MLS Footnotes: Portland Timbers look to extend unbeaten streak Sunday
By Doug McIntyre
FOX Sports Soccer Writer
Editor's Note: Footnotes, FOX Sports’ weekly MLS column, takes you inside the major talking points around the league and across American soccer.
There’s a new hottest team in MLS.
While the New England Revolution storm toward their first regular-season title in the franchise's 26-year history, and Atlanta United continue to scale the standings under new coach Gonzalo Pineda, the best record of any team over its past 10 games belongs to the Portland Timbers.
The Timbers, who face Inter Miami at Portland’s Providence Park on Sunday (5:30 p.m. ET, FS1, FOX Deportes and the FOX Sports app), beat LAFC on Wednesday, extending their unbeaten streak (6W-0L-1T) to seven games. It’s a far cry from the first 10 matches of 2021, after which the Timbers were outside of playoff position in the West with six losses.
Some of Portland’s early-season struggles can be attributed to its participation in the CONCACAF Champions League. In April, the Timbers won a home-and-home with Honduran outfit Marathon to advance to the quarterfinals against Club America, Mexico's most popular team and one of the richest outside of Europe. After a memorable 1-1 draw to open the two-leg series, Giovanni Savarese’s side, which had only just started the MLS season, fell 3-1 in the decider at Azteca Stadium.
Injuries to key contributors hurt Portland, too. Designated Players Sebastian Blanco and Jaroslaw Niezgoda have both missed time; Niezgoda has been limited to just six games all year. Peruvian World Cup veteran Andy Polo played four games before his season ended. U.S. national team midfielder Eryk Williamson tore his ACL in August. But Savarese’s reserves have stepped up.
On the surface, Sunday’s opponent appears ripe for the picking. Miami lost its third consecutive match Wednesday, getting outscored 10-1 along the way. Then again, MLS is notoriously unpredictable. Portland captain Diego Chara isn’t taking anything for granted.
"Every game in MLS is hard," Chara said.
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MLS FOOTNOTES
1. "Toughest league in the world"
First-year Miami coach (and longtime Manchester United defender) Phil Neville heard all about the poor record of foreign managers in MLS before he arrived in South Florida. Current Mexico boss Tata Martino is the only person with no previous experience in the league to win an MLS Cup. But Neville felt better prepared than most.
"I watched a lot of MLS football with former teammates being over here, and I’d spent a lot of time in the country," said Neville, who last visited Portland when Man United trained at Nike’s headquarters way back in 2003.
How has the experience lined up with his expectations?
"It’s the toughest league in the world to play in, manage in and be successful in," Neville said. "Why? Because of the total differences between the East and Western conferences: the travel, the climate, the rules and regulations. I’ve experienced it all this year. I think I’m quite a fast learner, and I’ve needed to be."
2. No time to Phil frustrated
Still, Neville is an optimist. Speaking to FOX the day before Miami's hard-fought 1-0 defeat at Atlanta on Wednesday, he was quick to point out that Inter had dropped only three of its last 13 games. Before lopsided losses to Nashville and the New York Red Bulls, Miami was on a 5W-0L-1T tear.
"We had real momentum," Neville said. "We all took great confidence and belief from the run that we were on. I really felt we’d gotten to where we needed to be after six or seven months of work, but life and football has a habit of kicking you in the teeth when you least expect it. I didn’t see those results coming, I’ve got to say. In the two games that we lost heavily, there was a real softness about us."
The response – on the road against surging Atlanta – was impressive, even if the hosts took all three points on Josef Martínez’s second-half spot-kick.
3. Road warriors
Miami flew directly to Portland from Atlanta. The nearly week-long trip represents the club’s longest of the season and a new experience for Neville; in Europe, players and coaches are usually back in their own beds a few hours after the final whistle.
"I think it comes at a good time. We can be together for six days and we can get that connection back," he said. "When you’re in MLS and you’re doing that much traveling, the amount of time to do things away from the pitch isn’t much. You’re in hotels, you’re traveling, or you’re home recovering from the jet lag. I’m hoping that this little bond sets us up nicely for the rest of the season."
4. Becks and call
There has been plenty of off-field drama in Miami this season. The franchise was fined $2 million in May for covertly signing a fourth high-earning DP, one more than the maximum. Earlier this month, billionaires Marcelo Claure and Masayoshi Son were bought out of the team’s ownership group by Jorge and Jose Mas, as well as David Beckham.
Beckham, of course, recruited Neville – his close friend and former Man United teammate – with Miami. Working together has changed their relationship, according to Neville.
"Eventually we’ll go back to being just best mates, but there’s a professionalism now between us," Neville said. "David’s expectations are sky-high. He is a winner. I knew from Day 1 that there’s a certain level of expectation I have to meet. This club wants to win MLS Cups. It’s ambitious. It’s what drew me here. We’re in this game to win."
5. Coaching carousel
Jaap Stam, who also played alongside Neville in Manchester, was fired by FC Cincinnati on Monday. Late Wednesday, word began to filter out that Raphael Wicky had been dismissed by the Chicago Fire — after a 2-0 win over New York City FC, no less. (The Fire made it official Thursday.)
Neville should get more leeway than either. Despite Miami's position in the standings, there are few signs that he has lost the locker room.
"Players are always a good barometer of where you are," Neville said. "If they don’t like the training, they’ll tell you. Don’t like your man-management or you as a person? You’ll know.
"Ultimately, the people on our bus are going in the right direction," he added. "What we need is to be more consistent.
6. Brotherly Love
This is Diego Chara’s 11th season in Portland. Now 35, he joined the Timbers early in their maiden MLS campaign as their first DP. The team’s current hot streak is even more special to him due to the presence of his younger brother, Colombian national team vet Yimmi Chara, who signed with the club last year.
The siblings scored 20 minutes apart in a 6-1 rout of Real Salt Lake last Saturday. After notching his fourth goal of 2021, attacking midfielder Yimmi set up defensive specialist Diego for his first.
"I enjoy every game, every day, playing with my brother," the elder Chara told FOX. "We have this unique opportunity, and we plan to enjoy it. For him to give me that assist was unbelievable."
7. Campeones Crew
A week after the Seattle Sounders fell to Leon in the 2021 Leagues Cup finale in Las Vegas, the MLS Cup-holding Columbus Crew restored some pride for the league by topping Liga MX champ Cruz Azul 2-0 in the Campeones Cup, which pits the two circuits most-recent titlists.
Lucas Zelarayán took home Man of the Match honors. The Argentine maestro, who earlier in the week committed to representing Armenia internationally, somehow remains one of the most underrated players in MLS.
8. Some Pepi in his step
Eighteen-year-old FC Dallas striker Ricardo Pepi celebrated his second career call-up to the U.S. national team for October’s three World Cup qualifiers will a well-taken strike in FCD’s 3-1 loss to Sporting KC:
On the flip side for USMNT fans, the Crew’s Gyasi Zardes watched his team’s triumph in street clothes. The ESPN broadcast said Zardes has a "slight injury." U.S. players will begin reporting to Austin on Sunday ahead of Wednesday’s match versus Jamaica.
9. Araujo nearing decision?
Pepi chose to play for the U.S. over Mexico, then scored (and had two assists) in his debut. Could highly-regarded LA Galaxy fullback Julian Araujo, who remains eligible to represent both countries, be closing in on a decision of his own?
Here’s what USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter said when asked about Araujo on Wednesday.
"I think that's information he's going to share with the group. It's not for me to share."
Interesting wording there.
10. Are you not entertained?
It’s no secret that MLS isn’t the best league in the world. And with all due respect to Neville, it’s probably not the toughest. But could it be the most entertaining?
The midweek games in particular – all 27 clubs were in action Wednesday night —–always seem especially high on drama. Last week, the Red Bulls got their equalizer in the 102nd minute on a controversial penalty call.
This past Wednesday, after the Galaxy star Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez pulled his team level with a cobra-quick strike against Real Salt Lake, Anderson Julio won the contest for RSL with an audacious individual effort in the 95th.
One of the most prominent soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams in more than a dozen countries, including multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports, the New York City native was a staff writer for Yahoo Sports and ESPN. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
