Playoff Preview: Timbers vs Whitecaps Game 1
Forget about the past. Ignore the future. It’s only about the here and now. The USSF Division-2 playoffs have finally arrived, stakes are raised, and as some might say, the real games are about to start.
“It doesn’t matter what’s happened in the regular season,” says defender Ross Smith. “The only thing that matters is what we do from here.”
The Portland Timbers (13-7-10, 49pts) will take on the Vancouver Whitecaps (10-5-15, 45pts) in the first round of the 2010 postseason in a two game, aggregate-goal series. Each team will host a home game (the higher seed hosting last) and the winner is determined by total goals from both games. If the total score is still tied after game two, then the teams will play a 30 minute overtime period, and if the game is still not decided then they will move to penalty kicks.
Game one will be played in Vancouver at Swangard Stadium on Thursday, October 7th, at 7:30pm and will be televised on FSN. Game two is hosted by Portland at the University of Portland’s Merlo Field on Sunday, October 10th, at 6pm.
For the Timbers, its been a long season full of ups and downs, lofty expectations, and plenty of hard work. Since the announcement of the team’s MLS promotion in 2011, excitement around the city and throughout the Timber’s Army has been steadily building with every announcement, every signing, every unveiling, every ceremony, and with every match that’s passed by. As media coverage and fan anticipation has risen, so have the expectations for the team on the field, a pressure that the players have had to bare the weight of all year.
“When I look back at the season, I’m going to remember how professional all the guys have been.” says Coach Gavin Wilkinson. “There’s been a lot of distractions, a lot of focus on the future, and for them to stay focus on the now has been very important and says a lot about the group.”
With a roster full of new players the team was forced to come together quickly and the team experienced its share of bumps and bruises early on. They started the regular season off with a bang, going unbeaten in their first 4 matches, including an exciting victory in their season opener at home.
However, the Timbers would soon stumble into a rough stretch, failing to close out matches and late-game mistakes were costing them points in the standings. At one point in the spring, the Timbers went on a eight-game winless streak and dropped to as low as 7th in the overall league table. Things weren’t going as planned; the goals weren’t coming and neither were the wins. Expectations weren’t being met. Some people panicked.
However, the coaching staff and the players stayed faithful to what they believed in. All season, it was clear that the players gave it everything they had and eventually their determination and will to win paid off. There were changes to the rotation, and some tweaks to the system, but overall, the team supported each other and played hard for one another, buying into the idea of the team over the individual.
As the summer months moved on, Portland slowly started to turn the ship around. And when it was all said and done, by the end of the season, the Timbers had finished on a 10 match unbeaten streak, playing well enough to lock up 4th place in the final standings.
“During the season we solved a lot of problems.” says Coach Wilkinson. “We played some great football. We didn’t score as many goals as we would have liked, but defensively we were very organized and didn’t give away a lot.”
Overall, it was a gritty 30 game performance by the Timbers. A season where the player’s will to persevere and their conviction to succeed was the real story.
The team had its share of poor performances, heartbreaking losses, and instances where they could have easily hung their heads in discouragement. A lesser team might have folded. But ultimately, the Timbers rallied and came up big when they needed to, such as their epic win in the final home match at old PGE Park, or last weekend’s thrilling 2-2 draw in the season finale at Vancouver. Playing all year in front of the hoopla and building excitement from a growing fanbase, the Timbers were able to settle in and focus on the task at hand, creating plenty of memorable and historic moments throughout the season.
Let’s Get Ready To Rumble
Was it fate that pitted these two longtime foes against one another in the first round? The Timbers and the Whitecaps will meet as the 4th and 5th playoff seeds respectively, as the both teams look to close out their lower division careers with a championship before they make the move together to the MLS next season. Both sides have been accomplished and noteworthy organizations in the Division-2 league for the past ten years. And with so much history and emotion between these two Northwest rivals don’t expect anything less than a grueling and highly-spirited competition.
“This game would be better fitting of a final in this league.” noted Coach Wilkinson.
The Timbers may be the two time reigning Cascadia Cup Champions, dominating Vancouver with a record of 2-0-2 this season, but it was the Whitecaps who eliminated Portland from the playoffs last season in a heartbreaking semi-final series that ended in front of the home fans at PGE park.
“They ruined our season last year,” reminds Coach Wilkinson. “That’s in the back of our minds.”
So, how much does history play a role in the series?
“The regular season and the last ten results won’t (work) for or against us.” says Coach Wilkinson. “The next 90 minutes we play are a separate 90 minutes.”
Although, Portland has qualified for the postseason seven times since 2001 and has reached the semi-finals twice in the last three years, the organization isn’t resting on its past accomplishments.
“We haven’t won anything yet.” remind Coach Wilkinson.
When the fateful rivalry kicks off on Thursday evening, it’ll be a meeting of the two best defensive teams in the league. Vancouver leads the league with fewest goals allowed with only 22 shots finding the back of their net, while Portland is 2nd, giving up 23 goals on the season. Both teams have physical and aggressive backlines with last weekends match being a prime example of the type of smash-mouth soccer that can be expected in the playoffs. The teams combined for 28 total fouls and there were numerous stoppages for injuries and hard tackles. This season, the Whitecaps and Timbers are 2nd and 4th in the league respectively in total fouls committed this season in the league.
“I absolutely love it.” says Smith with a chuckle. “In a sick way, I kinda look forward to the (physical) competition.”
The players will be putting it all on the line, that’s not a question. Steve Cronin and the defense have been staying tight and communicating well, recording six shutouts in the last ten matches.
“We want to give our (scorers) the freedom to know that if they go and score a goal,” says Smith. “That they there’s a solid backline supporting them that’s not going to give anything a way.”
However, with two talented teams playing each other the game can come down to who makes the first great play or who makes the first mistake.
“We’re not going to take them for granted” says Coach Wilkinson. “They have a lot of quality players and it’s going to be one or two goals that make the difference in this series.”
A Little Gamesmanship
With the familiarity between these two franchises and the teams playing 4 times in the regular season, both sides are being careful to keep their cards close their chest so to speak. During last Saturday’s match, Coach Wilkinson kept the Whitecaps on their toes, making changes to the playing rotation as well as using both the 4-4-2 and the 4-4-3 formations out on the field.
Offensively, the team has struggled. Portland leads the league in total shot attempts for the year, but is only 8th in the league in goals scored. On 388 shots the team has only scored 34 goals. That’s not exactly efficient. It means the Timbers score on their shots 8.8 % of the time. Compare that with Austin who’s at 15.2% with 53 goals on 349 shots or Vancouver who has 32 goals on 291 shots for 11.0 %, and you get the picture. Switching to a 4-4-3 system a couple months again has helped the team stay offensive minded, keeping their attacking players pushed further up the field, and allowing them to score at a more efficient rate. Coach Wilkinson said he’d play his best eleven during practice this week, but wasn’t willing to reveal much more than that. Still, I’d say it’s quite possible we’ll see both formations used during the series depending on the situation.
Despite having the league’s top goal scorer and point leader in Ryan Pore, as well as the leagues 4th leading goals scorer in rookie Bright Dike, a problem for the team has been that nobody else is really finding the back of the net. Pore and Dike have accounted for nearly 75% of the teams goals this season. Newly signed 19 year old Kalif Alhassan has scored 2 goals in 6 games, which is a promising sign, but if the Timbers want to win this series, somebody is going to have to step up when it counts.
“Big players show up for big games.” says Smith.
Bottom line,Portland needs to make sure their attacking players are pressing forward, being aggressive, and taking chances to get inside the box. The team needs to work to create their opportunites, the key word being work, because if the team doesn’t push hard for goals and really press the issue then it wont matter what formation their using this week.
If there’s a time to push the engine until the tank is empty it’s now.
“We’re asking for a little bit more from players,” says Gavin “Dig a little bit deeper, to make the extra effort to track runners, and also keep making positive runs (forward).”
Fortunately, the Timbers have one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the league, and could be a big advantage in the postseason. Portland will already have to rely on some of their depth this week, as defender Mamadou Danso will continue his national team obligations and could possible miss the entire first round. Look for Stephen Keel, who’s been valuable and more than capable all season, to fill in alongside Smith.
One thing that will be interesting to see who Gavin decides to play during the two most meaningful games of the season so far. Finding time for all the deserving players on this roster has been a tough task all season for Coach Wilkinson.
“You look at which players are coming into the playoffs with confidence, momentum, and a belief in themselves and a belief from their teammates.” says Coach Wilkinson. “You gotta ride the back of the players that are in form as long as you can.”
Does the instability of knowing if your number will be called into action affect the players in anyway?
“It’s part of the game, that’s where (being a soccer player) can become like a full-time job.” says Smith. “Because you’ve got to stay switched on at all times and be ready for your chance when it comes.”
During practice this week, the coaching staff was intense in their instructions and training, adamant in ensuring that the guys were staying sharp and keeping their focus. However, after practice Gavin was friendly and all smiles, knowing full well that its important for the player to live in the here and now, and to relish the moment.
“When possible we need to make sure we enjoy the game.” reminds Coach Wilkinson.
For the players on this team, it’s doubtful that will be much of a problem.
“It’s been a while since I’ve looked forward to a game so much,” says Smith with a smile. “You absolutely live for games like this as a player.”
* Photo provided by Allison Andrews @ Soccer City USA
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