The ripples of confusion, mixed with surprise and doubt, rippled through the Portland Timbers’ fanbase in the hour before Saturday’s kickoff against the New England Revolution. That’s when the full effects of the team’s schedule conundrum were revealed. In the wake of a 2-0 victory at Providence Park over Toronto FC three days before, the team had to make wholesale changes, with the names left in Giovanni Savarese’s squad giving Timbers supporters new perspective on the challenges of their team’s turnaround.
In hindsight, the absences of Diego Chara, Liam Ridgewell and Diego Valeri don’t seem so surprising.