Remember when FC Dallas was about two or three minutes away from starting the second half of the season after the World Cup break with a big road win in Portland?
Yeah, about that. Dallas led the Timbers late in that July meeting before the Timbers found an equalizer, turning what looked like a solid beginning to the post-World Cup break in to frustrating draw.
Nearly two months later, the Timbers arrive at Toyota Stadium looking considerably different than that July squad.
Marti Cifuentes has taken over as head coach (he was announced as their new manager just days before that July meeting), leading scorer Kevin Kelsey has departed to Rangers FC after scoring nine goals for the Timbers this season, and veteran Dutch striker Vincent Janssen just scored the club’s first MLS hat trick.
For Dallas, Saturday begins a three-game homestand and another opportunity to put some distance between itself and the teams chasing it in the Western Conference. After spending the summer living out of suitcases, this is the kind of stretch that FC Dallas has been waiting for. Let’s dive in to see how they can pick up some points against the Timbers.
Tactic Style & Shape:
Cifuentes has only been in charge for a little over a month, but we’re beginning to see what he wants Portland to become.
The biggest difference is Portland’s willingness to control matches with the ball. In Cifuentes’ debut against Tijuana in the Leagues Cup, the Timbers held over 60% of the possession, and completed a staggering 92% of their passes. That’s a pretty solid introduction for a new boss.
They haven’t been putting up those exact kinds of numbers in MLS play, but they do well on the ball, which makes them dangerous.
- Offensive tendencies - Portland wants to move opponents around until space opens up between the lines, where players like Velde and David De Costa can receive the ball facing the goal. From there, the Timbers have enough individual quality to accelerate quickly rather than endlessly recycle possession.
- Defensive shape - That willingness to commit players forward does leave some space behind in the midfield, and this team isn’t exactly airtight defensively under their new boss. Last weekend’s game against Minnesota proved that they can outscore but only barely in a 5-4 win.
Key Player: Kristoffer Velde
Earlier this summer we highlighted Antony, but now we need to shift to Velde, who has really taken over as an offensive leader for the Timbers with his eight goals and nine assists on the season. I don’t know if some Timbers fans would agree, but that is bordering on some old-school Diego Valeri type of production.
His brace on Wednesday night against St. Louis included goals from set-piece situations, giving him four goals from outside the penalty area this season.
Key Matchup: Shaq Moore vs. Kristoffer Velde
This feels like the matchup that could determine how comfortable Portland gets to be offensively on Saturday night.
The Norwegian frequently operates from Portland’s left side before cutting centrally onto his stronger right foot. That should bring him directly into Shaq Moore’s territory.
Moore’s first responsibility is fairly straightforward: don’t let Velde turn every touch into a runaway toward the middle. Showing him toward the sideline and preventing those diagonal carries into shooting positions will be critical in this one.
Availability Report1:
Suspended: none
Out: Alexander Aravena (hip), Brandon Bye (knee), Jose Caicedo (lower body), Zac McGraw (back), Juan Mosquera (foot/ankle)
Questionable: none
International duty: none
Quick Notes:
All-time at FC Dallas: The Timbers have largely struggled over the years at Toyota Stadium, going 1-11-5 in all-time regular season meetings. Their lone win came back in 2014.
Current form: Portland has been improving as of late, going 2-1-2 in their last five matches.
Where they're at in the standings: The Timbers currently sit in 8th place in the Western Conference, with 32 points. That puts them eight points back of FC Dallas.
Three keys for FC Dallas
- Don’t Let Portland Settle In: Don’t be shocked if Portland tries to do exactly what SKC did last weekend and start off strong, immediately putting Dallas on their back heels. Cifuentes wants Portland to be comfortable on the ball and Dallas cannot afford to let them get that way early in the game. That doesn’t mean Dallas needs to press recklessly for 90 minutes either, but they need to establish some way of forcing the Timbers backward and put pressure on their center backs, who typically aren’t as good on the ball as the rest of the squad.
- Attack the space behind: This is where Dallas can put the Timbers. Portland wants to commit numbers forward in possession and outside defenders will provide them with width. When Dallas wins the ball, the first thought needs to be forward. That means guys up front need to be ready to run and find the space forward to allow other runners in those open spaces that the Timbers will leave behind.
- Finish what you started: We’re going with an obvious callback here. Dallas had beaten Portland back in July until a final second allowed Portland back in the match. Saturday begins arguably the most important home stretch of the season, time to get it started on the right note and put away the Timbers early.
Want to know how Dallas should line up to exploit exactly what we just broke down? Our weekly ‘What to Watch For’ will tackle that later this week. Sign up free and we'll send it to you before kickoff.
1 Note: MLS has an injury report deadline that doesn’t hit until the day before each game. Our scouting reports will include last week's report and will be fully updated the day before with our injury report for FC Dallas.
