Portland Timbers 2022 Season Preview

What is this???  This piece is in reaction to all of the “news” and complete lack of “analysis” coming out of the Timbers camp.  I mean seriously, I want to debate, prognosticate, learn a little, laugh a little and drink a lot (meet you at the Goose)!  Timbers’ fans deserve more than just the news, and maybe at some point my friends and fellow Timbers fanatics will pipe in and add their voices to the debate.

And now for something completely different….

When Mora slotted in that game tying goal back in December, didn't it seem like that was as good as a victory??  The pent-up emotional release that ensued was deafening and shook every fan down the core of their soul...  And yes, in the end, the other team took home the trophy.  So no second star for the Portland Timbers...  And on the bright side, we have another banner to hang and that will save me some money on new gear!

Photo Credit: Portland Timbers

So all the pundits are giving their prognostications on where each team will finish and, let's just say, there is not a lot of confidence in how the 2022 Timbers will fare against the rest of the league.  Here is a quick sampling of where certain pundits think the Timbers will finish:

Predictions - Timbers 2022

• Charles Boehm: 7th in West
• Tom Bogert: 5th in West
• Matt Doyle: 9th in West
• David Gass: 9th in West
• Sam Jones: 6th in West
• Joe Lowery: 8th in West
• Greg Seltzer: 4th in West
• Andrew Wiebe: 6th in West

OK, so fine, not a lot of love there...  Most have the Timbers in the playoffs, but don't expect a home match after the regular season...  But then MLS released its initial power rankings and, lo and behold, they have the Timbers at #7!  The fact that #1 is our last defeat (NYFC), #2 is the Flounders, and #3 is this season’s first opponent should not be a deterrent but further validation that we are in good company!

So that is a quick synopsis of what others think, but what is most important to us is what WE think!  So we thought it would be fun for a few fellow fanatics to collaborate on what we see as some of the key questions for the 2022 season.  So off we go!! (And as an aside, listening to Johnny Cash: American IV: The Man Comes Around as I write this..)

1. Will Gavin Wilkinson remain as general manager for the Portland Timbers???
   No idea.  But we wanted to get this one out of the way and at least recognize that this will one of those elephant in the room issues until resolution is reached.  Until then, it seems he has done a decent job of wheeling and dealing with the resources he has been given so in terms of player acquisition and extension, no real complaints there... (and in the latest news, will Merritt stay as the owner??)
   
   
2. Will the Timbers make it through to April in good shape?? 
   April is the projected return for Williamson, Mora, Zuparic and Mabiala.  That is four starters folks, more than 1/3 of what the projected line up would be if everyone was healthy.  Paredes is a solid defensive replacement for Williamson, Niezgoda is if anything opportunistic up top, but the Tuiloma/McGraw pairing in back has us a bit nervous.  Tuiloma needs to understand the game a bit better and avoid the avoidable cards that has sent him off the pitch twice this past year (even though one was in pre-season action)
   
   
3. How will Blanco look coming out of a very light training camp and potential knee issues?More on that later, but let’s just say that there is a reason he isn’t in the starting lineup.
   
   
4. What will losing Steve Clark really mean?
   Watching Steve’s play in the box and between the woodwork these past few years has underlined a couple of off-the-ball attributes to me: He is a bad-ass, He is a field general and he is an emotional leader.  Never mind the number of times he saved a point or three, those are hard attributes to find compiled into a single player, no matter where you are on the pitch.  So yeah, he is going to be missed.  Can he be replaced? No.  So the Timbers must evolve.  I don’t see Ivacic providing the direction and leadership yet as he seems to still be navigating his newly starting role.
   
   
5. Will the Cascadia troupe send another team to the MLS finals?
   Well I certainly hope so!  Yes, completely random question right?  But it has been 8 years in a row that Cascadia has sent a team to the fight for the Anschutz Trophy.  So will Vancouver finally make an appearance?  Wouldn’t it be nice to see little brother show up in the spotlight?  Also bring a bit of love to the western Canadians who have had to dwell in the shadow of the higher profile (and successful) clubs out east.  Or will the Flounders make it back?  Just shoot me now!  Can Rose City cheer on the Timbers to another appearance?  There seem to be a lot of off-field distractions this year and the injury bug is throwing another wrench into the works so I think expectations are not going to be as high as they could be.  

OK, there is some fodder for discussion.  Next we will get into the games themselves and evaluate the players and the overall match play.  Feel free to comment below.  It’s a free speech kind of country but let’s not get high-centered on anything we can’t fix ourselves, cool???

See you at the Goose!