Nicholas has always had a keen interest in sports. In recent years though, he has become passionate about sports broadcasting and journalism. Currently, he is the Sports Editor of the Alcove, the school newspaper at Greenhills, and is the co-leader of the Greenhills Gryphon Sports Live Broadcasting Club.
The article below is one of his first long-form articles since eighth grade when he did his senior project on sports statistics and a player profile of Cate's futsal coach Mana Shim, who is a former professional soccer player. I hope you enjoy his latest masterpiece.
Nicholas J. Alumkal
With 2020 MLS Is Back Tournament Most Valuable Player Sebastian Blanco only available off the bench for emergency use after an acute hamstring injury and with this season’s other star performer Dairon Asprilla suspended after a red card in his last match, beating Real Salt Lake (RSL) and advancing was never going to be easy for the Portland Timbers. However, despite these absences, the Timbers ended RSL’s fairytale season with a 2-0 victory Saturday night at Providence Park, advancing to the MLS Cup Final.
The fourth seeded Timbers needed to take a winding road into the knockout stages. They came from behind to beat Minnesota United 3-1 at home in the first round in part from the brilliance of Blanco. Portland hit the road to face off against the best of the west, Colorado Rapids in altitude on Thanksgiving. This game was a more challenging assignment, and the Timbers needed to grow into the game after facing a flurry of Rapids chances early in the match and then having to win the game without their talisman, Sebastián Blanco who was forced to be subbed to what looked to be a serious injury. Eventually, the rock of the defense all season, Larrys Mabiala added his second goal of the season (both in the Playoffs) in the 90th minute to win the game 1-0.
Heading into this matchup with Real Salt Lake, the Timbers had outscored them 12-4 in the regular season. This came in part from a 6-1 rout of Real on September 25. This was in the midst of a turnaround for the Timbers. Their first half of their season was defined by injuries, most notably having to play five different goalkeepers over the course of the season.
Form is invariably important in soccer. Since the MLS All-Star break on August 25th, when the Timbers stood outside the playoffs in 9th place, Portland have rounded into shape, winning 10, drawing one, and losing only three during that span. This uptick in performance was best among any team in MLS during that span and the momentum carried on into the playoffs.
With Blanco and Asprilla absent last night, this was a chance for other players to step into the spotlight. The success in this game for the Timbers came down to coming out of the blocks fast and for other Timbers players leaving their marks on the game.
Felipe Mora was the top scorer for the Timbers with 11 goals in his second season with the club this year. However, Mora was on a nine-game goal drought coming into this match—a drought that would soon end through a combination of luck and quality of his attacking positioning.
In the 5th minute, with his back to goal, Mora checked for the ball at the top of the box. He slipped in Yimmi Chará down the right with some quick feet and then continued his run into the box, hungry for a goal. RSL had two chances to clear the ball from danger, yet they failed to do so. As Mora made his way into the box, the ball fortuitously fell to his onrushing feet. He guided it home to the far post with his right foot and was soon swarmed by his teammates in celebration. This goal was a vital tone setter for the rest of the match.
Another unexpected protagonist in last night’s drama was Santiago Moreno. In the thirtieth minute, Moreno had a chance to make it a two-goal cushion on a ground cross that RSL goalkeeper David Ochoa parried away yet did not fully clear. On his first attempt off the rebound, Moreno tried to beat the RSL defenders to the ball only to have his teammate Mora impede his progress. Given a second chance, Moreno fired the shot over the bar.
Chances continued to fall Portland’s way. Yimmi Chará had a red hot crack like an axe through a forest of defenders from about 30 yards away that forced Ochoa to dive and save in minute 25.
Later, Moreno would make good on his manager’s choice to start him. In the 61st minute, he received the ball on a chipped pass on a counterattack. He trapped the ball with his chest at midfield and turned to face the RSL goal. Without missing a beat, he then took off dribbling through the acres of space in front of him. As he approached the goal, RSL players did not step in to contest him, instead retreating backwards.
Moreno struck the ball from outside the box with a piston’s force using his preferred right foot. The strike was hit hard and low, out of the reach of the sprawling RSL goalkeeper Ochoa, but the shot was too wide. The ball ricocheted off the left post. However, the post proved to be kind to Moreno, striking the back of Ochoa and ricocheting into the back of the net. Moreno darted into celebration after the goal—his first with the Timbers—removing his shirt and flexing for the jubilant, sold out Providence Park faithful. This goal made the score line 2-0 with under a half an hour to play and cemented Moreno firmly in the spotlight for his contributions.
A diminutive and pacy Colombian 21-year-old winger whose acquisition flew under the radar in the craziness of the summer transfer window, Moreno signed for the Timbers on July 29th from Colombian side América de Cali to a four-year contract. He was not able to partake in any Portland games until August 29th because of the lengthy process of obtaining a work permit.
“I am very thankful for the club and the opportunity they have given me,” said Moreno postgame. When talking about his goal, his eyes lit up and he showcased his teeth with a smile, “It’s a beautiful sensation; it’s always nice to score a goal, and it's not always in an opportunity like that that you get to contribute a lot to the team,” said Moreno.
RSL did not go away without a fight. Most notably, RSL All-Star Damir Kreilach directed a hefty header off a cross from point blank range at Steve Clark’s goal near the end of the first half. Clark responds rapidly, tipping the strapping shot up and then catching the ball on its way down. This was by far RSL’s best chance, but few other attacks came to fruition for RSL. The fairytale may be over for Salt Lake, but the magic of their run will go down in MLS lore.
To understand just how far this RSL team has come, it is illustrative to consider their tumultuous season in full. RSL's offseason was marked by the retirements of several key players, including long time captain Kyle Beckerman. The club's ownership was also in question as Dell Loy Hansen had agreed to sell the club following allegations of racism directed at club players and employees. The pending sale of the club resulted in a relatively quiet offseason in terms of acquisitions with most of the club's new signings coming from the club's own minor league team, Real Monarchs. RSL entered the season with low expectations with most pre-season projections predicting a near last place finish.
RSL would go on to spend much of the spring and summer hovering at or just above the playoff line. In a surprising move, head coach Freddy Juarez departed the club on August 27 to take a position as an assistant coach to Brian Schmetzer in Seattle—a more secure job—but a job in the same conference with RSL. Assistant coach Pablo Mastroeni took over the head coaching position on an interim basis. Under Mastroeni's leadership, the club saw hot and cold form, rarely winning or losing consecutive matches.
RSL were on the verge of missing the postseason on the last day of the season, paying a visit to West 2nd seed Sporting Kansas City (SKC) and needing a win. When a stonewall penalty on RSL was not given, it handed RSL a lifeline. Kreilach made good on that second chance, scoring a stoppage time winner and clinching the 7th and last seed in the Western Conference.
Once in the playoffs, RSL had to travel to lively Lumen Field to face the Seattle Sounders and their old coach Juarez. The Sounders peppered Ochoa’s goal with 21 shots in the first 90 minutes and into extra time, but RSL’s defense was stout, and the Sounders were not able to break through. During the 120 minutes, RSL did not register a single shot of their own as the game headed into penalties. During the spot kicks, RSL were perfect, and Ochoa came up with a save in the sixth round of shots, securing the survival of RSL
RSL next travelled back to Kansas City with a spot in the Western Conference Final up for grabs. This time, RSL came out of their bunker to play but found themselves down a goal after Johnny Russell converted a penalty for SKC in the first half. Real responded with a headed equalizer from the electric Ecuadorian Anderson Julio. In second half stoppage time, Bobby Wood got on the end of an RSL cross and put it home, continuing the unanticipated run for RSL.
During this run, a new villain surfaced for the rest of MLS to loathe—David Ochoa. Though Ochoa is only 20 years old and in his first season between the sticks, he has already had his share of headlines as the RSL keeper. In the first game of the season, Ochoa became Public Enemy No.1 at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, MN when the Loons and their supporters were frustrated with his time-waiting tactics. When the final whistle blew, Ochoa punted the soccer ball into the home field supporters’ section, igniting a post-game fracas on the field.
Months later, Ochoa was a reserve goalkeeper on the United States Men’s National Team during their CONCACAF Nations League triumph over Mexico where he celebrated on the field when the U.S. defeated their nemesis. Two months later though, Ochoa switched his nationality to Mexico, sparking calls of disloyalty aimed at Ochoa.
Once the postseason began Ochoa’s stage got larger. After his strong showing at Seattle, he walked a fine line between purposeful antagonism and reckless hostility, relishing being the bad guy at Lumen Field. He was clearly not looking to make friends, and the opposing fans obliged. Boos have greeted him at every opposing stadium he has traveled to throughout the playoffs, so much so that Fox Sports announcer John Strong said last night, “I won’t need to tell you when David Ochoa is on the ball for the rest of the night because the Timbers Army will let you know.”
Despite the end of their, the RSL camp clearly see the glass as half full rather than half empty. "I couldn't be more proud of being a part of this group," RSL interim head coach Pablo Mastroeni said. "Nobody gave us a shot when the season started, and no one gave us a shot when the playoffs started either. And so to have the mental toughness to overcome the perception of who we are is fantastic. You can always look at things from either perspective, but I couldn't be more proud of the effort and commitment of this group that I was able to lead," said Mastroeni.
Near the dying embers of Saturday’s game, RSL’s Aaron Herrera, already booked, clattered into Marvin LorÃa, a challenge of frustration. Referee Alan Kelly had no choice but to give him a second yellow and force RSL to play with ten men for the remainder of the game.
In total, the Timbers outshot RSL 14-7 and even won the possession battle, something rare for a team that averaged the lowest percentage possession in the entire MLS. Timbers head coach Giovanni Savarese was proud of his team’s showing in such an important game.
“We understood that if we worked as a unit, as a family, as a group, that we can achieve something important,” Savarese said at the end of his night. “We always say the strength of the group is the group, and we took it day by day, one conversation at a time, one training at a time. To be able to be here today, I'm just extremely proud of the group,” said Savarese.
The unit was the key, as soccer is a game where you are only as strong as your weakest link. On Saturday, all the Timbers players came to play, allowing them to claim their club’s third conference title in seven years.
This win allows Portland to bring an MLS Cup Final to Providence Park in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Portland for the first time. Seven days from now, the winner of Sunday’s Philadelphia Union-New York City FC match will face the Timbers there on the Timbers’ home field. Portland will be going for its second championship while both Philadelphia and NYCFC seek their first. Both Philadelphia and NYCFC come into the playoffs as higher seeds, yet Portland gets to host the final due having the higher points during the regular season among the remaining teams.
This continues the Pacific Northwest representation in the MLS Cup, a streak where either Seattle or Portland have made the final every year since 2014. Timbers will hope to tie the Sounders for the number of MLS Cup Championships next Saturday at two apiece.
“It is a dream coming to reality,” Savarese said, “But we have to prepare for what we need to focus more on, which is the game. And in order for us to be able to compete, we need to prepare very well,” said Savarese.
