At The Far Post

*Cover photo credit to Al Sermeno/ISI Photos.*

To close out the most congested week of the season, the Portland Timbers had another game at Providence Park. Tonight's opponents, meanwhile, were intent on spoiling the Timbers' 50th anniversary celebration. And boy, did they come close to doing so.

Recap

The script to tonight's game (not the events, but the setup) was pretty obvious to anyone who is familiar with Eric Ramsay's Minnesota United. Full disclosure: I do not mind Minnesota's fanbase. In fact, I believe that they're a credit to the league and rather underrated nationally. But the actual team and the players who wear the jersey? They can go to hell.

Tonight's game had no bearing on that last sentence. This is what Minnesota has done since they entered the league in 2017. They aggressively waste time, throw themselves to the ground from the slightest of touches, and shove every opposition player they can get their hands on. It's a team full of brutes playing the most unethical style of soccer in the world. With that in mind, let's take a look at tonight's game.

The nonsense began in minute number 7, when goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair (a friend to current and former Timbers, by the way) took his sweet time setting up for a free kick. That's right, a free kick. Minnesota plays such unethical ball that their goalkeeper regularly takes free kicks. This earned him the ire of the crowd, which continued for the rest of the game. The first clear chance came in the 14th minute, when Bongokuhle Hlongwane tested Maxime Crepeau's near post but the effort was erased by the other Canadian National Team goalkeeper on the field. Four minutes earlier, Felipe Mora headed a Santiago Moreno cross just wide of the near post, but it was a tough angle for the striker to put it on target in the first place.

The Timbers tried to give the Loons a taste of their own medicine in the 23rd minute when Ariel Lassiter was in a prime position to deliver a perfect entry ball to Moreno on the counter, but he got the execution wrong and it was intercepted. Tough break, but I don't have a problem with the idea. Punishing players for good ideas but poor execution is not a rule that I live by. However, I do live by a different one: ball don't lie.

In the 35th minute, Joaquin Pereyra sent a free kick into the box. The ball hit David Ayala's hand, and center referee Ricardo Fierro pointed to the penalty spot. After repeated replays in the press box, it became clear to me that Ayala was pushed by Morris Duggan, which made the extension of his arm a "natural position." After a couple minutes of heated debate on the field while VAR official Shawn Tehini was reviewing the play, Fierro went to the monitor and overturned the penalty call on the field. That's how VAR is supposed to work. In real time, amongst the mass of bodies, it was hard to see Duggan's push. But it became blatantly obvious upon replay. A VAR decision went Portland's way, and they had to capitalize on it.

Right before halftime, that chance came. Ian Smith unloaded a DIME of a diagonal ball to Moreno, who crossed it into the box for Mora. After a deft control with his chest, the Chilean's attempt was volleyed right at St. Clair. That's how the Timbers entered halftime: with a positive feeling about their performance but surely rueing that missed chance.

After some back-and-forth play to open the second half, Portland nearly found the opener in the 73rd minute when Jimer Fory played a perfect through ball to Moreno but the resulting shot was dragged wide of the far post. Four minutes later, the visitors were on the board. After clearing Julian Gressel's initial corner kick, the German (American?)'s second cross found Anthony Markanich in the box, who nodded it past Crepeau at the near post. But the Timbers, who weren't going to go down without a fight, kept driving forward. In the 81st minute, Kevin Kelsy's backwards roll (NOT A BACKHEEL) played Ian Smith into the box. Unfortunately, the Pioneer's (new nickname alert, not a big fan of "Smudge" to begin with) attempt couldn't find the target from a tight angle. Despite even more pressure, it appeared that the Timbers weren't going to get the bounces they needed when Mosquera unleashed a rocket of a shot that hit the crossbar in the 90th minute. But when the bounces aren't going your way, you have to create your own greatness.

After the Timbers won another corner kick in the 3rd minute of stoppage time, Smith's initial delivery was headed away. But the ball was recycled to Mosquera, who fired a perfect second cross to the back post and found enough space for a box-crashing Omir Fernandez to roof it past St. Clair to tie the game.

Delirium ensued, and the Timbers had the smallest amount of time left to win the game. Two more corner kicks occurred, with Finn Surman's header flying wide left to end the game and keep the Timbers winless in their last 3.

Assorted Takeaways

Stats do not matter in tonight's game. Sure, the Timbers won the xG battle 1.71 to 0.73 (including a 0.92-0.27 win on dead-ball xG). But this game could have easily been a Timbers win if two chances that fell to key contributors hit the back of the net.

Mora's 45+3' volley and Moreno's 73rd minute miss should have been goals. That part isn't up for debate. The Timbers, once again, didn't create a ton from open play. However, their biggest chance (measured by xG) ended up in the back of the net. In many ways, it was beautiful. The Portland Timbers, known for their willingness (sometimes compulsion) to pass the ball into the back of the net, scored their equalizer in a fashion used against them countless times. On the day that celebrated their 50th anniversary, they used the far post to their advantage.

Aside from Markanich’s goal (and one moment in the 58th minute where Duggan couldn’t redirect a ball to the back post on target) the Timbers handled a Minnesota team that was built to exploit their biggest weaknesses. Defending set pieces? Portland successfully defended 15 out of 16 dead balls. And every single one of those free/corner kicks were direct attempts to get the ball into the box.

The most impressive aspect of this match, however, is Portland’s ability to match a physical Minnesota team with their intensity levels. The Timbers won 52% of the total duels in this game. That includes 57% of the aerial duels. By matching Minnesota’s intensity, the Timbers always had a chance. It was the most important thing they had to do in order to get a result. And they put in maximum effort despite being at the end of a congested week. By the way, I began this passage by saying “stats don’t matter” and then decided to delve into the numbers. I clearly can’t be trusted.

Player Ratings

Maxime Crepeau: 8.1

This is a rating that isn’t backed up by the stats, but stats don’t tell the whole story. For example, Crepeau made a fantastic save on Pereyra’s free kick in the 24th minute. The xGOT of that shot was only 0.14, but it still took a top-class diving save to keep it out of the net. Like he did against New England, Crepeau led from the back tonight. Although several of his long ball attempts didn’t work out, the thought behind them was correct. Remember: players do not deserve to be criticized for bad executions of good decisions.

Juan Mosquera: 9.1

The Colombian always ups his game in the biggest fixtures, so I’m officially awarding him a badge.

Minnesota’s right side was the primary avenue for attacks, but as Mosquera began to tire the Loons began to target him. Not only did he continue to lock down Portland’s right, he provided his best cross of the season and it resulted in the game-tying assist. If deliveries like that can become more regular, his assist total will skyrocket. Of course, players need to get on the end of them, but they’re hit with enough pace to beat a defender but not hard enough to cause trouble for a potential recipient. With no first-choice corner taker, I’d like to see what Mosquera can do from dead balls. At this point in the season, why not give it a go!

Finn Surman: 7.5

With his international teammate on the other side of the pitch, Surman turned in another excellent defensive performance. But there’s one thing keeping his rating from rising above 8: corner kicks.

Over the past few weeks, Surman has gotten his head on the end of multiple corner kick deliveries from his teammates. In fact, 8 of his 9 shots this season have come from corner kick deliveries. Only two of those have found the target, with the majority landing very wide of the goal frame. Part one of succeeding on attacking set pieces is being able to win the header. But Surman is struggling with part two: putting the header on target. Those goals will come, and he’s still a young player. But I was disappointed with how far off target both of his attempts were.

Dario Zuparic: 9.4

Neville said that Zuparic was “the best player on the pitch” during the post-game press conference. It’s hard to disagree with that proclamation. Portland used a back three in 3 out of their past 5 games (tonight included). In the previous two (New England home and STL away), the Croatian was lined up as the right-sided center back. Although he wasn’t exactly poor in that position, he had to defend the boundary a lot more and got beaten by several wingers during those games. However, Neville moved him to the middle of the back three for tonight’s game, and the viewing public was treated to a Zuparic masterclass. Tough tackles? You got them. Long balls towards the flanks and down the middle. Yep. Drawing 3 fouls without committing a single infraction of his own? You betcha. In addition, Neville said that Zuparic has been “ill” for the past 10 days. The man doesn’t let anything stop him from putting on his boots and getting on the field. On a night with several former teammates and club legends in the house, Zuparic honored them by giving his all for the badge.

Jimer Fory: 7.6

The most controversial selection in the team’s starting lineup didn’t involve any of the forwards. Rather, it was the choice to start Fory at LCB. This was something that I was hoping to see against St. Louis, but it didn’t happen. Tonight, with a fully rested Kamal Miller available after serving a yellow card suspension, Neville put his cojones (balls) on the table. And Fory, in his first start as a center back, put in another excellent performance. On the ball, he created a couple of chances but also misplayed some simple passes. But defensively, he was a rock. Every single reason why the Timbers signed him was on display. Aerial ability, passing, physicality, he did it all. And he did it while playing a (relatively) unfamiliar position.

Ian Smith: 8.3

It seems weird to advocate for the back three purely for Ian Smith’s sake. But after another outstanding performance, he’s very close to entering the “undroppable” tier of players occupied by Da Costa, Fory, Ayala, Surman, and Zuparic. Let’s begin with what I’m calling the Pass of the Season: Smith’s diagonal in the 45+3’ to Moreno that resulted in Mora’s volley directly at St. Clair. He launches balls from deep. He had Julian Gressel (one of the top creative forces in MLS) in jail. He’s equally adept at locking down the wing as he is at providing excellent service into the box. Until the deal for the new DP gets over the line, I think Smith has to be an every-game starter.

Cristhian Paredes: 7.3

This was the perfect game for Paredes to start due to his ability to snuff out counterattacks. Sure enough, he did a lot of that. Some of his passing was a bit rough, but he came in and did his job in his first start since May 24th in Orlando. Paredes’ floor is one of the highest on the team. When Neville mentioned in the post-game that he chose tonight’s team in terms of reliability, Paredes must have been the first name on the teamsheet.

David Ayala: 7.2

This was not one of Ayala’s better games, but that’s because the standard for his performances is so high. At the end of a busy and congested week, he gave it all that he could before eventually exiting in the 74th minute. I liked his ability to win headers in the midfield and the way he pushed the team forward with his passing range.

Ariel Lassiter: 6.6

I don’t think Lassiter was bad, but I also don’t think that he was good. I’ve liked what I saw from him in these past two games, and he provided a platform for the Timbers to counter in the first half. However, he wasn’t making the same runs from the RSL game that could’ve led to more dangerous chance creation. He’s still recovering from a broken hand, but he put in another hour of hard running.

Santiago Moreno: 7.8

Moreno entered tonight’s game with the most pressure on his shoulders. I think he was up to the task, even with more poor turnovers in Minnesota’s half. At the very least, he was willing to try things. And he should’ve had an assist on Mora’s missed chance. No one on the team needs to rest more than Moreno during this week. He played all of the available minutes during the last two games.

Felipe Mora: 7

The missed chance was his biggest moment of the game, but the way that Mora leads the line opened space for all of his teammates. I think a version of the Chilean who isn’t in a scoring drought puts that chance away. He needs to find his confidence again.

Gage Guerra: 6.9

It pains me every time Guerra comes onto the pitch and is forced out wide. He’s a player that needs to be close to goal. While on the right, he’s more responsible for delivering the final ball rather than getting on the end of it.

Diego Chara: 7.5

One of the most important moments in the game occurred in the 87th minute. Minnesota got on the counter for a rare moment, but Diego Chara hustled back and used his positioning to nullify the immediate threat. He’s 39 years old. He just got voted into the Timbers’ All-Time XI. The last members of the Ring of Honor received their commemorative axes prior to kickoff. Chara will likely be the next one. Well, if he ever decides to hang up his boots. That play in the 87th minute was something that has been seen for years. From 2011 to 2025. Despite not being on the field at halftime with the rest of the All-Time XI, the cheers when Chara’s name was announced were the loudest of the night.

Kevin Kelsy: 6.8

The Venezuelan didn’t get a lot of the ball, but he did create a chance for Smith. He was mostly another body on the pitch, and got called for a foul for the crime of being big. Although he didn’t contribute much on the ball, I enjoyed his hustle.

OMIR FERNANDEZ: 8.5

“The first corner that I was a part of, the back post was wide open. They didn’t mark that area. I just saw Juan. I don’t know if he saw me. I’ll have to ask him. He’ll probably tell you that he did see me.” Omir Fernandez’s incredible soccer brain is the biggest reason why the Timbers finished this game with a crucial point. Since making his Timbers debut 3 months ago, the wait for his first goal involvement continued to stretch on and on. I think he saved it for the perfect time.

Coach Rating: 9

“We wanted to pick a team that was 7/10 in terms of reliability. I went back to some tried and true players who could be relied upon,” Neville said post-game. Despite fielding a total of zero DPs and only two U22s, Neville’s team selection worked against a team that was built to take advantage of Portland’s weaknesses. That team was good enough to win as well. I thought that the substitution choices were good, even though I’d like to see Guerra playing centrally. However, I understand the team’s lack of depth in wide areas, and Guerra’s work rate translates to what Neville wants his wingers to do.

Table Time

With one game remaining before Leagues Cup, the Timbers currently sit in 6th place. However, they’re 4 points ahead of the Wild Card spots and 3 points out of 4th place. With at least 1 game remaining against each of the top 5, the Timbers have plenty of points available to climb up the table. Although tonight’s result was technically a good one, they did leave two points on the table because it was a home game against an opponent on short rest and a long trip.

Final Whistle

Half of tonight’s story is about the game. The other half is about the club as a whole.

As I stood on the sideline watching warmups, dozens of volunteers walked down to field level from the North End. In a carefully choreographed move, they spread out across the stadium. One by one, on cue, each giant sheet of canvas rose from the field. The result was the largest painted tifo in MLS history, accomplished by the supporter’s group and club that deserves it the most.

Prior to kickoff, four commemorative axes were handed out to the last remaining people in the Ring of Honor who hadn’t received theirs yet. John Bain and Timber Jim Serrill were on hand to receive theirs in person, while Jimmy Conway and Clive Charles were represented by family members. All of Portland’s Ring of Honor members have now been recognized in person at a game.

During halftime, a crowd of former players entered the pitch to be honored at halftime. The most notable alumni were the members of the All-Time XI. Jack Jewsbury, Adam Kwarasey, and Nat Borchers were already in town after being honored on Wednesday night due to their presence on the 2015 cup-winning team. So was Diego Valeri, but he still lives here. That doesn’t count. Two members of the 2015 team and the All-Time XI were in the building, but couldn’t make it onto the field. Diego Chara and Liam Ridgewell were in the locker room preparing for the second half. Fanendo Adi is a coach for Minnesota, so the schedule worked out pretty well for his return. As Chara returned to the field for the second half, an excited Adi shouted at him while the honorees made their way to the North End. The schedule could have worked out better for Dairon Asprilla, but nothing was going to stop him from getting back to Portland. His initial travel itinerary had him scheduled to land on Thursday, but delays ended up pushing his arrival to Friday. It didn’t matter. He showed up to the training facility directly from the airport with his checked bag in hand. Sebastian Blanco was surrounded by his kids on the field; just another reminder about how deep the roots of this club run. Several generations of families have seen the Timbers from 1975 to 2025. Darlington Nagbe was the only one who couldn’t make the trip because he was currently playing in Columbus’ 2-1 win against DC United.

Behind the All-Time XI, a long line of former players stretched across the middle third of the pitch. Some of these alumni are familiar faces to all. Larrys Mabiala and George Fochive, still great friends, stood together with incredible outfits on. No one in Timbers history will be able to dress like them. On the left side, Ryan Johnson stood next to Vytas, who had his son in his arms. Next to Vytas, 1975 alumni Willie Anderson stood with an honorary scarf around his neck. Two players, signed 41 years apart, now separated by a distance of one foot. To continue a proud tradition, two former players (along with Valeri) made their way down to the field from the broadcast booth. Aaron Heinzen, a 3-season veteran from the USL era, now serves as the color commentator on the team’s radio broadcast. Ross Smith played for the Timbers in 2010; their last season before moving to MLS. In 2013, he joined the ROOT Sports broadcast booth and jumped to Apple when the local TV broadcasts ended in 2022. Ridgewell even had a stint as a broadcaster in the early 2020s before joining the coaching staff.

The Portland Timbers are the biggest club in the United States. No other soccer team is as important to their city as the Portland Timbers. The first people to disagree with that statement are probably the ones up north, who don’t even have their own home. Neither do the other “big-market” clubs, who exist purely as an afterthought in their city due to the other major sports teams that occupy their metropolitan area. Portland is Soccer City, and it has always been Soccer City. Tonight was a celebration of that heritage, and it played out on the field.

Last year, after witnessing the 3-3 draw in Salt Lake City in person, I wrote this:

Tonight’s game echoed the 3-3 RSL draw in some ways, but the common thread of a late far-post equalizer ties them together. But today, the Timbers were (literally) pushed around by an opponent who refused to be ethical in any shape or form.

As more news stories arrive on the daily about the cuts to national services (PBS and the various scientific research labs), various culture war nonsense that the average citizen doesn’t give a flying f*** about, and the continued insistence from the current administration that every single nightmare they’ve unleashed is good for the American people, the good people of Portland are surrounded by a complete lack of ethics getting rewarded. Every single bit of national news is a two-handed shove directly to the back meant to keep everyone off-balance. Sometimes it’s enough to knock you over. But there’s no way to take a break from that push. You simply have to eat it and keep running. But, as long as you don’t give up the fight, you can punch back. All it took was a second cross. They’re expecting the first one; they always are. But after dealing with the initial problem, disorganization kicks in. Being prepared for the second cross is a testament to mentality. For one moment tonight, the Timbers truly switched off. It cost them. But then they refused to quit and created a moment of their own that created a lasting memory.

Next weekend, the Timbers travel to Los Angeles; a city that has made headlines for being on the front line of a national immigration crackdown. Saying “immigration crackdown” is very disingenuous, however. Under the guise of “deporting illegal immigrants,” unidentified and masked “law enforcement officers” (if they’re unidentified, are they really law enforcement?) have been racially profiling American citizens and arresting them because of the color of their skin. In the Rose City, sports and human rights can never be separated. Palestinian flags have appeared in the North End over the past few weeks. Banners with hotlines for domestic violence victims have hung from the capo stand at the bottom of 107. Even tonight, in a celebration of the history of the team, the fans weren’t silent about the horrors that are being inflicted in this country on a daily basis.

Soccer is a platform to express your joy for humanity, in the face of all the horrors that humanity can inflict. No one understands that better than the Portland Timbers. Three-and-a-half years ago, on the other side of the field, a stoppage-time equalizer made the crowd erupt to levels that haven’t been seen before. Since then, tonight’s goal was the only time I’ve heard the stadium explode with comparable noise, despite a drastic difference in circumstances. No matter how dire the circumstances were on the pitch, the cheers and encouragement from the stands never stopped. That’s the way it has always been for 50 years; from Peter Withe to Clive Charles to Byron Alvarez to Kenny Cooper to Diego Chara to Diego Valeri to Larrys Mabiala to Dario Zuparic to Juan Mosquera to Omir Fernandez. The Portland Timbers aren’t a soccer club; they are THE soccer club.

Although the ethos of the club was on full display on and off the pitch, tonight’s game (from a surface-level perspective) was a must-win against a playoff rival. The Timbers did not win, but they’re the most shorthanded they’ve been all year. Three points would have been nice, but the effort and determination from the players culminated in a satisfying draw with a memorable moment attached. Reinforcements are still needed, and the transfer window opens next week. But the Portland Timbers just ended their most congested week of the season with the best possible non-victory result. This was a “big match,” and the team is desperate to play more of them. They’ll have plenty of opportunities in the coming months. The climb continues.

Author’s note:

This is the final piece I will be publishing on Substack. Next week, Cascadia FC is moving to its own independent website. This will not require any extra legwork from you, the (hopefully paid) subscriber. All subscriptions will be transferred from Substack to the new website without y’all having to lift a finger (which is also good news for me, considering my right middle finger is currently wrapped in a splint). This move couldn’t have been possible without the hard work of my co-managing editor Michael Martinez, and he deserves every single one of your thanks and appreciation. It also couldn’t have been possible without all of you; the subscribers, readers, and supporters of a local soccer blog that set out to cover the teams of the greatest region in the country how they should be covered. I’ll see all of you next week in a new place! Onwards!