Injuries Mount as Portland Timbers Face Critical Early-Season Stretch

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Justin Surber, Oregon Sports News

You will have to forgive the Portland Timbers if they are a little salty about the 1-1 draw they earned against Los Angeles Galaxy Sunday night in a battle of the last two MLS champions.

Portland was able to strike first early in the second half off a clever turn from Fanendo Adi, who placed his shot perfectly out of the reach of Los Angeles goalkeeper Brian Rowe in the 52nd minute. But the match took a decidedly dark turn in the 74th minute when Nigel De Jong’s tackle on Darlington Nagbe left him unable to stand or put any weight on his ankle. Despite the gruesome tackle, De Jong escaped with only a yellow card, allowing Los Angeles to continue at full strength. On replay, it appeared that De Jong stomped on Nagbe’s ankle, and the play drew immediate criticism from Timbers fans, media members, and even players on other MLS teams.

The night would get worse for Portland in the 83rd minute when Nat Borchers attempted to clear a Galaxy cross, only to head the ball right past Adam Kwarasey and into his own goal. Despite Los Angeles pressing for a winner, Portland was able to hold on, salvaging a road point in what was otherwise a disheartening game.

While there was immediate fear that Nagbe’s injury could cost him the remainder of the season, test results have since ruled out a fracture and it appears that he escaped with just a badly sprained ankle. While this was certainly among the better results the Timbers could have hoped for, it still sidelines one of their top players for a number of weeks, just as Portland enters one of its most difficult stretches of the entire season.

But Nagbe isn’t the only Timbers player to be hit by the injury bug – both team captain Liam Ridgewell and starting winger Dairon Asprilla are dealing with injuries. Ridgewell is nursing a hamstring injury that could keep him out through April, while Asprilla has an undisclosed aliment that possibly resulted from another reckless tackle last week against Orlando City.

The injuries are mounting just as Portland enters a stretch that sees them playing seven games in just over a month, including four games against Western Conference opponents. Portland has not exactly built themselves a huge cushion with their early season results, with a pedestrian five points from their first five games of the season, ahead of only rival Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference standings. Should Portland struggle over the next five weeks, they could find themselves with a mountain to climb in the second half of the season to even make the playoffs.

With Nagbe likely to miss a number of Portland’s upcoming games, an even greater burden will be placed on Adi and midfield playmaker Diego Valeri to manufacture goals. Meanwhile, Lucas Melano, who has been slightly disappointing thus far in 2016, will need to become a more consistent threat to take pressure off of Adi and Valeri.

In Nagbe’s place, Coach Caleb Porter will almost certainly start veteran midfielder Ned Grabavoy, who was signed as a free agent this past offseason from NYCFC. Grabavoy is a smart, savvy player who has started over 200 games in MLS, and will help stabilize the midfield in Nagbe’s absence. But Portland will undoubtedly miss Nagbe’s on-the-ball ability and speed, and his ability to break down a defense.

Defensively, Portland finally welcomed offseason acquisition Chris Klute into the starting lineup as he assumed the left back position vacated by the offseason departure of Jorge Villafana. Klute is definitely a step up from what Portland has been putting at left back thus far this season, and should only improve as he gets more first team minutes.

Meanwhile, while Jermaine Taylor has done an admirable job of filling in at center back, Ridgewell’s absence has been noticeable on Portland’s back line the past few games. Borchers, in particular, simply looks less comfortable and sure of himself without his center back partner, with the own goal being the most glaring example.

Portland kicks off a double-game week with home games against FC Dallas and San Jose before traveling to New England the following week. How Portland performs over the next five weeks while missing a number of key players will go a long way in determining whether they will become credible threats to defend the title, or afterthoughts as top teams build an insurmountable lead.