Post-Match Thoughts: Timbers @ LA
(1) LA is good.
(2) Spencer is getting closer and closer to the squad he wants. Nagbe and Chara will likely be in the starting lineup on Saturday and that will give Spencer most of the guys he wants out on the field. He might need to adjust the formation a little to get the exact mix he wants, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some different looks in these next three home games. Then he’ll be able to focus on the defenders a bit.
(3) Have you wondered at all what Gavin Wilkinson is doing these days. Think about it… the roster is at 28, contracts are signed, players are settled in… what’s left for the GM to do? Well in case you were wondering, he’s working non-stop to find some new defenders. First of all, there’s no one to cover at outside back (other than Jeremy Hall) if Purdy or Wallace go down. And even if they are healthy, there are 34 regular season games, at least two U.S. Open Cup games so far, plus two international friendlies so far. Are those two guys really going to play every minute of all 38 games?
There’s also the issue of the center backs. I’m not totally giving up on some combination of those four guys (Brunner, Danso, Goldthwaite, Horst) working out. But believe me, if Gavin can work some kind of trade or bring someone in during the summer transfer window, he’s going to do it. It takes time for a center back pairing to develop chemistry just like attackers, but they’re simply not doing well enough right now. They either need to figure it out or Gavin and John will find someone who can.
(4) Purdy has been steady at outside back. But on the other side, Wallace (despite having scored twice) has not shown that he’s up to the task day-in and day-out for ninety minutes. He’s quick and aggressive but he’s simply making too many errors everywhere else. Consider the sequence in the pictures on the right (click to get the larger image). To put it simply: it is absolutely unacceptable for a starting outside back in the MLS not to make the simple pass into a wide open center midfielder. I probably don’t need to tell you what happened next: he played a long ball over the top which resulted in a turnover (in this particular case it was an offside call). That’s Wallace’s default mode—play it over the top. It’s simply not good enough for this level. And this sequence of pictures is not an isolated incident (I wish it were). Wallace misses simple possession-oriented passes multiple times every game.
(5) Chara looked extremely promising. I’m excited.
Fascinating sequence of pictures. I remember that play (or others like it). I don’t remember seeing Chara open in the midfield but I do recall seeing Wallace play a long ball and I thought, “Come on Rodney! I thought we were over this.” If you look at the pictures it’s as if Wallace made the decision before he got the ball. Then in the next second or two his body just went with that initial command despite Chara getting into better position. He might have thought Chara was initially too far away. Plus the pressure of the two Galaxy players (seen in photo 1) made him just react and get rid of the ball. If he had been just a little patient and got the ball to Chara the Timbers might have had an opportunity. It’s little things like this that go a long way in deciding games. Wallace has the athletic ability but has been inconsistent. He just needs to play smarter. This will hopefully come with coaching and experience.
Chara did bring some much needed competency to the midfield and composure on the ball. I’m excited about his potential too.