Portland made one bone headed move, and fortunately for us Lee was in position to take advantage. Otherwise, we never seemed like we wanted to score.
I was on the same flight to Portland as the revs and saw them grab their luggage, so I KNOW it was April fools.
The way Portland attacked tonight and their only score being from a poor clearance says a lot for how our defense is coming along. It may still be a work in progress but to have survived the relentless attack they saw last night and no give up a second goal IMO says the defense is coming together under Lllamosa's handling. What did people think of Smith tonight? My eyes aren't good enough to follow subtle details
Smith shines in debut, helps bottle up potent Timbers attack: “He was ready to go” April 3, 2017, 1:55AM EDT Jeff Lemieux
Thought Smith looked good. Showed some composure under pressure and accurate outlet passes from the back. Also handled Adi very well. I think the match up against Adi was the main reason for sitting Anguoa. The only thing he didn't succeed in was scoring on his open header in the first half Delemea also impressed. Aside from one Rowe blast from outside the box we did very little on offense until Nguyen's goal. Part of it could be the defense first attitude but, still, we should have generated at least a few more chances on the counter. If a couple of Portland's penalty shouts (Agudelo and I think Smith would have been the offenders?) had come to fruition we would have been long out of the running for stealing the point.
I thought Smith was fantastic. Adi took him out a couple of times ... "Welcome to the league rookie" kinda moves, and Smith didn't get fazed. He played a heck of a game. Lemieux said the move to start him was tactical, not an injury to Angoua. I didn't see that result coming at all, but full credit for the way the boys played, and to Heaps. Well earned point at a tough place to play. Someone here posted during the game that they'd need a lucky bounce, and they got it. The thing is if they hadn't kept it close, the lucky bounce wouldn't have mattered. Great ball in by Kamara by the way, and a nice touch by Teal which through off the goalie. I thought Rowe was much better playing ACM at times than Lee, who continues to slow down the ball. Delamea was solid as well, I'm really liking that pickup at this point.
I thought it was a pretty gritty performance. Flaws? Sure, a bunch. I liked that they gutted out a point on the road, and appeared to have a bit more discipline. I thought Smith was in there to do a job on Adi and I think he did pretty well. Certainly worth another look when we're playing physical forwards. I don't think Fagundez and Tierney are playing particularly well together yet; in fact, I think our wide play is really inconsistent. Kouassi is still adjusting to the team and vice versa - he could be more influential.
The first penalty shout by Portland was legit ... I think Agudelo clearly tugged on Adi (?). But the second one, I'm not sure. And there's always the push in the back on Kamara on the other end that can be discussed as well.
I have been pretty critical of Heaps - so must acknowledge when I can see some progress. Smith - Heaps made a bold move. Sit the guy that they spent TAM on and scouted. Whether strategic or sending a message to Anguoa - this was what a coach is meant to do. Smith took his chance well. He looked like someone hungry to get on the field and prove himself. Agudelo - sub out the MLS player of the week? The "we got our #9"? The guy who wants to be in the Nats. Getting subbed out is not going to sit with with Juan if he has these goals - got to produce to stay on the field and that is what Heaps is paid to address if it is not in order to win. Tierney - Not counting bogus Minn game, has been subbed out in all 3 games, yesterday at 57 min. The sideline report stated no injury and that they were looking to bring a dynamic presence to the left side that they haven't had. Bold call against the local favorite who is quoted in all the articles. This is also indirectly sending a message to Tierney. That only benefits the Revs and is what a coach needs the balls to do. Caldwell - We see what Heaps is looking for and Caldwell was the odd man out - again tough call for the local favorite who was the Revs MVP last year. Kept him out until needed for a defensive sub. Smart sub management and instead of bringing in a "cold" centerback - even for 5 minutes, I agreed with Heaps and Taylor, better to slide Watson who was already in the game, in the tempo. Now, Heaps has to man manage all of this going forward - but in my eyes, that was a step in the right direction for Heaps as a coach. Now he has to continue it. We can question his scouting abilities as we see what really is the fallout of Anguoa. Koussai is more mobile and involved and better defensive presence that Caldwell as a #6. Cropper is a wait and see to me still - that Nat article was just a bit premature in my mind. (even though Reis stated they were watching him for Gold Cup) Still no leader on the field emerges yet in my eyes. And I still wonder about Kamara and this team....Taylor and Adrian commented that goal scoring by committee does not work out, and when your top scorer only had 7 goals last year, you need to address that. So something more for Heaps to build on and show us how he is going to address. Good draw on the road.
Forgot to add, loved the Porter comment that "tell the Revs we are not going to make any subs" like a smug coach, and then they Revs score - haha, who does he think he is?
Credit to Heaps for his game management. Seems like he's learned a few things. I've been critical of him in this area, but when you can make a strategic personnel move based on what you see as a favorable matchup, and you can bring in players like Angoua and Caldwell off the bench if you need them, that's a good thing. Getting a point away from home against one of the better teams is also a very pleasant surprise.
I watched at my local bar (I don't have ESPN), and I may have been the only person not involved in a birthday party full of drunk middle-aged women. That was interesting. But I couldn't hear any of the commentary. What was going on with the Caldwell's sub? Had his card already been handed in, so they couldn't unsub him and put on Angoua instead? I thought Kouassi was fantastic. He was super aggressive until his yellow, and tuned it down, but was still very effective even with his yellow. I thought Portland's goal started with a foul on Rowe - Chara (?) got the ball by going through Rowe. Nguyen was upset about it after the goal, you could see him going after the ref. However in the 2nd half, Kouassi cleaned out Valeri while getting the ball, and the ref didn't call a foul, so at least the ref was consistent - although I think both should have been fouls. Heaps got the subs right, for the most part. Tierney wasn't being effective going forward, so there's no point in keeping him on the field as a defensive liability if his crosses aren't working. One of Kamara/Agudelo had to go to make room for someone who would run behind the defense, like Teal did. And then there was the bizarre Smith/Caldwell/Angoua situation. I thought Delamea and Smith worked well together. Portland really only had a few chances where you thought "oh crap." Good showing for Smith. Overall our offense was ineffective. We need some way of setting up our attack so that Nguyen gets isolated with a fullback, and Kamara gets isolated with a fullback or routinely runs in a channel between a fullback and a centerback. Instead it feels like both Agudelo and Kamara want to post up on centerbacks, drawing the defense tight to them, and we don't have anyone who's exploiting the space left on the wings or behind the defense. They dish the ball back to Nguyen, who dawdles because he can, since nobody can get the ball away from him, and he waits for the perfect pass. I'd think I'd like to see Diego and/or Rowe underneath Agudelo, with Kamara and Nguyen providing the width. All in all, we got a point without playing too well. Phew.
As Caldwell was at midfield ready to come in Smith went down with what looked like a cramp. At that point they pulled Caldwell's card back. It looked like Heaps thought about going with Angoua for smith instead of Caldwell for,I think it was Fagundez. I think he made the right move in the end bringing Caldwell in for Smith and moving Watson into the middle with Rowe going back to the Left Back spot.
Agudelo needs to act like he cares and show up every game. This was the only game on on Sunday and with Lee, Nagbe and Juan all playing, Id' bet for sure Arena was tuned in. Juan's rather poor outing, then early exit, would not help his cause. Only Jozy can do NOTHING and still get called. I like Caldwell and dont like seeing him sitting on the bench. I am not a fan of Tierney and his stupid header that lead to their only goal didnt make me feel any better about him. I see Tierney as a player in decline these days. Even his crosses aren't that great. So, I would suggest that Heaps start training Caldwell at left back. He's faster and tougher than Tierney and even if he's not a #1 back there now... he could be down the road. It's obvious that Caldwell is odd man out at DM right now... find another way to use him.... LB
It's pretty hard to defend Tierney on this play, but it's worth noting that both Ngyuen and Fagundez were also MIA on the goal. Ngyuen was closest to Valeri but wasn't able to close him (it did happen very quickly). Diego was a total spectator, wasn't at all available for a pass. To the larger point about Tierney, I more or less agree. I think Jay's substitution pattern with him indicates that he agrees with you, at least in part.
Great point, but there were more than a few great crosses from Portland that were very good opportunists that they flubbed. It was a little concerning how easily they got space to cross it in from Farrell's side in the second half. I'd also like to point out that with the exception of Kei, Lee, Teal, Diego and Agudelo have played multiple seasons together and yet seem to not have the slightest idea about what each other's off the ball movement is going to be. I lost count of the give and goes where the man zigged and the pass zagged. Maybe they just have to gel on offense though
I like Caldwell too but I don't think he is fit for left back. I don't agree that he is the odd man out. I think Heaps is going to sit a different midfielder each game either in a rotation or based on the opponent. Rowe sat one, then Kouassi, then Caldwell. We'll see who sits this weekend.
I think that is a fair point and it may be in Heaps plans. Would be good if some reporter would actually ask him - where is Kyle? The risk is do players know their roles and assignments if it involves formation changes week to week. And if it is just a rotation, how does Heaps deal with this - rotation and keeping players happy is a tricky line that even the most experienced managers have trouble with.
I know it's very early, but to my untrained eye it seems like Caldwell is better at shepherding the ball between the backline and midfield. Kouassi, meanwhile, seems like a and more-athletic/aggressive defender who can protect the backline better than Caldwell. My guess is that this weekend we will see Kouassi out there against a Houston team who may have the best offensive player in the league.