It may have just been a preseason game, but Sunday’s match was also a chance for some Portland Timbers players to prove themselves in a game environment one last time before the start of the MLS regular season.
After starting his top 11 in Thursday’s preseason game against Real Salt Lake, Timbers coach Caleb Porter started 11 different players Sunday as the Timbers drew Minnesota United 2-2 in front of 13,461 fans at Providence Park.
“The first 25 minutes, I thought that group was excellent,” Porter said. “We came out with good confidence.”
Sunday’s starting group consisted of 11 players that are expected to be important depth pieces for Portland this year and will be pushing for minutes in the regular season. The group had the chance to play the first 60 minutes of the game, before Porter put in the majority of his starting lineup from Thursday for the final 30 minutes of the match.
The starters Sunday included four players ages 22 or younger in Victor Arboleda, Jack Barmby, Marco Farfan and Rennico Clarke – all young players that could see real minutes for Portland this season.
And all four players impressed Porter in moments on the field.
“I thought there were good moments for all of them,” Porter said. “I thought Marco had a number of good moments. I thought Victor Arboleda had a lot of good moments where he showed his 1v1 ability and his pace. I thought Jack Barmby continues to show some nice things and Rennico looked a little bit more settled than he has.”
The Timbers were dominant early in the game, but they had a few defensive lapses around the box, which led to Minnesota taking a 2-0 lead in the first half off two goals from Johan Venegas. The Timbers fought back with a goal from Jack McInerney in the 51st minute and tied the game in the 85th minute off an amazing backheel from Fanendo Adi, who was subbed on for the final 30 minutes of the match.
“I thought we got burned for a couple of goals and that will offer us a lot to learn from,” Porter said. “That’s why you play these guys in these games, because then you learn from these situations.”
After struggling with injuries and insufficient depth last season, the Timbers made a concerted effort to add more depth during the offseason.
While the players that started Sunday will likely not be in the starting 11 when the Timbers face Minnesota again in their home opener on March 3, Porter knows how important depth is in MLS and expects that many of the players that started Sunday will play important roles in 2017.
“In 2015, when we won the championship, we didn’t do it with 11 guys,” Porter said. “For me it wasn’t the 11 that won the MLS Cup. It was the team that we had, the depth that we had.”
— Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com
503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg
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