Timbers Preview: Kicking it up a notch

“If anything, it gives us the confidence that we can do it, gives us the belief we can do it, and it lets us know what’s possible at the end of the year.”

Timbers defender Nat Borchers won a MLS Cup title in 2009 with Real Salt Lake.

“You definitely have a target on your back. Once you’ve won a championship, it elevates you a little bit in terms of expectations and just in terms of how other teams perceive you,” Borchers said. “So I think that teams are going to play us a little bit tougher this year and that’s something we have to be ready for.”

Borchers remembers that the RSL champions still were not respected as a top-flight team in 2010 — perhaps because the 2009 champions had a losing record in the regular season. Though they finished third in the Western Conference, the 2015 Timbers were in danger of missing the playoffs until winning their final three regular-season games.

“We did go on a good run at the end of the year. But were we that consistent during the year? Probably not,” Borchers said. “Could we be better this year and maybe make a run at the Supporters’ Shield? I think that maybe that’s something we can be looking at ourselves to do.”

The Supporters’ Shield goes to the team with the best regular-season record in Major League Soccer, making it perhaps more difficult to win than MLS Cup. Also out there to be won are the U.S. Open Cup, the Cascadia Cup, and the 2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League. Along the way will come ups and downs, winning streaks and lulls.

“It’s going to be what we make it,” Porter said of 2016. “It’s going to come down to every single game how we play.”

Here are six storylines to watch as the Timbers begin their sixth season in Major League Soccer:

1) Will No. 6 shine?

Why not start a look at season six with the player who wears No. 6. Much was made of the impact Darlington Nagbe had when he was shifted into a two-way midfield role late in the 2015 season. His crafty ball skills have made him one of the most fouled players in MLS. That he has not made himself a consistent force in the attack has at times perplexed. Perhaps last season’s championship, his inclusion with the U.S. national team, and his chemistry with the two Diegos in midfield will allow the quiet 25-year-old to make the kind of noise fans have dreamed of since Nagbe was Portland’s first-ever Super Draft selection.

2) Continuity counts

While some MLS teams (see: the L.A. Galaxy) remade their roster with headline-making additions, Portland stuck to its strategy of developing a young core and mixing in veterans for depth. Nine of the 11 players who started the MLS Cup final in December are expected to start the season opener. Left back Jorge Villafana departed for Mexico’s Santos Laguna and left winger Rodney Wallace chose a move to Portugal. Also traded away for budget/playing-time reasons were midfielder Will Johnson and forward Maxi Urruti. By design, Portland added MLS veterans in midfielder Ned Grabavoy, forward Jack McInerney and defenders Chris Klute and Jermaine Taylor to address the departures. Klute is still working back from offseason knee surgery.

3) Can the defense stay stout?

The partnership between Borchers and Liam Ridgewell in central defense was the foundation of Portland’s success last season. Borchers turns 35 in April and Ridgewell, who turns 32 in July, has experienced a series of calf strains. Left back is a position in flux with Klute only recently able to practice. Taylor, who has been strong as a center back in preseason, is the likely starter at left back to open the season.

4) Award candidates

Despite winning the title last season, Portland did not have a player selected to the MLS Best XI or to the All-Star team in 2015. With 15 of their 34 games on national TV, the Timbers will have chances to impress. Diego Valeri, Portland’s best player, starts a season healthy for the first time in since 2013 and looked sharp in preseason. Might Lucas Melano, the Timbers other attacking Designated Player, have a breakout year in his first full MLS season? If Melano and Dairon Asprilla become consistent contributors in their second season, it would be like adding new weapons without any flashy signings.

5) Managing a busy schedule

With four CONCACAF Champions League games starting in August, the Timbers will be busier this year as the MLS season enters the stretch run. Portland also figures to have at least three players (Nagbe with the USA; Fanendo Adi with Nigeria and Alvas Powell with Jamaica) called into their national teams. But that might not be a significant problem because the Timbers elected to be idle during most of the 2016 FIFA international windows.

6) Any chance of a fast start? Will it matter??

The Timbers are 41-25-36 in Porter’s three regular seasons at the helm, but have not won a March match in that span. Roster changes and injuries have been a factor in those struggles — last season Valeri and Johnson both missed March recovering from offseason surgery. That isn’t an issue entering this season. As a bonus, midfielder Ben Zemanski (who missed last season with a knee injury) adds depth in midfield. Of course, the 2015 Timbers showed that successful MLS seasons aren’t made in March.