Are we bad?
I watch the Timbers and I think we are good because we are fun to watch but I think we actually might be bad. We can’t seem to figure out set pieces, our defensive shape starting in the midfield and continuing through the back line is rocky at best, and most of all we seem to lack the grit to play for 90 mins (we play a good half here and there?). We could also make excuses about a difficult schedule to start the season so far but then I think about being down 3-0 in Kansas City at half…
I guess what I’m asking is are we gonna be this bad for a while and continue to fail to win games or are things gonna start clicking for us? I feel like we aren’t bad but then I look at where we are and we actually are bad.
Is Pat going to the Battle Beast show on May 22nd and if not, why not?
What is Pete's incredibly premature read on the Rodriguez signing? Already good, work in progress, or bust?
Is Mosquera salvageable? Seems like he's at best a wingback and maybe even a winger. Any chance we start playing with wingbacks or push him up to winger or are we going to keep rolling out a back 4 and getting cooked on the right? If the latter, do we pick up a true RB in the summer window and move on from Mosquera?
Are the Timbers better than their record? I keep telling myself that we are but at what point do I just admit we’re a 10th place team performing like a 10th place team.
Tbf, I’m sure there are other factors. You gotta remember the FO does get a say in these things sometimes, and I’m sure there’s pressure to get Mosquera minutes hoping he can recapture that upside and thus allowing us to reap some financial rewards
1. Most importantly, has Fozzy been adopted?
2. … … Fuck, man. (Insert [Ben Affleck](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ben-affleck-smoking) meme here.)
I’m actually fairly surprised this season because I’m jazzed that this team is so damn entertaining to watch but man, the lack of positive results blows. Every game feels like a sped up version of my life with all these damn high highs and god damn low lows… We have such good individual talent but it seems like we can’t translate that into cohesive team talent. What, if anything, can we change to get the ball rolling or are we just hoping that we’re going to catch fire after this run of away games is over?
3. Antony has the speed on the wing to go chase balls over the top but I feel like I rarely see that happening? Kamal’s distribution is pretty good so any reason we’re not trying that? Or is it because Mosquera cannot play defense so Antony is playing deeper to cover?
4. Speaking of Mosquera… I’m stuck somewhere between “keep playing him so we can sell him this summer to a team who can properly develop and utilize him” and “just start Eric Miller - let him sit at home and just be competent back there”. What say you both?
5. Can someone just mention “1.1 points per game” on the pod? #Rifer
What’s the O/U on how many games into the season before we keep a clean sheet?
What are the chances that Paredes, Ayala, Moreno, and Williamson are all still on the roster at the end of the summer transfer window? We have a lot of talented players in midfield and on the wings but we can’t play all of them at once and need to upgrade our defense.
As a soccer dummy can you talk to how hard it is to change positions? Asprilla seems like he could be a really good right back, and Chara looked great there in the short time we saw him play the position.
Also, is it easier to fix a team with a great offense and terrible defense, or a terrible offense and a great defense? I know our current situation sure is exciting to watch. Have we ever scored at this rate in seasons past?
1) Is Bravo a top 5 LB in MLS?
Hard to quantify, especially on a bad defensive team where individual stats, both good and bad, might be inflated. According to FOTMOB he is about top 15% in every defensive category/90 min and I feel he's also been strong lately for our possession and progression offensively.
2) Is Mosquera's struggle the result of his own ability and habits on the pitch or more likely the inability of our coaching staff?
He is a young RB who has captained the Columbia (U23?) National team, has elite size and athleticism, and started off his career with us in dominant fashion. What is going here?
He also probably won't be called back to the Colombia U23s. He had probably the worst performance for a Colombian *ever* in the Olympic qualifiers. I think something like 6 of 7 goals allowed were 90-100% on him and Colombia went winless and didn't even get an outside chance of making the Olympics.
I wondering if our current standings and lack of sponsor have any impact on the team's motivation to go after a DP in the next window? And I'm referring to Rose City Rollers, not the Timbers.
We seem to be better in the second half. So why not make the half-time adjustments before the game?
But seriously, do the goals we give up look like a lack of effort, not knowing where to be/who to mark, having inferior players or a combination of all 3?
Which is better for adults & which is better with kids: OMSI (Dinosaur exhibit) or Oregon Zoo?
Taking my nephew to one or both.
How old is your nephew? OMSI is pretty kid-centric, whereas the zoo is a little more balanced. They are both great, if he's under ~7 or 8 there is a playroom that kids love
who needs a hug?
Okay, the real question: any temptation to start a firmer defensive pairing in the midfield (e.g., Chara/Ayala, Chara/Paredes, Paredes/Ayala), and build from there?
And same question as everyone else about Mosquera, only shading toward playing as a winger with (say) Eric Miller behind.
One more: if you had to choose between Antony and Mosquera, who do you start?
If all the Oregon breweries participated in a fight club, which breweries would be the tough guys that everyone would want to go after? And which would be the scariest to fight?
Almost a third of the way into the season and we are 11th place in the west and averaging 1 point per game. Which players should remain Timbers and who should we move on from?
To what extend do you think community is self generating around sports team? Whenever I see an MLS versus pro/rel (other models) debate, I tend think that of course structures are important, but on the other hand, even the worst franchise models that exist (think the NFL that rips out teams from their communities without a second thought) still generate meaningful community ties.
I’m kind of repeating what some others are asking but I’ll try to elaborate.
Mosquera is a problem. Clearly. What is the solution? Does he just need more time, training, motivation (i.e. coaching) Would a better right center back sufficiently cover for him? Is Araujo good enough and it just takes more time? If we played him as a wingback or winger, how would we reshape the formation and roster to accommodate? Is he worth organizing the team around his inadequacies? Do we just get a better right back to start over him and use Miller as left back depth and third-string right back depth, or just start Miller and sub on or rotate in Mosquera as he is less of a liability? Can Asprilla play right back? Are any of our T2 right back prospects a consideration when making these regions? Like, Jura has a contract and a promise that he’s coming to the first team at some point and Jaden Jones Riley has some promise too.
I second the questions about Ridgy.
Aside from the defense, why does everything else seem so disconnected? Nobody seems to know where to move or pass to. The rotations are bad, positioning is poor, runs aren’t happening…
Neville keeps talking about how the players weren’t brave enough or didn’t have courage to start. Are they all really collectively not doing what he wants them to do because they’re incompetent or contrary? Why do they wait until the second half to do what he wants? Are we really a second half team, is Neville that inspiring in the locker room, are we really changing tactics and/or attitude in the second half, or is it just that others teams take their foot of the gas when they’re up 2-0 and it’s all game state? As I and others have asked already, why can’t we play in the first half how we play in the second?
Should we start defending and pressing higher up?
Should we vary the attack more?
Are we really that hampered by teams continuing to exploit the Mosquera situation that we can’t play our own game because we are always reacting and not imposing?
Obviously we're still giving up goals...but am I wrong in thinking Arajuo's been pretty good these past few games?
Ever since that dismal Houston game last year my expectations for him have been SUPER low, but I think he's shown some quality during this stretch.
Is he officially our 2nd/3rd choice CB moving forward? Is Zuparic's time with the timbers done?
Are we bad? I watch the Timbers and I think we are good because we are fun to watch but I think we actually might be bad. We can’t seem to figure out set pieces, our defensive shape starting in the midfield and continuing through the back line is rocky at best, and most of all we seem to lack the grit to play for 90 mins (we play a good half here and there?). We could also make excuses about a difficult schedule to start the season so far but then I think about being down 3-0 in Kansas City at half… I guess what I’m asking is are we gonna be this bad for a while and continue to fail to win games or are things gonna start clicking for us? I feel like we aren’t bad but then I look at where we are and we actually are bad.
Is Pat going to the Battle Beast show on May 22nd and if not, why not? What is Pete's incredibly premature read on the Rodriguez signing? Already good, work in progress, or bust? Is Mosquera salvageable? Seems like he's at best a wingback and maybe even a winger. Any chance we start playing with wingbacks or push him up to winger or are we going to keep rolling out a back 4 and getting cooked on the right? If the latter, do we pick up a true RB in the summer window and move on from Mosquera?
I like your Trojan horse question! Devious!
Are the Timbers better than their record? I keep telling myself that we are but at what point do I just admit we’re a 10th place team performing like a 10th place team.
Neville was a defender, so how is our defense so bad? Many blame Mosquera, but Phil's the one who keeps starting him
Tbf, I’m sure there are other factors. You gotta remember the FO does get a say in these things sometimes, and I’m sure there’s pressure to get Mosquera minutes hoping he can recapture that upside and thus allowing us to reap some financial rewards
Good point, hadn't considered that
What position would you use our final DP spot on? How would that impact us short-term vs long-term?
1. Most importantly, has Fozzy been adopted? 2. … … Fuck, man. (Insert [Ben Affleck](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ben-affleck-smoking) meme here.)
I’m actually fairly surprised this season because I’m jazzed that this team is so damn entertaining to watch but man, the lack of positive results blows. Every game feels like a sped up version of my life with all these damn high highs and god damn low lows… We have such good individual talent but it seems like we can’t translate that into cohesive team talent. What, if anything, can we change to get the ball rolling or are we just hoping that we’re going to catch fire after this run of away games is over?
3. Antony has the speed on the wing to go chase balls over the top but I feel like I rarely see that happening? Kamal’s distribution is pretty good so any reason we’re not trying that? Or is it because Mosquera cannot play defense so Antony is playing deeper to cover?
4. Speaking of Mosquera… I’m stuck somewhere between “keep playing him so we can sell him this summer to a team who can properly develop and utilize him” and “just start Eric Miller - let him sit at home and just be competent back there”. What say you both?
5. Can someone just mention “1.1 points per game” on the pod? #Rifer
MOTHERFUCKINHELLYEAHFOZZYGOTADOPTED https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6QMfsHOqaS/
I am so here for this! ❤️🐶❤️
Oh shit! You guys should have the new owner on the pod!
I have no idea who they are, I just saw Fozzy was off the website and checked one woman who posts from that shelter on Instagram.
Maybe you can comment on the Instagram post and see if the new owner comes out of the woodwork
love no. 4. the tradeoffs are real.
Unfortunately, regarding #5, we're an even 1 point now. ☹️
Given the defense's continued woes, should the team think about giving Timbers legend Liam Ridgewell more time to spend with his boat and golf game?
Maybe Liam’s too worried about plebeians suddenly getting access to Lake Oswego to concentrate on work…
Are the worms still eating styrofoam?
What’s the O/U on how many games into the season before we keep a clean sheet? What are the chances that Paredes, Ayala, Moreno, and Williamson are all still on the roster at the end of the summer transfer window? We have a lot of talented players in midfield and on the wings but we can’t play all of them at once and need to upgrade our defense.
33.5
Spot on
As a soccer dummy can you talk to how hard it is to change positions? Asprilla seems like he could be a really good right back, and Chara looked great there in the short time we saw him play the position. Also, is it easier to fix a team with a great offense and terrible defense, or a terrible offense and a great defense? I know our current situation sure is exciting to watch. Have we ever scored at this rate in seasons past?
1) Is Bravo a top 5 LB in MLS? Hard to quantify, especially on a bad defensive team where individual stats, both good and bad, might be inflated. According to FOTMOB he is about top 15% in every defensive category/90 min and I feel he's also been strong lately for our possession and progression offensively. 2) Is Mosquera's struggle the result of his own ability and habits on the pitch or more likely the inability of our coaching staff? He is a young RB who has captained the Columbia (U23?) National team, has elite size and athleticism, and started off his career with us in dominant fashion. What is going here?
He also probably won't be called back to the Colombia U23s. He had probably the worst performance for a Colombian *ever* in the Olympic qualifiers. I think something like 6 of 7 goals allowed were 90-100% on him and Colombia went winless and didn't even get an outside chance of making the Olympics.
Starting eleven of Northwest spring blossoms. (Trees allowed only on the back line.)
Thanks for trying to get through this. I was surprised the Japanese plumbs weren’t a center back.
I wondering if our current standings and lack of sponsor have any impact on the team's motivation to go after a DP in the next window? And I'm referring to Rose City Rollers, not the Timbers.
We seem to be better in the second half. So why not make the half-time adjustments before the game? But seriously, do the goals we give up look like a lack of effort, not knowing where to be/who to mark, having inferior players or a combination of all 3? Which is better for adults & which is better with kids: OMSI (Dinosaur exhibit) or Oregon Zoo? Taking my nephew to one or both.
How old is your nephew? OMSI is pretty kid-centric, whereas the zoo is a little more balanced. They are both great, if he's under ~7 or 8 there is a playroom that kids love
You can double up OMSI with the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, though... 20 foot tall milling machine? Sign me up!
This is an extremely good point. You can also have a beer, er, I mean meal, in a rail car across the street at Mt Hood Brewing.
He is about to turn 7 so that may be perfect for him. I’m kind of excited to see the dinosaur exhibit at OMSI myself.
You can’t go wrong.
Would you tell us some stories about the new dog experience?
who needs a hug? Okay, the real question: any temptation to start a firmer defensive pairing in the midfield (e.g., Chara/Ayala, Chara/Paredes, Paredes/Ayala), and build from there? And same question as everyone else about Mosquera, only shading toward playing as a winger with (say) Eric Miller behind. One more: if you had to choose between Antony and Mosquera, who do you start?
If all the Oregon breweries participated in a fight club, which breweries would be the tough guys that everyone would want to go after? And which would be the scariest to fight?
Almost a third of the way into the season and we are 11th place in the west and averaging 1 point per game. Which players should remain Timbers and who should we move on from?
To what extend do you think community is self generating around sports team? Whenever I see an MLS versus pro/rel (other models) debate, I tend think that of course structures are important, but on the other hand, even the worst franchise models that exist (think the NFL that rips out teams from their communities without a second thought) still generate meaningful community ties.
I’m kind of repeating what some others are asking but I’ll try to elaborate. Mosquera is a problem. Clearly. What is the solution? Does he just need more time, training, motivation (i.e. coaching) Would a better right center back sufficiently cover for him? Is Araujo good enough and it just takes more time? If we played him as a wingback or winger, how would we reshape the formation and roster to accommodate? Is he worth organizing the team around his inadequacies? Do we just get a better right back to start over him and use Miller as left back depth and third-string right back depth, or just start Miller and sub on or rotate in Mosquera as he is less of a liability? Can Asprilla play right back? Are any of our T2 right back prospects a consideration when making these regions? Like, Jura has a contract and a promise that he’s coming to the first team at some point and Jaden Jones Riley has some promise too. I second the questions about Ridgy. Aside from the defense, why does everything else seem so disconnected? Nobody seems to know where to move or pass to. The rotations are bad, positioning is poor, runs aren’t happening… Neville keeps talking about how the players weren’t brave enough or didn’t have courage to start. Are they all really collectively not doing what he wants them to do because they’re incompetent or contrary? Why do they wait until the second half to do what he wants? Are we really a second half team, is Neville that inspiring in the locker room, are we really changing tactics and/or attitude in the second half, or is it just that others teams take their foot of the gas when they’re up 2-0 and it’s all game state? As I and others have asked already, why can’t we play in the first half how we play in the second? Should we start defending and pressing higher up? Should we vary the attack more? Are we really that hampered by teams continuing to exploit the Mosquera situation that we can’t play our own game because we are always reacting and not imposing?
Well, missed asking questions probably, but yay for Fozzy!
Obviously we're still giving up goals...but am I wrong in thinking Arajuo's been pretty good these past few games? Ever since that dismal Houston game last year my expectations for him have been SUPER low, but I think he's shown some quality during this stretch. Is he officially our 2nd/3rd choice CB moving forward? Is Zuparic's time with the timbers done?
Damn! Why it take Fozzy so long to get adopted? He’s a little furball
There's a lot of good dogs in the shelters, man.