The debut of the first designated player in Minnesota United FC history was full of chances and even featured a goal for the man himself, Darwin Quintero. However, the new and old ran together in the Portland rain as Minnesotan defensive frailty was too much to overcome as the Timbers took the 3-2 win.
Portland was winless in its opening five fixtures of the season and had taken only two points from those games, so the friendly confines of their home opener and the Timbers Army at Providence Park were not to be underrated. Portland looked ready to rock early, and struck first through Alvas Powell.
Questions could be asked of both Francisco Calvo and Matt Lampson, both beaten to the punch at the near post, and eyes were on Calvo once again within three minutes when Diego Valeri beat him to a cross and made it 2-0 Timbers.
The opening of the game had plenty of promise for Minnesota going forward as well, with Quintero looking lively when he received the ball and Ethan Finlay missing a beautiful chance.
Their best chance even went all the way into Portland’s net on a beautiful sequence of passing through the entire midfield onto Miguel Ibarra’s boot, but the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) took the goal back (correctly) as Ibarra was a yard offside when he shot.
Minnesota went into halftime with optimism but a clear and familiar weak spot. Marc Burch had been targeted by Portland’s attack from the start of the game after his weak start to the season, and Adrian Heath did not wait to make a change. Carter Manley entered after the break, with Jerome Thiesson moving to cover the left side.
The halftime break did plenty of good for the Loons, who came out of intermission and set a fire under the Portland defense. Three very clear chances came within the first ten minutes of the chance, one each for Finlay, Quintero and Christian Ramirez.
As good as the chances were, Minnesota was not finishing them, while Portland — just like Atlanta United in the Loons’ previous fixture — took their chances. They needed a goal, and their designated player was the man to provide it in the 64th minute.
The goal was everything Minnesota didn’t have in that Atlanta fixture: the creative talent and individual playmaking to create something out of nothing. Quintero was here and doing his job, and Minnesota had a chance to get points from the game.
What they needed was to get through the rest of the game without another defensive blunder, and, well, they didn’t.
Fanendo Adi’s redirect made Lampson look silly. Another opening in Minnesota’s box, another goal for Portland. When Adi again hit the back of the net five minutes later, the game looked to be over in a rout, but it was Minnesota’s turn to receive a favor from VAR, and then an even bigger favor from the Portland defense.
The ball from Quintero and the run from Abu Danladi created enough chaos to force the mistake, and the Loons went from a three-goal deficit to a one-goal deficit in two minutes in perhaps the most unconventional fashion.
Quintero was in charge of corners and free kicks, and this ball was typical of his offerings: inviting, threatening, in the right places to ask the questions. It was no coincidence that Minnesota’s second-half improvement included some of Christian Ramirez’s best minutes of the season thanks to Quintero’s involvement.
The game’s final minutes had one good chance for Minnesota, a header from — you guessed it — Quintero that didn’t stay down. The chances earlier in the game and the loose balls in Portland’s 18-yard box were the moments to regret after the final whistle was blown.
There are plenty of reasons for optimism, and to no one’s surprise, most of them are at the offensive end. The partnership between Ramirez and Quintero can only improve with time and experience, and Minnesota’s best form needs Ramirez on the scoresheet.
The questions come at the back, as is tradition. What is the solution to the Marc Burch problem? Burch has been Minnesota’s weakest point in every game he has started this season, and while Manley looked fine enough in his second-half minutes, one suspects that Heath is unlikely to trust the rookie with starts yet.
The midweek addition of Peruvian defender Alexi Gomez seems likely to figure in Heath’s plans, but the reassurance is unlikely to be immediate — as with Maximiano’s continued rehabilitation. The Loons can score goals, but not enough to keep up with their defense’s shortcomings yet.
While it’s early to look at the Western Conference standings, Portland had two points from their opening five fixtures. With five, they’re now just one behind Minnesota, as quickly as that. Portland is never an easy place to play, but the Loons had their chances to take three points and did not do so.
