For the first time in five years, no one really knows what to expect from the Portland Timbers.
Giovanni Savarese will make his MLS managerial debut this weekend after taking over a roster the Timbers front office had started re-tooling in the offseason before he got there. Coach Caleb Porter abruptly resigned in November and Savarese stepped in about a month later needing to hit the ground running.
His tactical philosophy is not exactly a secret: The New York Cosmos played a pressing, attacking style during his five years at the helm and he has vowed to do the same in Portland. But with all the attacking pieces he has at his disposal, how is he going to do it?
The Timbers were in many ways built for the 4-2-3-1 that Porter preferred before his exit, and Savarese immediately used the same formation with the same attacking style to start preseason. But a lack of cohesion, particularly in a loss to FC Dallas, seemed to prompt Savarese to rethink the approach. He shifted the team into a 4-4-2 during that same Dallas match and the attack flowed better.
It’s a small sample size, but one worth thinking about now that the Timbers have added Swedish striker Samuel Armenteros, who joined earlier this month.
Fanendo Adi isn’t going anywhere as the Timbers’ target man because, aside from being on a Designated Player contract, he’s one of the best strikers in MLS. But Armenteros has made a convincing case during preseason that he may deserve a starting spot. Through 120 minutes of playing time in preseason, Armenteros has netted four goals and two assists. That included a brace vs. Kansas City to pull the Timbers ahead in a 3-2 comeback win.
Preseason goals must be taken with a grain of salt, but he could prove he belongs in a starting spot in no time. He offers something different than Adi does – he’s a quicker and more agile left-footed complement to right-footed Adi’s imposing physical presence. And he brings a level of quality in a second striker that wasn’t even possible for the Timbers a year ago, thanks to league upping its Targeted Allocation Money – spending that won’t hit the salary cap – which has allowed Portland to afford Armenteros.
But if Armenteros joins Adi in the starting lineup, that comes with other difficult decisions.
If Savarese shifts to a 4-4-2, the central midfield that helped the Timbers finish No. 1 in the Western Conference last year would have to change. How necessary is it to have both Diego Chara and David Guzman behind Diego Valeri in the midfield as was the setup last year? Can Chara hold down the central midfield alone in a single-pivot like he did in the Timbers’ run to the 2015 MLS Cup? Could Guzman perhaps step into that role instead?
What may linger in the back of Savarese’s mind is the inescapable reality that three players the Timbers have counted on the most, including Chara, are all north of 30 years old. Playmaker Diego Valeri and Chara will both turn 32 this spring and defender Liam Ridgewell is 33. Age hasn’t slowed down Valeri or Chara just yet – after all, Valeri was the MVP of the league last year and Chara remains a bellwether of the Timbers’ own success. But when players age up to the point where they can’t put in the same work without injury, it’s often a rapid, precipitous change.
Savarese became known at the Cosmos for his catchphrase: “Every game is a final.” But he’ll need to use his personnel wisely throughout the long MLS season that can be a slog when coast-to-coast travel, midweek games and CONCACAF Champions League fixtures are thrown into the mix. With the depth he has, he may want to simply plug-and-play by swapping players into his preferred tactical system.
But first, of course, he’ll need to figure out what that is first. With Portland’s many attacking tools, plenty of tactical setups can yield results. What Savarese ultimately settles on will be a crucial decision that remains to be seen.