SKC Dominates Portland Timbers at LiveStrong Park 3-1

Portland’s Setup:

     Portland set up in a traditional 4-4-2, as compared to their unusual formation that they used Sunday against Houston. Chara and Jewsbury were the two holding midfielders. Both were lacking aggression and energy, and it showed as Zusi and Espinoza especially controlled the flow of the game. Nagbe was wide left and not only did not see much of the ball, but he was lacking movement in general and was a complete non-factor. Zizzo made some nice runs in the first half, but was substituted for in favor of Alhassan at the start of the second half. He was more of a factor using his speed down the wing to play balls into Cooper. Cooper started again up top with Perlaza and was even less of a factor than on Sunday. It is a mystery as to why he continues to see playing time. Perlaza made an impact with his speed but it was clear he was lacking confidence in his shot because he continually deferred when the opportunity for one presented itself. In some of these instances it hurt his team as he had the chance to test Nielsen and passed to a teammate who was not in a position to do so. The Timbers back four was poor in their clearance of balls played in the air into the box, and that was how two of SKC’s goals were scored. Wallace played left back and Chabala right back as Palmer was suspended, and he was shaky all night and Portland will look forward to Palmer’s return to the lineup.

SKC’s Setup:

     With Jefferson injured and Bravo suspended for his red card in the Seattle game, SKC stuck to their usual formation of a 4-2-3-1 with a few different players and wrinkles. Espinoza and Zusi partnered as the two holding midfielders. They dominated the flow of the game and possession as well. Their defensive pressure on the Timbers midfield allowed for this disparity in possession in favor of SKC. Stojcev replaced Jefferson in the center of midfield, and did not make as much of an impact on the game as Jefferson, but he was solid and effective and proved himself a solid reserve that can be used when needed. Kamara played an effective game, but was not quite involved as much as he had been in recent weeks. Sapong was wide left, but drifted inside frequently and could often be found up top next to Bunbury, and this caused some congestion. It was most noticeable when the ball was on the right side, as Sapong drifted too far towards the middle and because of this wasn’t able to get to a few crosses that he should have been able to get to. The back four for SKC was solid all night, and had good communication that allowed them to keep track of Portland’s forward players.

Thoughts On The Match:

     The main problem from Portland’s perspective was the Chara and Jewsbury were not nearly as aggressive as they needed to be in order to break up the SKC attack. Because they weren’t, SKC controlled the pace and the flow of the game, and were able to create a number of scoring chances that could have led to them scoring four, five or even six goals. This lack of pressure by Jewsbury and Chara was very noticeable on the first SKC goal when a bad clearing header by Wallace led to Zusi unleashing a missile past Perkins. There is no question that it was an excellent strike, but Jewsbury and Nagbe both loafed on their closeout and it made it too easy for Zusi, who had been close on his first few efforts before that.

     Another problem for Portland was that they had no clear link between their back line and their attacking players. Chara and Jewsbury did not have very good distribution, and Nagbe in particular did not come back enough for the ball, which led to too many long balls being played that did not trouble SKC at all. Perlaza made some nice runs but Cooper did not hold up the ball at all and was ineffective finishing in the air, which made him not useful at all. Dike was substituted in for him and made much more of an impact than Cooper.

     SKC pretty much did as they wished throughout the match. Sapong lacked width and it hurt the SKC attack at times, but when the ball was on his side he did well to play out wide. Bunbury showed some selfishness that at times hindered the SKC attack, but his skill and talent still was very evident, especially on the second goal for KC when he one timed a flick on from Sapong that Perkins nicely saved, but right to Zusi who put in the rebound. The flick on was off of a long Besler throw, and after watching the last several SKC matches, teams have still yet to figure out how to stop that part of the SKC attack, as it has been very effective for them. The third and final goal was very lucky but it signified the type of night it was for Portland. Brunner cleared the ball directly off of Saad and right over Perkins’ head to give SKC a 3-0 lead. It was Saad’s first MLS game as well as his Birthday, clearly another sign that Portland could do no right.

Conclusion:

     Portland, in my opinion, is not using its best combination of players. They are still not out of the playoffs and some changes in their personnel could lead them to getting back on the winning track. Cooper needs to be sat down on the bench for the foreseeable future, and Nagbe needs to be moved into the middle with Alhassan replacing him wide to the left. This would inject some energy into the Portland lineup as well as speed. It also has to be said that these last two games for the Timbers were on the road, and Portland is most definitely a better team at home.

     This game was a great sign for SKC, as they were missing two very key players and were still able to pick up three points. If it were not for their total lapse at the end of the Seattle game, SKC would still have their unbeaten streak. Either way they look like a team that could be dangerous come playoff time.

Thoughts on the match? Portland's Form of late?

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Houston Holds Off Portland 2-1

Portland Setup:

     Portland set up in a variation of a 4-4-2 with two holding midfielders in Jewsbury and Chara. Chara and Zizzo would take turns moving forward partnering with Nagbe in the center behind Johnson. Zizzo played wide right and Nagbe played wide left but could often be found central with Cooper moving out wide to the left. Johnson played centrally and was substituted for just before halftime. Cooper played with back to goal and would play balls back to Nagbe and Jewsbury who would look to distribute to Zizzo and Johnson. It was effective when Cooper was able to successfully hold the ball up but often his 1^st touch failed him. He did not have his best match whatsoever and squandered two great goal scoring chances late in the second half that could have netted the Timbers a tie.

     For the Timbers back four, their two outside backs pushed up field, and Chabala played many dangerous crosses to Cooper who unfortunately for Portland was unable to do anything with them. Brunner and Horst partnered at center back.

Houston Setup:

      The Dynamo also set up in a 4-4-2. They were looking to play from out wide to create scoring chances through crosses created from overlapping runs off of give and go’s. Davis and Clark played wide right and left and Ching partnered with Costly up top. Cameron and Moffat played the two holding midfield roles. Houston was arguably most effective when Cameron pushed up the field while Moffat sat back to defend. Cameron made many nice runs, and created a great scoring chance for Ching that may have trickled just over the goal line past Perkins, but either way Ching should have buried it to leave no doubt in the mind of the referee. Ashe was dangerous, often using his speed up the left flank to work with Ching and Davis, but Palmer of Portland gave him trouble all game long.

1st Half:

     Portland opened the match with creating several scoring opportunities. Johnson was clearly much faster than either Houston center back, and it was unfortunate for the Timbers that he was taken out with an injury, after he had nearly scored a goal off of a nice pass from Chara in the opening minutes. After Moffat let loose a shot out of a cannon from about 40 yards to give the Dynamo a 1-0 lead, Houston started to take control of the game. Just 10 minutes later, with Clark all the way on the left, he partnered with Davis and Ching to create a goal for Ching to give the Dynamo a 2-0 advantage. Houston was particularly attacking from their left wing through Ashe, Ching and Davis. The only possession that Portland had in the first half was in the midfield, and nothing came of it as they were unable to adequately deal with the Houston pressure.

2^nd Half:

     Portland had some success when Cooper was able to hold up the ball and play it back to Chara and Jewsbury and Nagbe, but because he struggled with his first touch a big part of Portland’s game was ineffective. With Johnson already having to be taken off, Coach John Spencer was unable to replace Cooper as he may have otherwise done. Zizzo created Portland’s only goal in the 56’ minute when he beat Ashe down the wing and floated a cross to Nagbe that he headed back to Jewsbury. he shot it straight out of the air and it was deflected past Hall to cut Houston’s lead to 2-1. It was a nice run by Zizzo that created the goal. After this goal Houston was clearly trying to hold onto the ball by playing low risk easy passes to eat away some clock. It worked for much of the second half, but Portland started to come alive in the last 10 or 15 minutes. Cooper had two clear goals scoring chances off of two balls from Chabala that he botched, and Portland walked away with no points.

Conclusion:

     Portland played a very unusual formation, and it may have been better for them to just play a 4-5-1 and replace one of their strikers (probably Cooper) with another midfielder like Alhassan. It would have given them more width, and Nagbe more room in the middle to create for himself and his teammates. It would be surprising to me to see Cooper start next game. He did not look in form and it leaves one to wonder whether he is carrying an injury.

     Houston played an excellent match, and had to walk away pleased with their performance. With Will Bruin still out injured, Weaver, who replaces costly in the second half would probably be a better partner with Ching. Costly had little impact on the match and his movement off the ball was poor at best. Davis and Cameron continue top play at an all-star level, and as long as they keep it up they will have a chance at the playoffs, especially being in the Eastern Conference. 

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Toronto FC v Real Salt Lake (1-0) – Toronto’s New Formation Yields a Rare Clean Sheet and Three Points

Toronto’s Strategy

     Aron Winter abandoned his Dutch roots by swapping his 4-3-3 for a 3-4-3. The formation switch to three at the back is a welcome one, since it is such a rarity in football. Winter must have thought that whether he played 3 or 4 at the back would result in a suspect back line, so he may as well play to his strengths (wing play) while entertaining the BMO Field faithful. In goal, Kocic got the start for the injured Frei, making him the 37^th player Toronto has used in MLS this season. Frings started as the middle center back with Iro and Eckersley flanking him. Stinson and Borman had the rigorous task of playing wing back; a position that requires the discipline to defend the wings while also supporting the attack. DeGuzman and Avila played in the center of midfield, the two acting more as defensive players in the system rather than creative outlets.

     Toronto’s system was set up to play down the wings, especially the left side. Instead of relying on the central midfielders, Winter used the wing backs and the wingers to try and outnumber Real’s fullbacks. The left side of Plata and Borman was particularly effective. The one downside of the wing attack was the lack of service to Koevermans. The four wide players yielded only 12 crosses; instead opting to try and cut inside to get a shot off.

Real’s Strategy

     After a 3-0 thrashing of New York last weekend, it was easy for Jason Kreis to select the same starting XI. This marked the first time all season that RSL produced the same lineup consecutively. The 4-4-2 diamond system was as usual employed.

     Instinctively, Fabian Espindola was able to find space down the left channel in the first half and on the right in the second. The space vacated by the Toronto wing backs was filled by Espindola. He was the most dangerous attacking player, especially with his strike partner Saborio having a queit night.

Toronto Starts Bright

     The Reds were able to come out of the gates quickly. This may have been due to the odd formation confusing Salt Lake. However, TFC could not capitalize on this early dominance. Their best chance came when a Plata cross dropped nicely to Borman who slipped when he reared back to strike the ball possibly slipping on confetti (seriously there was tons of confetti inside the 18).

Espindola’s Enigmatic Half

     After dominating the first half hour but failing to claim the lead, Toronto felt lucky going into halftime level after Espindola had several chances towards the end of the half. In the 30^th minute, he was teed up by Saborio eight yards from goal but struck the cross bar. A few minutes later, Espindola was through on goal after Iro misplayed a bouncing ball but the Real striker missed his chance. For Salt Lake, Wingert had to be substituted after he broke his left wrist at the end of the first half; a blow for Real’s depth.

Beckerman Comes to Life at the Hour Mark

     Around the 60^th minute, Beckerman got much more involved in the run of play, which in turn awoke RSL’s attack. He was able to get on the ball and find Gil and Espindola in dangerous positions. Williams came in from his left midfield position to take up a more central position to help RSL have a numerical advantadge in the middle.

     Winter replaced Andy Iro with Ty Harden in the 64^th minute. The central defender immediately made two last ditch interventions to deny Saborio in the air and Johnson on the ground. The defense of Toronto was suspect all night. They looked unorganized and had to rely on poor finishing from RSL and timely last minute challenges to prevent a goal.

     The match always looked like it had a goal in it, and Toronto provided the lone strike in the 77^th minute. Stinson over hit a cross from the right and Plata collected the ball on the left. The diminutive winger torched Will Johnson and was able to get a shot away on his right foot. The weak attempt only reached the far post after a clever dummy by Marosevic put off Rimnado, who had anticipated a deflection. Plata’s goal further cemented his position as Man of the Match for Toronto.

     With the lead, Toronto turned a three man defense into five. The home side dropped very deep and bunkered down to try and preserve their lead. Salt Lake was invited in to try and test the shaky Kocic. Alvarez had a left footed shot go just wide, Kocic left the goal empty on a corner after wildly coming out for the cross and Will Johnson’s excellent half volley was well saved by the keeper to seal the three points.

Conclusions

     Toronto will be thrilled with three points and still have a very long distance shot at reaching the playoffs. The Reds do have a very important Thursday matchup v …. in the Champions League. I do not expect Winter to play a 3-4-3 in that match but maybe he liked his experiment and will use it again. It will be crucial for them to get Johnson back from injury to replace the very average Marosevic on the right side. Also, the defensive performance must be more disciplined if they are to pick up points in the Champions League.

     Maybe Salt Lake would have been better off playing a 4-3-3 to exploit the wing backs position high up the pitch. But, Kreis stuck to his guns and was almost rewarded as Real had more than enough chances to score. Maybe BMO Field is just a cursed ground for Salt Lake; Real have never won or scored a goal in Toronto in MLS play (stat according to RSL TV broadcast). If RSL are to advance deep in the playoffs they will need a more active and involved Saborio. The striker was hardly involved in the match and at times seemed like he was not on the pitch. Also, Beckerman looked tired for the first hour of the game, probably due to him playing 90 minutes for USMNT on Wednesday. A sharper Beckerman would have gotten Gil more involved in the first half.

Thoughts on the match? The 3 man back line?

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Philadelphia Union v FC Dallas (2-2) - Dallas Throws Away Two Points in Adu’s Debut

Union formation after 22nd minute

Philadelphia's Strategy
    Peter Nowak gave Freddy Adu the start even though he had only been with the club for one training session. The Union started out in a 4-4-1-1 with Adu as the playmaker. In midfield was LeToux, Paunovic, Carroll and Mapp, while McInerney began as the lone striker.
    However, Nowak scrapped this formation a mere twenty minutes into the match. After having a word with Adu five minutes earlier, Nowak called his players to the touchline when a Dallas player was down. He switched his sides shape to a 4-4-2, with LeToux and McInerney up top and Adu and Mapp on the wings.

Dallas Strategy
    Schellas Hyndman tweeked his tactics, changing from a 4-5-1 to a 4-2-3-1. Villar played in front of Hernandez and Guarda and had the freedom to move from touchline to touchline to try and interchange with Shea and Chavez and to support Maicon Santos. The movement from Villar and Santos kept the center backs concerned with the middle of the pitch. This isolated the fullbacks on Shea and Chavez, and the two wingers gave them fits all night.

     For large stretches of the match, Dallas passed the ball around swiftly and with great precision. This kept the Union on their heels and Dallas had room to switch the ball across the pitch to Shea or Chavez. When they lost the ball, Dallas pressured the first Union player who had possession. This pressure bothered the Union and prevented them from settling into the match.

Gaffe Gifts Dallas Lead
    Dallas threw a seemingly harmless ball long from the right side that looked to be an easy one for Carlos Valdes to clear in the 16th minute. Inexplicably, the Colombian center back hesitated and then whiffed on his clearance attempt. The ball was collected by a hard charging Maicon Santos who floated it over Mondragon and into the back of the net. After such a strong start to the season, Valdes has hit a rough patch of form recently, having a similar howler against Colorado.
    Dallas was in control of the run of play throughout the first half and looked comfortable up a goal. However, Ugo Ihemelu was in a gift giving mood and presented the Union a penalty in the 33rd minute. McInerney chipped a ball down the right touchline perfectly for Mapp who had room to run into the box. Ihemelu was able to recover though and close Mapp down. But, the experienced midfielder baited Ihemelu to make a challenge and brought him down, with referee Geoff Gamble pointing to the spot. It was a clear penalty and a foolish one to concede as Mapp was not in a dangerous area. Sebastian LeToux stepped up and sent to penalty into the lower left hand corner, leveling the match, and tallying his first goal since April 20 (stat via @thegoalkeeper).
    Minutes before halftime Dallas was able to reclaim the lead on a swift counter attack. Santos played a lovely ball to Chavez whose pace had gotten him room and he was able to shoot from inside the box. His effort was partially stopped by Mondragon but the ball deflected off the right post. Brek Shea was at the doorstep after a superb hustling effort to bury the rebound and give Dallas the 2-1 lead at the break.

Adu’s Performance

     Considering Adu just joined the side, it was no surprise the Unionb attack looked out of sorts. He said after the match, "But I've got to get on the same page obviously." He played the first 20 minutes in the playmaker role and was ineffective. However, this was not completely his fault as he received little service. The Union were playing direct with too many long balls instead of controlling possession.

     Upon moving to left wing, Adu remained ineffective for the rest of the first half. His best spell came in the first 15 minutes of the second half. Freddy saw plenty of the ball on the left side and was able to get in crosses. He played a through ball to Paunovic in the 56^th minute which was put into the back of the net, but the midfielder was carelessly offside. He exited in the 62^nd minute for Danny Mwanga and his return to the MLS was fairly successful, considering the circumstances.

Frantic Finish as the Union Equalize                          

     Down a goal, Nowak went to the bench and brought on Roger Torres in the 73^rd and Keon Daniel in the 79^th minute to try and rescue a draw. Dallas was looking comfortable and appeared more likely to add a third then the Union was scoring a second. Villar had two clear cut chances in the 78^th and 79^th minute but was unable to finish either of them.

     The dynamics of the match changed in the 81^st minute. After picking up a yellow in the first half for unnecessarily shouldering LeToux, George John made his second mistake by slide tackling Mwanga on the edge of the 18. The challenge was needless as Mwanga was swarmed by Dallas defenders and Geoff Gamble had to book John for the second time.

     A third critical mistake was made by Dallas three minutes later. Farfan found space past Jackson on the left side and carried the ball into the box. Jackson took down the left back and the referee awarded another penalty. LeToux stepped up and put his second penalty of the night in the same spot as the first.

     Philadelphia nearly stole the win in the 90^th minute. Roger Torres delicately chipped a ball over the top for Mwanga whose shot from seven yards was well saved by Hartman. Hartman then made a great save on the ensuing corner as Keon Daniel’s header was deflected but Hartman adjusted his body to make the save. The veteran keeper did well to preserve the draw and in the process earned his 373^rd start of his MLS career, which set the record for most starts in league history.

Outlook for New Look Union
     Peter Nowak now has a decision on what tactical shape he will set his side out in and what positions his players will take up.

     I would like to see the Union start Adu, Mwanga, LeToux as a front three with Carroll, Mapp and Torres in midfield. This would no doubt be an attacking and unrealistic lineup but a 4-3-3 with all six attacking players comfortable in possession would be a joy to watch.
    Most likely, Nowak will use the 4-4-2 he employed from the 22nd minute on. Mapp and Adu would play wide with LeToux and McInerney up top.
     Interestingly, on Sunday Mondragon tweeted, “What a dream come true will be to have my "brother" @JUANPABLOANGEL to play for the Philadelphia Union, he will fit perfectly in our team!” Then quickly responded with, “Its just a personal wish, just saying, you never know!!! DOOP!!!”

     To me, the second tweet seems like the Union PR Department got ahold of Mr. Mondragon and told him to fix his message. The possible addition of Angel, on DP money, would be foolish. I know he will feel at home playing with fellow Colombians Mondragon, Torres and Valdes, but Angel has looked washed up for LA, which is why they are acquiring Robbie Keane.

Dallas Outlook
    The Hoops will be devastated not only for dropping two points, but if the possible knock to Daniel Hernandez turns out to be serious. The club's depth will be severely tested with midweek Champions League matches and weekend MLS fixtures. Schellas Hyndman will have to make changes and rest players while also picking up results in both competitions. In an interview with World Football Daily, the manager said he had a plan for how many minutes each player would play in August to try and keep everyone fresh for the remainder of the season.

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