Portland Timbers coach Caleb Porter said during Friday’s MLS Cup press conference in Columbus that both Fanendo Adi and Liam Ridgewell will be available to play Sunday when his club takes on the Crew in the MLS Cup final.
Because Ridgewell missed the Western Conference clinching match at Dallas last Sunday, and because Adi left that match after being fouled hard from behind, the health of two key players might have raised some concern for Timbers fans. Ridgewell returned to full training before the team flew to Columbus on Thursday, but Porter had previously answered “we’ll see” to questions about Adi’s health.
Perhaps the most interesting portion of the Timbers press conference on Friday was Porter’s reflection upon the formation change that seemed to ignite the team’s run to the league final. For a game at Real Salt Lake on Oct. 14, Porter shifted formations away from using two holding midfielders and put Darlington Nagbe in the middle of the field. The Timbers are 6-0-2 since.
In addition to talking about how effective Nagbe is with the ball at his feet, and how playing him centrally gives Nagbe more opportunities with the ball, Porter talked about his calculation when he made the formation change that seemed to ignite Portland’s offense.
“Maybe we’re not quite as good defensively, but we’ll keep the ball more and we’ll attack more. That’s what’s happened,” Porter said. “And funny enough, (Nagbe) has done extremely well defensively. Better than I thought he would, which is great.”
Defensively, Nagbe has won key one-on-one battles and provided a get-out-of-trouble option for teammates.
“I think a big part of that is these guys want to keep that middle together,” Porter said. “So Darlington knows to stay there that he’s got to defend, and he’s got to help (Diego) Chara.”
In addition to freeing Nagbe to contribute in multiple spots, the new formation has brought out the best in Diego Chara and Diego Valeri, Porter said. Valeri is able to focus his game in the attacking third where his skills are most valuable, while Chara has thrived on his own in front of the defense.
Columbus coach Gregg Berhalter said he is impressed with the way Portland has played to earn its spot in the Cup final.
“As they figured out their identity a bit more and really clarified that, they’ve been a very dangerous team,” Berhalter said. “And I’ve enjoyed watching them in the playoffs and the latter stages of the season. It’s going to be a good game. I think the fans are going to be entertained.”
T2 coach moves on
Jay Vidovich has been hired by the University of Pittsburgh to run its men’s soccer program. Vidovich led Timbers 2 in this its inaugural season after leaving Wake Forest. T2 was 11-15-2 in the United Soccer League, 7-7 in home matches.
In a press release, Timbers general manger Gavin Wilkinson said the club will continue to grow its developmental team, but did not comment on a possible replacement.
