It's 2024 Again
Several defensive errors. An Evander goal from outside the box. A furious second half that came *this* close to completing a comeback. Folks, I'm afraid it's still 2024. Unfortunately, that aforementioned Evander goal was marked on the scoresheet for the visitors, and it ended up being the deciding goal in a 3-2 loss at Providence Park.
Recap
It only took 3 minutes for Evander to make his presence known as he put in a late challenge on Maxime Crepeau. But the first actual blow was struck in minute number 10, right after Kevin Kelsy put Portland's first chance off the bar. A relatively easy run for Pavel Bucha through the heart of Portland's midfield teed up Evander, but the Brazilian executed a smart dummy to allow Kevin Denkey to fire the ball past Crepeau at the near post. 1-0 Cincy. 15 minutes later, Crepeau was beaten at his near post again, with Bucha providing the finishing move on a feed from Evander. After getting relentlessly booed every time he touched the ball, the former Timber wanted a goal of his own. That chance was gifted to him in the 36th minute, when David Ayala's suicide pass was easily intercepted by Matt Miazga, who quickly progressed the ball to Evander. With no one making an effort to close him down, he picked out the return address on Crepeau's goal with a classic Evander finish to make it 3-0. But the Timbers weren't going down without a fight. Ariel Lassiter found Kelsy in the box, and the Venezuelan created enough space for himself to pass the ball to the far post from a relatively tight angle one minute after the former Portland player scored. It was the former Cincinnati player's turn to make his voice heard. Despite a 3-1 deficit at halftime, it was a relatively encouraging attacking performance from Portland. But one team had two 8-figure DPs in the starting lineup and scored 3 of their 4 shots. Portland outshot the Garys, but couldn't capitalize.
The second half saw the momentum meter shift firmly in Portland's favor, but the hosts still managed to create little more than half chances. This half was marred by poor decision making and general indecisiveness. However, the Timbers continued their relentless pressure and were saved several times by Crepeau when Cincy could counter. That pressure paid off in the 68th minute. Stiven Jimenez made a reckless tackle on Juan Mosquera in the box, and Kelsy slid home the resulting penalty. Now it was 2-1 with 20 minutes and stoppage time left to play. The same patterns continued for Portland, and they were unable to find an equalizer. Antony's last gasp chance in the 4th minute of stoppage time (their best opportunity since the PK) went flying over the crossbar. An enthralling game nearly saw the Timbers overturn the deficit. But Cincinnati's lead held, with Evander's goal proving to be the decisive factor.
Quick Refereeing Note
In the 79th minute, there appeared to be a handball infraction in Cincinnati's box. It was waved off by center referee Rubiel Vazquez and no VAR review was initiated. From the replay, there was a handball. But I'm actually fine with this penalty not being given. The reason why? Consistency.
There’s been a concerted effort from PRO to determine the parameters for what a handball actually is. This cross from Paredes hits Stiven Jimenez in the armpit before being controlled by his hand. Yes, his hand is affecting the flight of the ball. But it hits his armpit first, and doesn’t have enough time to fully pull his arm away due to the proximity of the cross. His arm is judged to be in a natural position because he’s trying to regain balance after shuffling over to get in front of Paredes.
In the heat of the moment, it’s easy to say “ball hits hand in box, point to spot.” But when you take the green-and-gold glasses off and you think about the play without any jerseys, one thought becomes clear: what else is he supposed to do there? He simply doesn’t have enough time to move his arm away from the cross, and it isn’t a direct hit to his hand anyway.
A similar call occurred earlier tonight in the Charlotte-RSL game, and a penalty wasn’t given for the same exact reason. Because two MLS games in the same night had similar infractions in the box and the outcome was the same despite slight differences, I’m inclined to be even more in favor of the no-call than I was on the first rewatch when it finally clicked.
All season long (and throughout my entire time watching this league) I have wanted CONSISTENCY above all else from PRO. It absolutely doesn’t happen every game. But for once, consistency reigned supreme. This is a step in the right direction, and it does deserve a shoutout. However, I didn’t think Vazquez was perfect tonight by any means. A yellow should have been awarded to Evander for that cheap shot on Crepeau, and somehow an obvious save from Roman Celentano in the 57th minute became a goal kick. The referees are never perfect, but at least they’re getting the biggest calls from tonight’s game correct. You’d have to wonder if Portland’s hat-trick voodoo was also playing into this moment. Portland definitely deserved something from this game, but it wasn’t going to come from a second penalty kick.
Decision-Making
According to the stat sheet, this was Portland’s game to lose. They won the xG battle 2.51-1.00; and that advantage stayed when non-penalty xG was taken into account (1.31-1.00). However, without that penalty, Portland’s massive advantage in shots (24-10) were far less valuable than they should have been. Despite being on the front foot and progressing the ball at will (mostly due to Cincy dropping into a mid-block after Denkey’s goal), the Timbers were still failing around the box. That falls to two things: tactics and decision-making.
Given that this is likely Portland’s last game without Kristoffer Velde and Felipe Carballo, a look into this team’s attacking structure is due. It’s pretty easy to see how the Timbers want to play: short passes, keeping the ball, and relying on combinations around the box to create space for cutbacks/crosses to players who are in the box to receive such deliveries. However, there are two things that are usually lacking to make that game method work: off-ball movement and decision-making. I’ll get to another aspect later because it deserves its own separate tirade. Not that this will be a tirade at all, mind you. I’ve repeated these words in some way or another across this season.
The off-ball movement is the easiest one to identify. For one game (LAFC away) the Timbers were doing all of the right things off the ball. Players would make dangerous and (most importantly) unpredictable runs which dragged LAFC’s settled defense out of position. Against another formidable defense tonight (and with home-field advantage) the Timbers failed to do this. Players stood around the box, looking for the pass to be played instead of making a run to open the space for the pass. This is the “chicken-or-egg” theory of soccer: which comes first, the pass or the run?
If you watched Cincinnati today, you saw instances of both. Evander would often recognize space (in classic Evander fashion) and send a ball into that space for his teammates to chase. Those teammates of his are rather fast, and the Timbers had two rapid wingers (Antony and Lassiter) start this game. Rather than playing them into space with long balls, they were often too direct; playing those passes into feet rather than the space. This completely robs Portland of their best attacking asset this season: speed.
This slow, patient style of possession play completely lacks the off-ball dynamism to make it consistently dangerous. To continue a theme from the Dallas game, the Timbers kept sending in crosses from wide areas that were easily dealt with by the opposition defenders. The big difference in this game is that there were actually a fair amount of players in the box to get on the end of those crosses. But the trio of Miazga, Nick Hagglund, and Miles Robinson are all excellent in the air. It became another frustrating repeat viewing of hopeless crosses being fired into the box and being met by Cincinnati heads. But that lack of off-ball movement leads into the tirade portion of this recap: dreadful positioning.
TIRADE: Positioning
This is a rant that has been brewing for a long time, but tonight was the final straw. This team is an organizational mess in every 8 out of 10 games. Their poor positioning is the biggest problem with this team. Neville likes to give his number 10s a free role. If you watched this game, every player aside from the defenders (and even that’s being generous to an extent) had a serious problem with their positioning. It’s like there’s a solid back four with instructions but with six players in front of them in free roles.
Normally, I’d be a fan of fluidity among the team’s attackers. But this ties into the third problem: poor decision-making. Timbers players have the ability to play champagne football. I believe that. They’re extremely talented and can make combinations out of nothing. HOWEVER, it takes them two seconds too long to make a decision, and 7 times out of 10 it’s the wrong one. Tonight’s biggest proof of this phenomenon is Juan Mosquera’s counterattack in the 61st minute.
This is absurd. It’s Portland’s best chance on the break during the entire game, and it’s ridiculously easy for Mosquera to pass it to the left. With some extra mustard, he gets it to Antony, who is finally in a situation where his lightning speed can be used to Portland’s advantage. If that pass is underhit, David Da Costa is there, and he’s rather pacey too. Antony could continue his run (drawing a defender) and open up space for Da Costa to do DP things (probably pass it to Antony and crash the box for the return ball). Either way, both outcomes in case the ball goes left are WILDLY better than anything that can happen if Mosquera tries to force the through ball to Lassiter. There is no point trying to make a more difficult pass if there are TWO FREE RUNNERS directly on your left.
The best Timbers games during 2025 have featured several counters. Because Portland can’t regularly capitalize on these GOLDEN opportunities, most of them go to waste. These fast breaks are CRUCIAL to the success of this team. Because if the chance doesn’t materialize on the break, it isn’t going to come in possession. Well, they will create chances, but they won’t be as dangerous.
I’d like to make a quick apology. For the second week in a row, something major happened in this game and I forgot to put it in my notes. This isn’t “major” in the sense of a missed chance, but it’s major as it relates to Portland’s attacking struggles. At one point in the second half, a trio of Da Costa, Ayala, and Lassiter were inside the circle at the top of the box with the ball at Da Costa’s feet. No one was moving. No one was shooting. They were all out of ideas.
The players on this team routinely occupy each other's space. It makes them incredibly easy to defend while also limiting the areas of the pitch that they can exploit. Utilizing overloads can work if there's a plan to play an outlet ball to an unmarked teammate. That method was used approximately once tonight, and it resulted in an overhit Mosquera cross. Portland isn't dynamic enough around the box because players keep moving into each other's space and proceeding to do jack squat off the ball. There's nothing for the defenders to track because it's all in front of them. What a serious waste of time and effort.
This positioning gripe of mine also carries over to transition moments. Specifically, moments when the Timbers lose the ball. Because their instincts/coaching (unsure which one is mostly at fault here, probably a bit of both) leads to a group of players bunching around the ball, it opens a lot of space during a turnover.
How about a turnover like this one? Ayala, to his credit, is trying to push the ball forward through the middle. Ironically, the Timbers need to do more of this. But, in this case, Ayala is unaware that Kelsy is coming back late from an offside position. Even if he was onside, this is the easiest interception Matt Miazga will make in his entire career.
Miazga is able to carry the ball forward into a ton of space because there’s a giant gap between the midfield and the attack. This is a pretty familiar sight to people who watch this team every week. Passing the ball forward is inherently risky because of how big this gap is. Normally, you’d expect someone like Da Costa to occupy this space and be the connector. But he’s essentially a second striker in this formation. But there is a player who is acting as the connector on this play, and he’s about to receive the ball.
This is way too much space for Evander.
This is also way too much space for Evander. Miller doesn’t move, and the player who is actually trying to challenge the shot is Mosquera. Why is Mosquera defending centrally here instead of Finn Surman? Because another poor turnover caught Portland wildly out of position all over the field. Strong defensive teams are able to mitigate this with a defined structure, more commonly known as a rest defense. Portland’s rest defense in the back three was defined, but the return to the back four saw old issues pop up again.
There’s also the other factor of no one even TRYING to foul him. In theory, Ortiz could have come in with a shoulder and probably would have earned a yellow. When players are forced to go on the back foot and constantly recover their position, it makes it very hard to stay organized.
Portland played right into Cincinnati’s hands, but their sheer will and effort got them two goals. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to dig them out of a 3-goal hole. Because the Timbers turned back the clock to 2024, they were unable to perform the basics of defending. And a Cincinnati team that was very beatable took 3 points on the road. That’s something they’re used to doing, by the way, but it doesn’t make it any less frustrating. A switch back to the 4-2-3-1 reopened some of the same problems this team has been dealing with regardless of which number 10 was supposed to be pulling the strings. And speaking of basics…..
Player Ratings
Maxime Crepeau: 6
This is a hard rating to give. Crepeau technically kept the game close in the second half, but his inability to defend his near post is a major weakness that appears on every opposition team’s scouting report. He needed to have a big game to respond to the errors in Dallas. He did not.
Once again, his defense did him no favors. Allowing Evander’s uncontested shot (which he really had no chance of getting) and forcing him into constant 1v1s is beyond worrisome. But my bigger issue with Crepeau is the cycle he’s gotten himself into. One out of every five games is a masterclass, and the other four are below-average. Consistency at the goalkeeping position is the most necessary thing that the Timbers can do while they re-work the 4-2-3-1. That sounds like Pantemis to me. However, I’m not opposed to giving Crepeau starts with a back three in front of him.
Juan Mosquera: 7
He did try to close down Evander, after all. But that wasted counterattack is going into the files of “What could have been.” Either way, I thought he did a better job of providing service and winning a penalty is always worth a thumbs up in my book.
Finn Surman: 8
Surman absolutely had Evander’s number tonight, which made it all the more frustrating that he wasn’t in the vicinity to challenge his lone shot of the game. Here are some other positives. His distribution out of defense is getting a lot better. He’s still a monster in the air. This was a good bounce-back game for him after the off-night in Frisco.
Kamal Miller: 5.5
There are some images that you can never erase from your brain. Miller losing a footrace to a 40-year-old Kei Kamara is one of them. In a back three, he’s a locked-in starter in the middle. But as the Timbers begin to shift to a back four and push both fullbacks up the pitch, he looks exposed again.
Jimer Fory: 9
A masterclass, plain and simple. Time for a Stathead check: 4 key passes, 4 recoveries, 6 interceptions, and 4 tackles
There’s only one. The key thing to note here is the attacking contributions, which have been largely muted in the back three. He’s a Rolls-Royce defender; capable of playing center back and left back with equal proficiency.
David Ayala: 7.7
The first half of this game was bad for Ayala. He missed passes, failed to position himself properly for challenges, and was often caught out like he was on Denkey’s goal. In the second half, he rebounded for a brilliant performance. But he needed to be better in the first half, and he simply wasn’t. But he still had some outstanding plays, like a “grown man run” in the 52nd minute.
Joao Ortiz: 6.6
Ortiz is in danger of becoming a scapegoat. Simply put, a lot of his issues are things that the entire team struggles with. Bad first touch, sloppy passing, and poor positioning being the chief offenders. But I didn’t think he was particularly awful yesterday either, which might surprise some of you. He was willing to shoot from outside the box and his last action of the game was his best: a ball into space for Lassiter. My biggest critique was his lack of aggressiveness and Phil Neville’s admission that Ortiz was supposed to man-mark Evander into oblivion. He did not do that.
Ariel Lassiter: 7.4
Lassiter continued his good streak of form by turning in a solid performance on the right wing. Once again, I wish he was willing to take more risks, and his vertical threat should have been more properly utilized.
David Da Costa: 7
I thought Da Costa was fine, but I would’ve liked to see him take more risks with the ball. Instead of taking some opportunities to drive at defenders, he was more willing to recycle possession. I know it’s his first season with the team, but I haven’t seen enough killer instinct to match his obvious skill with the ball at his feet. On the other hand, his defensive work was outstanding. He had 7 ball recoveries, which was tied with Mosquera for 3rd-most on the team.
Antony: 6.7
The Brazilian led all players in shots, but only two of them found the target. The late miss has to hurt, but it’s something he should be able to recover from. I’m still disappointed about the way he’s being used, especially with such a favorable matchup on his side.
Kevin Kelsy: 8.6
The Venezuelan striker scored his second brace of the season, and he absolutely earned this one. But aside from the goalscoring exploits, I was very impressed with his discipline after picking up an early yellow card. “At times, I may have too much energy,” he said post-game. But that energy was all over the pitch today as he routinely crashed the box and engaged in some excellent hold-up play. However, when he tries to dribble out of pressure, it can sometimes lead to a turnover or a less advantageous attacking angle. That’s stuff to work on. A half-second separated him from a hat-trick. I’d like to see him continue to work hard, and take a lot of positives from his recent performances.
Cristhian Paredes: 7.2
The sheer effort it took to keep the ball in play in the 66th minute led to a penalty kick, so Paredes already gets high marks in my book. It was an energetic and lively outing for the midfielder, who did almost everything except take a shot.
Dario Zuparic: 7
The calmness of Zuparic allowed the Timbers to maintain their front-foot status heading into second-half stoppage time. I think he has to be the starter alongside Surman in the back four going forward. The Timbers cannot allow their defense to be pulled between different combinations like they were last year. The simplest choice is often the best, especially in this case.
Omir Fernandez: 7
Fernandez gets the same rating as Zuparic for largely the same reasons. I’m wondering how his playing time will be impacted by the arrivals of Velde and Rojas. He’s the Paredes of the attack; an outstanding supersub.
Felipe Mora: 6.9
I thought Mora did well in his limited minutes, but he was occupying a lot of the same spaces that Kelsy was in advanced buildup. I’ll chalk that up to Neville deciding to go with 2 strikers for the first time since Toronto due to how desperate the situation was.
Coach Rating: 5
There’s one overarching reason for this low rating (besides all of the frustration about Portland’s wayward positioning): Diego Chara. I don’t think Joao Ortiz is as bad as many Timbers fans do. But it was blatantly obvious that this game was begging for Diego Chara, even if tonight wasn’t his bobblehead giveaway. Not starting him and then not bringing him on the pitch with one available substitute remaining is a travesty. I would’ve rather seen Ortiz against San Diego (he actually plays quite well on the road, at least recently) and Chara tonight. Especially when Neville’s “Ortiz man-mark” on Evander was nowhere to be seen during his goal.
Table Time
Portland neither rises nor falls and the gap between themselves and 4th-place Seattle remains the same. That was accomplished due to a Sounders loss in Minnesota, delivered by Stefan Frei tuning into a starfruit.
I guess being a regular old pumpkin wasn’t enough and he decided to morph from gourd to fruit after returning to the starting lineup. They’ll never stop innovating, I guess. This might seem a little weird to be throwing a Seattle dig in this article after what just occurred at Providence Park, but it’ll make sense in a little bit.
Cincinnati are now on top of the Shield standings, and their squad is stronger than the group that won the unbalanced regular season championship two years ago. In addition, they’re the best road team in the league, so this result wasn’t exactly surprising if you traveled from the future and told me the scoreline a few minutes prior to kickoff. However, there would be only one question I would ask this hypothetical time-traveler: did Evander score?
Final Whistle
Yeah, I have to talk about it.
The intensity of tonight’s crowd was at or above most playoff games. With fans packing the stadium early to get their hands on a Diego Chara bobblehead, the secondary mission of the night began as soon as Cincinnati’s team entered the building. Boos rang out loud and clear for Evander, as the mini-match halted to let the crowd welcome the former Timber to his former home. That was only the appetizer.
The main course began to be served during the announcement of the starting lineups. Boos filled the stadium again. All of this was expected. Since the protracted saga of Evander’s exit came to an end, most Timbers fans correctly saw the situation for what it was: a player who had no desire to play for the Portland Timbers pout himself into a move away from the club. While some of the “broken promises” mentioned by Evander are still unknown (mostly because he hasn’t provided any clarity on the situation, this will be a recurring theme) the facts for what followed are out in the open for everybody to see.
After the MLS transfer window closed last year, a $9M offer from an unnamed Qatari club arrived at 1844 SW Morrison. Two factors led to this bid being immediately rejected: the low-balling bid of $9M (below what the Timbers paid Midtjylland for him back in December 2022) and the fact that an immediate replacement couldn’t be signed. These two VERY REASONABLE factors led to the rejection of this bid. But Evander and his camp were not happy with it. This is what I’m calling the first red flag. Expecting the Timbers to accept an offer far below market value with no chance of signing a replacement is ludicrous. Portland’s front office still wanted to keep their star player happy, so they continued contract extension talks that were already in progress.
A 3yr/$13M contract was offered by the front office. Evander’s camp was OK, but wanted more. This is where the $15M release clause comes into play. The Timbers stuck to their guns and declined any release clause. In many ways, the release clause was red flag number two. Throughout the many times I’ve broken down this situation (AND I’M NOT HAPPY ABOUT DOING IT AGAIN, MIND YOU) I said that the Timbers absolutely should’ve agreed to put the release clause into the deal with restrictions around when it could be triggered. Based on my conversations with team sources, it became clear that the mere mention of a release clause was a pretty big dealbreaker. Why offer the most expensive contract in club history and include a set-in-stone price for an exit? Yeah, it makes sense, but I still defer to my initial reasoning: no team would be willing to match it. With hindsight available, maybe the club was aware of the new cashfer system that would be implemented in the league and didn’t want their most prized asset and best player (those aren’t always the same thing) to be poached by another MLS club.
These negotiations broke down, and Evander began to pout. This occurred during training sessions and other team activities, but never during games. However, his output did start to decrease as the regular season entered the home stretch. Many (like myself) attributed this to a heavy workload, particularly for the players around Evander like Jonathan Rodriguez, Felipe Mora, and a certain Colombian coward. Finally, the 5-0 Wild Card loss against Vancouver sent the whole situation into a tailspin that would never end. A contentious post-game locker room boiled over when Evander publicly called out general manager Ned Grabavoy in front of the rest of the team. At that moment, he was gone. Not for the reason of confronting Grabavoy, but for doing it mere minutes after the worst loss in team history.
Many (once again, like myself) were infuriated with the decision-makers in charge for letting the situation spiral out of control like this. But the background information necessary to come to the correct conclusion was still not in the public view yet. The offseason went on, more details emerged, and it became clear who the real antagonist was: the man who would rather go to Qatar in the middle of a season instead of finishing what he started.
Meanwhile, misinformation of these events continues to circulate. On the Apple TV MLS Countdown show, Sacha Kljestan and Dax McCarty echoed the false information that Evander’s departure from Portland was solely fueled by a contract dispute. People who are paid large amounts of money to properly cover the league failed at their job again. Back at Providence Park, the teams are on the pitch in front of a sellout crowd. A rarity given the cost of attending a soccer match in the United States, but Diego Chara brought them all here. Evander’s presence was just an added bonus.
The crowd was at a fever pitch after the end of the National Anthem. As a rail banner and floating banner of Chara draped over section 107, a familiar chant rose from the North End: “Haaaaiiiiiillllll Portland Timbers!” Over recent years, the traditional pre-kickoff chant has begun to lose its way. With increasing turnover in the Timbers Army for several reasons (ownership, high costs, ownership again) Portland fans have strayed from the traditional “We salute you!” that follows the first line. Sure, it usually morphs into “Dodgy keeper!” if the opposing team is defending the north side of the pitch, but “We salute you!” is the common follow-up. Recently, the “We salute you!” has faded into “F*** Seattle!” even if the Timbers aren’t playing the Sounders. I don’t like that one bit. However, tonight’s metamorphosis was met with my own nods in the pressbox: “F*** Evander!”
Diego Chara was not in the starting lineup. If it wasn’t for his bobblehead giveaway, this would have been an ordinary Timbers game with a friend-turned-foe on the opposite team. Except this wasn’t an ordinary former player returning to Providence Park. Two years ago, Darlington Nagbe captained the Columbus Crew on Diego Valeri Day. Six weeks ago, it was Maxi Urruti’s turn to get a warm welcome from Portland fans. Even tonight, with their team trailing in the dying moments of an intense game, cheers still rang out for Alvas Powell. But Evander was not going to get the same treatment. He was going to be jeered with a ferocity that no other opposing player has ever seen in Providence Park. Not even hated Sounders like Ruidiaz, Levesque, Montero, or Dempsey. This was not going to be a warm reception. And Evander didn’t expect one either. But he certainly wasn’t expecting this.
That tone on the pitch was set by Evander himself, who immediately embraced the villain role by making a late off-ball foul on Crepeau. That was his response. This opened the door to even more boos, which were occurring every time he got on the ball. Usually this is reserved for players who have run afoul during a match, like Chicho Arango in last year’s 3-0 demolition of RSL. Never from the opening whistle like this. This was a pure wall of hate projected onto a player that many of these fans stood on soapboxes for. They bought his jersey. They cheered for the birth of his child. None of that mattered anymore. Despite my numerous personal interactions with him through interviews and short chats at the training ground, remembering him as respectful and humble, I had no other choice but to nod along with the actions of the crowd. Nothing would be thrown at him on this night besides middle fingers. No slurs would be tossed in his direction. The “F*** Evander” chant would be the worst profanity collectively shouted at a man who once brought magic to the field he was currently playing on. This was a bed that he made, despite Instagram posts and podcast appearances where stuff was said without substance. One side of this story has been told, while the other remains vague and avoidant.
When his 36th minute rocket hit the back of the net, he did what I fully expected him to do. With a cupped ear pointing towards the North End, he reveled in the boos. But did he really?
Miazga is overjoyed. His teammate has been berated from the moment he entered the stadium, and he absolutely believes that it went too far. But Evander’s face tells a different tale. If I had the misfortune to support a club from Ohio, I would consider this picture a work of art. But I’m not a Cincinnati fan. I don’t feel the need to “uh actually” every point made about soccer in this country to a degree of self-importance that only someone from Ohio could muster. When I look at Evander’s face in this photo, I see satisfaction mingled with hurt. As he’ll admit later in a post-game press conference, he wasn’t expecting this level of hostility. He couldn’t even play the villain correctly. Conveyed in the rest of his celebration is utter fury. This was a goal that he needed to score. It might be the best goal he scored all year. No touch, just a body feint and a perfect finish from outside the box. And it delivered his team a win at Providence Park. Would his season feel complete without a goal here? As he went to celebrate, I had no choice but to nod along. He earned it. The right to gloat. And he did it in the exact way that reminded the Timbers what they were missing: magical moments born out of nothing delivered by a rocket from outside the box.
The boos kept coming, but they were tempered by the other player on the pitch playing against his former club. Down 3-1, the Army responded with another round of “Haaaaaiiiiilllll Portland Timbers! F*** Evander!” Why would they sing anything else?
The jeers continued throughout the game, all the way until the final whistle. Some fans believed that the people in the stadium had gone too far. From their perspective, the night that was supposed to celebrate Portland’s best-ever player turned into a hate-fest for the one with the most talent. You know what? I think it’s time to circle back.
Sports allow us to express equal amounts of love and hate. We love and cherish our own while throwing jabs and digs at those who we despise. No matter what happened in tonight’s game, I would still be laughing at this picture of Stefan Frei. I wish misery on my rivals just as much as I root for my teams to succeed and win. That’s what sports are. An avenue to express joy and hatred in equal measure for relatively silly reasons. Until they no longer become frivolous, that is.
Sports are communal. After the release of the starting lineups, I usually descend from the press box level to go say hi to various groups of friends within the stadium. Some of them I have known for ages, and the shared memories this team has brought us are deeply embedded into the fabric of our friendship. Some are relatively recent acquaintances, but the shared love of this team strengthens the bonds of those seemingly thin connections. Some are only within my circle of friends because of how much we care for this team. And some are brand new connections, who are more than willing to come up and say hi because they recognize me from the Internet. All of these people share the same thing: love for this team and the city that it represents.
When someone who is accepted into this community and becomes one of the faces of it, an ugly breakup is the last thing anyone wants. Since the Portland Timbers are THE soccer club, betrayals of this magnitude can be hard to comprehend. Every other talisman stepped away when the time was right (aside from Darlington Nagbe but that doesn’t count). Valeri, Ridgewell, Blanco (in a sense), Asprilla, and Adi all got some version of a farewell. Even the greatest one, who didn't even see the pitch tonight, will get one. Every club has ugly breakups, and this one is no exception. But Evander’s departure and the circumstances surrounding it is the first true rejection from a star that the Timbers have ever had (no, Steven Taylor was dogshit, he’s not a star despite that Newcastle pedigree). It makes so much sense that a minority of Timbers fans haven’t been able to come to terms with it six months after the sale was finalized. At the end of the day, he didn’t want to be here. For those of us who can’t imagine spending our lives anywhere else but Portland, it hurts. It will still hurt. Those boos weren’t entirely fueled by hatred. Sadness, anger, cognitive dissonance, all of it factored in. Why couldn’t he stay? What made it impossible for him to do so?
It isn’t like he hasn’t been able to speak on the topic. Local reporter Guillermo Motta joined Evander’s post-match press conference and gave him a chance to speak from the top of the mountain; sitting on a field of victory enjoying some well-earned comforts. He did something that required bravery: asking Evander point-blank if he wanted to share anything that was going on behind the scenes in Portland as it related to Ned Grabavoy. The Cincinnati press officer on hand immediately tried to deflect the question by keeping all topics focused on the game. But Evander decided to answer it anyway. I’m not going to post the full quote here, but I can sum it up in a brief phrase: he accepted the opportunity to dodge the question. With the opportunity to drive a final stake through the heart of Portland’s fanbase by explaining how he was wronged and giving them even more ammunition to despise the decision-makers, he passed it.
Is it like his dummy for Denkey where it’s not his place to strike the killing blow? Or is the rocket and all the celebrations that came with it still on its way? My gut says neither. I don’t think he’ll ever be booed like he was tonight. I think he believes that nothing he can say will change anyone’s opinion. I’m here to say that it’s not true. As an objective thinker at heart capable of coming to conclusions based on the facts around me, I’ve only heard one side of the story backed up by credible reporting. But I think Evander has accepted that a community full of people who once adored him and cheered his every move will forever despise him. Maybe he’s OK with it. Or maybe he isn’t. That’s his battle to figure out.
Portland’s battle to qualify for the top four just got a lot tougher with tonight’s result. One late equalizer could be the difference between that top four and a potential return to the Wild Card when the season ends. Of course, there’s other nonsense like The Asterisk to consider, but it’s time to take solace in one thing: we will not see this version of the Timbers again for a while.
Kristoffer Velde and Felipe Carballo were both in attendance for tonight’s game. They have been training with the team, but were unable to play tonight as their visa situations get sorted out. Those should be taken care of by next weekend, when the Timbers travel to face another conference leader and an unfamiliar opponent at that. There are lessons to be learned tonight. Some of them are ones they need to relearn from last year. Others will rely on the new faces to provide some teaching. As the Timbers get ready for another set of back-to-back road games, the heat is absolutely on for them to get back to winning ways. None of these games (San Diego and Minnesota away) will be easy. After that, the international break hits and the Timbers are suddenly in the final sprint for the postseason. These next two games will provide more context for how the season will end. But this is Major League Soccer, and nothing is certain. Except Evander, I guess. The climb continues.
