PORTLAND, Ore. – There’s no two ways about it: The Portland Timbers are in a funk.
They haven’t won since Aug. 15, and in their four-game winless streak – which has included two losses and two draws – they’ve managed to score only three goals.
But, somehow, they’ve held onto a playoff spot, tenuously sitting in the sixth and final Western Conference position with a one-point lead over the San Jose Earthquakes and three points up on Real Salt Lake and the Houston Dynamo heading into a tough road matchup Saturday with Columbus Crew SC (7:30 pm ET; MLS LIVE).
Head coach Caleb Porter knows a turnaround is in order – especially after their 2-0 dismantling last time out against the New York Red Bulls – if his group wants to sew up a trip to the postseason.
“We have to respond,” Porter said after a training session this week. “And I’m confident I will get a response from the guys going into this next game.”
A lack of production in the attack has been the biggest culprit, a situation that isn’t new to the Timbers this year.
They are only team in the Western Conference playoff places with a negative goal differential (29 scored, 34 conceded) and the lowest scoring of any current playoff team as the second lowest scoring team in MLS.
“We can’t complicate it, we can’t build more pressure on those guys, we just need to keep them loose,” Porter said. “The quality is there, we’re getting into positions, the goals will come.”
Previous to the Red Bulls loss, there were signs for optimism.
They fired off 18 shots in a scoreless draw Sept. 9 with Sporting Kansas City. In their previous outing they were even better, with 20 shots in a 2-1 loss Aug. 30 to the Seattle Sounders.
In those games, the Timbers were without starting defensive midfielders Will Johnson (rest and international duty) and Diego Chara (suspension), fielding second-year pro George Fochive and veteran Jack Jewsbury. Against Kansas City, they also started backup center back Norberto Paparatto as Liam Ridgewell was forced out with a suspension and right back Taylor Peay while Alvas Powell was away with the Jamaican national team.
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Could Porter shuffle the lineup against Crew SC to seek a similar spark?
“With those types of questions the answer is, ‘Yes, we will always do what we need to do to win,’" Porter said. "We never do something to try to lose. So if we think it’s best to make changes, we will. So those are things we’ll definitely look at.”
Porter said it was a lack of execution that led to the lackluster performance against the Red Bulls, and without making excuses said the lack of recent playing time for Johnson and Chara could have played a part in that. But one positive that may have come out of the loss, Porter said, was useful scouting information on what to do against Columbus, considering both are high-pressure, possession-orientated teams.
A response could very well mean the difference between the playoffs or sitting at home come November.
“The expectation is playoffs, every year,” Porter said. “That’s the expectation. And obviously if you get into the playoffs, it gives you a chance to win a trophy.”
Dan Itel covers the Timbers for MLSsoccer.com.
