outside and Jack McInerney in the middle as the center forward. Melano did find the back of the net in that game, helping Portland to a 1-0 win over RSL and throwing doubt into the continued use of the 4-5-1.
There does exist the small possibility of Porter using the 4-3-3 with McInerney up top as a direct replacement for Wallace, thus continuing to use Asprilla as a super-sub in the midfield. However, the most likely scenario will see Porter starting Asprilla in either formation and using "Jack Mac" as more of a direct replacement for Max Urruti-in other words, as a sub for Adi. If that happens, one can only wonder how long McInerney will want to stay in Portland, considering his recent comments about him wanting the opportunity to prove he belongs in this league. That said, with Portland’s need for rotation with the U.S. Open Cup and Champions League games, McInerey should in fact have ample opportunities to state his case as a first XI pick for Porter.
Questions At Left Back
There was one area of concern for Portland heading into 2016. After Jorge Villafana transferred to Santos Laguna of Liga MX only five days after MLS Cup 2015, Portland worked quickly to fill the left-back vacancy, acquiring Chris Klute from Columbus just hours after announcing the Villafana transfer. Porter intends for Klute take over at left back to mirror the play of right back Alvas Powell, a very quick box-to-box player who is also strong in transition play. However, an off-season minor surgery has set back Klute’s Timbers’ preseason debut. Instead, Portland has turned to Zarek Valentin, acquired from Montreal in a mid-January trade.
Valentin spent the last three years with Norwegian Tippeligaen club Bodo/Glimt and is a player with whom Porter is very familiar. Valentin was part of Porter’s 2010 NCAA Division 1 championship winning side at the University of Akron. Valentin has done well in the preseason, having been called on to start all but one of the Timbers first four preseason games. With Valentin fitting more of the Villafana mold, strong with his one-on-one play and getting crosses into the box, Porter will have to put on hold his plan to use two quick box-to-box backs in Klute and Powell.
No matter how the left back position works itself out, the rest of Portland's defensive unit will see no other changes in personnel or formation and should be up to the task. As mentioned, Powell will be starting at right-back while the stalwart center back duo of Nat Borchers and Liam Ridgewell round out the defenders, the latter having recently completed a very successful loan stint with Championship side Brighton and Hove Albion. Behind them is returning Ghanaian goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey, whose 1.09 GAA in 2015 was third best for goalkeepers with at least 20 starts (fourth overall if counting Jesse Gonzalez’s 0.91 GAA in 11 starts).
Finally, like the midfield position, Portland does seem to have a good sense of depth in the back. The Timbers can call on fan favorite and reliable right back Jack Jewsbury as well as Jamaican international and former Houston Dynamo starter Jermaine Taylor, whom Portland acquired in Stage Two of the 2015 Re-Entry Draft.
In what became a season defining move, Porter took a risk in the latter stages of the 2015 season by switching the Timbers’ formation from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3. This would be the formation that would ultimately send the Timbers on an eight game unbeaten streak, culminating with taking home the MLS Cup in December. With an abundance of inconsistent play for the first two-thirds of the 2015 season, Portland will want to start 2016 with strong, consistent, confidence building wins. While Valeri being healthy will go a long way with this, Porter starting the season with a formation that takes advantage of his most talented players in all parts of the field will be the ultimate key for Portland kicking off 2016 in a strong fashion. Though the 4-5-1 is a possibility, expect to see Porter stay with the 4-3-3 and using Asprilla opposite Melano until irrefutable evidence sends Porter in another direction.
A team has not repeated as MLS Cup Champion since Houston did so in its first two years of existence back in 2006 and 2007, and Portland is going to face an even stronger Western Conference this year. However, with most of its championship-season starters returning, a like-for-like swap with the majority of its departure/arrivals transactions, and a successful formation early-on, look for Portland to carry over its strong play from the end of 2015 into 2016 and possibly repeat as MLS Cup champions.