PORTLAND, Ore. – When Portland Timbers head coach Caleb Porter watched midfielder Darlington Nagbe go down over the weekend, he was sure it was another long-term injury he would be forced to manage.
“I thought, ‘It’s broken.’ You see his ankle crumpled under there and you see the pictures and it looks bad,” Porter said from training on Tuesday. “He’s in a wheelchair and it’s swelling and you think the worst. You hope for the best, but we’ve had some injuries already and you’re thinking, ‘What more?’”
The Timbers escaped the worst outcome – Nagbe, one of their best players, only sprained his ankle – but it still creates a headache for Porter. With Nagbe ruled out for Wednesday’s clash against FC Dallas (7:30 pm PT, ROOT SPORTS), it adds pressure to a roster with several potential starters already sidelined and a quick three-day turnaround to get ready for the midweek match.
Defender Liam Ridgewell (hamstring), defender Andy Thoma (knee), and midfielder Ben Zemanski (groin pull) are all still nursing longer-term injuries and winger Dairon Asprilla picked up a foot injury ahead of the LA trip on Sunday. Porter had no timeline on Asprilla’s recovery, but ruled him out for Wednesday.
While Porter often rotates players and has tested different options in positions vacated through injury, Nagbe is probably not a player Porter was ever looking to replace. Last season, Nagbe played all but one game, a testament to his importance in driving the midfield. Now, Nagbe is out for Wednesday and doubtful for this coming weekend, too.
Porter declined to disclose what tactical changes he may make in order to deal with Nagbe’s absence, but suggested the Timbers may need to adjust its system to match the lineup changes.
“Every game’s different, every opponent’s different and with our personnel and how we shape the game up, there’s always layers,” Porter said. “We just need to look at it and figure out a way to manage it with him out.”
“You can’t think the same system always fits different personnel. A lot of times you just need to be adaptable and we've shown that we’re a flexible team tactically. So we’ll come up with a good plan to put out a good lineup and hopefully get a result.”
In their 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy over the weekend, Porter shifted the team back into a double-pivot tandem of Diego Chara and Jack Jewsbury that provides more defensive cover and tends to push Nagbe out wide. Since late last season, the Timbers have often tasked Chara with sole defensive midfielder duties so the team can attack more, but the newest string of injuries could force Porter to approach things differently.
“A guy like Darlington, you can’t just replace him,” Jewsbury told MLSSoccer.com. “But we have a lot of guys who can fill that role and can fill it very well. There’s different options Caleb has to put in that role out wide or in the middle, wherever he chooses to insert somebody.”
Midfielder Ned Grabavoy seems to be a likely candidate to replace Nagbe, but new Leicester City signing Jack Barmby could also potentially slot in as Porter looks at how to use the Englishman going forward.
FC Dallas, for their part, represent an aggressive, fast-paced, attack-minded team, and with former Portland striker Maxi Urruti leading their goal-scoring efforts, the Timbers will be keenly aware of the threats they face. That, Porter said, is what the Timbers are focused on – not the injury to Nagbe and the controversy that surrounded the tackle.
Still, what happened to Nagbe can certainly add some extra motivation.
“These are the types of things that can galvanize your team,” Porter said. “It’s unfortunate that Darlington’s going to be out, but I think the group will step up in his absence and I think we'll be a stronger team in the long run because of this.”
