The Portland Timbers know what they want to do. In fact, almost every team that plays them knows what they want to do. The problem is that knowing what they are going to do and stopping it are two very different propositions.
The Timbers want to relinquish possession, sit deep, soak up the pressure, and then force mistakes at crucial moments and race forward in transition when the opposing defence is exposed and unprepared.
With players like Diego Valeri and Sebastian Blanco on the counter-attack, the Timbers are well-drilled. They know how to break with speed and precision, rarely make the wrong decision in their distribution, and play with excellent combination and understanding.