Portland Timbers(3-1-1)
VS
AC St Louis
VS
AC St Louis(1-5-0)
Coming off a disappointing loss to Crystal Palace Baltimore on Thursday evening, the Portland Timbers (3-1-1) look to regroup and refocus as they play host to AC St. Louis tonight at PGE Park. As a team, the Timber's had made it their goal to not lose a game at home this season, a difficult task that they were able to accomplish last year, however, the sting of their first league loss is magnified in any many ways. Not only did the team lose at home, but they lost to an expansion team that had never won a game before and was sitting in last place. Portland had little time to stew over their shortcomings though as the team went right back to practice Friday morning to try and right the ship and keep sailing on.
"Just gotta focus on the next game," said Coach Gavin Wilkinson. "You gotta put (the loss) behind us, we gotta accept that it happened, but not let it happen again and look to correct it. We don't want to hash over it. We gotta build the players confidence and allow them to prepare for the next game. So this morning, it was basically yesterday never happened."
The mood Friday morning was an intense one, as the players were competitive at practice, working hard, and seemed to be really focused on improving upon their past performances.
"We worked on finishing, obviously after yesterday, and just trying to get back into it and have an intense practice." Said forward Doug DeMartin. "We broke into a couple groups, one side working on some tactical stuff and the other guys were working on finishing at the other end."
"We're trying to get everyone's legs back, but also making sure we're mentally sharp and focused for the game tomorrow," said defender Stephen Keel. "And definitely starting the game tomorrow with a little more intensity, a little more focus, and coming out with a better effort for sure."
"We can't keep going over the negative," said Coach Wilkinson. " We've gotta create a positive environment for tomorrow. So, when I say we put (the loss) behind us, we will address it, but most of the re-evaluation will be done (Sunday and Monday)..."
So, the Timbers will try to move on to AC St. Louis, a first-year expansion team whom they've played already this regular season, pulling out a 2-0 victory at home on April 22nd. Critics of this Portland team have pointed to the Timbers often playing "down to their competition", in other words, performing well in big games, but under-performing against so called lesser opponents. How does the team ensure that they come out with the energy and intensity needed against an AC St. Louis team that is currently at the bottom of the league standings?
"We remind (the players) what our core ethics and our core values are, and what we want to stand for as an organization and how we want to represent this organization and how we want to entertain the fans." replied Coach Wilkinson. "I think everyone needs a reminder now and then, and generally it's at a loss when you have to sit back and reevaluate and take take stock of where you're at and where you need to go.
"Added Wilkinson, "I think (the loss) is a harsh reminder that if we don't do what we need to do in terms of the basics of the game then we can be left wanting and that's where it can have a value. Losing has a value, no one enjoys it, but you sit back, you look in the mirror and you say how can i correct it?"
The key for a Portland victory will certainly lie heavily on their level of aggression, if they can quickly apply pressure to St. Louis' defense and get them on their heels early. The Timbers can't allow St. Louis to find any confidence or get into a rhythm. Much like Thursday, Portland will look to control possession, but unlike Thursday they will need to finish their chances when they are presented and actually score some goals.
"It's a matter of trying to create patterns that we want to play," Said Coach Wilkinson. "We want to play off the front player early and we want to put the opposition under pressure. I think we spent too much time keeping possession and we want to keep the ball on the ground, we want to find seems, we want to look to find holes, but we have to use the ball to go somewhere. We have to look to play forward at every opportunity that we get. I think yesterday we were playing from side-to-side and never penetrating and when you don't penetrate you're never gonna cause problems."
Some background on AC St. Louis. Although only an expansion team, AC St Louis is in a city with a relatively rich soccer history. With organized leagues existing as far back as 1891, St. Louis soccer fans have supported all types of amateur teams, collegiate level teams, indoor teams, and even a team from the original NASL. So, perhaps it isn't too surprising that even though only in its inaugural season, AC St Louis has found a small, but supportive fan base already burgeoning at its home games. The team plays in modest Anheuser-Busch Stadium, which sits just over 6,000 fans, and the team nearly sold out the place for its home opener this past Saturday. St. Louis soccer fans have shown a great collective spirit and passion for soccer thus far - singing songs, waving flags, and lighting off smoke bombs in the stands. The city has also expressed desires to join the MLS at some point, so don't be surprised to see big things from this franchise in the near future.
But hopefully, not on Saturday night. AC St Louis has only scored 3 goals this season and has allowed 10 goals overall, so finding a way to put points on the board should be a manageable task. St. Louis is currently in last place with a record of 1-5-0, they're only win coming against Crystal Palace Baltimore ironically in a 1-0 victory at home. It will be interesting to see how the Timbers react to their first loss and if they'll be able to get back onto the right track.
"We're still finding our groove," said Keel. "It's still early in the season. It's our 5th game out of 30, so there's still 25 more. You know, it's one of things that we need to continue to build on what we're good at, which is keeping the ball, I want to say we're probably one of the fittest teams in the league, really pressuring teams.... if we continue to play the style of soccer that we want to, then we'll find success moving forward."
Check out an awesome AC St Louis Blog, AC St. Louis Fanatic - match preview
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