The start of the 2012 Major League Soccer season for the Portland Timbers has been somewhat similar to last year’s season. The Timbers have played commendably at Jeld-Wen Field but have yet to win an away game. In 2011, the Timbers won only two away games all season.
So far this season, the Portland Timbers have 13 points from 12 games (3-5-4) and are seventh in the MLS Western Conference. The team has a 3-2-2 record at home and 0-3-2 on the road.
On Saturday, the Timbers hosted rivals the Vancouver Whitecaps and, despite controlling most of the game, had to settle for a 1-1 draw.
“I thought we never got what we deserved tonight,” head coach John Spencer said in a statement. “I felt we were by far the better team for most of the game, for long periods of the game. I thought our football at times was some of the best football we’ve played the whole year.”
Spencer made four changes to the starting lineup. Team captain and all-star midfielder Jack Jewsbury returned to the field. “I thought it worked,” Spencer said about the lineup changes. “I’ve been saying, time and time again, we’re lacking a bit of creativity, we’re lacking a final pass or cross into the box, and I think tonight we showed that with our feet. I thought we possessed the ball extremely well, at times. We’re creating chances at will, almost.”
Both goals of the game were scored in the second half. Timbers forward Kris Boyd was the first to score, in the 67th minute. This was Boyd’s first goal since mid-April. “It’s good to get on the score sheet,” Boyd said.
Spencer praised Boyd’s performance as well. “You’ve got to get the forward chances,” he said. “You get him a chance in the box, and the ball is in, and the ball is in the back of the net. It’s plain and simple. We have one of the best finishers in the British game on our club…I think tonight we got him a couple of looks, and he finished one off. That’s what he does. He’s a penalty box player.”
However, Vancouver equalized with six minutes left in the normal time through substitute striker Darren Mattocks. It was a very physical game, with four bookings and 12 fouls each.
“I think that’s just part of the modern game,” Spencer said. “If you don’t do it, teams are going to run over the top of you, and you’re going to lose games. For me, I like to concentrate on the way we played tonight with the ball at our feet, and I thought we were excellent.”
In non-MLS play, the Timbers lost to Spanish powerhouse Valencia CF 0-1 on Wednesday. This weekend they play Cal FC at home in the Open Cup.
The Timbers return to league play in mid-June with tough games against Los Angeles, Seattle and Colorado. And with the majority of the season still to play, the Timbers will need to stop conceding late goals and improve their away form if they wish to turn around their season and make it to the playoffs.