Monday Morning Centerbacking

By: Bob Kellett | June 2nd, 2008

Remember last season when more than a few people commented how Gavin Wilkinson’s Portland Timbers team resembled the coach? They were tough, physical, not naturally talented, and competitive as heck. The manager had built a team that played like he used to play back in the day. I think this year’s squad has carried over many of these positive traits, but it has also added one of Wilkinson’s weaknesses as a player: lack of speed. This was painfully obvious watching the team play this weekend in Montreal and Rochester. With Arsene Oka and Lawrence Olum left at home, and Benjamin Totori going down with injury, the only Timbers with any foot speed were Miguel Guante and Scot Thompson. The overall lack of team speed is only magnified when the team’s attack consists of a lot of kick and chase. It makes me think that with his speed Bryan Jordan might just have been the most valuable player on that 2007 team and that with his speed Benjamin Totori might just become the most necessary player on this year’s squad.

Double Duty
Can’t blame Ray Burse is if is a little sleepy today. The Timbers keeper earned a shutout in Montreal Friday evening, took an overnight bus to Rochester, and then flew to Colorado to play for FC Dallas on Sunday. Burse let in a pair of goals in a 2-1 loss to the Rapids, but he played well, making six saves. Looking ahead at Dallas’ schedule, the Hoops play in New England on Friday. If Dario Sala is not healthy by then, Burse could miss the Timbers’ game at home on Thursday and in Vancouver on Saturday. These loan situations suck, eh?

A man without a position
There are a few reasons why Takyuki Suzuki has played for a lot of teams over the course of his career. He is a talented player. He seems to have a bit of wanderlust. And as we are finding out this year he is a player who does not easily fit into one position, and that can be frustrating. After ten games with the Timbers, Taka has one goal. He never has been a natural goal scorer and he never will be. At the same time, he doesn’t have the speed to play consistently out wide for 90 minutes. I’m not convinced he would work in a holding or playmaking midfielder role either. He has too much talent to sit, but hasn’t found a comfortable role on the pitch in Gavin Wilkinson’s system. Does this team, which is built on defense and struggling to score, really need a defensive forward? There are still a lot of games left in the season and I can’t fault the guy for his effort, but at this point I wonder if he has been worth the investment.

Through 11 games
2007: 6-2-3, 21pts, 16GF, 5GA
2008: 4-3-4, 16 pts, 9GF, 8GA

One other thing worth noting. The Timbers played their 11th game last season on June 30. This team has played a very, very busy schedule early on.