Timbers: Tomorrow’s another day

Recent losses aren’t a big deal for ‘very good team,’ GM says

By Steve Brandon

The Portland Tribune, Jun 22, 2004, Updated Oct 30, 2009

The Portland Timbers might go to the bench a bit more in an attempt to shore up their defense and snap their first slump of the season, but General Manager Jim Taylor says no major changes are needed.

“We’ve certainly had a couple of lapses in back, but I look at it from another perspective: that we’re not scoring like we were, either,” Taylor says. “The season is going to be like that, with ebbs and flows.”

Portland, 1-3 in its last four games after a 6-0 start, faces back-to-back tests tonight at Minnesota and Wednesday at Milwaukee. Minnesota (5-1-3) is tied with Portland for first place in the A-League Western Conference. Both teams have 21 points. Seattle (5-5-1) and Vancouver (5-4-1) have 16 each.

“There’s definitely no need for a whole lot of tweaking,” Taylor says. “This is a very good team. At the end of the day, it’s going to be one of the top teams, if not the top team, in the league.”

Rookie defender Edwin Miranda, from Cal State Northridge, is just about healthy enough to play some, Taylor says, and central midfielder Memo Arzate, a rookie from UC Santa Barbara, “definitely can be a player for us.”

David Henning, a 20-year-old defender, played a good half in place of ailing veteran Gavin Wilkinson (upper respiratory infection) against Rochester, and recent acquisition Andrew Gregor could add even more offense to the midfield.

“You’ll probably see some different looks on the field in the next two games, but Bobby (Howe) is a loyal coach, loyal to the guys who got us there,” Taylor says.

“We just need to play with more confidence,” goalkeeper Josh Saunders says. “Our decision-making has been a little slow.”

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