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aljaz ivacic

Santiago Moreno against the Philadelphia Union.
Portland Timbers

Timbers fail to react, dealt 2-0 home loss by Union

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

The Portland Timbers needed a result. They did not get it.

After a bipolar pair of games last week (scoring seven in a home win and losing late away), Portland needed to show they were ready to compete with the league’s best.

Instead, they got complacent.

Aljaz Ivacic watched two Philadelphia goals trickle past him and the Timbers sunk back down to 10th in the Western Conference.

Philadelphia stole a goal just five minutes in through Daniel Gazdag’s overhead kick off a long throw-in. The ball slowly trickled past Ivacic, who stood rooted to his spot.

Ivacic redeemed himself five minutes later with a reaction save against Alejandro Bedoya, but he would again stand still as Pedro Santos gave the Union a 2-0 lead early in the second half.

Portland struggled to respond. When they finally did so in the 69th minute, Sebastian Blanco’s rebounded goal was called back for offside in the build-up.

In reality, it never felt like Portland had a chance in this game. They passed and passed and passed their way into the final third, but were horrendously uncreative once they got there. The home side’s first shot on goal came in the 86′.

Notes

Eryk Williamson left the match in the 15′ with an apparent leg injury, being replaced by Santiago Moreno. Williamson missed the second half of last season with a torn ACL. He walked off the pitch under his own power.

Portland tried in vain to equalize before half, but shots from distance by Moreno and Justin Rasmussen were off target. The Timbers’ only other first-half shot was a Bill Tuiloma header — also wide — compared to Philadelphia’s 10 attempts.

Portland’s next match will be a cross-country trip to Miami. That match will be at 5 p.m. PT on Saturday, May 28th.

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Portland Timbers

Portland’s goalless streak continues with dismal loss at 10-man Rapids

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

Two goals conceded in three matches? Not terrible.

Zero goals scored in three matches? Disastrous.

This result was bound to peg consecutive scoreless draws as positive or negative for the Portland Timbers, who fell to the Colorado Rapids 2-0 on the road Saturday evening.

Diego Rubio’s first-half free kick and a smooth stoppage-time finish from Mark-Anthony Kaye gave the Rapids a well-earned win.

Despite going down a man, Colorado maintained control of the match. Aljaz Ivacic saved a 1-v-1 chance from Jonathan Lewis and Portland never gained any sort of momentum, even after using all five substitutions.

The Timbers’ best chances were all wasted:

  • Marvin Loria had a decent shot go right to Yarborough. Loria also skied a shot from close distance into the parking lot.
  • Zac McGraw’s header was saved comfortably by William Yarbrough.
  • Dairon Asprilla skipped a left-footed shot wide from the top of the 18.
  • Even a beautiful one-two between Yimmi Chara and Bill Tuiloma failed to hit target.

Ivacic had a standout performance in goal, making four difficult saves. He also went face-to-face with Auston Trusty in the 66′ after Trusty invaded his space during a high claim. Both players received cautions.

Those were two of the 11 total cautions in Commerce City Saturday night.

Match summary

The Rapids hadn’t lost a regular season* home game in over a year — with the asterisk being Larrys Mabiala’s 90th-minute playoff winner on Thanksgiving 2021, of course. He wouldn’t be as fortunate this time.

A sleepy first half woke up with a Diego Rubio free kick in the 30′. Mabiala received a yellow card for the hard foul leading to the free kick, and Rubio hit it right over the center back’s head for the opening goal.

Rubio’s fortunes turned in the second half, though. His slide tackle on Justin Rasmussen earned him a second yellow, bringing Colorado down to 10 men for the remaining half-hour.

Colorado had a goal called back by VAR in the 22′. Lewis blocked Ivacic in a narrow offside decision, denying Lalas Abubakar the opener.

Portland had a few key injuries in this one:

  • Marvin Loria replaced Sebastian Blanco in the starting XI.
  • Eryk Williamson made his second consecutive start for Diego Chara.
  • Justin Rasmussen started in place of Claudio Bravo at left back. 

Blanco and Chara were listed as out on this week’s injury report, but Bravo wasn’t.

Colorado’s newest player, Gyasi Zardes, missed a golden opportunity to open his Rapids account in the 55th minute. Zardes, who’s fallen out of favor with Caleb Porter in Columbus, started and played 80 minutes in his Rapids debut after signing on April 22nd.

Next up

Portland has a tough stretch ahead, with a trip to New Jersey next weekend and a midweek cup match at LAFC.

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Gio Savarese and Aljaz Ivacic celebrate a rivalry win in Vancouver.
Portland Timbers

Three positives from Portland’s big win in Vancouver

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

The Portland Timbers entered BC Place with reasons for skepticism last Saturday.

The Timbers had earned just one point from their three preceding matches, two of which were at home. The squad was still suffering from important injuries, as well. And despite their poor league record, Vancouver had only lost once at home under Vanni Sartini (7-1-1 coming in).

Nevertheless, second-half goals from Jaroslaw Niezgoda and Yimmi Chara were enough to lift Portland to a crucial victory. This match should have been over as soon as Niezgoda made it 2-0, though Cristian Dajome scored on the stroke of 75 minutes to keep Vancouver in it. Yimmi responded and despite some late diceyness, the Timbers held on for a win.

So what went right for the Timbers in Vancouver? What did they do to separate themselves from such a poor run of form? And, most importantly, can they keep this momentum going?

DPs stepped up

Yimmi Chara and Jaroslaw Niezgoda have not been Designated Player-level performers for the Timbers this season, full stop. Niezgoda had one (meaningless) goal before this match, and everyone knew Yimmi Chara’s pair of bicycle kicks wasn’t sustainable.

But against Vancouver, these two had the Timbers’ only two chances of the second half, and both got converted.

Niezgoda’s goal in particular was a phenomenal display of skill. It’s a striker’s goal, through and through: after receiving the ball from Blanco, he spun Florian Jungwirth and smashed it past Thomas Hasal with his left foot.

All three DPs were involved in this goal. Yimmi created the counterattack opportunity by flicking the ball past his defender. Sebastian Blanco then created the chance by relaying the ball to Jarek, who finished the chance.

Yimmi Chara’s goal wasn’t anything to write home about, but he was in the right place at the right time and took his chance well. It ended up being the match winner, and he earned an MLS Team of the Week nod for his efforts.

Chance of sustainability: above average

Niezgoda needs confidence more than anything else, and this is just the sort of goal to keep a striker hungry. His window of opportunity to compete for the starting spot is closing, but he has plenty of time to prove himself before Felipe Mora returns.

Blanco’s been his usual self when he plays, and he’s only getting healthier. So far he’s logged 244 total minutes, less than half of his potential ones.

Yimmi Chara remains an inconsistent enigma. His output seems to wax and wane every week. Sometimes he’ll score a world-class goal and other times he’ll be a non-factor in the final third. But if he gets hot, this Timbers side will destroy some unprepared teams.

Aljaz Ivacic breakout game?

This isn’t something you can usually say after conceding two goals, but Portland’s goalkeeper did more than enough to earn three points. Ivacic made five solid saves, including the first of two penalties, and avoided any glaring mistakes.

His first big save was a diving effort to deny Sebastian Berhalter’s long-range shot. The next, an acrobatic tip over the bar off a header. The next was his biggest yet as a Timber: a diving stop to save Dajome’s 88th-minute penalty.

Neither of Vancouver’s goals were Ivacic’s fault, either — Portland’s back line fell asleep on the first goal and goalkeepers are never expected to save penalties.

Chance of sustainability: medium

The worst things I can say about Ivacic are (1) he still struggles to hold the ball after saving it and (2) his distribution could improve. But like Niezgoda, his biggest hurdle is confidence, and he should feel more confident after this win.

The Timbers are healing

Sure, Blanco only played 45 minutes, but Larrys Mabiala’s full 90 should be celebrated. Giovanni Savarese has been saying the Timbers have four starting-caliber center backs, and he means it.

“I felt very good. I felt very well this game,” Mabiala said. “A little bit shaky at some moments, but I just needed to get the rhythm back. But overall, I felt very well today.”

Gio commented on Blanco’s health postgame:

“Having Blanco play two matches on turf, we needed to manage the minutes and I felt that [Marvin] Loría has looked very well in practice and gave us a very high level for 45 minutes in the way he did during the first half,” he said. “Then just making sure we put in another fresh player into the game because we knew that the match was going to be very physical with ups and downs. The guys did a very good job to manage those situations.”

Eryk Williamson is recovering despite his exclusion from this game. Felipe Mora is too. It’s only a matter of time before Portland have their full complement of options available. And when they do, they’ll be one of the deepest teams in MLS.

Chance of sustainability: high

Looking ahead

Don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty of problems with this team.

Earlier I lauded Portland’s potential depth. That being said, a frank discussion about outside backs is in order. They continued their poor run of form Saturday — Bravo nearly gave the game away all by himself — and there’s been no sign of improvement.

Maybe help arrives in the summer or Gio gets these guys into shape somehow, but the room is still averaging a red card every other match. Let’s fix that.

The “aging Timbers” narrative died down after Diego Valeri and Steve Clark left, but the Timbers are still the 10th-oldest team in MLS. I’m not ready to label that a necessarily bad thing, but just something to keep an eye on if injuries keep piling up.

The Houston Dynamo may still be a random Western Conference team in Timbers fans’ heads, and they will still be the inferior team talent-wise, but consider these factors:

(1) Houston are one of just six teams to score at least 10 goals so far this season (LAFC, Austin, Columbus, Montreal, Dallas, and Portland are the others). That includes seven goals in their last two games.

(2) Houston are undefeated at home this season (two draws, two wins) and the Timbers never win in Texas.

(3) According to American Soccer Analysis’ “goals added” metric, the Dynamo have the second-most goals added via passing against the outside back-occupied zones (per 96 minutes).

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Dairon Asprilla against LAFC
Portland Timbers

Three problems the Timbers can fix against Austin FC

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

The Portland Timbers nearly escaped Banc of California Stadium with a win Sunday night. A stoppage time goal by center back Mamadou Fall leveled the tie after Portland held on with 10 men for half an hour.

Portland struggled against LAFC. Gone were the open, free-flowing movements and combinations that gave the defending Supporters’ Shield winners fits in week one. Instead, Portland struggled to create any meaningful bite going forward, save for yet another bicycle kick by Yimmi Chara.

So what are the Timbers’ biggest (on-field) problems? How will this team get back to creating chances like they were against New England (particularly in the second half)?

Problem #1: Discipline

Questions about the severity of Claudio Bravo’s second yellow card are warranted, but everyone can agree that it was a poor gamble for someone already on a yellow. The Timbers have a league-high 10 yellow cards over their first two matches, while no other club has more than seven.

Those 10 do not include a pair of cautions to Gio Savarese, one in each match. If Savarese gets another yellow, MLS rules state he will have to pay a fine and miss the next match.

I’m not necessarily saying this is a Gio problem, but it is certainly a problem. Bravo’s yellow forced the Timbers to park the bus for the rest of the night, even without Carlos Vela on the pitch. MLS is a tough-enough test on squad depth already; adding suspensions to the mix only worsens things.

And if we know anything about the Timbers’ most important player (Diego Chara), he will be receiving at least five yellow cards at some point this season — the first threshold for suspension.

Type of Cautions Number of Cautions
Foul 6
Dissent 3
Persistent Infringement 1

(Numbers via MLS)

Discipline is inherently self-imposed. There hasn’t been enough matches to say how this relates to Austin FC. For what it’s worth, they drew two yellow cards against FC Cincinnati and four against Inter Miami CF.

Problem #2: Buildup play

Portland threatened New England’s goal in the season opener. They struggled to do anything against LAFC. The chart on the left is from the New England match; LAFC match on the right.

Three things stand out to me about these charts:

  1. Outside back involvement is a good indicator of how little the Timbers went forward against LAFC.
  2. Niezgoda was completely on an island against LAFC. 
  3. The center backs were not on the same page offensively against LAFC, despite their heroic defensive efforts.

Everyone from Ivacic to Niezgoda needs to be better in buildup. That means moving off the ball and giving more technical attention to controlling and passing the ball.

Timbers Statistics vs NE vs LAFC
Pass Completion Rate 80.1% 68.1%
Possession 55% 33%
Expected Goals 2.5 0.7

(Numbers via Football Reference)

Portland were down a man, yes, but they couldn’t complete a pass against LAFC. The home team created 17 shots to Portland’s two in the second half.

Austin are goal-hungry. They have an MLS-record 10 goals in two matches, albeit against weak opponents. Portland can’t afford to concede possession and operate strictly from a counterattacking approach.

Problem #3: Goalscoring

This might be a hot take, but Portland cannot rely solely on Yimmi Chara bicycle kicks for goals. With Felipe Mora out for another month or so, Jaroslaw Niezgoda needs to get on the scoresheet in the next month.

Niezgoda was basically invisible against LAFC. Some pointed out that this wasn’t the best matchup for him tactically, but that means he needs to adapt his game. The Timbers are staring down a “Dairon Asprilla at striker” situation if they can’t get things going soon.

Against Austin FC, that means taking the fight to them. The “Verde” have been at home both times, so it will be interesting to see how they respond in a tough road environment.

Stay composed in possession and get chaotic in the final third.

The Timbers can’t “fix” injuries. They just have to wait to get healthier. Savarese said both Dario Zuparic and Larrys Mabiala could be back as soon as this weekend — they’re not expected to start, but getting closer. Eryk Williamson is also farther back than we thought on his recovery.

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Portland Timbers

Timbers draw Sounders 0-0 in preseason opener

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

Portland and Seattle produce some thrilling shootouts every year, but Wednesday night’s affair was not one of them.

In their first match since MLS Cup 2021, the Timbers played the Sounders to a stalemate. About 2,000 fans showed up to create a surprisingly loud atmosphere at Kino North Stadium in Tucson, AZ on Jan. 26th.

The squad

Both squads heavily rotated a mix of first-teamers, academy players, draftees, and trialists. The Timbers gave 22 different players minutes.

“For young players, it’s a good thing to get them involved in these types of matches,” head coach Gio Savarese said. “It’s exciting to see our young players being able to play a match like this.”

Goalkeeper is maybe the position to watch in preseason, with David Bingham and Aljaz Ivacic competing for the starting job. Ivacic played the first half and Bingham the second.

Dairon Asprilla captained Portland. The full list of players, taken from the Timbers’ official recap, is as follows:

  • POR: Asprilla (Gutierrez %, 45), Bahachille #, Ferguson ^ (McDowd ^, 86), Ivacic (Bingham, 45), Loría (Bodily, 45), McCartney % (Dunne ^, 86), McGraw (Haugli %, 60), S. Moreno (Ikoba, 33), Niezgoda (Duran ^, 45), Toia # (Rasmussen %, 69), Wray ^ (A. Moreno ^, 74)

    % draftee
    ^ academy player
    # non-roster invitee

Who played well?

The match was not streamed, but we can glean some information from both teams’ tweets and recaps. Ironically, the only account posting videos of the match belongs to the hosts, FC Tucson.

It looked like Seattle had the bulk of the chances, but this one from 2021 draftee Diego Gutierrez may have been the night’s best opportunity.

 

Zac McGraw had a solid night, with a pair of clearances in the first half and a 60-minute stint at center back. He also earned a post-match interview.

One name to keep an eye on is trialist Abraham Bahachille, Portland’s only player to go a full 90 minutes. Bahachille is a 20-year-old Venezuelan midfielder who most recently played for Metropolitanos in the Venezuelan first tier.

Academy player Mitch Ferguson and 2022 draftee Dawson McCartney both went 86 minutes.

Next Up

Portland face Sporting Kansas City next on Feb. 3rd at 10 a.m. at Phoenix Rising FC Soccer Complex in Chandler, AZ. There will be no stream for the match.

You can view Portland’s full 2022 preseason schedule here.

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Portland Timbers

Timbers sign goalkeeper Justin Vom Steeg

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

The Portland Timbers signed goalkeeper Justin Vom Steeg for the 2022 season. There are club options on his contract for 2023 and 2024.

Vom Steeg has 58 appearances (13 clean sheets) for LA Galaxy II. He played 13 games for Fortuna Dusseldorf II in Germany, but never cracked their first team XI.

He will almost certainly be the Timbers’ third-string GK. David Bingham and Aljaz Ivacic will fight for the starting spot, while Hunter Sulte will likely stick with Timbers 2.

Portland lost a pair of ‘keepers — Jeff Attinella and Steve Clark — over the offseason.

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Portland Timbers

Timbers re-sign goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

The Portland Timbers have re-signed goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic.

 

Ivacic, 28, has mostly held a backup role with the Timbers. He made 12 appearances for T2 in 2019 and has only seven first-team appearances (two in 2020, five in 2021).

 

Ivacic joined the club in 2019 — moving from NK Olimpija in his hometown of Ljubljana, Slovenia — for a $240k transfer fee (per Transfermarkt). He had leg surgery upon arriving in Portland, according to a report from Jamie Goldberg at The Oregonian.

Ivacic is expected to compete for the starting goalkeeper role alongside David Bingham following the departure of Steve Clark. Portland still have Jeff Attinella under contract, but he is expected to leave the club. Ivacic made $235k last season, per MLSPA.

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Portland Timbers

Timbers sign goalkeeper David Bingham

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

The Portland Timbers have signed MLS veteran goalkeeper David Bingham.

 

Bingham, 32, is expected to compete for the starting goalkeeper position with Aljaz Ivacic following the departure of Steve Clark. As of Jan. 12, Portland have not re-signed Ivacic and still have Jeff Attinella under contract.

 

Bingham trained with the Timbers throughout 2021 but never saw the pitch. He was listed as earning the Senior Minimum Salary ($81,375) in 2021 via MLSPA.

Bingham spent six seasons with the San Jose Earthquakes (2011-13, 2015-17) before moving to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2018, where he spent three seasons. He has 179 career MLS starts, including a 1.52 goals against per 90 minutes average and a 68.7 save percentage.

Bingham struggled in 2020 (18 starts, 1.94 GA/90, 61.0 save %) following arguably his best season in 2019 (33 starts, 1.67 GA/90, 73.2 save %).

Bingham is the fifth addition of the offseason for the Timbers, joining MLS Homegrown signing Tega Ikoba and three MLS SuperDraft picks.

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Portland Timbers

Steve Clark signs with Houston Dynamo FC

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

Former Portland Timbers goalkeeper Steve Clark has signed a free agent contract with Houston Dynamo FC. Dynamo Insider first broke the news this morning before its confirmation by Tom Bogert.

Clark announced his departure from Portland yesterday via Instagram and paid his final respects to the club today. The Dynamo made their announcement official today as well.

Clark’s Timbers legacy

Clark logged 26 clean sheets in 92 total appearances across six different competitions for the Timbers after joining the club midway through the 2018 season. Houston will be his fourth MLS stop — Columbus (where he infamously lost to Portland in MLS Cup 2015), D.C. United, Portland, and now Houston.

Clark will be remembered as a solid goalkeeper for a club which has boasted some of the league’s best since joining MLS in 2011. Donovan Ricketts, Adam Kwarasey, and even Jeff Attinella have played massive roles in some of MLS’ best teams.

Portland’s back line was one of the worst in MLS for much of 2021. Despite this, Clark often saved the Timbers’ skins down the stretch. He played a crucial role in bringing Portland to MLS Cup despite a tough showing in the final itself.

Clark finished second in save percentage (78.2%) among MLS goalkeepers in 2021. He graded out well in advanced stats, too: Clark’s post-shot expected goal plus-minus (+4.1) was fourth in the league this season.

Clark was one of the league-high five goalkeepers used by the Timbers in 2021; along with Aljaz Ivacic, Logan Ketterer, Jeff Attinella, and Hunter Sulte.

Roster impact

This is a logical move from a roster management perspective. No team needs four goalkeepers. Portland already has Attinella and Sulte signed for next season and are in discussions with Ivacic.

Attinella is a clear capable No. 1 ‘keeper if he’s healthy. The other two still seem a little rough around the edges, but they’ll work in a pinch.

Ultimately, this is a money move. Clark is 35 already and it probably didn’t take much for Houston to outbid the Timbers for him.

 

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Portland Timbers

Timbers announce initial roster updates

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

Major League Soccer never stops, even right after the MLS Cup final. The Expansion Draft will take place Tuesday, Dec. 14th and free agency opens Wednesday, Dec. 15th.

The Timbers announced a bevy of roster decisions Monday, including the list of unprotected players for tomorrow’s Expansion Draft.

No matter how you feel about general manager Gavin Wilkinson and owner Merritt Paulson, they have a lot of important decisions to make in the coming weeks.

Who’s gone?

Jorge Gonzalez, Ismaila Jome, Manny Perez, and Renzo Zambrano are all not re-signing. We know they’re gone. Gonzalez and Perez never saw action for the first team and Jome barely did. All four of these guys are unprotected for Charlotte FC’s expansion draft.

Who’s staying?

Portland left 10 of its 21 players on the current roster (so, not including the four names above) unprotected. The 11 protected players which Portland will definitely have next season are:

  • Goalkeepers – Hunter Sulte
  • Defenders – Dario Župarić, Bill Tuiloma, Claudio Bravo
  • Midfielders – Blake Bodily, Diego Chará, Yimmi Chará, Marvin Loría, Santiago Moreno, Cristhian Paredes, Eryk Williamson, Dairon Asprilla
  • Forwards – Felipe Mora, Jarosław Niezgoda

Who’s in limbo?

The ones we don’t know about yet:

  • Goalkeepers – Steve Clark, Jeff Attinella, Aljaz Ivacic
  • Defenders – Larrys Mabiala, Zac McGraw, Josecarlos Van Rankin, Pablo Bonilla
  • Midfielders – Sebastian Blanco, Diego Valeri, Andy Polo, George Fochive
  • Forwards – N/A

The Timbers are looking to re-sign Sebastian Blanco, Steve Clark, Aljaz Ivacic, and Josecarlos Van Rankin. I’d be shocked if Blanco didn’t re-sign. Not so sure about the other three. Briefly, here’s why:

  • Van Rankin was on loan from Chivas Guadalajara this season. There have been rumors of him both re-signing in Portland and re-joining Chivas. I could see this one going either way.
  • Clark is 35. He’s had some great moments for Portland, but he’s certainly more replaceable because of his age.
  • Ivacic has barely played for the Timbers. He conceded 12 goals in four starts this season and is clearly the third-best Portland ‘keeper when healthy. The Timbers also have both Hunter Sulte and Jeff Attinella still under contract. I’d say Ivacic re-signing is unlikely.

What should the priorities be?

Priority #1 for Gavin Wilkinson has to be to re-sign Sebastián Blanco. This should be obvious. Getting him on a non-Designated Player deal (like Valeri signed a few years ago) would be ideal, but might not be feasible. Either way, keep him in the club.

Diego Valeri’s future might not affect the team on the field much, but it’s crucial for fan buy-in (which has obviously been waning lately).

Beyond that, decisions on Van Rankin and Clark will be most important. If those two are gone, that’s two starting spots to fill. I doubt Charlotte takes anyone from Portland tomorrow.

Portland are not one of the top-five spenders in MLS, but they are consistently near the top. The front office has showed its willingness to spend in the right places and take full advantage of MLS’ wonky roster rules (using the U-22 initiative to sign Moreno, for example).

We’ll see how they approach a pivotal offseason.

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