Ten games in and looking good

By: Bob Kellett | June 12th, 2009

Don’t look now but the Portland Timbers are one-third of the way through their 2009 campaign. Time flies when you go weeks without blogging. Apologies and all that. Ten games into the season seems like as good of a time as any to evaluate where things stand. We know that the team sits third in the table with a record of 5-1-4. We know that the team is two wins away from matching last year’s total. We know that they are going to get those two wins and a whole lot more because this is a greatly improved squad and because they have played only one game thus far against the teams that currently hold the bottom four spots in the table (Cleveland, Minnesota, Austin, and Miami — a lot of points still available for the taking). Let’s take a look at where things stand position-by-position.

Goalkeeper
After the revolving door of MLS loans in 2008, things have settled down thanks to the addition of Steve Cronin. He has allowed four goals in eight matches and I am not sure if any of those four could be considered soft. He has not been asked to make too many big saves, but he has shown that he is capable of doing just that. We have yet to see his backup Brian Visser in a league game and you have to wonder how confident the club is about him considering they brought in Chris Seitz for a couple of games when Cronin was injured. As long as Cronin stays healthy this position is not a concern.

Grade: A-

Defenders
Four goals in ten games. You can’t argue with that. Once again Gavin Wilkinson has assembled a very good backline. The difference this time around is that there is depth. Cameron Knowles, Stephen Keel, and Mamadou Danso are also fairly interchangable in the middle. Takuro Nishimura and Cameron Dunn (remember him?) can both spell both the inside and outside backs. Scot Thompson is having another fine year. And with all due respect to Jacobi Goodfellow, David Hayes is probably the best defender we have had in Portland since the rebirth in 2001. Hayes is incredible at always being in the right position and his passing skills from the back have been huge. The only concern is whether Hayes can continue to log Knowles-like minutes.

Grade: A

Midfield
A tremendous upgrade from last season. The midfielders have shown that they are able to string together passes and control the flow of the game. Johan Claesson and Tony McManus are steadying forces in the middle. Ryan Pore and Brian Farber have brought speed and an attacking style to the outside. Keith Savage has proven a capable backup. Alex Nimo has done some nice things as a late game substitute. Takayuki Suzuki has been able to slide in as an outside left mid. We haven’t even seen Shaun Higgins at all, which is a positive sign.

Grade: A-

Forward
Three goals in ten games. That is the collective output from the group up front. Not a tremendous number, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Mandjou Keita has been able to create a number of scoring chances both for himself and his teammates. George Josten has played some important minutes. Suzuki has played his normal role of setting up others. Jason McLaughlin has not done much, but he is a late game banger. Antou Jallow has played just a single minute and I’ve been told he has not lived up to the coaching staff’s expectations. The question heading moving forward is whether Keita will get enough support up front so that he isn’t always double teamed. I’m not sure if Josten and Suzuki can consistently provide that support. Perhaps will see trialist Warren Ukah play that role if he is signed by the club.

Grade: B+

Coach
Give the boss some credit. He was able to identify last year’s weaknesses – a poor midfield, lack of depth at defense, and no number one keeper – and he went out and got players to address them. He also has allowed his players to use their talents. Instead of playing a boring, conservative style, he has given the team the green light to attack. The result is a team that is very fun to watch. He also has done a decent job juggling his bench.

Grade: A

Overall
With so many new players on the squad I thought it would take a little longer for things to come together. This club is beyond where I thought it would be at this point in the season. In addition to staying healthy, the challenge will be the ability to make adjustments moving forward. Teams will start to figure out what the Timbers do well and what they do not. Can Wilkinson make changes throughout the season? Can the team continue to get goals from a variety of players? Can the club take advantage of the weaker teams in the league? Lots of positive signs at this point, but there is still plenty of season left to be played.

Photo: Allison Andrews/Soccer City USA