BEAVERTON, Ore. – The Portland Timbers returned to the adidas Timbers Training Center on Wednesday after a mild surprise: a Tuesday off.
The team’s normal schedule has them back on the field each Tuesday in preparation for the coming game, but with a bye week ahead and a 3-0 win over New York City FC in the books, head coach Giovanni Savarese gave his troops an extra day’s rest. Before fully focusing on the San Jose Earthquakes on May 5 (7:30pm PT, FOX 12 Plus), Savarese gave his players some time for themselves.
“Very, very happy,” was midfielder Diego Chara’s reaction to the unanticipated break. “We have to spend time with the family. It’s great for us.”
“We’ve done a lot of traveling,” Diego Valeri said, “a lot of hours flying, so it’s good to rehab.”
Once back on the field, though, the Timbers were left with the yin and yang of that two-week run-up. After a win like Sunday’s over New York, some might want to get back on the field right away, hoping to nurture the momentum of a breakthrough performance. Portland, instead, was handed their second bye of the season, leaving them to consider their half-empty, half-full scenario.
“It’s a positive and a negative,” Savarese admitted. “Of course, I think it would have been great to continue with the momentum, to continue to play this week, because I think it would have been great to stay on the same path. But also, the weekend off is going to be good for the players.
“This week, we’re going to be able to work some of the guys, to be able to get back to full form … just the things that we have with some guys to fix them, muscle-wise. With injuries, we can progress, so that is the positive side.”
Those injuries include defenders Bill Tuiloma and Vytas, as well as midfielder David Guzmán, all of whom are dealing with leg issues. When asked about their potential involvement in San Jose, Savarese was both cautious and optimistic.
“All of them are potentially available to come back,” he said. “We will evaluate day-by-day, but we expect them to be able to get better, the way that they have been doing, so far.”
In the interim, the Timbers will try to preserve the momentum won against NYCFC, although among the players, there was a sense of relief at having an extra week off.
“It’s good, because we need some guys back on the roster, in the group,” Valeri said. “We will use this week for that, and then we’ll prepare for the game against San Jose, which will be very important.”
The Timbers have been pushing for five weeks – since their last break, before the road game in Dallas. That game sparked Portland’s change of course, one that’s demanded the team’s entire focus.
“Against Dallas, we had a very good match,” Savarese remembers, framing the team’s recent turnaround. “We’ve progressed match by match. And then coming back home, at home with our fans, that extra energy and the more work that we’ve done, it’s showing that the guys are advancing, progressing, working for each other.
“As a coach, I’m content to see that. The important thing is everyone on the team has to be ready when they’re called to be able to participate.”
Portland currently sits two points out of the Western Conference’s top six, and although it is too early to be worrying about playoff positioning, a win in San Jose would continue the rise the team sparked five games ago. San Jose, on the other hand, will be looking to spark a recovery of their own, with the Earthquakes winless since their week one victory over Minnesota.
“We need this break,” Chara said, echoing his fellow midfield cornerstone. “I think it’s very important for us to be well-recovered. We have this whole week to prepare and be ready for the next game.”
