Portland Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese wanted to be very clear: Sunday’s embarrassment is on him.
There’s no way around it. Portland’s 5-0 loss to Houston Dynamo in the team’s first MLS contest in more than a month was lackadaisical. The Timbers were out of it before things really got going. However, the coach of the struggling soccer club also wanted something else to be clear: He’s not the one out there playing.
“All of us need to take responsibility for the lack of competition we showed as a group today,” Savarese said. “It’s not about individuals. It’s an entire group that didn’t perform today.”
The toughest thing for Savarese is that he had high aspirations coming into Sunday. The Timbers haven’t laced them up in MLS play since July, with the team having played in three Leagues Cup contests in the month since. With Portland entering the game just three points behind Houston for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, Savarese viewed Sunday as a potential springboard for the final 10 games of the season.
Instead, it was a shipwreck. The Timbers (6-10-8, 26 points) allowed three goals in the game’s first 14 minutes, including a penalty kick in the fifth minute that put the team behind for good. By the time Houston chipped in a fourth goal before the half, Apple TV’s commentators were in near disbelief of Portland’s performance.
“That halftime whistle couldn’t come soon enough for the Timbers,” said the broadcast. “Just an atrocious 45 minutes for them. Certainly one of the worst, I’m sure, Giovanni Savarese has experience in Portland.”
The five-goal loss equaled the worst defeat in Portland’s MLS history. And it’s not one of those ones that looked better than it sounded. With Diego Chara missing due to suspension (yellow card accumulation), Portland often looked listless — being beaten to loose balls, not pressuring defenders and allowing plenty of space for Houston’s attack.
“At halftime I could have changed anybody,” Savarese said. “I tried to bring in some new energy to bring in something to the game.”
The Dynamo emphasized the blowout in the second half when keeper Steve Clark assisted on the final goal of the game. Houston controlled possession for 63% of the match and put eight shots on the Timbers net to none for the Timbers on Houston.
It was complete domination.
“It was a hard match,” said midfielder Cristhian Paredes. “We need to be realistic. We played a horrible game tonight. We just need to look forward and focus on the next match.”
Portland’s next match comes at home Saturday against the Vancouver Whitecaps, who occupy the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings. And while the Timbers do have a history of turning up their level of play late in the season, Sunday showed no indication of a run about to come.
If the Timbers are going to make the playoffs, Savarese said it’s not going to come playing like that.
“As the person in charge, it starts with me,” Savarese said. “But I think this time the players can’t escape from the reality that nobody put out a full performance.”
-- Tyson Alger for The Oregonian/OregonLive