The Portland Timbers’ high-scoring offense has unleashed a cornucopia of memorable goals since the team rediscovered its mojo late in the summer.
There have been dramatic, shot-of-the-year worthy bicycle kicks, unforgettable 90th-minute game-winners off corner kicks and historic 25-foot rockets to clinch wins, punctuating a prolific run in which the Timbers have scored 35 goals in their last 17 matches.
But amid all the offensive highlights lies an unmistakable truth: Defense has carried the Timbers to the MLS Cup. And as they prepare to host New York City FC at noon Saturday at Providence Park, the team filled with Blancos and Asprillas and Moras wouldn’t be knocking on the championship door without the resurrection of its defense.
“Solid — very solid,” midfielder George Fochive said, describing the Timbers’ defense as it enters the Cup. “I haven’t looked at the stats, but I’m pretty sure we’re, if not the best defense in the league right now, among the best.”
Indeed. Since Oct. 27, the Timbers have surrendered just two goals and produced four clean sheets in six matches, outscoring opponents 14-2 along the way. The deeper it gets into the MLS Cup playoffs, the stingier Portland’s defense gets, as the Timbers rank first in clean sheets (two) and save percentage (91.7), are tied for first in goals allowed (one), and rank second in interceptions (39).
Goalkeeper Steve Clark has recorded a playoff-high 11 saves and two clean sheets, while producing multiple memorable stops, including a point-blank block in the conference final and a clutch first-half stop on a close-range header in the semifinals.
The Timbers overhauled their defensive personnel in the offseason, signing Claudio Bravo and Josecarlos Van Rankin to fortify their backline. It was a must after a disheartening 2020 season that saw the Timbers concede a stunning 15 goals in the final 15 minutes of matches — the most in MLS — to essentially doom any hopes of a deep playoff run. In fitting fashion, Portland’s season ended after it surrendered an equalizer in stoppage time before eventually losing to FC Dallas in a penalty kick shootout in the first round.
The personnel changes didn’t immediately produce results in 2021 as the Timbers navigated a rocky start to an up-and-down season that was, in part, marred by injuries. At one point, the team was down to its fifth-string keeper. But things started to turn around in early August and, by the end of the month, the Timbers’ defense finally found its groove.
After allowing the second-most goals in MLS (39) and logging just three clean sheets through 20 games, the Timbers beat the rival Sounders 2-0 in Seattle on Aug. 29. It was the first of three consecutive clean sheets and ignited a resurgence in which Portland went 7-0-1 in their next eight matches.
Before the win over Seattle, the Timbers allowed nearly two goals a match. In the 17 matches since, they have allowed an average of just 0.82 goals, while producing eight clean sheets.
Bravo has been exceptional. Larrys Mabiala has been rock-solid. Midfielder Cristhian Paredes has been, as coach Giovanni Savarese said, “playing very well.” And midfielder Diego Chara has been, well, Diego Chara.
“The best part of it is everybody really understands what he has to do at his position,” Mabiala said. “The communication has been great. The chemistry has been great. The play has been great. When somebody is not feeling at his best at some moments, like for a span of 5 to 10 minutes, we’re already trying to help and to stick together, and that makes the whole difference. And you see the difference on the score box, because we don’t concede many goals. We feel very comfortable the way we’re paying right now, making things difficult for whoever we’re playing against. So it’s very good.”
Mabiala said he’s been particularly pleased with the Timbers’ versatility, which has been equally skilled at protecting the box, scrambling to defend set pieces and executing defensive game plans. The Timbers try to take away their opponents’ strengths, obviously, but they have been successful during their hot streak at forcing teams wide and keeping playmakers from attacking through the middle, especially in one-on-one situations.
Of course, a team’s defense doesn’t just live and die based on the play of a couple slick defenders and a skilled keeper. It takes a unique mindset and commitment from everyone on the pitch. And it’s the play of the collective, rather than a player or two, that has carried the Timbers to the cusp of another MLS championship.
“Defense is the whole team,” Fochive said. “It’s not two or four guys. It’s the whole team. So from our first point — from a striker, which is the first line of defense — everything’s tight, everything’s solid, communication is good, relationships are good on the field. And we’re always improving every day.”
Added Savarese. “If somebody makes a mistake, there’s somebody else to cover. And this is how you defend and that’s why I think the group is stronger. You can have good moments individually, but you’re never going to succeed alone.”
And success will not come easily Saturday. New York City FC features one of the league’s most feared attacks, featuring 2021 Golden Boot winner Taty Castellanos and a possession-oriented offense that scores in bunches. Only four teams possessed the ball at a higher percentage than New York City FC during the regular season (52.99%) and the club finished tied for third in goals scored with 56.
Castellanos, the dynamic 23-year-old striker from Argentina, finished with 19 goals and eight assists in the regular season, scoring six goals in the final four games as NYCFC secured the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Add in veteran attacking midfielder Maxi Moralez, one of the best playmakers in the league who finished with three goals and 11 assists during the regular season, and midfielder Jesús Medina, who had nine goals and four assists, and the Timbers will have their hands full.
“They have a very offensive team, a lot of quality on the attack,” Mabiala said. “What we are trying to do is just to make things difficult for them, try to limit their strengths and play on ours. If we can do that, this game should be ours.”
— Joe Freeman | [email protected] | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories