Timbers Back in Training
As of 10:00am Monday morning, the Portland Timbers have returned to a full schedule of training camp. This time last year the team was working mostly on fitness with Jabulani balls rarely used at the adidas North America campus. Fast forward twelve months and the Timbers were playing 9v9 games with three rotating teams on the third day of training camp. The differences are striking with just one year between almost universal introductions to a resumption of the kind of work outs featured in November. Certainly there have been roster moves that change the particulars of which players are on the field, but the majority of the significant players from 2011 return and it is now a matter of working in new recruits rather than trying to establish an identity.
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Premier League Kits Weekly – Round 22
Saturday January 21:
Norwich City 0
Chelsea 0
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2
Aston Villa 3
Stoke City 1
West Bromwich Albion 2
Queen’s Park Rangers 3
Wigan Athletic 1
Bolton Wanderers 3
Liverpool 1
Sunday January 22:
Manchester City 3
Tottenham Hotspur 2
Defender Hányer Mosquera Joins Colombia North
Hányer Mosquera, 25-year old Colombian defender, was totally unveiled as the newest member of the Portland Timbers. Mosquera is the fourth Colombian to sign in eleven months, joining Jorge Perlaza, Diego Chará and José Valencia, making Portland one of the club’s most populated by Colombians. The 6’1″ 175 pound center back figures to go straight into the starting XI, though at whose expense is not yet known. The easy answer would be to relegate Futty Danso to the bench leaving Eric Brunner alongside Mosquera, but presumably training camp will be used to determine the opening day line-up.
The signing also highlights one of the reasons for drafting 19-year old Andrew Jean-Baptiste in last week’s SuperDraft. With three center backs ahead of him, healthy, and David Horst set to return by May or June, Jean-Baptiste will not be relied upon for a key role in the side and will be given a chance to develop in the reserve team, at least initially. The center back position, one facing big questions just a week ago, now can be counted as one with depth and quality.
Premier League Kits Weekly – Round 21
Saturday January 14:
Aston Villa 1
Everton 1
Liverpool 0
Stoke City 0
West Bromwich Albion 1
Norwich City 2
Tottenham Hotspur 1
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
Manchester United 3
Bolton Wanderers 0
Chelsea 1
Sunderland 0
Sunday January 15:
Newcastle United 1
Queen’s Park Rangers 0
Swansea City 3
Arsenal 2
Monday January 16:
Wigan Athletic 0
Manchester City 1
Goodbye Cooper – So What Now?
364 days after the announcement of his arrival, Kenny Cooper was traded to Red Bull New York. The return is a 2013 first round draft pick and allocation money. That move, first reported about thirty minutes ahead of the SuperDraft, completely changes the outlook for the 2012 Portland Timbers. While the allocation money gained is likely to help fund the acquisition of one (or more) international defenders and/or midfielders, the effect is likely to be more drastic along the forward line. The addition of neither Andrew Jean-Baptiste nor Brendan King, today’s draft class, will have the impact of the departure of Cooper. Whereas before the trade we were looking at a similar team with the hope of improvements at various positions, the outlook is now quite open.
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Jean-Baptiste and King – The Newest Timbers
Andrew Jean-Baptiste was taken in the eighth position by the Portland Timbers, making him the third draft pick in the MLS era. At 6’2″, 205 pounds, Jean-Baptiste is an imposing presence on the back line, but at just 19-years old, has time to develop. Importantly, Jean-Baptiste’s Generation adidas contract will not count against the Timbers’ salary cap, joining Darlington Nagbe with that designation. I believe AJB will be a reserve player in 2012, learning the MLS game and providing depth if needed as David Horst recovers from hip surgery.
In the second round Portland selected Brendan King, a 6’0 midfielder from Notre Dame. King scored at the MLS Combine in Fort Lauderdale and is a former USA U17 and U20 international.
Arguably the biggest move of the day came thirty minutes prior to the draft when reports surfaced that the Timbers had traded forward Kenny Cooper to Red Bull New York for a large amount of allocation money and New York’s first round draft pick in 2013. The trading of Cooper frees up what had become a very crowded forward position, not to mention rids the club of his $200,000+ yearly salary. A wrinkle to the deal suggests that Portland will not receive allocation money from New York unless Cooper remains with the team past the 2012 season. If true, that makes the trade a purely a salary dump unless Cooper’s form takes a remarkable turn for the better while in New York. Regardless, the Timbers will receive the 2013 first round pick.
How US Open Cup Changes Affect Portland
With MLS qualifying eliminated from the US Open Cup, the Portland Timbers will play their first game in the 2012 tournament on Tuesday May 29. This comes nine days after hosting Chicago Fire (May 20) and three days after hosting Vancouver Whitecaps (May 26). That alignment makes it imperative that the Timbers win the right to host the May 29 Third Round tie, regardless of opponent (home team will be ‘randomly’ selected through Quaterfinal rounds). Territorial considerations make it likely that Portland will play a team in the western part of the country, particularly if a PDL side makes it to the Third Round.
The next MLS match for the Timbers after their May 29 US Open Cup date is not until June 17 in Los Angeles against the Galaxy. Winning in the Third Round would bring a Fourth Round date of June 5, still a full twelve days clear of the next scheduled match. Should the Timbers advance beyond that, scheduling becomes much more of an issue.
Timbers coaches and management used scheduling as the reason for the early exit from MLS qualifying in 2011, a claim that is justified given the May 3 date squeezed between MLS home dates on April 30 and May 6. Using almost exclusively reserves, the Timbers crashed out of the tournament at home 1-0 to San Jose Earthquakes after extra time. Given the need for home victories in the debut MLS season and the fact that Portland won both games surrounding their Open Cup exit, the club mostly got a pass. But in 2012, with no such scheduling issues and the likelihood of relatively close travel (or no travel at all), the expectation of advancement, at the very least to the Fourth Round, will be high.
Drafting at Eight
I maintain my assumption that the Portland Timbers will trade out of the no. 8 position in tomorrow’s MLS SuperDraft, but as a point of reference, here’s a list of all-time no. 8 picks. As you can see, this spot has yielded a wide variety of stars, busts, injuries, long careers and minimal MLS appearances. The truth is, by the time the no. 8 pick comes around, usually the top players are off the board. With nine Generation adidas players available in the draft, the Timbers hold a position of strength at no. 8. They will either be able to draft a player whose salary will not count against the 2012 salary cap or dangle that possibility to other clubs who are more desperate in their need to get under the cap.
The Timbers’ second round pick is at no. 27. Despite making several moves in last year’s draft, Portland still picked in the second round, so I don’t rule out of hand that regardless of what trades might happen in the first round, pick no. 27 could still be utilized.
Regardless, the lists (with thanks to Mike Kuhn at DownTheByline):
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2012 Portland Timbers MLS Schedule
PORTLAND TIMBERS 2012 MLS SCHEDULE
March 12: Portland v Philadelphia Union – 6:30pm – ESPN2
March 17: FC Dallas v Portland – 5:30pm
March 24: New England Revolution v Portland – 1:00pm
March 31: Portland v Real Salt Lake – 7:00pm
April 7: Portland v Chivas USA – 7:30pm
April 14: LA Galaxy v Portland – 7:30pm
April 21: Portland v Sporting KC – 7:30pm
April 28: Montreal Impact v Portland – 11:00am
May 5: Portland v Columbus Crew – 7:30pm
May 15: Houston Dynamo v Portland – 5:30pm
May 20: Portland v Chicago Fire – 4:00pm
May 26: Portland v Vancouver Whitecaps – 7:00pm
May 29: US Open Cup Third Round – TBA
June 17: LA Galaxy v Portland – 4:00pm
June 24: Portland v Seattle Sounders – 2:00pm – ESPN
June 30: Colorado Rapids v Portland – 6:00pm
July 3: Portland v San Jose Earthquakes – 7:30pm
July 7: Real Salt Lake v Portland – 6:00pm
July 14: Portland v LA Galaxy – 8:00pm
July 18: Chivas USA v Portland – 1:00pm
July 21: FC Dallas v Portland – 6:00pm
July 28: Portland v Chivas USA – 8:00pm
August 5: Portland v FC Dallas – 4:00pm – NBC Sports
August 15: Toronto FC v Portland – 4:00pm
August 19: New York Red Bull v Portland – 4:00pm – Galavision
August 25: Portland v Vancouver Whitecaps – 7:30pm
August 31: Portland v Colorado Rapids – 7:30pm – NBC Sports
September 5: Colorado Rapids v Portland – 6:00pm – NBC Sports
September 15: Portland v Seattle Sounders – 12:30pm – NBC
September 19: San Jose Earthquakes v Portland – 7:30pm
September 22: Real Salt Lake v Portland – 5:00pm – NBC Sports
September 29: Portland v DC United – 7:30pm
October 7: Seattle Sounders v Portland – 6:00pm – ESPN
October 20: Vancouver Whitecaps v Portland – 1:00pm
October 27: Portland v San Jose Earthquakes – 3:30pm – NBC Sports
Premier League Kits Weekly – Round 20
Monday January 2:
Aston Villa 0
Swansea City 2
Queen’s Park Rangers 1
Norwich City 2
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
Chelsea 2
Blackburn Rovers 1
Stoke City 2
Tuesday January 3:
Wigan Athletic 1
Sunderland 4
Tottenham Hotspur 1
West Bromwich Albion 0
Wednesday January 4:
Newcastle United 3
Manchester United 0
The Schedule – As Best We Can Tell Before It’s Unveiled
The Portland Timbers have had but one 2012 match date unveiled as of January 4. With limited information from several sources, here are the potential match-ups for each round of of the 2012 season. Or better yet, here are the clubs Portland can expect not to play each week.
Given the MLS stance on travel for 2012, and the league’s indication that more interconference matches will appear earlier in the schedule than intra-conference ties, it is appropriate that the first two confirmed matches we know for the Timbers are in the first ten weeks and are both against Eastern Conference opponents. Given the May 12 trip to Toronto, it is likely that the Timbers will play another Eastern Conference team in the week preceding or following, to perhaps minimize travel in and out of time zones. With Toronto playing DC United on either side of the Portland game, with the Union game already accounted for and knowing Chicago will not be an away opponent in 2012, it stands to reason that New England, New York, Montreal, Columbus, Sporting or Houston will be played away on either May 5 or May 19.
Additionally, it seems like the Timbers might open the season with a second straight home game or play a west coast club on March 18. Four clubs are making their home debuts that weekend: Montreal, Philadelphia, Sporting and Real Salt Lake. Obviously the Timbers will not be in Philadelphia, nor are they likely to play just five days later (May 17) which is when Sporting and Salt Lake host their games. Montreal is hosting Chicago on May 17. Knowing that the Timbers play Toronto in May, that is five Eastern Conference teams already accounted for. Neither New York, New England nor Columbus make their home debuts until March 24/25, making it likely that they could start the season with two Western Conference opponents. My guess is either Red Bull, the Revolution or the Crew for March 18 at Jeld-Wen Field.
Whether or not Houston plays a home game in a ground other than BBVA Compass Stadium is unknown to me. They are slated to open that facility May 12. So unless they are to go nine games away from home to start the season, a Dynamo home game will have to be held somewhere else in town.
After that, it seems statistically likely that Portland will play a Western Conference opponent on May 26, September 15 and October 27, given that each date already has at least four Eastern Conference teams otherwise occupied.
UPDATE – It should be noted that there are 35 weeks listed below. This comes from the Toronto FC schedule as leaked by Canadian Soccer News. Because Toronto do not play during the first weekend of the season, there it is evident that Portland will not play at least one of the games listed below. Mostly likely that means not having to play one of the mid-week games, though at this point, that is completely unclear.
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2011 Timbers Substitutions
Substitutions are among the most difficult challenges for an MLS manager: when to use them, whom to use and whom to replace? That process begins with the selection of eleven starters and six bench players for each match. Twenty-seven players appeared at least once for the Timbers in league play in 2011 with twenty-four of those starting at least once. Here are some statistics regarding substitutions in 2011:
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Ten Weeks to Improve Starting Eleven
As of today, the Portland Timbers have exactly ten weeks until their season opening match against Philadelphia Union. Between now and March 12, the Timbers need to improve their starting XI, lest they miss out on the playoffs again. With many more matches against conference competition and playoff seeding based solely on conference performance, Portland have much work to do before 2012 can finish as a better season than the 2011 MLS debut.
If the 2012 rules were in place in 2011, the Timbers would have missed the playoffs by seven points, not just three. Rather than competing with New York and Chicago, the Timbers would have been seven points short of fifth place Colorado in the west and a full ten points shy of fourth place Dallas. In fact, here is a breakdown of where the Timbers earned their 2011 points:
Premier League Kits Weekly – Round 19
Friday December 30:
Liverpool 3
Newcastle United 1
Saturday December 31:
Manchester United 2
Blackburn Rovers 3
Chelsea 1
Aston Villa 3
Norwich City 1
Fulham 1
Arsenal 1
Queen’s Park Rangers 0
Swansea City 1
Tottenham Hotspur 1
Bolton Wanderers 1
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
Sunday January 1:
West Bromwich Albion 0
Everton 1
Premier League Kits Weekly – Round 18
Monday December 26:
Chelsea 1
Fulham 1
Sunderland 1
Everton 1
Liverpool 1
Blackburn Rovers 1
Manchester United 5
Wigan Athletic 0
West Bromwich Albion 0
Manchester City 0
Bolton Wanderers 0
Newcastle United 2
Tuesday December 27:
Arsenal 1
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
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