The Portland Timbers enter their inaugural season with high expectations and excitement levels. While many MLS expansion clubs have struggled in their first season, the Timbers can look to their rivals to the north, the Seattle Sounders, as a club who made it to the MLS Cup Playoffs in their first season. The Timbers fans expect their club to do as well, if not better, than their hated rivals.
The Timbers and First-Year Expectations
Of the last five teams to enter MLS, four have struggled mightily in their first season. However, unlike those four squads who struggled and like the Sounders, the one successful rookie club, the Timbers are not altogether a new team, as a Portland Timbers club has existed since 1975. Is such stability a key to success in the first season? We'll find out when the Timbers begin MLS play in 2011. The Timbers are not acting as an expansion team but as a club that has recently been promoted to the first division.
Kenny Cooper Leads the Timbers Attack
Portland Timbers general manager Gavin Wilkinson knows that he has put together a team that will score goals and doesn't want the back line to have to carry the club. As he stated in this March 3 ESPN article, "We are an attack-minded team. You can see that from the pieces we've put together. We want to and expect to score goals, and I think scoring goals gives breathing room. We've tried to create a balance. I don't think the back line will have to carry us. I think maybe one or two players will have to have big games."
American international Kenny Cooper joins the Timbers from TSV 1860 Munich. Before playing in Germany, Cooper played four years with FC Dallas where he scored 40 goals in 90 appearances. According to this March 4 Soccer America Daily article, Cooper is excited about playing for the expansion Timbers. “Without even playing a game for them, I feel a real tangible excitement for the team. As players we all crave to be in that kind of atmosphere, when you’re playing in front of fans who really love and support the game."
Eddie Johnson is also expected to see a lot of playing time at forward for the Timbers. Johnson is a product of the Manchester United youth academy and has played many season for lower division clubs in England and the United States. Last season, he scored 14 goals for the Austin Aztex of the USSF Division-2 Pro League. Johnson will be playing his first MLS season in 2011.
The Timbers have also acquired Colombian forward Jorge Perlaza. Perlaza has played the previous five seasons for Colombian club Deportes Tolima. He made 132 appearances for the club and scored 28 goals. He became a proven goal scorer in Colombia's top league. Wilkinson said of Perlaza, “With his athleticism and how tough he plays, we think he is a great fit for the Timbers. He was a tremendous goal scorer last year for Tolima, and he already has shown he has the ability to be the same with Portland this season.”
With the second overall pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, the Timbers selected Darlington Nagbe, an exciting striker from the University of Akron. He was the 2010 Hermann Award winner and helped lead the Zips to a national championship. Many believe he is the favorite to win MLS Rookie of the Year. "He's got a very level head on his shoulders; (he's) a great person," said Wilkinson. "He is a special player technically and physically, and we hope he sets the league on fire."
The Timbers Midfield
Sal Zizzo is an attacking midfielder who was acquired from Chivas USA. Zizzo has spent four seasons with Hanover 96 of the German Bundesliga. “Zizzo is a player we’ve been interested in pursuing for some time now,” Wilkinson said in a statement. “We are delighted to add such a quality player to our roster.”
The Timbers have also signed Jack Jewsbury from Sporting Kansas City. Jewsbury has played the past eight seasons with Sporting and made 195 appearances for the club. "I'm excited for this opportunity," said Jewsbury. "After being in Kansas City for the past eight years, it's tough to leave some of the guys and friendships I've created. But I'm excited for the opportunity with a new club. I've heard nothing but good things about Portland fans and the Timbers organization."
As stated in this March 3 ESPN article, Wilkinson believes that the addition of Jewsbury, who was added to the club in March, helps with trying to fill out the initial starting XI. "The squad looks a little bit better having [Jewsbury] penciled in," he said.
Adam Moffat is expected to see playing time in the midfield. He has spent the past four seasons with the Columbus Crew and has made 44 appearances. He helped Columbus to the 2008 and 2009 Supporters Shields. Peter Lowry is entering his fourth season in the MLS after spending three seasons with the Chicago Fire. Lowery made 24 appearances and scored five goals with the Fire. Jeremy Hall comes over from the New York Red Bulls where he has made 37 appearances in the past two seasons.
Timbers Back Line is Surrounded With Questions
Going into the 2011 season, there seems to be a lack of experienced options in the back line. Eric Brunner, David Horst, and Kevin Goldthwaite bring some experience to the back line. Brunner is entering his fourth MLS season and was a member of the Columbus Crew club that won the 2009 Supporters Shield. Horst joins the club after three seasons with Real Salt Lake. Horst is a former U.S. Professional Development League Defender of the Year. He has also played for the Puerto Rico Islanders in the CONCACAF Champions League. Goldthwaite has played six MLS seasons and has played the last four with the New York Red Bulls. He was named the 2008 Red Bulls Defender of the Year. He was part of the Houston Dynamo's 2006 MLS Cup-winning club.
Kerrea Gilbert has spent the last five seasons on loan from Arsenal to different clubs in the English lower divisions. In 2010, he made two Carling Cup appearances with Arsenal. Rodney Wallace has spent the last two seasons with DC United, where he has made 35 appearances. He was originally a first-round draft pick of DC United in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. Mamadou Danso played the last two seasons for the Timbers USL squad. He has also played for the Gambian national team and has made appearances in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Troy Perkins Should Start in Goal
Troy Perkins is the likely starter in goal for the Timbers in their inaugural season. Perkins played last season with DC United and also played with them from 2004-2007. At the end of the 2006 season, Perkins won the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award. He has also made seven appearances for the U.S. National Team. Adin Brown and Jack Gleeson will back up Perkins.
Gregory Morgan - Gregory Morgan is a writer who currently lives in Hattiesburg, Missississppi. He is interested in a vast array of topics. His favorite ...
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