BEAVERTON, Ore. – When a team finds it hard to settle on a starting lineup, it’s often a sign that things aren’t working.
For the Portland Timbers, that’s hardly the case in head coach Caleb Porter’s mind, especially when it comes to the striker position, ahead of Saturday night’s clash with Houston (10:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
Neither Designated Player Fanendo Adi nor Maximiliano Urruti have claimed full-time rights up top in head coach Caleb Porter’s 4-2-3-1 formation. Rather than viewing that as a negative, Porter said it’s benefited the team as each player pushes the other for playing time.
“I think it’s very easy because you can go with either one of them and you know you’re going to get a good performance,” Porter said at the Timbers training facility this week following their midweek US Open Cup victory over the Seattle Sounders. “When you’ve got two guys like that not playing well, now you’re worried. I’m not worried going with either one of them.”
It’s true, however, that the rotation was born out of one player not performing.
In mid-April, after scoring three goals in the team’s first seven games, Adi was benched in favor of Urruti. While it didn’t result in a goal for either player then, it’s really bore fruit during the Timbers’ current four-game winning streak across all competitions.
When Adi came back into the starting lineup in May, he scored a goal in Portland’s 3-1 loss to the Dynamo his second start back on May 16. Then Urruti started and scored in the Timbers’ May 27 win against D.C. United to spark their current three-game league winning streak, and he recorded an assist in their next win, 2-1 vs. the Colorado Rapids.
Adi, meanwhile, came off the bench to score two late goals in thrilling fashion in Portland’s 2-0 win against the New England Revolution on June 6. And in Portland’s wild 3-1 USOC win in extra time in Seattle, Adi drew rave reviews from Porter for his hold-up play in a physical battle against their rivals before giving way to Urruti to score a goal after coming on in the first extra-time period.
Porter said that while the two are pushing each other for minutes, they both know they’ll get a chance to contribute whether it’s starting or coming off the bench, especially with five games in all competitions in the next two weeks.
Combined, the numbers have been impressive: Eight goals and two assists, with Adi recording six goals and an assist in 15 games (10 starts).
“It’s kind of funny because sometimes when there’s a battle for a spot guys get tense,” Porter said. “I think these guys are more loose now because they also trust that we’re going to give them a chance if they do well. And they know now with the window we have that they’re going to play, so there’s not that feeling of I have to play well or the other guy is going to play. So I think they know they’re going to play.”
And, he said, it’s fostered a healthy competiveness within the squad, one that exists in multiple positions with Portland enjoying a nearly full slate of healthy players.
“I’m not bogged down mentally for days and not sleeping thinking who do I start,” Porter said. “I’ll think about their form, the opponent, the game and I’ll pick a guy and know they’ll play well. … Right now what I really love about the team is we have a lot of guys who have taken ownership because they’ve started. And you start different guys, and it goes well, you’re team spirit is at an all-time high.”
Dan Itel covers the Timbers for MLSsoccer.com.
