The Portland Timbers season ended ungracefully last year, when the Vancouver Whitecaps crushed the Timbers 5-0 at home in the play-in game for the MLS playoffs, placing them at 9th in the west.
It’s safe to say that this season has picked up right where last season left off — very literally.
The Timbers were once again confidently defeated by the Vancouver Whitecaps, this time 4-1. A red card given to defender Kamal Miller in the 11th minute set the tone for the rest of the match, as the Timbers struggled against a strong team with only 10 players. Maxime Crepeau, the Timbers’ goalkeeper, was unable to keep up with the onslaught from the Whitecaps, who took 22 shots throughout the game.
The red card committed by Miller was a source of controversy about the game. As a Whitecaps forward charged down the field with the ball, with only Crepeau in front of him, Miller fouled the forward, stopping his attack. Unfortunately for Miller and the Timbers, no matter how soft the foul was, it mandated a red card as punishment due to its status as a “Denial of Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity”.
Despite the harsh loss, there were still some positives from the Timbers’ opener.
David da Costa, the team’s newest signing, was subbed on late in the game, but looked energetic and confident on the field, creating some good scoring opportunities even in his limited minutes. Likely intended as a “replacement” for Evander, the MVP finalist who carried the Timbers last year, da Costa will become a key part of the team going forward. da Costa most recently played for RC Lens, an upper-table team in Ligue 1, the highest-level league in France.
Now, the question stands: Will he be able to take the reins on the field? Phil Neville, the Timbers’ head coach, seems to think so. Neville told the press da Costa was “the best 10 in the league,” “10” referring to his position as an attacking midfielder.
Additionally, the games following the opener showed a better outlook for the season. The Timbers currently occupy 6th place in the Western Conference, with big wins against Colorado Rapids and Houston Dynamo and Antony proving his value to the team with three goals in those two games.
