Wilkinson: Timbers need to win more individual battles

'Dangerous' Minnesota next for Portland

By Steve Brandon

The Portland Tribune, Jun 3, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (2 Reader comments)

Gavin Wilkinson likes to break soccer down to its simplest parts — the one-on-one play.

These days, he’s returning to a familiar refrain as his team sputters and seeks to find a high gear: The game basically comes down to players winning their individual battles.

In Sunday’s 2-1 loss at Rochester, “I’d say we won six of 11. That’s not enough.”

Not on the road against a team hungry for its first win.

The loss prevented Portland from sweeping the two-game trip that began with a 1-0 victory at Montreal on Friday.

A victory would have put Portland (4-3-4, 16 points) into a tie for first place with Vancouver (6-2-1, 19). The Timbers will play the Whitecaps in Vancouver on Saturday, after a home game at PGE Park at 7 p.m. Thursday with Minnesota (4-3-1, 13).

The Timbers will be without forward Benjamin Totori, who injured his right knee late in the Miami game. No word yet on the MRI, but Wilkinson says the team still believes the injury is nothing worse than a sprain.

Wilkinson says the Timbers have three other players with some degree of injury: forwards Chris Brown (hamstring) and Takayuki Suzuki (ankle) and midfielder Lawrence Olum.

Portland beat Minnesota 2-1 in its second game of the season April 24 at PGE Park, but the Thunder look improved from last year’s 5-12-11 team.

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