Wilkinson: No one stepped up for Timbers

Goalie Burse returns, but speed factor concerns Portland coach going into Atlanta game

By Steve Brandon

The Portland Tribune, Jun 11, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (5 Reader comments)

Tom Poltl (right), going up for a ball in a 2006 game against Toronto, has done well in a defensive midfielder role this year for the Portland Timbers, coach Gavin Wilkinson says, but overall, the team has not been sharp of late.

L.E. BASKOW / THE PORTLAND TRIBUNE

Gavin Wilkinson says he didn’t like what he saw Tuesday night at PGE Park. And he’s not just referring to the “Hollywood United 3, Portland Timbers 2” on the scoreboard at the end of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match.

“The disappointing thing,” says the Timbers’ coach and general manager, “is that we gave some players a chance to step up, and no one did.”

• Goalkeeper Ray Burse will be back from a stint with FC Dallas when the Timbers return to league play Thursday night.

Portland welcomes the Atlanta Silverbacks for a 7 p.m. game at PGE Park.

But “we’re still battling a few injuries and illnesses,” Wilkinson says, and Burse’s long-term status with the Timbers remains a bit unclear. The goalie is on loan from the Major League Soccer team, which can call him up again at any time. “We’ll find out more next week, once they (Dallas) appoint their (next) coach.”

• Atlanta (3-3-3, 12 points, seventh place) presents one clear challenge to Portland (4-4-5, 17, tied for third).

“Atlanta has a lot of team speed, unlike ourselves,” Wilkinson says.

Establishing an attack that can move at a quick pace “is always a concern,” he adds. “Take out one player and we’re probably a quicker team than we were last year — losing Bryan Jordan hurts us in the ability to stretch defenders and keep teams honest.

“We do need to add some team speed, but it’s not something we can do overnight. We brought in some players (with pace), but they have not contributed.

“Our transition play, going both forward and back, is going to be an important aspect of (the Atlanta) game.”

• Arsene Oka, a midfielder from Ivory Coast, hasn’t played much in his first season with the Timbers, but he went the distance Tuesday and scored his first goal. But Wilkinson indicates that Oka remains a work in progress.

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