Timbers Face the Thunder

By: Bob Kellett | June 4th, 2008

Ok then. We’ve had our days off to moan and groan about the state of the Portland Timbers, and we have had plenty of time to learn about the team’s myriad injuries. Now it is time to see what kind of heart the 2008 squad has. Coming off a stretch of shoddy play and missing some of its key components, the team takes on the Minnesota Thunder at home. The Thunder have been a pleasant surprise this season and frankly even if the Timbers were facing the U-6 team I played on that lost every game and scored one goal all season (and worst of all most of the parents forgot to pack the halftime orange slices), it would be a challenge. I don’t think its accurate to say that the games this week are going to make or break the season, but I do think that the next three league games could be a defining moment in this season. Minnesota, Vancouver and Atlanta – two games at home against teams that will be in the playoff hunt, and one game one the road against what appears to be one of the best teams in the league. A good run here would put the Timbers in a nice position heading into an extended break. A poor run here and we’re looking at a team that might be fighting for a playoff spot come September.

The briefest of loans
According to the LA Galaxy Blog, which boldly calls itself The Official Blog of Major League Soccer’s Most Popular Club (popular, huh?), Bryan Jordan will play for the Timbers on Thursday night and then return to LA for their game Saturday. A one-game loan hardly seems like much of a loan to me. What is to prevent USL teams from bringing in one-game ringers when they need one? Anyone know when the roster freeze is this year? The rules still list the dates from 2004.

You can catch up with Bryan Jordan on the Timbers website.

Oh Boise
Why would a club that plays so many games in so few months agree to play a friendly in a market where no one (other than our buddy Pounder) cares about them? Beats me. I hope the Timbers are being well compensated for this one, but I doubt it.

Happy Birthday, Taka
I believe this is the first time The Asian Reporter has ever covered the Timbers. Nicely done. PDF article about Takayuki Suzuki.

Being Gavin Wilkinson
Geez is it scary looking around the boss’ brain these days. He sees his starting keeper called away to Dallas, his starting strike force limping around like old men, his midfield is as unsettled as a stomach after a night of eating low quality sushi, and a team that has lost three of its last four games. All those strings that he pulled so well last season are a jumbled mess a third of the way into this season. This is the most challenging time in Gavin Wilkinson’s career as a manager. What will he do to keep the ship afloat? I think he’ll go retro:

James
S. Thompson Knowles J. Thompson Griffin
Higgins Poltl Gregor Guante
Jordan Bagley

Take away Guante and James and that lineup looks a lot like 2007, eh? In fact, I can’t but think that all season Gavin has been coaching the 2007 team even though many of the key pieces are different in 2008. The team has changed. I wonder if the coach is capable of changing too.

Predict the attendance, win no prize
The weather isn’t great, the coverage in the daily newspaper was kind of buried, the team isn’t playing well, the big ships are invading our city and are going to make getting over the bridges a mess, they have fried Twinkies dipped in chocolate at the Waterfront so a third of the population has suffered heart attacks this week…I think we’re looking at 6,105 this evening.

Match Previews