U.S. Open Cup has arrived for the Portland Timbers, and with it comes a series of complications, ones that impact more than the team’s cup hopes.
Wednesday’s fourth round match against the San Jose Earthquakes (7:30pm PT, Stream: Timbers.com, TICKETS) rests between matches against the LA Galaxy and Western Conference-leading Sporting Kansas City, handing the team three games in eight days to manage in the middle of their Major League Soccer season.
For those who love the Open Cup, that context is cause for rolled eyes and exhaled frustration, reading as excuses from those who want to diminish the country’s oldest competition. But it’s still reality for teams like the Timbers. Each ounce of dedication to the Open Cup represents both a risk and a tradeoff, ones that balance a club’s primary priorities against the opportunity to capture glory in another realm.
Come the later rounds, when that glory is within reach, the balance starts swinging in favor of Open Cup. Now, in the fourth round, with a title still five wins off? It’s possible both the Timbers and Earthquakes will take the long view.
For Timbers fans, that would present an opportunity of its own. After an offseason of TAM spending and T2 buildup, Portland’s depth is greater than ever. But there are still only 18 spots in each weekend’s squad. For those who haven’t been able to crack that team or get time on the field, Wednesday is an opportunity to press for more first-team minutes. And along the way, they could give the Providence Park faithful a glimpse of what their club has in reserve.
It’s possible Timbers head coach Giovanni Savarese will pick a full first-team squad. It’s also possible we’ll see a series of new names on the backs of Timbers’ uniforms.
Here are three things to watch for on Wednesday – our KeyBank Scouting Report:
1. OK, so who’s going to play?
The challenge of mid-week Open Cup matches has fans asking how their new coach will handle his selection. Will the team’s best XI be pressed into three games in eight days? Or will some of the depth the new guy at Timbers.com has been talking about see the light of, well, night.
There’s an obvious answer, here, but the perspective behind the question is an interesting one. You don’t do as the Timbers did this offseason – consciously acquire more depth, both at the MLS and USL levels – and not use it in Open Cup. While that doesn’t mean the entire T2 team will be active against San Jose, a number of Cameron Knowles’ players will likely be involved. The Modou Jadamas, Foster Langsdorfs and Eryk Williamsons, all first team players who've had consistent minutes with T2 and who helped fill the bench against the Galaxy this past weekend could very well see the field Wednesday night.
So why the doubts about Savarese’s approach? Well, until the Open Cup lineups are announced, we don’t know, for sure, what he will do. We can only deduce, and he may yet defy these premises. But the doubts also come down to exposure, with the players we’ve been touting all season existing outside the first team’s spotlight. How can you know if, say, T2 midfielder Renzo Zambrano should play a part if you don’t really know that much about Renzo Zambrano?
That’s the real fun behind Wednesday’s match. Of course, the Timbers want to win. They want to win every game they play. But how they win on Wednesday, and with whom, is as intriguing as the matchup itself.
A number of first-team players are bound to play, but if talents like Marvin Loría, Darixon Vuelto and Andre Lewis – all T2 rostered players who could potentially get a shout – show they can perform at first-team levels, fans and staff will get more out of the match than the final result.
2. And as for those first teamers?
Around those prospects, the Timbers are going to have to use some first team players. The question is, who?
You have to think most of the starters from Saturday’s game against the Galaxy will be given the night off, if for no other reason than they’re likely to feature prominently against Sporting Kansas City three days from now. Perhaps you could argue for the young legs of Cristhian Paredes or Bill Tuiloma to get the call, but given the circumstances of Diego Chara (suspended for Saturday’s SKC match due to yellow card accumulation) and Alvas Powell (still an injury doubt), can Savarese expose possible starters at midfield and fullback?
Perhaps Julio Cascante is at a place where the more minutes, the better, as he continues his acclimation to North American soccer. If Liam Ridgewell’s health is improving, playing Cascante against the Earthquakes makes even more sense. And Kendall McIntosh, who has backed up Jeff Attinella for two weeks in a row? You have to think Wednesday is a chance to get him some first team minutes.
Beyond that, though, it’s hard to see where the value of 90 minutes outweighs the risks of wear, tear, injury and exposure. Chara’s suspension makes him a likely choice, but beyond that? This should be an opportunity for players like Vytas, Marco Farfan, Jeremy Ebobisse and Lawrence Olum to make their case for MLS minutes.
3. And … what should we think about U.S Open Cup?
Make no mistake about it: The Timbers aren’t punting this competition. U.S. Open Cup doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and players’ health will always come first, but given the 18 players Savarese will be able to select, there’s no reason Portland can’t advance to the next round. The club’s depth means two goals can be served at once.
But those goals have to stay in view. Both of them. The momentum the team has in its Major League Soccer season can’t be sacrificed because you want to honor this competition. In the later rounds of the tournament, when the stakes are higher and rounds are spaced farther apart, you can adjust. For the fourth round, though, the whole squad will have to contribute.
In a way, that makes this competition even more interesting. Whichever team claims this year’s Cup will do so by leveraging all its resources. It will be about more than the 18 players who dress in the Sept. 26 final. The second, sometimes third rungs of teams’ depth charts are going to have to make huge contributions before that challenge.
No, U.S. Open Cup isn’t prioritized the same way as the MLS season, and when the Timbers are back in CONCACAF Champions League, there’ll be another competition that’s higher in the pecking order. But there are still a number of reasons why Wednesday could be the start of something special – something the club would cherish.
And, it shouldn’t be ignored: This game is not at Starfire Sports Complex! That may seem like a little thing, but given how recent U.S. Open Cups have been scheduled, it’s tantamount to a modern miracle.
